Party game · Qwiz Rush mini-game
Hot Potato: a live two‑team elimination game
Hot Potato splits the room into Team Red and Team Blue. A bomb with a hidden fuse is passed by throwing it at any player still in. When the fuse runs out, whoever holds it is out, and the last team with someone standing wins.
- Free to host
- Players join by code
- No app to install
Hosts use it as a fast, loud break. Everyone not holding the bomb still has a job: hold to build a gust that pulls the fuse earlier or pushes it back, depending on whose hands it is in.
Quick facts
- Players
- 2 or more. Needs at least 2 players. There is no fixed cap, and big rooms get extra bombs: above 16 active players there is about one bomb per 12 players, up to four.
- Length
- A 4 second intro, then up to 120 seconds. Most rounds end earlier, as soon as one team has no players left.
- Solo room
- No. It is a two-team game and the catalog lists a minimum of 2 players.
How it works
The host launches it and everyone is dealt onto Team Red or Team Blue, alternating down the current leaderboard so the strongest players are split evenly.
After a 4 second intro one random player starts holding the bomb. Its fuse is hidden and random, between about 2.8 and 7.2 seconds.
The holder drags toward a player who is still in and lets go to throw; a freshly caught bomb cannot be thrown for a short beat.
When the fuse runs out, the holder is eliminated (everyone has one life), and each elimination shortens the next fuse, down to a floor of 1.7 seconds.
A team is out when all its players are eliminated or disconnected; if 120 seconds pass first, the team with more players left wins.
Player controls
The holder drags across their screen toward a target player and releases to throw. Everyone else presses and holds to charge a gust, and can tap to brace when catching a bomb.
Host settings
- Team score swing on or off, with a swing percentage from 1 to 50 (default on at 10%). Off awards flat placement points instead.
Quiz questions
Optional. If the host's loaded set matches, up to seven questions are woven in as defuse cards. A right answer while holding pushes the fuse back (at least 0.9 seconds, more for fast answers) and heats the next throw; a wrong answer pulls the fuse earlier and stops the holder throwing for one second. With no set loaded it is pure skill.
Tips for hosts
- Use it with a decent crowd: non-holders drive the fuse by holding to charge gusts, so a larger room makes it livelier.
- Load a question set if you want holders to choose between answering and throwing; a wrong answer fumbles the bomb.
- Check the score swing setting before launch, since with it on the winning team's totals rise and the losing team's totals fall.
Frequently asked questions
How are the two teams formed in Hot Potato?
Every non-removed player is ranked by the live leaderboard and dealt alternately to Team Red and Team Blue, so the top two players land on opposite teams. Teams are fixed for the round; late joiners are not on a side.
How do you win Hot Potato?
A team loses when none of its players remain, whether eliminated or disconnected. If the 120 second safety timer ends first, the team with more lives left wins, then the team with fewer burns, otherwise it is a draw.
How does the team score work?
Active players on the winning team earn placement points, at least 1 each, and the losing side earns none. A draw gives 1 to each active player. With team score swing on, running totals rise for the winners and fall for the losers by up to the set percentage.
Related mini‑games
Play Hot Potato at your next quiz
Host a quiz, then launch it from the mini‑game drawer between questions.
- Free to host
- Players join by code
- No app to install