Frequently Asked Questions

How does scoring work?

Each round is worth a flat number of points for a correct answer. A correct Audio answer is 1000 points; a correct Video Clue answer is 500 points. Wrong answers score 0. There's no speed or streak bonus, so video mode literally halves your maximum score for that round. Your best total across a 5-round game is saved as your high score in your browser.

What do I actually guess — the anime, the song, or the artist?

You guess the anime. Type the anime's name — any of its English, romaji, or alternative titles will match — and the game checks it against the title list. The opening's song title and artist are shown after you answer, but you're only scored on naming the anime.

What's the difference between Audio and Video Clue mode?

Audio mode just plays the sound. Unlocking the Video Clue reveals a blurred video of the opening to help you — but because it's a hint, a correct video answer is worth 500 instead of 1000. You can also open the full opening at any time to watch it unblurred.

How long is the clip?

Each round plays a 40-second slice of the opening, from about 25 seconds in to 65 seconds in. You can't skip around within the clip.

Where do the openings and anime data come from?

The anime list, popularity ranks, scores, years, and genres are pulled from the Tenrai API (the top ~2500 most popular SFW anime). The opening videos, audio, and song info come from the AnimeThemes API. The "My MAL List" mode uses the MyAnimeList API for your personal list.

Can I play openings from anime I actually watch, not just popular ones?

Yes — choose My MAL List on the menu, enter your MyAnimeList username, and Opening Guessr builds a playable pool from the openings in your list. The resolved pool is cached in your browser for 24 hours.

An opening won't play, is blocked, or the video is missing.

Not every anime has an opening available on AnimeThemes, and some clips may be region-blocked or fail to load. The dataset is built to skip anime without a usable opening, so you shouldn't normally be served a broken one — but if a clip fails, refresh or skip the round. Report persistent issues by email or on Discord.

How do I request an anime or report a wrong title?

The base pool is the top 2500 popular anime and refreshes from the data source; use My MAL List to play niche titles from your own library. For missing or incorrect entries, email or ping us on Discord.

Why are there ads, and how can I support the project?

Opening Guessr is free to play. Ads help cover hosting costs. If you'd like to support development, you can buy me a coffee — never required, always appreciated.