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Time Zone Dash: free time zone game, learn UTC offsets
It's noon in London. What time is it in Tokyo? Beat the clock.
What is Time Zone Dash?
It's noon in London: what time is it in Tokyo? Hop between 48 cities on a 24-hour clock for 60 seconds. Offsets are for January, when every city in the game is on standard time. Level 3 adds half-hour zones like New Delhi and answers that land on another day.
Time Zone Dash is a free quick game about one of the most searched questions there is: what time is it over there? A time in one city appears, like 12:00 in London, and you pick the time in another, like Tokyo, out of four.
Every offset is the city's UTC offset in January, when all 48 cities in the game are on standard time; cities that use summer time in January, like Sydney, are left out. Level 1 starts from London, level 2 hops between any two cities, and level 3 adds half-hour and 45-minute zones (New Delhi, Tehran, Kathmandu) and answers on the next or previous day. Each answer shows both offsets and the gap.
At a glance
- Category
- Quick Games
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Play time
- 1 min
- Price
- Free, in your browser, sign-up optional
How to play
- Read the clock
- A time in one city, like “It's 12:00 in London”. Times are for January, on a 24-hour clock.
- Find the local time
- Tap the time in the second city, or press 1 to 4. Each answer shows both UTC offsets.
- Time
- You have 60 seconds. Level 2 starts after 5 right answers, level 3 after 12. A wrong answer costs 2 seconds and resets your streak.
- Score
- Each right answer scores 10, 15 or 20 points by level plus up to 5 for speed, multiplied by your streak: ×2 after 4 right in a row, ×3 after 8, ×4 after 12.
Scoring
Each right answer scores 10 points at level 1, 15 at level 2 and 20 at level 3, plus up to 5 for answering within 4 seconds, multiplied by your streak: ×2 after 4 right in a row, ×3 after 8, ×4 after 12. Level 2 (any two cities) starts after 5 right answers, level 3 (half-hour zones, other days) after 12.
The run lasts 60 seconds. A wrong answer costs 2 seconds, resets your streak and shows both UTC offsets. Your best score is kept in this browser.
What it trains
- UTC offsets
- Knowing where the world's big cities sit against UTC in January.
- Mental time maths
- Adding and subtracting hours across midnight.
- Planning across zones
- Working out a good time to call or meet someone far away.
Strategy and tips
- Think in UTC
- Find the gap between the two offsets: Tokyo UTC+9 minus London UTC+0 is 9 hours ahead.
- East is ahead
- Cities east of you are usually later in the day; cities west are earlier.
- Watch midnight
- Past 24:00 it's the next day; before 00:00 it's the previous day.
- Learn a few anchors
- New York UTC−5, London UTC+0, Paris UTC+1, Dubai UTC+4, Tokyo UTC+9 in January.
- Half hours exist
- New Delhi is UTC+5:30 and Kathmandu UTC+5:45.
Why play Time Zone Dash?
Calls, flights, launches and live events all cross time zones. Knowing a handful of offsets and how to add the gap saves a search every time, and avoids the classic missed meeting.
Frequently asked questions
Is Time Zone Dash free?
Yes. It is free and runs in your browser, with no download. Signing up is optional.
Why January?
Many countries move their clocks in summer, and not on the same dates. In January every city in the game is on standard time, so each offset is always true.
Why are there no Sydney or Auckland questions?
They use summer time in January, so they'd break the standard-time rule.
What's UTC?
Coordinated Universal Time, the reference clock the world's time zones are counted from. London is UTC+0 in winter.