· Absurd Bureaucracy · Security habits
Two-Factor Waiting Room: a free game about login codes
Login codes pile up on three devices. Enter the newest right one, and keep the ones you didn't ask for to yourself.
What is Two-Factor Waiting Room?
Login codes pile up on your phone, your email and an authenticator app, for made-up apps you use and some you didn't touch today. When you're signing in, tap the newest code from that service before it expires. When you aren't, and someone asks for “the code we just sent”, keep it to yourself.
Two-Factor Waiting Room is a free game about the little codes that arrive when you sign in: by text, by email or in an authenticator app. In the waiting room they pile up from several made-up apps, some fresh, some old, some expired.
When you're signing in, tap the newest code from that service and enter it. When you aren't signing in to anything and a caller, a message or a strange page asks for “the code we just sent”, tap “I didn't start this”. On Expert the codes really count down, so ask for a new one when yours expires.
At a glance
- Category
- Absurd Bureaucracy
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Play time
- 5 min
- Price
- Free, in your browser, sign-up optional
How to play
- Enter
- +100 per right call and +10 per request.
- Expire
- Asking for a new code cancels the older ones. On Expert the codes really count down.
- Three levels
- Beginner, Intermediate or Expert, picked before you play: the content and the clock change, and each level keeps its own best score.
- Satire
- Absurd and warm: every country, office, planet and form is made up, and every run ends on a real admin skill.
Scoring
+100 per right call (the right code entered, or a code kept to yourself) and +10 per request.
Win by getting at least 70% of the requests right.
What it trains
- Security habits
- Only codes for sign-ins you started, never read out to anyone.
- Reading details
- Service, time sent and expiry, under a little time pressure.
Strategy and tips
- Service first
- Read which app you're signing in to, then look only at that app's codes.
- Newest wins
- Asking for a new code cancels the older ones. Look at “sent … ago” and take the most recent.
- Nobody needs your code
- Not support, not a caller, not a friend's account. If you didn't start the sign-in, the code stays with you.
Why play Two-Factor Waiting Room?
Two-step login stops most account takeovers, as long as the code stays with you. A code you didn't ask for means someone knows your password: change it.
Frequently asked questions
Is Two-Factor Waiting Room free?
Yes. It is free and runs in your browser, with no download. Signing up is optional.
Are these real apps or real codes?
No. Every app, website, newsletter and domain in the game is made up (the addresses end in .example, which is reserved for examples). The online habits it teaches are real.
Should I turn on two-step login?
It is a good habit on accounts that offer it, especially email. The game shows how to use it safely; each app's own help pages explain how to switch it on.
Are there difficulty levels?
Yes: Beginner, Intermediate and Expert. The content and the clock change, and each level keeps its own best score.