Notes for the host

How to Host a Phone-Controller Game Night

The whole idea of this platform is that game night needs exactly two things people already own: one screen everybody can see, and the phones already in everyone's pockets. No console, no controllers to share, no app store detour while the broadcast stalls. Here's how to run a smooth night, from setup to the last round.

What you need

A host screen: any smart TV with a browser, or a laptop plugged into (or cast to) the TV. The host screen is the shared arena — the racetrack, the scoreboard, the drawing everyone's laughing at.
Phones: one per player. Any phone with a modern browser works; there is nothing to install.
WiFi: everyone on the same network gives the lowest latency, which matters for the action games. Trivia and party games are forgiving over cellular.

Setup in three steps

Open the site on the host screen and start a room. A four-letter room code and a QR code appear.
Everyone points their phone camera at the QR code (or types the code at the join page). Each player picks a name and a color.
The first player to join holds the crown — their phone picks the games and starts each round.

Host tip: join first yourself so you hold the crown, or pass it later — the host phone's lobby has a Manage Players list where you can hand the crown to anyone or remove a player who left for the night.

Pacing the evening

The best nights follow an energy curve rather than one long game:

Open with a fast icebreaker everyone can win — a drawing game like Quick Draw or a bluffing game like Baloney gets quiet guests talking without needing any skill warm-up. Browse the party games for more openers.
Put the loud games in the middle. Werewolf (5–12 players) or a few rounds of a skill game peak the room's energy.
Land on something cozier — a strategy game or trivia works when the room wants to sit down with dessert.
Rotate short rounds. Three different 10-minute games beat one 30-minute game for mixed groups; nobody stays eliminated for long.

Practical tips that save the night

Phones that sleep don't lose their spot. If someone's screen goes dark or they wander off, their player slot stays reserved. Waking the phone reconnects them; if anything looks stuck, refreshing the page puts them right back in — no rescanning the QR code.
The host screen is refresh-proof too. If the TV browser gets reloaded, it comes back to the same room with everyone still in it.
Clean up ghosts between games. Someone went home? The crown-holder's Manage Players list removes them so their color frees up.
Charge access: a power strip near the couch keeps marathon nights alive — screens stay awake while playing, which uses more battery than idle scrolling.
Too many people? Late joiners during a game automatically become spectators and rotate in for the next round. Games like Werewolf seat up to 12; see the best games for 8+ players.

If something goes wrong

A controller feels unresponsive: refresh the phone's page — it reconnects to the same player instantly.
A game seems stuck: the crown-holder can pause and exit to the lobby from their phone, and the TV's pause overlay has an Exit to Lobby button too. The room and the players survive; only the round ends.
Still stuck? Check the support page — or email us; we read everything.