The 10 Best Timeline and Chronological Sorting Games in 2026
Putting events in the right order has become one of the most popular game formats around: the rule fits in one sentence, anyone can play, and a round takes three minutes. But between card boxes, free apps and daily browser puzzles, the choice has become hard to untangle.
Here is our pick of 10 timeline and chronological sorting games worth trying in 2026, with what each one does well and what it doesn't. We publish one of them (Junban), and we rated it against the same criteria as the others.
1. Junban — the most complete on mobile
Price: free · iOS and Android
Junban takes the chronological sorting principle and stretches it across more than 50 themes and playlists — over 5,000 items: music, movies, TV shows, history, sports, inventions, plus sagas like Harry Potter, Star Wars, Stranger Things and Breaking Bad. The music mode plays a clip blind and simply asks whether it came out before or after the previous one.
- Strengths: a ranked solo mode on a worldwide leaderboard, up to 4 players online or on the same phone, an offline mode, daily challenges, and above all no dates to memorise — intuition is enough.
- Limits: no browser version, you have to install the app.
2. Hitster — the best paper-based game
Price: physical box (~£25) + streaming subscription
Scan a card, a track starts, place it in the right decade. The "oh, I know this one!" effect is unbeatable in a group.
- Strengths: the conviviality of a real box on the table, a very wide music catalogue.
- Limits: music only, needs a Spotify subscription and a phone… on top of paying for the box. No solo mode.
3. Timeline — the cardboard classic
Price: physical box (~£13)
The game that popularised the genre: each card carries an invention or an event to place on the shared timeline.
- Strengths: rules learned in 30 seconds, an ideal gift format, excellent with family.
- Limits: once the cards are memorised the interest fades, and each box covers a single theme — you need to buy expansions.
4. Timdle — the free daily puzzle
Price: free · browser
Nine historical events to reorder, once a day, in the spirit of Wordle.
- Strengths: free, no install, perfect for a two-minute break.
- Limits: one round per day, mostly historical themes, no multiplayer.
5. Chrono Trivia — the multi-theme daily challenge
Price: free · browser
Four events to order every day, across six categories (history, entertainment, sport, science, technology, pop culture).
- Strengths: more varied themes than most daily puzzles.
- Limits: very short rounds, little replay value within the same day.
6. The Chronology Game — the richest browser option
Price: free · browser
Over 2,000 events spanning world history, scientific discoveries and pop culture.
- Strengths: large database, nothing to install.
- Limits: plain interface, no music mode and no multiplayer.
7. SongPop — the pure music quiz
Price: free · iOS and Android
No chronological sorting here: you recognise a track as fast as you can and take on other players.
- Strengths: tense online duels, a huge catalogue.
- Limits: a different kind of game — it's recognition, not reasoning.
8. Trivial Pursuit — old-school general knowledge
Price: physical box (~£25)
The benchmark for family quizzes, even if chronological sorting isn't the point here.
- Strengths: a safe bet, six categories, long and social games.
- Limits: you really need to know the answers — no room for intuition, and games can drag on.
9. TimeGuessr — guess when and where
Price: free · browser and mobile
An archive photo appears: you place the year on a slider and the location on a map. The closer you are, the more you score.
- Strengths: a very addictive daily format, real and well-chosen photos, shareable score.
- Limits: you guess a precise date rather than reasoning by comparison, and it's a solo game.
10. Chronophoto — the stripped-back version
Price: free · browser
The same idea as TimeGuessr, but pared down: no map, no streak to maintain. One photo, one year slider, one score.
- Strengths: immediate, no account, ideal for a two-minute break.
- Limits: little variety over time, no multiplayer mode.
How to choose
| What you need | The game to pick |
|---|---|
| Play anywhere, across every theme | Junban |
| A box to give as a gift | Timeline |
| A 100% music night with Spotify | Hitster |
| A two-minute break at work | Timdle or Chrono Trivia |
| A long general-knowledge session | Trivial Pursuit |
The real criterion, in the end, is replayability. Physical boxes are wonderful for the first few evenings, then the cards end up known by heart. Daily puzzles are free but limited to one round a day. A regularly updated app, with thousands of items and a multiplayer mode, remains the best compromise if you play often.
👉 Discover Junban, on iOS and Android — and tell us which game is missing from this list.
To dig into a specific competitor: Hitster alternative, Timeline alternative and Mukiz alternative.
Looking for a 100% music game instead? See our pick of the 10 best music quiz apps.