How to Play PassportQ
The daily city guessing game. Weather, elevation, architecture, vibes. Five guesses to find the mystery city.
Play today's puzzle →The rules
One city. Five guesses. You start with today's temperature and each wrong guess unlocks a new clue. Correct guesses win immediately; wrong guesses show distance and direction to the right answer.
- Temperature — today's high, in your unit preference.
- Elevation — narrows to mountain, coastal, or inland terrain.
- Population — one of four tiers from village to megacity.
- Architecture — a short descriptor of the built environment.
- Vibe — a subjective one-liner from the editorial team.
Strategy tips
- Hemisphere flips. If it's 32°C in July, anywhere in the Northern Hemisphere is plausible. If it's 32°C in January, you're in the Southern Hemisphere or the tropics.
- Elevation is a game-ender. Above 2,500m means a specific short list: Cusco, La Paz, Lhasa, Quito, Bogota, Addis Ababa. Below 10m often means a coastal or river-mouth city.
- Temperature + elevation together is very tight. 10°C at 3,000m mid-summer narrows to Himalayan or Andean high cities immediately.
- Watch the population tier. "Over 10M" leaves you 25-30 cities globally. "Under 500K" opens up 10,000+ options — save this tier for when other clues lock it down.
- Vibe tags are snarky but useful. "Sun-drenched" with coastal elevation = likely Mediterranean or Caribbean. "Alpine" at high elevation = Switzerland, Austria, or Colorado.
FAQ
How do you play PassportQ?
Each day PassportQ picks one mystery city from around the world. You have five guesses. Clues reveal one at a time: today's high temperature, elevation, population tier, local architecture style, and a one-line vibe description.
What clues does PassportQ give?
In order: (1) Today's weather (high temp in your unit), (2) City elevation, (3) Population bracket, (4) Landscape and architecture style, (5) A subjective 'vibe' tag like 'sun-drenched coastal', 'alpine resort', or 'dense megacity'. You start with clue #1 and each wrong guess unlocks the next.
How do you win PassportQ?
Type the city name. A correct guess wins. Wrong guesses show the great-circle distance and compass direction to the correct city, so you can triangulate your next try.
What kinds of cities are in PassportQ?
A global mix. Big capitals (Tokyo, Paris, London) mixed with second-tier cities (Lyon, Kaohsiung, Ljubljana, Porto) and a handful of travel-nerd favorites (Ushuaia, Reykjavik, Kathmandu). The harder puzzles lean on less-obvious regional hubs.
When do new PassportQ puzzles drop?
Midnight Eastern every day. The same city is the answer globally for everyone playing that day.
Is PassportQ free?
Yes. Free to play, no account required. Premium removes ads.
What's the best PassportQ strategy?
Weather is the anchor. If today is 28°C (82°F) on a January puzzle, you're in the Southern Hemisphere or tropics -- huge narrow-down immediately. Elevation is the follow-up: above 1,500m means the Andes, Himalayas, Ethiopian Highlands, or Colorado. Architecture finishes the job.