How to host a quiz night with friends or family

What you need

Good news: almost nothing.

• A screen everyone can see: the TV, a laptop, a tablet, or if all else fails, a phone in the middle of the table.
• One phone per player, or one per team, to buzz with.
• Questions: your own, or our ready-made quiz questions, true or false, with the answers.
• A host who reads the questions and keeps track of the scores.
• Snacks, because quizzing is hungry work.

No need to buy real buzzers. With the Buzzloo quiz buzzer, every phone becomes a big button, right in the browser. Nothing to install, no account, no email address.

Every player for themselves, or teams?

Every player for themselves is perfect for up to about ten people. Everyone buzzes, and the excitement builds fast.

Teams are ideal for a big group, or when ages vary a lot. A few tips:

• Make teams of 2 to 5 people and mix the generations. A teenager and their grandma often make a formidable duo.
• To avoid the “I want to be with him!” debate, make random teams in front of everyone. You choose the number of teams, and the tool splits up the names.
• Give each team a single phone, and type the team name instead of a first name. The scoreboard becomes a team scoreboard.
• When a team buzzes, give them a few seconds to agree. But the player holding the phone is the one who presses: choose them wisely.

A room holds up to 30 players. Plenty for a full house.

Choosing the topics

The secret of a good night is variety: everyone should get their moment of glory.

• Plan 4 or 5 rounds of 8 to 10 questions, each on one topic.
• Alternate serious and light: geography, then animals, then food.
• Add a “house round” about the group’s own memories: the last vacation, family nicknames, the cake that went wrong at Thanksgiving.
• If kids are playing, add a kids' round where only the youngest are allowed to buzz.

Can’t decide the order of the rounds? Put the topics on the random wheel and spin it before each round. The suspense starts before the first question.

To write your own questions, read our guide on how to write good quiz questions.

Set up the screen before your guests arrive

1. Open the buzzer page on the main screen, choose Party mode and create a room. A QR code and a 4-character code appear.
2. Tap “Turn sound on” once: the host screen is the one that plays the sound of the first buzz.
3. Turn up the volume, then switch to full screen so everyone can see clearly.
4. Check that you have a connection in the room, over Wi-Fi or mobile data. The phones don’t need to be on the same network.

To get the screen onto the TV, everything is explained in our guide on turning your phone into a quiz buzzer: the TV’s browser, an HDMI cable or screen mirroring.

How a round works

1. Each player scans the QR code, or goes to the site and types the code. They choose a first name, a color and a sound: Beep, Honk, Ding, Pew, Boing or Ta-da.
2. Explain the rules in two minutes, especially this one: wait for the buzzers to open. Anyone who presses too early sees “Too soon!” and their buzzer locks for one second.
3. Read the whole question, then press “Open buzzers”. On a computer, the Space bar or the O key does the same thing.
4. The first player to buzz appears big on screen, with their sound. Their phone vibrates, if the phone supports it.
5. They answer, and you press “Correct” (+1 point) or “Wrong”. On the keyboard: J for Correct, F for Wrong.
6. If it’s wrong, that player can’t buzz again on this question. The next player in buzz order gets to answer.
7. Between rounds, show the scoreboard. Guaranteed tension.

Misread a question? Press “Cancel question” and move on to the next one. Gave a point by mistake? The +1 and −1 buttons on each player fix the score.

The host’s role

If you’re hosting, you don’t play, but you have just as much fun as everyone else.

• Read slowly and clearly, and repeat the question if needed. Only open the buzzers once you’ve finished the sentence.
• Be fair: announce your rules before you start. For example: “spelling doesn’t count, but you need the exact name”.
• Set the mood: a little comment, a fun fact after the answer, a fake pause before pressing “Correct”.
• Keep the pace: if nobody buzzes, give a clue or move on.

Out of ideas? The “Random question” button picks a true or false question from the topic of your choice. “Reveal the answer” then shows it, with an explanation. Handy for catching your breath between homemade questions.

Tip: change hosts every round. Each person prepares one round, and everyone gets to play a bit. To decide who goes first, draw a random order.

Breaking a tie

Two players tied after the last round? Choose your method before you start, not when things get tense.

• Sudden death: one question, and the first correct answer wins. Use “Random question”: nobody can say you picked it to favor someone.
• Heads or tails: when everyone’s getting sleepy, a coin flip settles it in a second.
• Share the win: two winners, two paper crowns. That works great too.

Want a rematch? Press “Reset scores” and off you go again.

Forfeits and small rewards

A quiz night doesn’t need stakes to be fun. But a small challenge spices things up.

Gentle forfeits, for whoever finishes last in a round:

• answer the next question in an accent of their choice;
• make their buzzer sound out loud, every time they buzz, for a whole round;
• serve the drinks next round;
• act out the right answer they missed.

Symbolic rewards, for the winner:

• choose the topic of the next round;
• wear the paper crown for the rest of the night;
• skip the dishes;
• host the next quiz night.

One golden rule: no money, no bets. The quiz stays a game, where you can lose without losing anything. And a forfeit should make everyone laugh, including the person doing it. If someone doesn’t want to, skip it.

The little details that make a difference

• Prepare a few backup questions, in case one falls flat.
• Write the answer under each question: the host doesn’t need to know everything by heart.
• No need to worry about sleep mode: the phone screen stays on during the game.
• Nothing to clean up at the end: the room is deleted 24 hours after its last activity.

What about the people who couldn’t come?

Remote mode keeps the fun going on WhatsApp or Snapchat, for a day, 3 days or a week. Everyone takes turns asking a question. And if nobody gets a trick question right, the person who asked it wins. It’s all explained in our guide to playing a quiz remotely.

Moving on to cards or dice? The score counter adds up rummy, Uno or Yacht dice, and shows the scores on everyone’s phone.

In the mood for music? Here’s how to host a music quiz with friends. Another question? Head to the FAQ.