There was a moment in time when a nation came together at a specific hour of the day, gathered around their phones, and logged into a single app to all play a game together. This phenomenon was the brainchild of Vine creators Rus Yusupov and Colin Kroll and ran from 2017 through 2022. Since it ceased operations, there hasn’t been anything quite like it — until now.
Netflix has introduced a fresh idea that, while not an exact duplicate, carries many of the hallmarks of that beloved interactive experience. Netflix’s upcoming game show, *Best Guess Live*, could be the game that fills the HQ-sized hole in everyone’s hearts.
### What is *Best Guess Live*?
Announced as part of Thursday’s formal Netflix Games hub launch, *Best Guess Live* is simple in concept but rich in engagement. Players are given a contextless, 20 Questions-style clue. After the first clue, everyone has 20 seconds to submit their guess. The game continues with up to five clues, which gradually get more descriptive.
Each player is allowed one and only one guess. The player who submits the correct answer using the fewest clues splits the prize pot.
### Live Hosts and Presentation
Where *Best Guess Live* truly echoes HQ Trivia is in its presentation. Both games are live experiences with in-person hosts who give clues and react to player answers in real-time. For Netflix, the hosts are Sugar Rush’s Hunter March and America’s Got Talent co-host Howie Mandel.
The game unfolds daily at the same time: every weekday at 5:00 p.m. PT / 8:00 p.m. ET. Thousands of players will compete simultaneously for a cash prize. While the prize often must be split among many winners who answer correctly, the excitement of competing for a cash reward remains strong.
### Hands-On Experience
Earlier this week, Shacknews was invited to Netflix’s Vine Studios campus to participate in one of the first *Best Guess Live* sessions. After a few clues, some witty remarks from Hunter March, and the thrill of naming a winner, that old sense of familiarity began to set in.
Though the game was different, the dopamine hit from logging in at a specific time and competing alongside like-minded players for a reward felt just the same. That feeling had been dearly missed.
### Why the Appeal?
*Best Guess Live* taps into a powerful concept: audience participation taken to the next level. It’s the need to log in at a specific time, to join the crowd, and to compete in real-time. Equally important is the aftermath — the chance to vent about the experience and wrong answers to family, friends, and the internet at large.
This kind of massively multiplayer experience is sorely lacking in gaming today. It’s why nostalgic memories of games like *1 vs. 100* endure — because gathering with a community is fun, and few communities in 2025 are bigger than Netflix’s subscriber base.
### Looking Ahead
Backed by Netflix’s massive platform — which raked in $11.51 billion USD in revenue in its last fiscal quarter — *Best Guess Live* has all the ingredients to be both a commercial and social hit.
*Best Guess Live* will be coming soon to Netflix and playable on iOS and Android. Initially, the game will only be available in the United States — an amusing fact, given Howie Mandel’s Canadian roots.
Stay tuned for more updates, and get ready to guess your way to victory!
https://www.shacknews.com/article/146815/netflix-best-guess-live-preview-hq-trivia
