How to play Stop the Bus
The pen-and-paper categories game, online, and best with friends. One letter, a board of categories, and a race to fill it.
The rules
Get a letter
Every round deals a random letter and a board of categories: Animal, Country, Food, Boy's Name…
Fill the board
Write an answer for each category that starts with the letter, before the 90-second clock runs out.
Stop the bus!
Filled every box? Hit Stop the Bus. Everyone else gets five seconds to finish, then the answers are revealed.
Ways to play
With friends
Make a room and send the link to the group chat. Everyone gets the same letter at the same time and plays live from their own phone. Nobody needs an account.
Vs the Computer
One tap, no sign-up. Pick how tough it plays.
Daily Letter
The same letter and board for everyone, once a day. Share your score.
Scoring
- +2A good answer nobody else gave
- +1A good answer someone else gave too
- 0Blank, wrong letter, or not a real answer
- +1Bus bonus: stopped the bus with every answer good
Reporting a wrong answer
Stop the Bus checks every answer against its own word lists: thousands of answers across every category, and still growing. So it will sometimes get one wrong, turning down a real answer or letting a bad one through.
When it does, tell us. On the reveal after each round, tap Something wrong? Report under the answer (yours, a friend's or the Computer's) and tap what's wrong. Every report is checked, and the good ones go into the word lists, so the next game gets it right.
Frequently asked questions
Can I play Stop the Bus online with friends?
Yes, that's what it's built for. Tap Play with Friends, share the room link, and everyone joins from their own phone or computer, no sign-up needed. Up to 4 players in a free room, 8 with Plus.
Is Stop the Bus free?
Yes. Play with friends, against the Computer and the Daily Letter for free. An account just keeps your name and games.
Is it the same as Scattergories?
It's the same family of game. Stop the Bus is the classic pen-and-paper version, also known as Categories or Name, Place, Animal, Thing, with one twist: the first to fill the board stops the bus for everyone.
What counts as a good answer?
It has to start with the round's letter and fit the category. The game checks answers against its word lists. If it gets one wrong, report it from the reveal after the round.
Free · no sign-up · straight into a game