How to Play Globdrop
A complete guide to mastering the geography game that's putting your world knowledge to the test.
What Is Globdrop?
Globdrop is a free, browser-based geography game created by Vedratic. The concept is beautifully simple: in classic mode, you're shown the name of a place—a city, a landmark, a mountain peak, or even a fictional location—and your job is to click on the map exactly where you think it is. The closer your click is to the real location and the faster you answer, the more points you earn. In our brand new Flag Mode, you are shown a flag and must either select the correct name (Test mode) or type it manually (Write mode) before the timer runs out.
Unlike multiple-choice quizzes where you pick from pre-selected answers, Globdrop's classic mode requires you to actually know where places are on a map, while its Flag Mode tests visual recall and pattern recognition. Both spatial and symbolic awareness are trained, making Globdrop uniquely effective as a learning tool.
Getting Started: Step by Step
Open the Game
Navigate to globdrop.vedratic.com in any modern browser. The game works on desktop, tablet, and mobile—no downloads or installations required. You can even add it to your home screen as a Progressive Web App (PWA) for a full-screen, app-like experience.
Choose Your Language
Globdrop supports six languages: Catalan (🏴), Spanish (🇪🇸), English (🇬🇧), Chinese (🇨🇳), Arabic (🇸🇦), and Japanese (🇯🇵). Select your preferred language from the language picker in the interface.
Pick a Scenario
Globdrop offers a variety of thematic map and flag scenarios. Choose a classic map scenario or one of our 4 Flag Mode scenarios (World, Europe, Spain, or Fun Flags). Each has its own pool of locations and difficulty levels.
Select a Game Mode
Each scenario offers different game modes that control the number of rounds and time per round. For Flag Mode, choose between Test (multiple choice) or Write (free text input with autocomplete suggestions).
Play!
After a brief countdown, you'll see the name of a location displayed on screen. Click or tap on the map where you think it is. After each round, you'll see your distance from the target, the points you earned, and the correct location.
Share & Challenge
After completing a game, share your results with friends via WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, or by copying your score to the clipboard. Challenge them to beat your score on the same scenario!
Available Scenarios
Globdrop currently features 14 unique scenarios spanning real-world geography, flag recognition, cultural landmarks, and fictional worlds. These are split into two categories:
🗺️ Map-Clicking Scenarios
Find cities, wonders, and landmarks directly on high-resolution vector maps. Scoring is based on precision (distance in kilometers) and response speed.
| Scenario | Locations | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 🏞️ Municipalities of Catalonia | 946 | Place every town and city in Catalonia on a regional map. The ultimate local challenge. |
| 🇪🇺 Capitals of Europe | 20 | Locate the major capital cities across the European continent. |
| 🌍 World Capitals | 193 | The ultimate challenge: all 193 UN-recognized country capitals on a world map. |
| 🇺🇸 USA States | 50 | All 50 US state capitals. Can you tell Montana from Minnesota? |
| 🏛️ Ancient Wonders | 14 | From the Pyramids of Giza to the Colosseum—locate the great monuments of the ancient world. |
| 🏔️ Greatest Peaks | 30 | Everest, K2, Denali, and more. Find the world's highest mountains on a world map. |
| 🏙️ Famous Skyscrapers | 10 | Burj Khalifa, Empire State Building, Shanghai Tower—urban geography at its finest. |
| 🏟️ Sports Stadiums | 20 | Camp Nou, Wembley, Fenway Park, and more legendary sports venues around the world. |
| 🧙♂️ Middle-earth | 16 | Locate the Shire, Mordor, Rivendell, and more on a map of Tolkien's Middle-earth. |
| 🐉 Game of Thrones | 10 | Navigate Westeros and Essos. Find King's Landing, Winterfell, and Braavos. |
🏁 Visual Flag Scenarios (New Mode!)
Identify the correct territory or region by its flag. Play in Test mode (multiple choice) or Write mode (free text input with autocomplete). Scoring is based on speed.
| Scenario | Flags Pool | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 🌍 World Flags | 193 | Identify the flags of all 193 UN-recognized sovereign nations. |
| 🇪🇺 European Flags | 47 | Test your recognition of continental and regional flags across Europe. |
| 🇪🇸 Spain's Autonomous Flags | 17 | Learn the historic and regional flags of Spain's autonomous communities. |
| 🤪 Special & Fun Flags | 15 | Recognize non-traditional banners, historical anomalies, and fun custom flags. |
Understanding the Scoring System
Globdrop's scoring system rewards both accuracy (how close you click to the target) and speed (how quickly you answer). Here's how it works under the hood:
Distance Threshold
Each scenario has a maximum distance threshold (typically 50 km for real-world scenarios). If your click is farther from the target than this threshold, you earn zero points for that round. If your click is within the threshold, your precision score scales linearly—a click right on target earns maximum precision, while a click at 49 km earns very little.
Time Multiplier
The faster you answer, the higher your time multiplier. The formula uses your remaining time to boost your score: time multiplier = (remaining seconds + 1) / 2. So if you have 8 seconds left on a 10-second round, your multiplier is 4.5×. If you run out of time entirely, you score zero.
Final Points Calculation
In classic map mode, your points for each round are: time multiplier × precision score, where precision score ranges from 0 to 100 based on how close your click was relative to the maximum distance.
In the new Flag Mode, you are graded on visual recognition speed rather than map distance. Correct answers award a base of 100 points, plus a speed bonus of up to 100 points proportional to the remaining time on the 15-second round timer.
Example: You're playing World Capitals. The target is Tokyo. You click 12 km away from the actual location with 7 seconds remaining on a 10-second timer.
- Precision: (50 - 12) / 50 = 76% → precision score of 76
- Time multiplier: (7 + 1) / 2 = 4.0
- Points: 4.0 × 76 = 304 points
Installing as a PWA (Progressive Web App)
Globdrop can be installed on your device for a full-screen, app-like experience:
- Visit globdrop.vedratic.com in your browser.
- On Chrome/Edge: Click the install icon in the address bar, or open the browser menu and select "Install Globdrop."
- On iOS Safari: Tap the Share button, then "Add to Home Screen."
- The game icon will appear on your home screen. Tap to launch in full-screen mode.
Once installed, Globdrop will cache game assets locally, making subsequent loads faster and enabling basic offline functionality thanks to its service worker.