Skip to content
Brainlag

Higher or lower

How long can your run go?

Players
Category
Level
Pace
Sources
  • PopulationUnited Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2024). World Population Prospects 2024. Licensed CC BY 3.0 IGO. Figures are 1 July 2023 estimates.As of 1 July 2023
  • AreaWorld Bank, World Development Indicators: surface area, from the Food and Agriculture Organization. Licensed CC BY 4.0. Kosovo and Vatican City have no figure, so they are not asked.As of 2023
  • MountainsHeights from Wikidata (CC0), each one checked against GeoNames (geonames.org, CC BY 4.0) and kept only when the two agree within 1%.As of 21 October 2026
  • RiversLengths from Wikidata (CC0). A river's length depends on where its source is taken to be, so figures are rounded and only clear gaps are asked.As of 21 October 2026
  • DistancesStraight-line distances between city centres, worked out from Natural Earth coordinates (public domain).As of 21 October 2026
  • SpaceNASA planetary fact sheet, NASA Space Science Data Coordinated Archive (public domain).As of 21 October 2026

Full credits are on the credits page.

How it works

One figure is shown: say whether the next is higher or lower, and keep the run going. Pick population, area, mountains, rivers, distances between cities, space, or a mix. Starter keeps the gaps wide; Expert brings them close. Play on your own, pass the device round two to eight players or teams, or host on one big screen while everyone shouts.

  1. Choose who is playing: Solo, Pass the device, or Host screen.
  2. Choose a category and a level. Starter's pairs are at least half as much again apart; Expert's are close.
  3. Press Higher or Lower (or the category's own words, such as More or Fewer). Keys 1 and 2 work too.
  4. On your own, the run ends at the first miss. Passing the device, your turn ends at your first miss or after ten in a row.
  5. Every figure says where it comes from, and how old it is.

Tips

  • Distances are straight lines between city centres, not road or flight distances.
  • River lengths depend on where a river is said to begin, so close pairs are never asked.
  • In Space, a day is sunrise to sunrise: on Venus that is longer than its year.

FAQ

Where do the numbers come from?
Populations are the UN's World Population Prospects 2024 estimates for 1 July 2023. Areas are the World Bank's. Mountain heights are from Wikidata, kept only where GeoNames agrees. River lengths are from Wikidata. City distances are worked out from Natural Earth's coordinates, and the planets are from NASA. Each category lists its source under the quiz.
Why are Kosovo and Vatican City missing from the area questions?
The World Bank publishes no area figure for them, so they are left out rather than filled in from somewhere else.
Why is a figure rounded?
Large populations are shown in millions, river lengths are rounded to the nearest 10 km, and distances to the nearest 10 km, so the figures never look more exact than they are.
Are scores saved?
Your longest solo run is saved in this browser on this device. Party games keep no scores after you leave.