Play The Password Game in Your Browser

The Password Game background

Neal Agarwal released The Password Game on neal.fun on June 27, 2023, after about two months of development. The idea came from his own frustration with website password policies, including being told that a password was too long, and the game exaggerates those requirements into a long chain of escalating demands.

It spread quickly after release and was covered by outlets such as PC Gamer and Engadget, whose writers described how quickly the rules become difficult. It runs entirely in the browser, and later rules pull in live information such as the current moon phase and the day's Wordle answer, so details change depending on when you play.

How to play The Password Game

The game starts with ordinary requirements: at least five characters, then a number, an uppercase letter and a special character. Each time you satisfy the current rules, a new one appears, and every earlier rule must stay satisfied. The digits must add up to a set total, Roman numerals must multiply to a target, and later rules ask for things like a month name, a chemical element symbol, the country shown in a map image, the best move in a chess position and today's Wordle answer. Some rules add moving parts, such as a flame that spreads through the password. Conflicts between rules make the final stages a balancing act.

1. Open the page on neal.fun and click into the password box.
2. Type characters to satisfy the first rule, then read each new rule as it appears below.
3. Edit the password so that every rule shown stays green while you meet the newest one.
4. Use outside references such as a calendar, a periodic table or a chess tool when rules require them, and keep going until the game asks you to confirm your final password.