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Outlier Live is best against a real person, and the hard part used to be finding one at the right moment. Up for a live game fixes that. A small button shows who's on the site and ready for a one-on-one right now, and one tap sends them a challenge. This guide covers the button, how challenges work from both sides, what to do when the person you want is busy, and the switches that keep it out of your way when you'd rather not be asked. The short answers are in the FAQ.

The button at the bottom of the screen

When someone else is ready to play, a small button appears at the bottom of the screen with the number of players waiting. Tap it and you'll see who they are. Tap Challenge next to anyone you'd like to play.

It only shows when somebody else is ready, and it stays out of the way during a Live game and during Trivia. In the Town Square lobby the same list sits on the page under the tabs.

You're on the list too, whenever you're on the site, because Up for a live game is on for everyone by default. The menu has a Live games switch at the top; tap it to see your settings or switch off.

Sending a challenge

You can challenge someone from the list, from their player card, from the lobby, or from their line in the lobby chat. They get one minute to say yes, and you'll see a countdown while you wait. Changed your mind? Tap Cancel.

Keep Outlier open while you wait. If you close it, or sit down in another game, the challenge is withdrawn, because the game would start without you.

They say yesThe game opens for both of you straight away: one on one, ten rounds of sixty seconds, no house players.

They're busyIf they miss it, it's in your Inbox, and we tell you as soon as they're up for a live game again so you can try once more.

Nobody bitesWait for an opponent instead. You go on the list as someone waiting, and players who are ready see you there with a Join button.

You need a username to send a challenge. It's free, and it's what puts your games on the record.

Challenging someone who isn't free right now

The Challenge button changes with where the other player is, so you always get the kind of challenge that can actually happen:

Ready right nowThe one-minute live challenge above.

In the middle of a gameChallenge them next. It waits until their game ends, then lands in front of them.

Not aroundLeave a challenge. It sits in their Inbox until the next daily board, with a short note if you want to add one.

You'll find the same button on the Live now list, next to each player in a game, so you can line up the winner of the room you're watching. It doesn't show for anyone who has switched challenges off.

When somebody challenges you

A card pops up with their name and a one-minute countdown, plus a knock if you have sound on. You've got three choices:

PlayStarts the game.

Not nowPasses, with no penalty. They can try again in ten minutes.

Mute challengesGives you a break for 15 minutes, an hour, or until tomorrow.

The challenge also lands in your Inbox, so you can see who asked even if you missed the card. Turn on Ping me when I'm challenged in Settings and your phone or computer buzzes too.

If one of you doesn't open the game within a minute, it closes, and a game that never got going counts nowhere: not on your record, your rating or your profile.

Off, Hide and Mute

Three controls, three different jobs. All of them are at the top of the list and in Settings.

OffStops challenges. You leave everyone's list and nobody can challenge you. You can still see who's up for a game.

Hide buttonHides the button at the bottom of the screen. You stay on the list and can still be challenged.

MuteA break of 15 minutes, an hour, or until tomorrow. Then you're back on the list on your own.

The full comparison is in the FAQ.

The few limits, and why

One challenge out at a timeYou can send up to eight an hour.

The same player once every ten minutesNobody gets pestered by one person.

Quiet from 8:30 PM ETNobody is listed until Outlier Live Daily gets going, so the nine o'clock game fills up.

A challenge game is an ordinary Outlier Live game, so if you're not a Keeper it counts toward your free Live games.

Make the most of it

Leave Up for a live game on. The list is only as good as the people on it, and being on it costs you nothing: Not now is never held against you.

Challenge the people you just played with. The finale has a rematch button, and the after-game chat is the easiest place to find your next opponent.

And when you sit down, play to win. How to win at Outlier Live has the tips that matter in a one-on-one: score for your total, play the word you'll lose first, and never finish a round with nothing.