Chain is a free daily word game. Everyone gets the same set of chains each day — play, compare, come back tomorrow.
Chain started as a small experiment: could a daily word game feel fresh every day without accounts, logins, or a server keeping score? The mechanic — chaining words head-to-tail until every letter is used — turned out to be quick to learn but surprisingly deep to optimize, which made for a satisfying once-a-day ritual. It’s built and maintained by one person and kept deliberately simple: open the page, play the day’s chains, come back tomorrow.
One puzzle a day, shared by everyone. Each day’s chains are generated from the calendar date, so every player’s board is identical without anyone’s browser talking to a server. New chains arrive every day at midnight (Eastern).
There’s nothing to sign up for. Your stats, streak, collection, and in-progress chain live entirely in your own browser. Nothing you do is sent to us or stored on a server. See the privacy policy for the details.
New here? The how to play page walks through the rules in a minute, and tips & strategy helps with the longer chains.
Yes — completely free to play. Ads help cover the cost of hosting so the game can stay free for everyone.
No. There’s no sign-up and no login. Your progress is saved in your browser automatically.
A fresh set of chains arrives every day at midnight Eastern time.
Yes. Each day’s chains are generated from the calendar date, so every player sees the identical board — which is what makes it fun to compare with friends.
Every chain is solvable, and there’s no timer or failing. Reset and re-route as often as you like — a few tips can help when you’re stuck.
Yes. Chain runs in any modern mobile or desktop browser, with nothing to install.
No — progress lives in each browser’s local storage, so it doesn’t carry between devices or survive clearing your browser data for the site.
Feedback, bugs, or word suggestions are welcome at hello@playthechaingame.com.