If 2016 was the year of Nintendo’s AR game Pokemon Go, in 2017 mobile gamers took fancy to an online quiz game called HQ Trivia. An iOS exclusive and totally free to download and play, it has emerged as one of the most played games of the year since its release in November 2017. An Android version of the game is already in the pipeline and expected to roll out on the Play Store in the first week of January. Like the Pokemon Go, HQ Trivia has been the inspiration for a number of spin offs on similar lines, but none have been able to match its gameplay or garner as much attention.

What makes HQ Trivia different from any of the quiz games we have seen so far is the fact that one can win real money by playing it. The game is streamed live at 3pm and 9pm on weekdays and at 9pm on weekends for a duration of 15 minutes. The game is hosted by American comedian Scott Rogowsky and British broadcaster Sharon Carpenter. During the game, the hosts ask 12 multiple choice questions with four options flashing on the second half of the screen. Anyone who has signed up with the app and has a Paypal account can join the live telecast and answer the questions. Users get 10 seconds to choose one of the options from the moment a question is read. If the answer is correct, the participant qualifies to the next round, while the rest will be signed out from the game.

Participants who have answered all questions correctly will receive a cash prize of up to $1,000. If there are multiple winners, the amount is equally split among all of them. At times, the prize amount is raised to $8,000. On 25 December, the prize money was $12,000 and about 730,000 iPhone users joined the night telecast of the game.

Developed by Rus Yusupov and Colin Krol, the makers of now discontinued video app Vine, HQ Trivia works online and requires 4G connection to work smoothly.

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