How To Play
Subway Rush is a fun, fast-paced, word challenge!
In a nutshell
Simply unscramble 10 words as fast as you can, and try to beat the daily Target Time!
Rules
Each guess must be a valid 5 letter word.
Further details
- Your guess will be submitted automatically once 5 letters have been selected.
- After each valid (but incorrect) guess, the colours of the tiles in your dashboard will change, indicating how close your guess was to the correct word.
- After each invalid guess, the colours of the tiles in your dashboard will revert back to their previous state.
- You will automatically progress to the next word once you have correctly guessed the existing word.
- After completing a game, your statistics will calculate, and you will be able to see how your score compares with the Target Time. You may even receive an Award for your efforts!
How to guess a word
- You will be presented with 5 new letters for each word.
- Simply click on the available letters in your dashboard, one at a time, to build your word.
- Your word will automatically build itself in the display above.
Dashboard examples
Letters are all active and available.
This is the default position.
Letters B and I have been selected.
This will reflect in the display.
You have guessed the word BINGE.
Letter B is in the correct position.
Letters I, N, G, and E we now know are in the incorrect position.
Letters in your dashboard have updated to reflect this last, valid guess (BINGE).
FAQs
Where does the Target Time come from?
The Target Time is calculated using the first 100 scores of any given day, that meet a certain criteria.
How do I know if the Target Time is calculated?
It probably already is.
If you are one of the first to play on a given day (perhaps you live in New Zealand or Australia) you will see Calc. next to the Game No. in the Time dashboard.
Clicking Calc. will also reveal how many results have been collected for the day.
Can I prevent my time from being included in the Target Time for a given day?
Of course.
Only the time itself is used to calculate the Target Time for any given day, and absolutely no other information (identifiable or otherwise) is recorded as part of this calculation.
If you still wish to be excluded, you may wait until the Target Time is calculated to begin your game.
You will know it is calculated if Calc. is not visible in the Time dashboard.
Does the Timer keep ticking while the "reveal" animation takes place?
No, it does not.
Whenever you begin a game, make a guess or select a hint, your Timer will pause for the duration of the animation.
The Timer restarts as soon as an animation is complete.
What happens if I lose my internet connection during a game?
Don't stress, everything will be fine.
While an internet connection is required to start a new game, all other calculations take place locally, on your device.
Your game, statistics and awards will update as usual, upon completion of a game.
Some features may become unavailable outside of gameplay, including fetching an updated Target Time at the end of the game, or an award icon.
These will become available to you as soon your internet connection re-establishes.
Is there a time limit?
No, not strictly.
While the Timer will max out at 60 minutes, and return a completed time of 60 minutes in such an instance, everything will still calculate as expected, with 60 minutes being your latest completion time, etc.
Subway Rush is meant to be a fast, fun game, and we recommend using the tools available to you such as Hint +10s and Shuffle to strategically improve your time.
I've heard of Optimize. What is it?
Optimize is a setting on Subway Rush, designed to provide a tailored experience.
It calculates a multiplier specific to you, and applies it to your view of the daily Target Time.
The Optimize function is only available within the menu of the homepage, and can be toggled on / off by clicking the Optimize (
You can learn more about Optimize on our Settings page.
Should I really use the available tools to improve my time? Is it better to complete the game without using them?
Absolutely, use the tools!
The Shuffle tools receives no time penalty, and is instantly applied. You can use this as many times as you like.
Not all users will see the same arrangement of letters upon receiving a new word, and the Shuffle tool is a great way to level the playing field. That being said, there's a bonus "No Shuffles" award available for those who do not use this feature!
The use of Hint +10s is also encouraged, and is a great way to strategically improve your time.
A time penalty of 10 seconds allows us to better level the playing field between users, but watch out though, it can add up quickly!
Can I pause the game?
While you can pause the game, it is generally discouraged.
You will see a P. mark next to solved words under Solutions where a Pause action has been detected.
Why is there no time penalty for pausing the game?
The Pause button is not part of our standard tools, and has been introduced to provide convenience in an otherwise non-stop game.
Adding a time penalty will make it seem like it is one of our authentic tools, which it is not.
We encourage the use of the Pause button in some instances (perhaps you need to change trains on the way to work, you get interrupted, etc.), but otherwise, the recommended gameplay is to do so in one sitting, relying on the Hint +10s or Shuffle tools to strategically improve your performance.