Setup

  • Ensure you’ve got enough juice on your phone before you start; don’t be caught having it shut down on you mid-game!
  • Close all non-essential apps and put your phone on DND (or airplane mode with wifi) to avoid alerts or phone calls during the game.
  • Chat is actually helpful now, but if you find it distracting, swipe the chat field away!

Let’s be friends!

  • Invite friends to HQ!  You’ll earn a heart (extra life) for each referral.  Hearts allow you to continue playing — up to once per game — when you answer incorrectly.
  • Best of all, you can see your friends’ answers in real time! If you’re not feeling confident, follow their answers. You can change your answer before time expires.
  • If you’ve already invited everyone you know, you can still gain a heart once a month if you play on an iPhone. Press the icons in this order: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 3
  • Get together to play with colleagues, classmates, and family to share your collective knowledge.  It’s much more fun than flying solo!

Strategies

  • The first 3 questions typically have obvious answers, so don’t overthink them; go with your instinct!
  • When presented with 3 numbers, it’s rarely ever the middle value; go high or go low!
  • When 2 of the 3 answers are very similar, it’s usually one of these and not the much different one.
  • Beware of savage questions!  These have false answers that immediately seem correct but are really meant to mislead you.
  • When I’m stumped, I usually choose the answer I’ve never heard or the one that seems counter-intuitive.  Don’t do this for the first 3 questions though!
  • Erasers remove one incorrect answer; save them for Q11 if you can.
  • Play for 5 consecutive days and be rewarded with a extra life!

Researching

  • Definition questions can be researched; use another phone to voice search or a computer to manually type.  You’ve got to be very quick though!
  • Restrict your search to 2 or 3 words and then quickly scan the top results.
  • Keep a finger hovered over your phone and listen for the clock winding down. Tap anything if you running out of time and can’t find the answer!
    Example: On an airplane, what colour is the black box?
    Google: black box colour
  • Which-of-these-things-is-not-like-the-other type questions are tough but can also be researched!  Look up one of the 3 options and if you’re lucky, your answer is confirmed.  If not, you’ll have a 50-50 chance with the remaining 2 answers!

Sign Up

Available for both iOS and Android devices.  If you appreciate my winning tips, show me some love by using referral code chiofsteel to gift me an extra life.  Thank you!

iOS: HQ Trivia on App Store
Android:
 HQ Trivia on Google Play