Longer question, more time
The clock does not start with the question. The longer the prompt, the longer the moment to read it, up to three seconds.
Party game on one phone
5 Seconds
You get a question and five seconds to name three things. You answer out loud and a judge decides whether it counts.
- Platform
- iPhone, iOS 15 or later
- Price
- Free, Premium is a one-time purchase
- Languages
- English, Polish, German, Italian, Spanish, French
- Age rating
- 17+
Two rounds on film
The film shows a question, the countdown and the judge’s verdict, and ends on the podium after a game with friends.
How to play
The question
A prompt appears on the screen, for example “Name 3 countries in Scandinavia”. The clock starts after a moment to read it.
Answer out loud
You type nothing. You say three answers, and in the last three seconds you hear ticking and feel a vibration.
The others judge
When time is up, one of the players taps Correct or Incorrect. If you disagree, you can look at three example answers.
Modes and categories
A free game is 5 rounds of 5 seconds. In Premium you set 5 to 25 rounds and 3 to 10 seconds per answer.
Quick game
You play for the number of correct answers. At the end you get a score and between zero and three stars.
Play with friends
Two or more people on one phone. Before each turn the game shows who answers, and the others judge. The top three end up on the podium.
Categories
Geography, Sports, Automotive, History, Movies & TV, Music, Science, Food, and Mixed, which draws from those eight. The Adults Only category is in Premium and asks for your age every time.
End-of-time sound
There are six to choose from: Ding, Gong, Buzz, Alarm, Soft and Trombone. Sound and vibration switch off separately.
What I did
My friends and I played 5 seconds and wanted a comfortable version on a phone. I made it on my own, from the rules to the App Store release.
- Rules
- Two modes, the judge’s verdict and a podium after a game with friends.
- Screen design
- Dark and light themes, one red accent and a large clock digit.
- Development
- The whole iPhone game: screens, the clock, player order and drawing questions without repeats.
- Questions
- 2250 questions in each of six languages, each with three example answers.
- Sound and vibration
- Six end-of-time sounds, ticking and a vibration in the last three seconds.
- Store
- The Premium purchase, ads and the App Store release.
Decisions
5 Seconds has a dark background, one red accent and thin lines. Below are a few things I settled for a person who has five seconds to think.
Colours and type
#0f0e14#faf7f2#ff5436#4ad66d#ff5c7c#ffc95c#4bb4ff
Anton, Archivo
Technology
The digit pulses only at the end
For the first seconds the digit stays still, so it does not distract the person thinking. It turns red and pulses at three seconds, together with the ticking and the vibration.
People give the verdict
When time is up the game decides nothing on its own and waits. The example answers button helps settle an argument at the table.
Questions written per language
In Polish the game asks for countries bordering Poland, in English for countries in Scandinavia. Each language has its own questions instead of translations.
Three takes on the trombone
This sound is picked at random from three variants, so it does not get old after a few rounds.
- questions per language
- 2250
- categories
- 10
- end-of-time sounds
- 6
Screens
5 Seconds