How to Play X Pic!

Each day you're given a single photograph from a moment in history.

1. Look at the photograph

Study clues — clothes, vehicles, architecture, signs, image quality — to work out roughly when and where it was taken.

2. Pick a year

Use the dropdown to choose any year from 1900 to today.

3. Drop a pin on the map

Click the map to mark where you think the photo was taken. You can move the pin until you submit.

Scoring (out of 100)

• Year (50 pts): A perfect year scores 50. Older photos are scored more leniently — getting within 3 years of a 1920s photo is treated similarly to getting within 1 year of a 2020s photo.
• Location (50 pts): A pin within ~10 km scores 50. Points decay smoothly with distance — no sudden cliff-edges.

One puzzle per day

Categories rotate between major political events, financial market moments, and South American history.

Got it