Short Fuse

Hot potato with words. Do not be holding it when it goes off.

A category appears and one seat lights up. That player types a word that fits, and the light moves to the next person. Nothing on screen tells you how long is left, because the timer sits on our server and it is different every round, somewhere between ten and twenty-four seconds.

Hesitate, draw a blank, or repeat a word that has already gone, and you are still holding it. When it goes you take a mark and the next round starts straight away. Nobody is ever knocked out, so nobody ends up watching from the sofa.

Eight rounds, fewest marks wins. Four to eight players, about ten minutes.

  • 4–8 players
  • About 10 minutes
  • Free
  • No download
Two hands holding a molten ball of coral-gold light in front of a teal sofa

How each way works

Friends playing Short Fuse on a television they can all see, each with a phone

Play with a group in your room

A TV, laptop or tablet — a phone each

The category, the words already used and the lit-up seat go on a television, laptop or tablet. The timer never appears anywhere.

Open the board
People in different cities playing Short Fuse with strangers on their own screens

Play live online with people worldwide

Sit down at a public table with people you have never met. There is still no countdown on any screen, and a stranger can take the next turn.

Start

How to play

  1. A category appears and one seat lights up.
  2. Type a word that fits and has not been used yet. The light moves on.
  3. Nobody can see the timer. Whoever is holding it when it goes takes a mark.
  4. You are never knocked out. Eight rounds, and the fewest marks wins.
  5. Players who drop out are skipped, unless the light is on them when it goes.

Questions

Is Short Fuse free to play?

Yes, and there is nothing to buy later. Short Fuse runs in your browser: no download, no app store, no payment.

Do I need to install anything?

No. Open the link and play. It works on a phone, a tablet, a laptop and any television with a browser, and everyone at a table can be on a different kind of device.

What does “Play with a group in your room” mean?

The category, the words already used and the lit-up seat go on a television, laptop or tablet. The timer never appears anywhere.

What does “Play live online with people worldwide” mean?

Sit down at a public table with people you have never met. There is still no countdown on any screen, and a stranger can take the next turn.

How many people can play?

4–8 players, in the same room or live online.

How long does a game take?

About 10 minutes.

Do I need an account?

Only if you want to start a game for other people to join. Playing on one shared screen works without one, and so does joining a game a friend started — you just choose a name.

More to play

Every game on ComePlayAlong →

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Ready when your friends are.

No download, no app. Short Fuse opens in the browser they already have.

Start playing