Over the weekend, the top 24 “GeoGuessr” players from all over the world gathered in Stockholm, Sweden, along with thousands of fans, to compete in the first installment of the “GeoGuessr World Cup.” The competition lasted the course of Friday and Saturday, with the group stages and knockout rounds ultimately determining a single grand champion. The games were broadcast on streaming platforms Twitch and YouTube, receiving over 100,000 total viewers.
“GeoGuessr” is a Google Maps game in which players are dropped into a random location via Google’s “Street View” feature, and they must figure out exactly where they are using clues around them, ranging from general architecture and language to niche details such as telephone poles and plant life. Games are played in three different formats: moving, no-moving, and no moving, panning, or zooming (NMPZ). Moving games require geographical knowledge of cities, towns, and road systems, whereas no-moving or NMPZ games are more about plants, animals, soil, architecture, and weather patterns. With one 10-round game in each mode for the tournament, the winner of the best-of-three series would win the matchup.
The “GeoGuessr World Cup” featured a multitude of incredible guesses, including a shocking opening matchup between Japanese player “Shiina” and Spanish geographer “Topotic.” Topotic dominated every game, but Shiina was able to make very good guesses in India to win the moving game and Texas to win the no-moving game, taking the best-of-three series by a score of 2-0.
The semifinals were even more entertaining, seeing Dutch powerhouse “Consus” and Canadian star “Fungus” fight during an intense contest. The matchup came down to the NMPZ game, with the two players tied 1-1 in the series. In round 10, Fungus correctly identified a northern Siberian road – only for Consus to find the exact spot on the road and win the game.
The final matchup starred Consus and Frenchman “Blinky,” who is widely regarded as the best moving player in the world. Blinky had only lost one game heading into the final, but his nerves interfered with his abilities. Consus kept a cool head and won the best-of-five finale 3-1, earning the title of “GeoGuessr World Champion.”
The “GeoGuessr World Cup” was a successful sign of what’s to come for the game and its players. The tournament received tens of thousands of views, with the final matchup reaching a peak of 71,000 concurrent viewers. Overall, it was a wonderful experience for those attending in-person and an engaging production from start to finish for anyone watching at home.
