What is WasThatBefore?
WasThatBefore is a daily chronological sorting puzzle. Five events appear as cards, and you drag them into order from EARLIEST to LATEST. Each card shows a category tag—sport, culture, television, history, or technology—and the mix of subjects makes the ordering harder. You have three attempts to place all five correctly, with color feedback between guesses in easy mode.
How to play WasThatBefore
- Select a region tab at the top: Global, USA, UK, EU, or AU.
- Drag the five cards into chronological order between the EARLIEST and LATEST markers.
- Choose hard mode before your first guess to hide feedback and earn a 1.5× score multiplier.
- Press Lock it in to submit your order.
- In easy mode, use the green and red feedback. In hard mode, continue without feedback.
- Move the red cards and lock in your order again. You get three attempts total.
Why the category mix matters
The tags deliberately combine different kinds of memory. A television premiere or book publication often pins to a specific year, while a sporting event or natural disaster may feel familiar without revealing when it happened. Sort the cards you can date confidently first, then fit the uncertain ones around them. Three attempts with feedback turn the puzzle into deduction rather than pure recall.
Modes
Easy mode
Default setting. Cards light up green when correctly placed and red when wrong after each lock in. Use the feedback to narrow down which cards need reordering.
Hard mode
Toggle before your first guess. No feedback between attempts, but a correct solution scores 1.5 times. The entire order must be held in your head.
Region tabs
Global, USA, UK, EU, and AU appear above the board. Each region provides a separate daily puzzle.
Archive
Linked in the footer. Play past puzzles alongside the daily one.
Tips for sorting
Use the first attempt to gather information. On five cards, the green and red feedback usually narrows the second attempt to two or three possible arrangements, so the third attempt can confirm the answer instead of relying on a guess.
Use the category tags to place events on the timeline. A sitcom debut or novel publication usually has a narrower date range than a hurricane or championship win. Place the specific events first, then fit the less precise ones between them.
Turn on hard mode before selecting “Lock it in.” The panel says you must set the mode before your first guess; changing it afterward resets the puzzle.