Hot Seat online
One player answers. Everyone else asks, anonymously.
- Players
- 3–12 players
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Length
- 15–25 min
- Type
- Icebreaker
One person is in the hot seat. Everybody else writes a question for them, the questions are dealt one at a time, and they answer out loud or pass. Then the seat moves on.
The part that makes it work is the anonymity, and it is the part a room cannot do on its own. Around a table you have to say your question out loud, so everyone knows it was you — and a question you have to put your name to is a much blander question.
Here the asker is never recorded. Not when the question is written, not when it is dealt, not at the end. There is nowhere in the game state for a name to sit, which is a stronger guarantee than a promise not to show it.
If the room writes nothing, the seat is filled from a pack so there is never an awkward pause — but the questions worth answering are always the ones the room came up with.
How to play Hot Seat
- 1Create a room and share the 6-letter code. Three or more players.
- 2One player takes the hot seat. Everybody else writes a question for them.
- 3Questions are dealt one at a time. Nobody is told who wrote which.
- 4The person in the seat answers out loud, or passes.
- 5After a few questions the seat passes to the next player.
- 6The host sets how many questions each turn and can move things along at any point.
Hot Seat FAQ
Can people see who asked what?+
No. Questions are stored without an author at all — the game never records one, so there is nothing to reveal by accident or on purpose.
Do I have to answer everything?+
No. There is a Pass on every question and it costs nothing.
What if nobody writes anything?+
A question is drawn from the pack so the seat is never empty. The host can also start answering early.
How many people do you need?+
Three at a minimum. It is better with five or six, when there are enough questions that the seat cannot predict what is coming.
Is it suitable for a mixed group?+
The default pack is written to be. There is an 18+ pack the host can enable separately, and it stays off unless somebody turns it on.
Ready to play Hot Seat?
Create a room, share the code, and start in seconds — free.
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