- Rachel Bistricer
- 3 days ago
- 4 min read
Create a form in minutes with Wixel’s online form builder →
Everyone loves the thrill of a good trivia night. Whether it’s shouting out answers at a local pub, competing with family during the holidays or engaging customers with a quick online challenge, trivia brings people together. It’s competitive, it’s fun and for creators and businesses, it’s a brilliant way to keep your audience glued to your content.
But a great trivia game doesn’t just happen by accident. It needs the right mix of challenging questions, a smooth flow and a theme that resonates with your players. This guide shows you exactly how to make a trivia game that people will actually want to finish. We’ll cover everything from brainstorming your categories to launching your game to the world.
TL;DR: How to build a trivia game
Building a trivia game is straightforward when you have a plan. Here's the quick version of the steps you need to take.
Step | Action | Why it matters |
01. Pick a theme | Choose a specific topic or genre. | Focuses your questions and attracts the right players. |
02. Select a form or quiz maker | Use a quiz builder like Wixel. | Handles the scoring and logic automatically. |
03. Write questions | Draft a mix of easy and hard questions. | Keeps the game balanced and engaging. |
04. Add visuals | Include images, GIFs, or audio. | Makes the experience more dynamic and fun. |
05. Set the rules | Decide on scoring and time limits. | Creates structure and fair competition. |
06. Launch it | Share your game via link or email. | Gets people playing and competing. |
How to make a trivia game in 6 steps
Ready to become the best quizmaster? Follow these six steps to build a trivia game that challenges, entertains and keeps your players coming back for more.
01. Choose a winning theme
The best trivia games have a clear focus. This means that while general knowledge trivia are fine, niche themes often get people more excited because they're unique.
The first step is to think about who your trivia is for. If it’s for a corporate team-building event, maybe focus on company history or two truths and a lie. If it’s for a marketing strategy, tie the theme to your industry—like pop culture from the 80s for a vintage clothing store.
A strong theme also helps you write better questions. instead of staring at a blank page wondering what to ask, you have a specific sandbox to play in. It also helps with branding. For example, The Ultimate Coffee Roast trivia sounds a lot more appealing to a caffeine lover than just Food trivia.
02. Pick your trivia builder
To run a smooth game, you need an online, digital tool that does the math for you. You want a quiz builder that looks good and works on any device, since many people will play on their phones. Wixel is a perfect choice here, offering an AI-powered solution that helps you create quizzes, understand how to build polls, learn to make surveys and more quickly.
Using a dedicated form builder allows you to automate the hard parts: shuffling questions, timing answers and calculating the final score. This lets you focus on the creative side—making the game fun—rather than the logistics.
03. Craft your questions
Your trivia questions are the heart of your game. You need a mix of difficulty levels to keep everyone engaged. If it’s too hard, people give up. If it’s too easy, they get bored. A good rule of thumb is to have 20% easy questions to build confidence, 60% of medium difficulty and 20% hard questions to separate the pros from the amateurs.
Keep your wording simple and clear and avoid trick questions that rely on technicalities, they just frustrate players. Focus ocus on interesting facts that make people say, "Oh, I didn't know that!" when they see the answer. Vary your question types too—mix multiple choice with true/false or image identification.
04. Add visuals and sound
Text-only trivia can feel a bit like a standardized test. Spice things up by adding media. Instead of asking "Which actor played Iron Man?", show a picture of Robert Downey Jr. and ask "Who is this?" Or use a short audio clip for a Name That Tune round.
Visuals can also help with the pacing of your trivia. They give players a moment to reset between text-heavy questions. Just make sure your images are high quality and your audio is clear so they add to the experience rather than distracting from it.
05. Define the rules and scoring
You also need to decide, how does someone win your game? Decide if you want to award points based solely on correct answers or if speed counts too. Speed-based scoring adds an adrenaline rush, perfect for live events or competitive groups.
Set time limits for each question to keep the game moving. 15 to 30 seconds is usually enough time to read and react without letting people Google the answer. Be clear about
the stakes upfront—is there a prize for the winner, or is it just for bragging rights?
06. Test and share
Before you invite the world to play your new trivia, do a test run yourself. Read through every question to catch typos and double-check that the correct answers are actually selected in the system. There's nothing worse than a trivia game telling a player they are wrong when they're actually right.
Once you're confident it works, hit publish. Share the link on your social channels, embed it on your site or send it out in your newsletter. Encourage players to share their scores to create a ripple effect of engagement.
Be inspired:
How to create a trivia game FAQ
How many questions should a trivia game have?
For a quick online game, 10 to 15 questions is a good number. It’s enough to be challenging but short enough to finish in a few minutes. If you're hosting a live trivia night event, you might want several rounds of 10 questions each.
What are some good trivia categories?
Classic categories always work: History, Geography, Sports, Science and Entertainment are the core of these. For something more unique, try categories like "Logo Identification," "Finish the Lyric," "Guess the Movie from the Emoji," or "Local History" for community-focused games.
