Imagine sitting down to create a password for a new account. You start with something simple—maybe your dog’s name and a number—but then the website demands a capital letter, a special character, and no fewer than eight characters.
Frustrating, right? Now, take that irritation and multiply it by a hundred. That’s The Password Game, a maddeningly brilliant browser-based puzzle that turns the mundane task of crafting a password into a chaotic, brain-twisting adventure.
Created by coder Neal Agarwal and released on June 27, 2023, this game has taken the internet by storm, racking up over 10 million visits by October of that year. But what exactly is it, how does it work, and—most importantly—how do you beat it? Let’s dive in.
The Basics: What Is The Password Game?
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At its core, The Password Game is a free, web-based puzzle you can play at neal.fun. It starts innocently enough: you’re asked to type a password into a text box. The first rule pops up—your password must be at least five characters.
Easy. You type “pizza,” and you’re good to go. But then a second rule appears: it needs a number. So, you tweak it to “pizza1.” Then comes an uppercase letter (“Pizza1”), followed by a special character (“Pizza1!”). Sounds familiar, right? It’s the kind of thing we’ve all encountered signing up for an email or a streaming service.
Here’s where it gets wild. Instead of stopping at these standard requirements, The Password Game keeps going, piling on 35 rules in total—each one more absurd than the last.
By the end, you’re not just making a password; you’re solving a series of mini-puzzles that test your math skills, geography knowledge, chess prowess, and even your ability to nurture a virtual chicken named Paul.
The catch? Every time you satisfy a new rule, your password must still comply with all the previous ones. It’s a delicate balancing act that can feel like juggling flaming torches while riding a unicycle.
The game’s creator, Neal Agarwal, drew inspiration from his own frustrations with overly strict password policies—like the time a website rejected his password for being “too long.” He turned that annoyance into a satirical masterpiece that’s equal parts hilarious and infuriating.
Since its launch, it’s gone viral, with players on social media cursing Agarwal’s name while simultaneously praising his genius. So, what are these rules, and how do you navigate them?
The Rules: A Journey Through Absurdity
The Password Game has 35 rules, and they escalate quickly from sensible to downright bizarre. Let’s break them down into manageable chunks, with examples to show how they work.
The Early Rules: Familiar Territory
The first few rules mimic real-world password requirements:
- Rule 1: Your password must be at least 5 characters. (“hello” works.)
- Rule 2: It must include a number. (“hello1”)
- Rule 3: It needs an uppercase letter. (“Hello1”)
- Rule 4: Add a special character. (“Hello1!”)
- Rule 5: The digits must add up to 25. (“Hello16!” because 1 + 6 = 7, so you’d need to adjust to something like “Hello97!” where 9 + 7 = 16, then tweak further—say, “Hello196!” where 1 + 9 + 6 = 16 isn’t enough, so “Hello169!” where 1 + 6 + 9 = 16, still not 25—try “Hello1960!” where 1 + 9 + 6 + 0 = 16, ugh, “Hello789!” where 7 + 8 + 9 = 24, close! Finally, “Hello7891!” where 7 + 8 + 9 + 1 = 25.)
This last one—Rule 5—hints at the chaos to come. Suddenly, you’re doing math, and it only gets weirder.
The Middle Rules: Things Get Tricky
As you progress, the rules start throwing curveballs:
- Rule 6: Include a month. (“Hello7891!January”)
- Rule 7: Add a Roman numeral. (“Hello7891!JanuaryV” where V = 5)
- Rule 8: Include a sponsor like “Pepsi,” “Starbucks,” or “Shell.” (“Hello7891!JanuaryVPepsi”)
- Rule 9: The Roman numerals must multiply to 35. (V = 5, so add VII = 7: 5 × 7 = 35. Now it’s “Hello7891!JanuaryVVIIPepsi.”)
- Rule 10: Add a CAPTCHA code (randomly generated, say “xk7p”). (“Hello7891!JanuaryVVIIPepsixk7p”)
By now, your password is a Frankenstein’s monster, and you’re only a third of the way through. Rule 11 demands today’s Wordle answer (e.g., “crane” on March 4, 2025—hypothetical since I can’t check today’s!), Rule 12 wants a periodic table symbol (like “He” for helium), and Rule 13 asks for the current moon phase as an emoji (say, 🌖 for waning gibbous).
Your password might look like “Hello7891!JanuaryVVIIPepsixk7pcraneHe🌖”—and that’s before Rule 14 asks you to identify a country from a Google Street View image (e.g., “Brazil”).
The Wild Rules: Enter Paul the Chicken
Things take a surreal turn with Rule 17:
- Rule 17: “🥚 This is my chicken Paul. He hasn’t hatched yet. Please put him in your password and keep him safe.” (Add 🥚: “Hello7891!JanuaryVVIIPepsixk7pcraneHe🌖Brazil🥚”)
Paul becomes your responsibility. Rule 20 sets your password on fire with 🔥 emojis, and you must delete them before they burn Paul (imagine “Hello🔥7891!Jan🔥uaryVVIIPepsixk7pcraneHe🌖Brazil🥚”—click fast to save him!).
By Rule 23, Paul hatches into 🐔, and you must feed him three 🐛 caterpillars every minute, or he starves. Neglect him, overfeed him, or let him burn, and it’s game over—a Dark Souls-style death screen taunts your failure.
The Endgame: Formatting Madness
The final rules test your patience with formatting:
- Rule 27: 30% of your password must be in Wingdings font (e.g., convert “Pepsi” to 🏱︎♏︎🏳︎⬧︎♓︎).
- Rule 30: Each digit’s font size must equal its square (e.g., 7 at 49pt, 8 at 64pt).
- Rule 33: The password length must be prime (e.g., 43 characters).
- Rule 35: Include the current time (e.g., “10:26PM” on March 4, 2025).
After all 35 rules, you confirm your “final password,” it vanishes, and you have two minutes to retype it exactly. Mess up? Back to square one.
Answers and Strategies: How to Survive
Beating The Password Game requires strategy, not just luck. Here are some expert tips and answers to the trickiest rules:
Tackling the Tough Ones
- Rule 9 (Roman Numerals Multiply to 35): Use V (5) and VII (7) or XXXV (35) and I (1). Example: “VVII” or “XXXVI.”
- Rule 13 (Moon Phase): Check a site like Moon Giant for today’s phase (e.g., 🌖 for waning gibbous on March 4, 2025—hypothetical). Copy the emoji.
- Rule 14 (Country): Zoom in on the Street View image for clues—street signs, license plates, or landscapes. If stumped, screenshot it and reverse-image search on Google.
- Rule 16 (Chess Move): The game shows a chessboard; you need the best move in algebraic notation (e.g., “Nf3”). Use NextChessMove.com: recreate the board, hit “Calculate Next Move,” and copy the result.
- Rule 18 (Atomic Numbers to 200): Pick elements whose atomic numbers sum to 200 (e.g., “H” = 1, “He” = 2, “Li” = 3, “Be” = 4, “Ne” = 10 × 19 = 190, then “Ne” = 10 for 200 total).
Managing Paul
- Place 🥚 at the start or end of your password to spot 🔥 easily.
- After hatching (🐔), add 🐛🐛🐛 every 50 seconds—time it with a stopwatch. Too many (over 8) or too few, and Paul dies.
Final Stretch
- Rule 35 (Current Time): Add it last (e.g., “10:26PM” at submission time).
- Retyping: Write your password down or screenshot it before confirming. No copy-paste allowed!
How to Win: The Ultimate Challenge
Winning The Password Game isn’t just about surviving the rules—it’s about keeping your sanity. After satisfying all 35, you’ll see: “Is this your final password?” Click yes, and the text box clears.
You’ve got 120 seconds to retype every character, emoji, and formatting tweak perfectly. Succeed, and you’re greeted with a simple “Congratulations!” Fail, and it’s a reset to Rule 1.
Agarwal himself wasn’t sure victory was possible before release—he failed multiple times testing it. Yet players have triumphed, with speedrunners even hitting sub-50-second runs using pre-planned passwords and practice.
For most, though, it’s a hours-long ordeal. PCGamesN called Rule 16 (chess) the “most challenging,” while Polygon dubbed the game a “comedy set in a user interface.” The absurdity is the point—it’s a parody of password hell taken to extremes.
Why It Matters
Beyond the laughs, The Password Game taps into a universal experience: the struggle for security in a digital age. Passwords are our first line of defense, yet crafting them often feels like a chore.
Agarwal’s creation exaggerates this to highlight its ridiculousness—why should a password need a moon emoji or a chess move? It’s a clever critique wrapped in a puzzle, and its 10 million+ visits show how deeply it resonates.
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Conclusion: Ready to Play?
The Password Game is more than a time-killer—it’s a test of wit, patience, and adaptability. Whether you’re a puzzle enthusiast or just curious, it’s worth a shot. Start simple, plan ahead, and don’t let Paul down.
You might rage-quit at Rule 16 or triumph at Rule 35, but either way, you’ll walk away with a story. So, grab a coffee, open a tab, and type “Hello7891!”—just don’t say I didn’t warn you when the fire starts. Will you beat it? The clock’s ticking.