Written-event dailies
Wherio, GeoHistory and HistoPin describe an event and ask where.
13 history and geography games that connect time with place
The best history games ask where as well as when. This guide covers quick daily puzzles, deeper browser games and long strategy campaigns that all put the past on a map.
By Rachel Tublitz, creator of Wherio · Updated
Daily puzzle
Round 3 of 5Use hint
In 1453, this city became the capital of the Ottoman Empire after a pivotal siege.
Confirm: 🇹🇷 Turkey
The short answer
For a daily history-and-geography puzzle, TimeGuessr and WhenTaken use photos, while Wherio, GeoHistory and HistoPin use written events. Whenere and Terra Tempus ask for both a place and a date. For long sessions, Civilization VII and Crusader Kings III are the classic strategy picks, and Mission US is the best free option for classrooms.
Four ways to connect time and place
Decide how long you want to play and what kind of clue you enjoy.
Photo and object dailies
TimeGuessr, WhenTaken and Anthropeum read images for place and period.
Strategy campaigns
Civilization VII and Crusader Kings III play out history across a map.
Classroom stories
Mission US teaches US history through free interactive missions.
History and geography games side by side
TimeGuessr
Pin where and when each historical photo was taken
- Format
- Daily · 5 rounds
- You answer with
- Map pin + year
- Cost
- Free with ads; ad-free $24.99/yr
- Archive
- Yes, free, back to Dec 2025
Wherio
Read a written historical event, then tap the country where it happened
- Format
- Daily · 5 rounds
- You answer with
- Country
- Cost
- Free; optional Pro
- Archive
- 2 free plays a day; unlimited with Pro
WhenTaken
Pin where and when each photo was taken, from 1860 to today
- Format
- Daily · 5 rounds
- You answer with
- Map pin + year
- Cost
- Free with ads
- Archive
- Yes
GeoHistory
Read a written clue and tap where it happened on a globe
- Format
- Daily · 5 questions
- You answer with
- Map pin
- Cost
- Free; GeoGames Pro $39.99/yr
- Archive
- 14 days free; full archive with Pro
HistoPin
Pin five this-day-in-history events on a world map
- Format
- Daily · 5 events + practice
- You answer with
- Map pin
- Cost
- Free, no ads
- Archive
- Practice mode only
Whenere
Pin written events on a 3D globe and date them, down to the day
- Format
- Daily · 3 rounds + extra modes
- You answer with
- Map pin + date
- Cost
- Free with ads
- Archive
- Last week, with sign-in
MapTap
Tap five named places on a borderless globe, each tied to a this-day-in-history story
- Format
- Daily · 5 places
- You answer with
- Map pin
- Cost
- Free, no ads; MapTap+ $14.99/yr
- Archive
- 90 days with MapTap+
Terra Tempus
Read a clue about a real event, pin where it happened and place the year on a timeline
- Format
- Daily + endless · Apple devices
- You answer with
- Map pin + year
- Cost
- Free; Pro $29.99/yr
- Archive
- Past answers only, free
Anthropeum
Pin where a museum artifact was made and pick its period
- Format
- Daily · 10 artifacts
- You answer with
- Map pin + period
- Cost
- Free
- Archive
- No
EraGuessr
Explore an AI-generated historical panorama, then pin where and set when
- Format
- Daily + unlimited modes
- You answer with
- Map pin + year
- Cost
- Free; EraGuessr+ $19.99/yr
- Archive
- EraGuessr+ only
Civilization VII
Lead a civilization through three ages on a world map, including a true-start Earth map
- Format
- Campaign
- You answer with
- Strategy
- Cost
- Paid
- Archive
- Not applicable
Crusader Kings III
Guide a medieval dynasty across a historical map of Europe, Africa and Asia
- Format
- Campaign
- You answer with
- Strategy
- Cost
- Paid
- Archive
- Not applicable
Mission US
Play choice-driven stories set at turning points in US history
- Format
- 8 missions
- You answer with
- Story choices
- Cost
- Free; account needed
- Archive
- Not applicable
| Game | What you do | Format | You answer with | Cost | Archive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TimeGuessr | Pin where and when each historical photo was taken | Daily · 5 rounds | Map pin + year | Free with ads; ad-free $24.99/yr | Yes, free, back to Dec 2025 |
| Wherio | Read a written historical event, then tap the country where it happened | Daily · 5 rounds | Country | Free; optional Pro | 2 free plays a day; unlimited with Pro |
| WhenTaken | Pin where and when each photo was taken, from 1860 to today | Daily · 5 rounds | Map pin + year | Free with ads | Yes |
| GeoHistory | Read a written clue and tap where it happened on a globe | Daily · 5 questions | Map pin | Free; GeoGames Pro $39.99/yr | 14 days free; full archive with Pro |
| HistoPin | Pin five this-day-in-history events on a world map | Daily · 5 events + practice | Map pin | Free, no ads | Practice mode only |
| Whenere | Pin written events on a 3D globe and date them, down to the day | Daily · 3 rounds + extra modes | Map pin + date | Free with ads | Last week, with sign-in |
| MapTap | Tap five named places on a borderless globe, each tied to a this-day-in-history story | Daily · 5 places | Map pin | Free, no ads; MapTap+ $14.99/yr | 90 days with MapTap+ |
| Terra Tempus | Read a clue about a real event, pin where it happened and place the year on a timeline | Daily + endless · Apple devices | Map pin + year | Free; Pro $29.99/yr | Past answers only, free |
| Anthropeum | Pin where a museum artifact was made and pick its period | Daily · 10 artifacts | Map pin + period | Free | No |
| EraGuessr | Explore an AI-generated historical panorama, then pin where and set when | Daily + unlimited modes | Map pin + year | Free; EraGuessr+ $19.99/yr | EraGuessr+ only |
| Civilization VII | Lead a civilization through three ages on a world map, including a true-start Earth map | Campaign | Strategy | Paid | Not applicable |
| Crusader Kings III | Guide a medieval dynasty across a historical map of Europe, Africa and Asia | Campaign | Strategy | Paid | Not applicable |
| Mission US | Play choice-driven stories set at turning points in US history | 8 missions | Story choices | Free; account needed | Not applicable |
What each game does differently
There is no universal winner. Each pick below says who it suits and where another game on the list does the job better.
1. TimeGuessr
By TimeGuessr Ltd
TimeGuessr is the best-known game in this category: five historical photos a day, each answered with a map pin and a year. It has iPhone and Android apps, community games, a free archive of past dailies and an optional ad-free tier.
Compared with Wherio: TimeGuessr reads photos for an exact place and year. Wherio uses written events, which reach back before photography, and asks for the country.
Visit TimeGuessr (opens in a new tab)
2. Wherio
Wherio is our game. Each day brings five written historical events, from prehistory to the present, and you tap the country where each happened. Bordering countries earn at least 700 of 1,000 points, and each reveal explains the event.
Play Wherio free3. WhenTaken
By Teuteuf Games, the studio behind Worldle
WhenTaken is Teuteuf's answer to TimeGuessr: five photos from 1860 to today, each with a pin and a year. It also keeps an archive of past days.
Visit WhenTaken (opens in a new tab)4. GeoHistory
By Rhino Studios, as part of its GeoGames app
GeoHistory gives five written clues a day and asks you to tap where each happened on a globe, scored by miles. Later questions count more. It is part of the GeoGames app, and era rounds and the full archive come with GeoGames Pro.
Compared with Wherio: GeoHistory wants a precise pin. Wherio asks for the country, so the challenge is knowing where events happened rather than locating a city exactly.
Visit GeoHistory (opens in a new tab)5. HistoPin
By Kyle Allbright
HistoPin picks five events that happened on today's date and asks you to pin them, with bonuses for precision, speed and landing in the right country. It is free with no ads, and practice mode filters by era and region.
Visit HistoPin (opens in a new tab)6. Whenere
Whenere asks you to place three written events on a 3D globe and date each one, from century down to day. It is the hardest daily here, with extra weekly and timed modes for signed-in players.
Visit Whenere (opens in a new tab)7. MapTap
By MapTap Inc
MapTap asks you to find five named places on a globe, and each is tied to a this-day-in-history story you can read afterward. The history is context rather than the clue, so it suits geography fans who like a story.
Visit MapTap (opens in a new tab)8. Terra Tempus
By Endpaper Labs
Terra Tempus reads a clue about a real event and asks for a pin and a year. A free daily challenge and endless play are joined by guided courses on the US Civil War and American Revolution.
Visit Terra Tempus (opens in a new tab)9. Anthropeum
By Matthew Chu, using open-access museum collections
Anthropeum shows ten museum objects a day and asks where each was made and when. It is free and draws on open-access museum collections.
Visit Anthropeum (opens in a new tab)10. EraGuessr
EraGuessr generates historical panoramas with AI, reaching back thousands of years, and asks for a place and a year. The scenes are illustrations rather than records, and the archive is part of EraGuessr+.
Visit EraGuessr (opens in a new tab)11. Civilization VII
By Firaxis Games
Civilization VII plays out human history across three ages on a world map, and a September 2026 update added a true-start Earth map. It is not a quiz, but it builds a feel for how geography shapes empires.
Visit Civilization VII (opens in a new tab)12. Crusader Kings III
By Paradox Interactive
Crusader Kings III follows a dynasty across a detailed map of medieval Europe, Africa and Asia. Few games teach the political geography of the Middle Ages as well, and a new expansion arrived in September 2026.
Visit Crusader Kings III (opens in a new tab)13. Mission US
By The WNET Group
Mission US is a free series of interactive stories set at turning points in US history, from public broadcaster WNET. It is built for classrooms, with student and teacher accounts.
Visit Mission US (opens in a new tab)How to think about time and place together
Placing an event on the map gets easier when you treat when and where as clues to each other.
Borders move
An event in an old empire happened inside a modern country. Ask where the place is today, not which state ruled it then.
Follow the subject, not the hero
In Wherio's own data, clues that name a famous person from another country are solved about 11 percentage points less often. The event's location is what counts.
Use the era to narrow the region
Technology, trade routes and empires rule out large parts of the world for many periods.
Remember big countries are forgiving
Distance scoring rewards a guess in the right region. When unsure, pick the larger, central country.
Five events, five places, every day
Wherio is built for exactly this crossover. Each puzzle takes you through five real events, each in a different country, and explains the answer after every guess.
- Events from prehistory to the present
- Tap the country, no exact pin needed
- Partial points for nearby guesses
- A short explanation after every round
Wherio by the numbers
Daily puzzles from June 1 to October 11, 2026, from Wherio's own analytics.
- guesses on daily puzzles
- 87,700+
- landed on the exact country
- 42%
- more were near misses worth 700+ points
- 1 in 8
- median distance of a wrong guess
- 1,050 km
How this guide was put together
Rachel Tublitz builds Wherio, so Wherio is on this list and marked as our game. Every other game was checked on its live site in October 2026 for format, cost, archive access and whether you need an account. The order reflects how well each game fits this particular search, not whether it competes with us.
Games change often. If something here is out of date, email hello@wherio.app and we will fix it.
History and geography games, answered
What is a good game for learning history and geography together?
Wherio, GeoHistory and HistoPin all ask where real events happened. TimeGuessr and WhenTaken do the same with historical photos. For longer play, Civilization VII and Crusader Kings III put history on a world map.
Which history and geography games are free?
TimeGuessr, Wherio, WhenTaken, GeoHistory, HistoPin, Whenere, MapTap, Anthropeum, EraGuessr and Mission US all have free modes. Civilization VII and Crusader Kings III are paid.
What is a good history and geography game for students?
Mission US is designed for classrooms. Wherio and HistoPin are short, free and need no account for the daily game, which makes them easy warm-ups.
Which game asks for both where and when?
TimeGuessr, WhenTaken, Whenere, Terra Tempus, EraGuessr and Anthropeum ask for both a location and a date. Wherio asks only where, and shows the date in the reveal.
Find where history happened
One free daily puzzle. Five events. Five countries to find.
Play Wherio free