Country Tug of War – Multiplayer Game

Country Tug of War is a live tapping game. You join your country's team and pull a rope against the rest of the world. Every tap on the big PULL button adds one pull to your country's score. A round lasts two minutes, then the scores reset and a new round starts for everyone at once.

It plays in your browser on a phone or computer. There's nothing to download and no account to make. Pick a flag and start tapping.

How to play Country Tug of War

1. Press Play and pick your team. The game guesses your country from your browser's language setting, and you can change it in the list before you start. Your choice is remembered for next time.
2. Press Grab the rope. The rope at the top shows the two leading countries, and the knot slides toward whichever side has more pulls.
3. Tap PULL as fast as you can. One tap is one pull. Your own count sits under the button.
4. Watch the board. The top five countries for the current round are listed with their scores, next to a countdown to the end of the round.
5. Go again. When the clock runs out, every score drops to zero and the game posts the last round's winner with its pull total.

How the live rounds and the rope work

All players are in one live room. There are no private rooms, so you're always pulling against whoever's online. Rounds run on a fixed two-minute clock whether or not you're there, which means you can join in the middle of one. The board can trail your thumb by a moment.

Tapping tips to win a round

• Use two fingers. On a phone, alternating index fingers on the button beats one thumb.
• Put the phone down. A phone lying flat on a table is steadier than one in your hand, and steadier means faster.
• Save your burst for the end. If you've only got a minute, jump in for the last 30 seconds, when the leaders are close and every pull moves the knot.
• Watch the rope and skip the numbers. The knot tells you at a glance if you're ahead.

Countries you can pull for

There are 25 teams. If your browser doesn't point to one of them, the game starts you on the United States and you can switch from there.

Don't see yours? Adopt a neighbor for a couple of minutes and pull for them.

Getting friends on your team

The Recruit your country button shares a link with your flag on it. Drop it in a group chat and anyone who opens it can pick the same team and start pulling. In a quiet round, two or three people tapping together can carry a country to first place.

It works the other way too. Send it to friends abroad and you've got a rivalry that settles itself every two minutes. If your group is spread across time zones and wants more to do on a call, our guide to virtual game night ideas has a full lineup.

Why a two-minute tug of war is fun

The stakes are zero, and you'll care anyway. You're personally responsible for, say, 40 of Canada's pulls, and for two minutes that's a big deal. Since rounds are short and always start from zero, a small country with a few stubborn tappers can beat the big teams when they're asleep.

You don't have to study a scoreboard to follow along. And the last-round winner line gives you a reason to stay for one more, especially when it names the country next door.

The game is a good fit for friend groups spread across countries, for family abroad, and for anyone who wants a quick competitive game that takes no practice.

If you'd rather not compete, The World Button is the calm, cooperative version: just hold it with strangers. Our free online multiplayer games page has more games built around playing with other people, and the home page lists all our top free online games.