Frequently asked questions

A real-time multiplayer bidding game. Instead of money, everyone bids with time from a hidden time bank. You bid by holding a button, and the longest hold wins each token. The player with the most tokens at the end wins.

Yes, completely. The site is supported by a small number of ads. Ads are never shown on the auction screen, so they can't get in the way of a bid.

No. Open the site, type a name and play. It runs in any modern browser on phones, tablets and computers. You can add it to your home screen for a full-screen experience.

Two to eight per room. The host can set a lower maximum and fill empty seats with bots.

Yes. Create a room, add a few bots and start. There are four bot styles (steady, unpredictable, aggressive and passive), so you can practise against different kinds of players.

Share the 4-letter room code shown in the lobby, or tap Copy invite link and send it. Anyone who opens the link only has to enter their name.

With the default settings (19 auctions, ten minutes each), most games take 15 to 25 minutes. For a quicker game, the host can lower the number of auctions or the time bank in the lobby.

That's the heart of the game. Nobody's time bank is ever shown, including yours, until the final standings. Keeping track of what you've spent is part of the skill. See the strategy guide for tips.

So nobody can measure exactly how long the remaining players are holding. You only see the clock while you're bidding.

You pass on that auction for free, and you can't rejoin it. You'll be back in for the next one.

If the top bids are within 0.1 seconds of each other, nobody gets the token and every tied player still pays. The host can change both the margin and the rule.

You're released automatically the moment your bank hits zero. You keep the tokens you've won, but you can't bid in the remaining auctions.

No. Each auction is scheduled to start at the same moment for everyone, and your phone records exactly when you let go. The server checks that timestamp against your connection speed, so the time recorded is the time you actually let go, not when the message arrived.

The server keeps the official clock and only accepts timestamps that are consistent with your measured connection. Claiming you let go earlier than you did would only make your own bid smaller. Live information about other players is never sent to anyone during an auction, so there's nothing to react to.

Leaving the game counts as letting go. The game asks your phone to keep the screen awake during a match where the browser allows it.

Yes. Reopen the game on the same device and browser and you'll rejoin your room automatically. You'll sit out the auction in progress and play from the next one.

No. Time Stake is an original game. It's inspired by the kind of strategic mind games popular in TV reality competitions, but it isn't affiliated with, endorsed by or based on any specific programme, format or broadcaster.

Very little. There are no accounts. The name you type is shared with the other players in your room, and game data is deleted when the room closes. Details are in the privacy policy.