You start with something simple. Your dog's name, maybe? Or "password123" just to be a rebel. Within seconds, Neal Agarwal’s viral browser masterpiece, The Password Game, descends into absolute, unmitigated chaos. It isn't just a game. It's a descent into madness that requires you to be a mathematician, a chess grandmaster, a nutritionist, and a Google Maps expert all at once.
If you’re looking for a quick list of The Password Game answers, I have some bad news. There isn't a single "cheat sheet" because the game is dynamic. It reacts to what you type. It breathes. It evolves. But there is a strategy to surviving the 35 rules that stand between you and a "strong" password.
Most people get stuck around Rule 16. That’s the Google Maps one. Or they lose their minds at Rule 24, the YouTube link requirement. The trick isn't just knowing the answers; it's knowing how to manage the mess you've already created without accidentally deleting the Roman numeral that's keeping your math equation balanced.
The Chaos of Dynamic Rules
The early game is a breeze. Add a capital letter. Add a number. Use a special character. It’s the standard security advice we’ve been ignoring for a decade. Then comes Rule 5: the digits in your password must sum to 25.
Suddenly, your password looks like a keyboard mash.
You’re constantly recalculating. If you change a number to satisfy a later rule—like the current phase of the moon—you break Rule 5. You’re playing a game of Jenga where the blocks are alphanumeric characters. Honestly, the most frustrating part is Rule 7, requiring a Roman numeral. Why? Because Roman numerals are also letters. You add a "V" for 5, and suddenly your password contains the word "Volvo," which might trigger a future rule or mess up your Wordle guess.
The Wordle and Chess Problem
Around Rule 13, the game asks for the current Wordle answer. This is where the time-sensitive nature of The Password Game answers kicks in. You can’t just look at a guide from three months ago. You have to actually go to the NYT site, solve the Wordle, and paste it in.
Then there’s the chess.
Rule 16 presents a chess bot. You have to find the best move in a specific scenario using algebraic notation (like Nh3+). If you aren't a chess player, this is a massive wall. Most players use engines like Stockfish to find the move, but even then, you have to be careful. Typing "Be5" adds an "e" to your password. If you had a rule about not having certain vowels or needing specific lengths, that one chess move ripples through every previous rule you already "solved." It's brutal.
Dealing with Paul the Egg
Rule 23 is where the emotional trauma starts. You’re introduced to Paul. Paul is an egg.
You have to type an emoji of an egg 🥚 and then "feed" him. This means you can't delete him. If you delete the egg emoji while trying to fix your Roman numerals or your CAPTCHA, the game ends. You lose. Just like that. Later, Paul hatches into a chicken 🐔, and you have to feed him worms (three 🐛 emojis) every few minutes. If you forget because you're busy looking up the atomic number of Strontium for Rule 18, Paul dies.
Game over.
This introduces a real-time management element that most puzzle games lack. You aren't just solving a static riddle; you're babysitting a digital bird while trying to remember that the current Google Street View location shown in Rule 14 is actually a random highway in Estonia.
The GeoGuessr Hurdle
Speaking of Rule 14, it's arguably the hardest non-math rule. You're shown a blurred, zoomed-in image from Google Street View. You have to name the country. For the average person, this is a nightmare. Most successful players rely on the GeoGuessr community or use visual cues like the color of license plates or the specific shape of bollards on the side of the road.
If you get stuck here, look for:
- Language on signs: Even a single letter can narrow it down to "Cyrillic" or "Scandinavian."
- Driving side: Is the car on the left or right?
- Utility poles: Different countries have very specific hole patterns in their concrete poles.
Managing the Late-Game Nightmare
Once you hit the 30s, the game starts demanding things that feel illegal. Rule 35 requires you to type the current time in 24-hour format. But wait—the moment the minute changes, your password becomes "invalid" because the numbers no longer match the time.
You have to be fast.
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You’re also dealing with Rule 24, which requires a link to a YouTube video of a specific duration. Not just any video. A video that is exactly X minutes and Y seconds long. People have actually started uploading "Password Game" specific videos to YouTube that are exactly the right length to satisfy this rule, but Neal (the developer) sometimes changes the requirements.
Why Your Password Will Never Be "Safe"
The irony of The Password Game is that by the time you "win," your password is about 4,000 characters long and contains a literal essay of nonsense, three different languages, the current temperature in Dallas, and a dead chicken.
It is the least secure password in history because it’s impossible to remember.
But as a feat of engineering? It’s brilliant. It uses APIs to pull real-world data in real-time. When it asks for the moon phase (Rule 11), it’s checking the actual lunar cycle. When it asks for the "Rule of the Day," it’s checking a specific database. You cannot "brute force" this game. You have to adapt.
Strategy for a Winning Run
If you’re serious about seeing the end screen, you need to change how you think about the interface. Don't just type in the box.
- Keep a Notepad Open: Copy and paste your "stable" password into a separate document. If you accidentally delete Paul or mess up a calculation, you want a backup.
- Focus on the Sum: Rule 5 (digits must sum to 25) is the one that will break most often. Use large digits like 9, 9, and 7 to hit the total quickly without adding too many characters.
- The Periodic Table is Your Friend: When you need to add elements to reach a certain sum or satisfy Rule 18, use short symbols like Oxygen (O) or Sulfur (S) to avoid cluttering the string.
- Sacrifice the Vowels: Later rules might restrict your character count. Be ready to trim the fat from your initial "dog's name" to make room for the mandatory YouTube URL.
There is a certain kind of zen you reach when you stop fighting the game and start accepting that your password belongs to the game, not to you. You are just the custodian of Paul the chicken and the keeper of the Roman numerals.
To move forward, stop looking for a list of "correct" strings. Start by opening a tab for a Chess engine, a tab for the Periodic Table, and a tab for Google Maps. You'll need all of them. Once you’ve cleared the hurdle of the YouTube link, keep your eyes on the clock. The final stretch requires you to confirm your password by re-typing the whole thing—if you've been using a notepad, this is where it pays off. Just make sure the time hasn't changed by a minute while you were typing, or Rule 35 will reset the whole board. It's a test of patience as much as it is a test of knowledge.