.avif)
.avif)
HQ Trivia never came back, and I still feel the loss.
The app that turned multiple-choice questions into a nightly event with Scott Rogowsky shouting "Let's get down to the nitty-gritty!" collapsed in February 2020, limped through a brief 2022 revival, and vanished from app stores by 2023.
I looked for that same rush across 7 apps. Some lean casual and low-stakes, closer to what you'd find in games like QuizUp, while others chase HQ's cash-prize thrill directly.
After downloading every app that claims to fill the HQ-shaped hole, from cash-prize live shows to casual head-to-head duels, and playing enough sessions to know how each one feels in the moment, here's my honest take on which HQ Trivia alternatives actually deliver it.
Below, I cover what got my heart racing, what left me bored, who each game fits, and how Weekend scratches the group side of trivia that most phone apps never touch.
7 best HQ Trivia alternatives: TL;DR
- Weekend: Best for groups who want a shared trivia night instead of a solo phone session
- Swagbucks Daily Trivia: Best for players who want HQ's daily cash-prize format
- Quiiiz: Best for competitive players who pay entry fees for bigger head-to-head payouts
- Trivia Crack: Best for casual players who want an always-available opponent
- Kahoot!: Best for hosts who run live trivia for a classroom, office, or party
- triviYEAH!: Best for players who want a daily competitive ritual without waiting on opponents
- Jackbox Party Pack (Trivia Murder Party): Best for in-person game nights on a shared screen
Why look for HQ Trivia alternatives?
HQ Trivia earned my loyalty for a reason. It combined live hosting, real cash prizes, and a synchronized "everyone plays at once" format that made trivia feel like appointment television.
But the model had cracks.
HQ funded prizes out of pocket instead of through entry fees, and once investor money dried up, the app shut down in February 2020, briefly revived, then disappeared from app stores for good in 2023.
A few pain points still stand out to me as a player:
- The live-only schedule locked out anyone who missed the window
- The shrinking prize pool made most wins feel like a consolation prize
- Solo phone play never solved the thing I actually wanted
Even casual, no-stakes duels like games like Trivia Crack run into that same wall, since a phone screen only ever fits one person's attention at a time.
Which HQ Trivia alternative should you choose?
- Choose Weekend if trivia night means multiple people playing together, not one person alone with a phone. Skip it if you want real cash prizes.
- Choose Swagbucks Daily Trivia for a free live show close to HQ's original format. Payouts often land under five dollars per win, so treat it as a bonus, not income.
- Choose Quiiiz if you want to stake a few dollars per match for bigger payouts. Skip it if you want free play, since every game requires an entry fee.
- Stick with Trivia Crack if you want something to tap through solo, with no schedule and no stakes.
7 best HQ Trivia alternatives: At a glance
Note: Pricing correct at the time of writing. Always verify current rates and platforms with each vendor before you buy.
1. Weekend
Weekend recreates the "everyone plays at once" energy that made HQ special, except it turns the whole thing into a group event instead of a solo phone session.
It runs a licensed Jeopardy! experience alongside the music-trivia title Song Quiz, both built for a group competing together rather than one person alone.
{{cta-jeopardy}}
Playing it with friends brought back exactly the feeling I missed from HQ's best nights. People shouted answers, argued over Daily Doubles, and genuinely celebrated a tough clue. The energy built with every round, and nobody felt sidelined the way solo trivia apps leave you.
Fair critique: Weekend can't replicate HQ's real cash-prize thrill, and I missed that edge a little. But as a shared, competitive experience that gets a whole group invested at once, it beat every other app on this list for pure fun.
Key features
- Live, visible scoring on the shared screen
- Shout your answers out loud through the remote or a paired phone
Pros
- ✅ Real group competition instead of solo phone play
- ✅ Licensed trivia content that feels substantial
Cons
- ❌ Skips cash prizes
- ❌ Requires a supported smart TV
Best for
Groups who want a shared trivia night that recaptures HQ's energy.
Pricing
7-day free trial, then $12.99/month for the full game library.
{{cta-songquiz}}
2. Swagbucks Daily Trivia
Swagbucks Daily Trivia gave me the closest jolt to HQ's original pitch, free daily live trivia with real cash on the line.
The app runs scheduled broadcasts Monday through Thursday, where you answer 10 questions live for a shot at a grand prize pool, plus an anytime "challenge" mode for players who miss the live slot.
The competitive edge feels softer here than HQ ever managed. The host energy carries the show, but splitting a pool with a large surviving crowd means my wins rarely felt like a real victory, just a small consolation prize for staying alive.
Still, I kept coming back most weeknights out of habit and genuine curiosity about that night's questions.
Key features
- Daily live shows Monday through Thursday at 8 p.m. ET keep the "tune in together" feeling alive
- SB-to-cash conversion turns points into PayPal cash or gift cards, no deposit required
Pros
- ✅ Free to play
- ✅ Live schedule close to HQ's cadence
Cons
- ❌ Payouts convert through SB points, not instant cash
- ❌ Typical winnings run $0.50–$5
Best for
Former HQ players who want the live-show format back.
Pricing
Free to download and play.
3. Quiiiz
Quiiiz flips HQ's funding model in a way I respect. Players pay entry fees and compete head-to-head, and winners split the pot, a structure that frees Quiiiz from the problem that sank HQ, since it needs no outside investors to pay out.
Putting real money on the line changed how I played almost instantly. Every question felt sharper, every wrong answer stung more, and the head-to-head format gave me a competitive charge Swagbucks never matched.
My one hesitation is that paying to play trivia adds risk that doesn't sit comfortably with everyone, and I felt that tension every time I hit "enter match."
Key features
- Skill-based matchmaking against other paying players, not a fixed company-funded pool
- Flexible entry tiers starting around $2, so you control your risk per session
Pros
- ✅ Sustainable prize model
- ✅ Bigger payouts than free daily-trivia apps
Cons
- ❌ Requires a real-money deposit
- ❌ Reviews stay mixed on payout speed
Best for
Trivia fans who'll risk a small entry fee for bigger payouts.
Pricing
Entry fees generally start around $2–$4 per match; no subscription required.
{{cta-fortune}}
4. Trivia Crack
Trivia Crack skips the live-broadcast format for asynchronous, turn-based duels you play whenever you want. It's the app most people already have, with a broad category system spanning geography to entertainment.
The competitive spark just isn't there for me.
Turn-based play removes the pressure that made HQ addictive, and I felt mentally checked out between turns rather than locked in. Ad breaks interrupt nearly every round unless you pay to remove them. It works as background entertainment, but it never made my pulse pick up.
Key features
- A category wheel across 6 broad topics keeps matches varied
- Asynchronous play means matches don't require both players online at once
Pros
- ✅ Fast matchmaking through a huge player base
- ✅ Free to play
Cons
- ❌ Frequent, unskippable ads
- ❌ No live or cash-prize element
Best for
Players who want a free, always-available opponent.
Pricing
Free, with an ad-free premium tier as an in-app purchase.
5. Kahoot!
Kahoot! solves a different piece of the HQ puzzle.
It's live trivia for a group on one shared screen with a join code, instead of a company-run broadcast, similar to the setup you'd expect from Kahoot alternatives in general.
A host picks or builds a quiz, shares the PIN, and players join from their own phones to answer live as questions appear on the main screen.
Hosting a round surprised me with how much competitive fire it generated among a small group of friends. Watching the leaderboard shuffle after every question created real tension, and the trash talk started almost immediately.
The catch is that someone has to run the show, and without an active host, the whole experience falls flat.
Key features
- PIN-based joining lets anyone with the code join at kahoot.it, with no account required
- Host-controlled pacing keeps the live-event feel HQ built its reputation on
Pros
- ✅ Live hosting for casual groups with a free tier
- ✅ Low friction, no download required
Cons
- ❌ Needs an active host, no solo matchmaking
- ❌ Costs more for larger groups
Best for
Hosts running live trivia for a room full of people.
Pricing
Free tier available; paid plans start at $3 to $12/month.
6. triviYEAH!
triviYEAH! drops head-to-head matchmaking and instead gives every player the same 10 questions each day, on their own schedule. The app compares scores against everyone who played that day, which recreates HQ's "same questions, same stakes" feeling without a fixed broadcast time.
The wagering layer hooked me more than I expected. Before each question, I had to decide how much virtual currency to stake based on my confidence, and that gamble added a competitive edge missing from most casual trivia apps.
It won't replace playing against thousands of people in real time, but as a solo daily ritual, it delivered more fun than I expected.
Key features
- A midnight drop unlocks 10 new questions across 6 categories for every player
- Confidence wagering adds strategic depth beyond right-or-wrong scoring
Pros
- ✅ No waiting for opponents or scheduled broadcasts
- ✅ Extra strategy through wagering
Cons
- ❌ No cash prizes, only virtual currency
- ❌ Smaller, newer platform
Best for
Players who want a daily ritual without matchmaking delays.
Pricing
Free to play.
7. Jackbox Party Pack (Trivia Murder Party)
Jackbox builds trivia into a full party game for one shared screen, with everyone's phone as a controller. Trivia Murder Party mixes standard quiz questions with mini-games and elimination rounds, and turns wrong answers into a fake hazard.
This one won me over on atmosphere alone. The humor and elimination format turned a simple trivia round into a funny, competitive spectacle, and I laughed as much as I competed.
The energy peaks during the mini-games, where quick reflexes matter as much as trivia knowledge, and that variety kept the group locked in far longer than a straight quiz would have, the kind of pull that also shows up in games like Jackbox built for the same shared-screen setup.
Key features
- Phone-as-controller setup lets players join with a room code, no extra hardware needed
- Trivia-plus-minigame format blends questions with quick-reaction challenges
Pros
- ✅ Real shared-screen group competition
- ✅ Trivia mixed with genuine party humor
Cons
- ❌ Requires a shared display and a group
- ❌ No live cash-prize element
Best for
In-person game nights with friends.
Pricing
Around $24.99 per Party Pack, which covers several games including Trivia Murder Party.
How to evaluate HQ Trivia alternatives
Check the format. HQ's appeal came from everyone who played the same questions at once. If that scheduled-event feeling matters to you, pick apps with a live broadcast or daily-drop format over pure matchmaking.
Look at the prize model. Free apps that split a company-funded pool, paid apps that redistribute entry fees, and virtual-currency leaderboards create very different incentives and payout sizes.
Factor in solo versus group play. A phone app answers "I'm bored and want trivia now," but it doesn't solve for a room of people who want to compete together.
Consider how often you'll open the app. A daily habit fits a low-friction format best, while scheduled live shows require you to show up at a set time. My best trivia app to play with friends guide breaks down more group-first picks if that's your priority.
Weekend brings the group energy HQ Trivia lost
If you've been chasing HQ Trivia alternatives just to relive the feeling of a room full of people locked onto the same questions, the fix isn't another solo app on your phone. Your TV can host that same shared, competitive moment, minus the missed broadcasts and the shrinking prize pool.
With the Weekend app installed, your living room turns into the place where everyone actually wants to play. Trivia night stops being one person tapping through questions alone and becomes the whole group shouting answers at once.
Games you can pull up on Weekend, once the app is running on your TV:
- Jeopardy! gives trivia fans a fresh challenge after the playlist ends. Choose Casual, Classic, or Expert, then shout your answer when the clue appears.
- Song Quiz brings music trivia across decades and genres to the room. Hear a short clip, then shout the song and artist to earn points.
- Wheel of Fortune pairs partners as puzzle solvers. Spin the wheel, call letters, and solve the board.
- Spot On sends the room around the world from the couch. Drop a pin and see who gets closest.
- Guess the Emoji gives visual-puzzle fans fast clues to decode. A row of tiny pictures can cause a surprisingly big argument.
- Karaoke (on Roku) puts singers in the spotlight. The game tracks lyrics and pitch, so each chorus gives you a score to chase.
- Sketchy AF turns rough doodles into quick guesses. Someone will draw a masterpiece by accident. Everyone else will insist they knew it all along.
- 20 Questions (on Roku) rewards the group that asks sharper questions. Keep narrowing the possibilities until someone calls it.
- Meme Supreme lets everyone vote on the funniest response to each strange prompt. Bring your best internet brain.
- Wit's End turns your group’s choices into a chaotically fun fantasy campaign. Every decision sends the adventure somewhere new.
- CoComelon: Sing & Play with JJ brings toddlers aged 2–4 familiar songs and educational activities.
Start the 7-day free trial, pick a game, and find out which one your group ends up asking for every single week.
FAQs
How can I get the Weekend Games app on my smart TV?
You can get the Weekend Games app on your smart TV by opening your TV's app store, searching "Weekend Games," and installing it. I had mine running in under 2 minutes on a Fire TV, no extra controllers required.
Do I need a separate controller to play Weekend's games?
No, you don't need a separate controller to play Weekend's games. I just used my regular TV remote or my paired phone as a mic, which kept setup simple for a group.
Which smart TVs support the Weekend app?
Roku, Fire TV, Samsung, and LG smart TVs support the Weekend app. I've run it on more than one of these without any real hiccups.
How much does Weekend cost after the free trial?
Weekend costs $12.99 a month after the 7-day free trial ends. That price covers the full game library, including Jeopardy! and Song Quiz.
Can I play Weekend alone, or does it require a group?
Yes, you can play Weekend games alone, though the app shines most with a group. I noticed the competitive energy jumps considerably once more than one person joins in.
%20(1).png)
%20(1).png)
%20(1).png)
Free for 7 days. Cancel anytime.
