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What is WasThatBefore?
WasThatBefore is a daily history puzzle where you arrange 5 historical events in chronological order, earliest at the top and latest at the bottom. You have 3 attempts to get the order right. After each attempt, cards light up green or red to show how your ordering is doing, and you can use that feedback to adjust before trying again. Solving in fewer attempts scores more points, and playing each day keeps your streak going. If you want a tougher challenge, hard mode removes the feedback between attempts but multiplies your score by 1.5x. You can also pick a puzzle region — Global, USA, UK, EU, or AU — so the events match the history you're most familiar with, and archived past puzzles are available to play if you miss a day.
How WasThatBefore works
- Goal
Place 5 historical events in correct chronological order, earliest to latest, within 3 attempts.
- Your moves
- Drag or keyboard-move event cards into chronological order
- Lock in your guess
- Rearrange using color feedback and retry, up to 3 attempts
- Toggle hard mode before your first guess
- Choose a puzzle region: Global, USA, UK, EU, or AU
- Reading the feedback
- Green or red cards
- After each attempt, cards light green or red to show how your ordering fared.
- Score
- Fewer attempts used means more points; hard mode pays 1.5x.
- Streak
- Playing daily keeps your streak going.
- When a round ends
A round ends when the order is correct or your 3 attempts run out; a fresh puzzle arrives daily, and archived past puzzles remain playable.
Your first round
- Choose a puzzle region — Global, USA, UK, EU, or AU — to get your set of 5 historical events.
- Decide now whether to toggle hard mode, since it must be set before your first guess.
- Drag or keyboard-move the cards so the earliest event is at the top and the latest at the bottom.
- Lock in the guess and watch the cards light green or red.
- If the order wasn't fully right, rearrange based on the colors and use one of your remaining attempts.
Easy to miss
- Hard mode must be toggled before your first guess — you can't switch it on mid-puzzle.
- Hard mode removes the green/red feedback between attempts, so your first locked-in order gets no hints.
- Earliest event goes at the top, latest at the bottom — the order direction matters.
- The archive holds past puzzles, so a missed day can still be played.
Is WasThatBefore for you?
- You enjoy history trivia and testing your sense of when things happened.
- You like daily wordle-style puzzles with streaks and want a history twist.
- You want regional flavor — USA, UK, EU, or AU history — instead of only world events.
- You prefer puzzles with unlimited attempts rather than a strict 3-try limit.
- You dislike games where a daily puzzle is the core loop and streaks reward consistent play.
WasThatBefore compared with similar games
Swipe sideways to see all 4 games.
| Detail | WasThatBefore | Timeline | FilmLink | Crowdle |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| You find | The chronological order of 5 historical events | a set of historical events | a chain of films | the crowd's top four answers |
| You work from | Green/red card feedback after each attempt | your knowledge of history, with no dates shown | shared cast and crew credits | a daily prompt and close-answer feedback |
| Attempts | 3 attempts | Not stated | Not stated | Unlimited guesses, 3 hints |
| New puzzles | New puzzle daily, with an archive of past ones | New puzzle daily | New puzzle daily | New puzzle daily |
| Access | Free | Free | Free | Free |
WasThatBefore FAQ
Is WasThatBefore free to play?
Yes, it's free and played in the web browser. There's no cost to solve the daily timeline puzzle or use the archive.
How many guesses do I get in WasThatBefore?
You get 3 attempts to put the 5 events in the right order. Each attempt gives you green or red feedback on the cards, unless you're playing hard mode.
When does a new WasThatBefore puzzle appear?
It's a daily puzzle, so a new set of 5 historical events arrives each day. Playing daily is how you keep your streak alive.
Can I play past WasThatBefore puzzles?
Yes. An archive lets you play puzzles you missed, so a skipped day doesn't mean losing access to that puzzle.
What does hard mode change in WasThatBefore?
Hard mode gives no color feedback between attempts, so you can't refine your order based on hints. In exchange, your score is multiplied by 1.5x. You must toggle it on before your first guess.
Source checked 12 Oct 2026. This guide is based on the game's published rules. How we check guides · Official game
