Niwatoko Lab

How to play & FAQ

Free, with no login or installation. Each player needs their own phone or computer and an internet connection. Share the room link or six-character code privately. New players can join only in the lobby.

Create or join a room

  1. Enter a nickname of 1–16 characters and create a room.
  2. Share the link or code with your friends. Each person opens it on their own device.
  3. The host chooses the game. Wait for everyone before starting.
  4. After a game, return to the same room’s lobby to choose another.

For a gathering of 4–12 people

Try Seat Match, then Story Shuffle, then another game that fits the group. For 4–5, try solo Answer Detectives. For 6–12, teams are an option. One Shared Word works for cooperation; Our Top Three helps you discover everyone’s tastes. There is no verified duration for this whole sequence.

Our Top Three game cover

Our Top Three

3–12 players. Recommend, rank and discover everyone’s favorites. Your top three votes award 3, 2 and 1 points.

Answer Detectives game cover

Answer Detectives

4–12 players. Read anonymous answers and guess who wrote them. Play solo with 4–12 people or in teams with 6–12.

Seat Match game cover

Seat Match

2–12 players. Answer ten either-or questions, find similar people and try a new seating plan.

One Shared Word game cover

One Shared Word

2–12 players. Take turns adding clues, then try to give the same answer together.

What Am I? game cover

What Am I?

2–12 players. Everyone can see your word except you. Ask yes-or-no questions and guess it in as few attempts as possible.

Stand Out! game cover

Stand Out!

2–12 players. Think of an answer nobody else will give. Or reverse the rules and aim for the largest matching group.

Story Shuffle game cover

Story Shuffle

2–12 players. Reveal a time, a place and a kind of story. Share a memory, redraw or pass.

Japanese and English

Use the language buttons to change your own interface. Your choice is stored on this device. Without a saved choice, the browser’s preferred supported language is used. If neither Japanese nor English is identified, an approximate country code supplied by Cloudflare is used as a fallback (Japan: Japanese; otherwise: English). This is not GPS location and can be inaccurate, for example with a VPN.

The room language is fixed when the host creates it and applies to all players. Create a new room to play in another language. Player names, answers, custom topics and card effects are never automatically translated. English adaptations of built-in topics may use more general cultural references.

When does a room expire?

Rooms end when everyone leaves or after 30 minutes without joining, settings changes or game actions. Simply viewing or refreshing the room does not extend it.

Can someone join late?

The host must return to the lobby first. Stopping a game clears its current progress.

What if the connection drops?

The page retries automatically. You can also use the recent-room button on the same browser, if the room is still active. If you clear browser storage, your previous participant session may no longer be recoverable.

Do we need alcohol?

No. All games work without drinks. Answering, talking and moving seats are optional. Never pressure anyone to share private information.

Try the games on your own →

Play in English →