Cosmic Memory Multiplayer

Two people, one device. Both players enter a name, choose a grid size between 2×2 and 6×6, and then take alternating turns on the same screen. The active player's name is highlighted, and the scoreboard shows how many pairs each of you has taken.

There is no countdown in local play. The game ends when the last pair is matched, and the player with more pairs wins. Because you are both watching the same board, pass and play is unusually tense: your opponent sees every card you turn over, so a failed guess is genuinely a gift.

It works offline, needs no account and starts in a couple of seconds, which makes it the easiest way to get someone else playing.

Online play pairs you with another person over the internet. Enter a display name, pick a grid size and join the queue; when someone else with a compatible preference is waiting, the match starts for both of you at once. If nobody is available, you stay in the queue and can leave at any time.

Once a match is live:

• Both players see the same shuffled board.
• The server decides whose turn it is, so the board is genuinely locked for everyone except the active player.
• Card flips are broadcast in real time, so you watch your opponent play.
• A scoreboard tracks matched pairs for each participant.

You do not create an account. Your identity is a random ID kept in your own browser, and the only thing another player learns about you is the display name you typed.

If you would rather play someone specific than a stranger, create a private match instead of joining the queue. That generates an invite link you can copy or share through your device's native share sheet. Whoever opens the link joins straight into your room; the game starts as soon as they arrive and you are told when they have joined.

Invite links are for one room. Once the match ends, generate a new one for the next game.

Online matches support up to three players. During a two-player match, either player can request that a third joins. The other player is asked to approve it, and once they do, a short code is produced. The third person enters that code to join the room, and the turn order becomes player 1, player 2, player 3 and back again.

Three-player games change the maths considerably. With two players, a card you reveal and cannot take usually goes to your opponent. With three, the information you leak can be used by either of the other two before it comes back to you, so cautious play is rewarded more.

Online matches include a text chat panel beside the board, delivered over the same real-time channel as the game state, so messages arrive immediately. It is plain text only — no images, no links rendered, no history kept after the match ends.

Chat is not moderated. Nothing you send is stored once the room closes, but that also means there is no record to appeal to if someone behaves badly. If you would rather not deal with it, play a private invite match with someone you know, or use pass and play.

• Player 1 always moves first.
• A turn is two card reveals.
• Matching a pair scores a point and grants another turn immediately. There is no limit on consecutive turns, so a player who has mapped the board can clear most of it unanswered.
• A miss passes the turn to the next player in the rotation.
• The match ends when the final pair is taken; the highest score wins.
• Equal top scores are recorded as a draw.
• Multiplayer has no timer, no move limit and no boosts.

The extra-turn rule is what makes multiplayer strategic rather than a coin flip. Read the Strategy Guide for how to exploit and defend against it.

• Take your turn reasonably promptly. There is no clock, which relies on everyone being considerate.
• If you need to stop, say so in chat rather than closing the tab mid-turn. A player who vanishes leaves the match to resolve on remaining scores.
• Keep chat civil. See Terms for what is not acceptable.
• Match the grid size to the people playing. A 6×6 board against someone new to the game is not a game, it is a demonstration.

The queue never finds anyone

Online matchmaking only works when someone else is looking at the same time. If you are waiting more than a minute, leave the queue and send an invite link to someone instead — it is far more reliable than hoping for a stranger.

The board seems to lag or flips arrive in bursts

That is a network symptom. The game applies your own flips locally straight away and reconciles with the server, so your side should stay responsive even when the connection is poor. If it persists, a refresh reconnects you to the same room.

My opponent left

The match is marked as abandoned and resolves on the scores at that moment. You are not left waiting on a turn that will never come.

The invite link does not work

Links point at a specific room. If the match has already ended or filled up, the link expires — create a fresh one.

Nothing loads at all

Online play needs a connection. Local pass and play and the bot both work offline, so use those if you are on a poor network.