The Password Game Guide – All Rules and Answers

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Update: We last checked The Password Game for new rules on January 6, 2026.

The Password Game is a viral puzzle game created by Neal Agarwal, where you create a password that must follow increasingly absurd and conflicting rules. What starts as a simple “include a number” requirement quickly spirals into madness involving chess moves, YouTube videos, atomic numbers, and a virtual chicken named Paul that you must keep alive. This Password Game guide breaks down all 35 rules in The Password Game, provides solutions and strategies for each one, and explains how to actually beat this devilishly difficult browser game.

Rule 1: Your Password Must Be At Least 5 Characters

Breakdown: This is the most basic password requirement. Your password needs a minimum of 5 characters to proceed.

Solutions:

• Type any combination of 5 or more letters, numbers, or symbols
• Example: “Hello” or “12345”
• This rule stays active throughout the entire game, so never delete characters that would bring you below 5

Strategy: Start with a simple base that you can build upon. Many players start with words like “Hello” or “Password” since you’ll be adding to it constantly.

Rule 2: Your Password Must Include a Number

Breakdown: Add at least one digit (0-9) anywhere in your password.

Solutions:

• Add any single digit: “Hello1”
• Add multiple digits: “Hello123”
• Place numbers anywhere in the password

Strategy: Be mindful that numbers will affect Rule 5 later (digits must add up to 25), so consider starting with low numbers or planning ahead.

Rule 3: Your Password Must Include an Uppercase Letter

Breakdown: Include at least one capital letter anywhere in your password.

Solutions:

• Capitalize the first letter: “Hello1”
• Capitalize any letter: “hEllo1”
• Add a new uppercase letter: “Hello1A”

Strategy: This is straightforward. Most passwords already have uppercase letters, so you likely satisfy this naturally.

Rule 4: Your Password Must Include a Special Character

Breakdown: Add at least one special character (symbols like !@#$%^&*).

Solutions:

• Add common symbols: “Hello1!” or “Hello1#”
• Use brackets, slashes, or other symbols: “Hello1{}” or “Hello1/”
• Place them anywhere in the password

Strategy: Choose simple special characters that won’t conflict with later rules. Avoid characters that might be confused with letters or numbers.

Rule 5: The Digits in Your Password Must Add Up to 25

Breakdown: All the numbers in your password must add up to exactly 25. This becomes one of the most challenging rules because many later rules add numbers.

Solutions:

• Use five 5s: “55555”
• Use combinations: “199” (1+9+9=19), then add 6 somewhere
• Adjust as rules add more numbers

Common Conflicts:

• CAPTCHAs add random numbers
• Leap years add 4 digits
• Chess notation can add numbers
• YouTube URLs contain many numbers
• Current time adds numbers

Strategy: Keep track of your running total. As new rules add numbers, you’ll need to adjust other digits to maintain the sum of 25. Some players use a calculator to track the total.

Rule 6: Your Password Must Include a Month of the Year

Breakdown: Type the name of any month somewhere in your password.

Solutions:

• Use short months: “may” (3 letters)
• Use longer months: “january” or “december”
• Lowercase recommended: “may” instead of “May”

Why Lowercase Matters:

• “May” (capital M) = adds atomic number 101 (Mendelevium) in Rule 18
• “may” avoids this conflict

Strategy: Use “may” (lowercase) as it’s the shortest month and causes fewer conflicts with later rules.

Rule 7: Your Password Must Include a Roman Numeral

Breakdown: Add at least one Roman numeral (I, V, X, L, C, D, M) to your password.

Roman Numeral Values:

• I = 1
• V = 5
• X = 10
• L = 50
• C = 100
• D = 500
• M = 1000

Solutions:

• Single numeral: “V” or “X”
• Multiple numerals: “XX” or “VII”

Strategy: Choose “V” initially since it will help with Rule 9. Be aware that Roman numerals are also chemical elements (I = Iodine, V = Vanadium, etc.), which affects Rule 18.

Rule 8: Your Password Must Include One of Our Sponsors

Breakdown: Type one of these sponsor names: Pepsi, Starbucks, or Shell.

Solutions:

• Use lowercase to avoid conflicts: “pepsi”, “starbucks”, or “shell”
• “shell” is shortest (5 letters)

Why Lowercase Matters:

• “Shell” with capital S = Sulfur (atomic number 16) in Rule 18
• “shell” (lowercase) avoids this

Strategy: Use “shell” in lowercase as it’s the shortest sponsor and causes fewer atomic number conflicts.

Rule 9: The Roman Numerals in Your Password Should Multiply to 35

Breakdown: All Roman numerals in your password must multiply together to equal 35.

Solutions:

• 5 × 7 = 35: Use “VVII” or “V-VII”
• 1 × 35 = 35: Use “XXXV” (which is literally Roman numeral for 35)
• Just “XXXV” works: The game accepts 35 as the product

Important Note: This rule can break with chemical elements. For example, “VVII” becomes Vanadium (23) + Vanadium (23) + Iodine (53) + Iodine (53) = 152 atomic weight, breaking Rule 18.

Best Solution: Use “XXXV” as it’s cleaner and easier to work with for later rules.

Strategy: “XXXV” is the optimal choice. It represents 35 directly and causes fewer conflicts.

Rule 10: Your Password Must Include This CAPTCHA

Breakdown: The game generates a random CAPTCHA code that you must type into your password.

Solutions:

• Type the CAPTCHA exactly as shown
• Refresh for a different CAPTCHA if the current one breaks Rule 5

Common Issues:

• CAPTCHAs often contain numbers that affect your Rule 5 sum
• You may need to adjust other numbers to maintain the sum of 25

Strategy: If possible, refresh the CAPTCHA until you get one with numbers that are easy to work with for your Rule 5 calculations. Keep refreshing until you find favorable numbers.

Rule 11: Your Password Must Include Today’s Wordle Answer

Breakdown: Solve the daily Wordle puzzle and include that word in your password.

How to Find It:

• Play Wordle at the official New York Times website
• Use common starting words: “SLATE”, “CRATE”, “STARE”
• Green letters = correct letter, correct position
• Yellow letters = correct letter, wrong position
• Gray letters = wrong letter, don’t use again

Solutions:

• Complete the Wordle and copy the answer
• Search online for “today’s Wordle answer” if stuck

Strategy: Start with common vowels and consonants. Most people can solve Wordle in 3-6 attempts. Don’t repeat letters unless necessary.

Rule 12: Your Password Must Include a Two-Letter Symbol from the Periodic Table

Breakdown: Add a two-letter chemical element symbol (like He, Ca, Fe, etc.) to your password.

Two-Letter Element Examples:

• He (Helium)
• Li (Lithium)
• Be (Beryllium)
• Ca (Calcium)
• Fe (Iron)
• Au (Gold)

Solutions:

• Add any two-letter element symbol
• Check that it doesn’t break other rules (Roman numerals, atomic numbers)

Strategy: Choose elements that don’t contain Roman numeral letters (avoid Li, Ca, Cd, Cl, etc.) to prevent conflicts with Rule 9.

Rule 13: Your Password Must Include Moon’s Current Phase as an Emoji

Breakdown: Find the current moon phase and add the corresponding emoji to your password.

Moon Phase Emojis:

• New Moon: 🌑
• Waxing Crescent: 🌒
• First Quarter: 🌓
• Waxing Gibbous: 🌔
• Full Moon: 🌕
• Waning Gibbous: 🌖
• Last Quarter: 🌗
• Waning Crescent: 🌘

How to Find Current Phase:

• Google “current moon phase”
• Use websites like TimeAndDate.com
• Copy the correct emoji from sites like Emojipedia

Solutions:

• Find today’s moon phase
• Copy the matching emoji into your password

Strategy: Use Emojipedia or similar sites to easily copy the correct emoji. The moon phase changes daily, so make sure you check the current date.

Rule 14: Your Password Must Include the Name of This Country

Breakdown: The game shows a random Google Street View image, and you must identify which country it’s from (similar to GeoGuessr).

How to Identify Countries:

• Look for recognizable landmarks
• Check language on signs or billboards
• Look for license plates or flags
• Move along the street view to find clearer indicators

Solutions:

• Type the country name in your password
• Use lowercase to avoid atomic number conflicts: “ghana” not “Ghana”

Common Strategies:

• Look for famous landmarks you recognize
• Check signage language and translate if needed
• Move around Street View for better clues
• Search “famous fountains” or similar if you see distinct landmarks

Strategy: Take time to explore the Street View. Move along the road until you find clear language indicators or recognizable features.

Rule 15: Your Password Must Include a Leap Year

Breakdown: Add a leap year (years divisible by 4, like 2020, 2024, etc.) to your password.

Leap Year Examples:

• 2024, 2020, 2016, 2012
• 2000, 1996, 1992, 1988
• Historical: 1888, 1776, 1600

Solutions:

• Add any leap year: “2024”
• Use historical leap years: “1888”
• Some players report “0” works

Important: The 4 digits will affect your Rule 5 sum, so choose a leap year that helps balance your numbers.

Strategy: Choose leap years with digits that sum favorably. For example, “1888” adds 1+8+8+8 = 25 to your sum, which can be helpful for Rule 5.

Rule 16: Your Password Must Include the Best Move in Algebraic Chess Notation

Breakdown: The game generates a random chess position. You must find the best move and write it in algebraic chess notation.

Algebraic Chess Notation Basics:

• K = King
• Q = Queen
• R = Rook
• B = Bishop
• N = Knight
• (Pawns have no letter)

Notation Format:

• Piece + destination square: “Rf7”
• Capture: “Bxc6” (Bishop takes piece on c6)
• Check: Add “+” at the end: “Rf7+”
• Checkmate: Add “#”: “Qh7#”

Solutions:

• Analyze the chess position
• Find the move that puts the king in check (the game seems to prioritize check moves as “best”)
• Write in proper notation with the “+” for check

Strategy: Look for moves that give check first. The game defines “best move” as moves that put the king in check, not necessarily the objectively best strategic move. Use Chess.com’s notation guide if unfamiliar.

Rule 17: 🥚 ← This is My Chicken Paul. He Hasn’t Hatched Yet, Please Put Him in Your Password and Keep Him Safe

Breakdown: Add the egg emoji 🥚 to your password. This egg is named Paul and is critical to survival.

Solutions:

• Copy the egg emoji: 🥚
• Place it at the START of your password (very important for Rule 20)

Critical Warning: If Paul (the egg/chicken emoji) is deleted at ANY point, the game ends with a Dark Souls-style death screen and you must restart from Rule 1.

Strategy: Put Paul at the very beginning of your password. When Rule 20 makes your password catch fire, you need to quickly delete burning characters without deleting Paul. Having him at the start makes this much easier.

Rule 18: The Elements in Your Password Must Have Atomic Numbers That Add Up to 200

Breakdown: The game identifies chemical elements in your password by their symbols and requires their atomic numbers to sum to exactly 200.

The Game Highlights Elements:

• It automatically detects two-letter element symbols
• Examples: Rf (Rutherfordium, 104), Ca (Calcium, 20), Fe (Iron, 26)

Solutions:

• Use Periodic Table resources to find elements that sum to 200
• Adjust existing elements in your password
• Add new elements to reach the target

Common Conflicts:

• Roman numerals are often elements (I = Iodine 53, V = Vanadium 23)
• Chess notation can contain elements (Rf = Rutherfordium 104)
• Month names can contain elements (May = Ma + Y)

Example Solution:

• If you have V (23), I (53), Rf (104) = 180 total
• Add Ca (20) to reach 200

Strategy: Use a Periodic Table sorted by atomic number. Calculate what you currently have, then find elements that fill the gap to reach exactly 200. Avoid elements with Roman numeral symbols (C, D, I, L, M, V, X) if possible.

Rule 19: All the Vowels in Your Password Must Be Bolded

Breakdown: Make every vowel (A, E, I, O, U) in your password bold using text formatting.

Solutions:

• Select each vowel individually and apply bold formatting
• Or select the entire password and apply bold, then unbold consonants

Important Warning: Complete this rule quickly because…

Strategy: Work efficiently but carefully. Copy your entire password to a safe place BEFORE completing this rule, because Rule 20 happens immediately after.

Rule 20: Oh No! Your Password is on Fire. Quick, Put It Out!

Breakdown: Immediately after bolding vowels, flame emojis 🔥 appear and spread through your password, replacing characters with fires.

Solutions:

• IMMEDIATELY start deleting flame emojis
• Delete flames as fast as possible before they spread
• DO NOT delete Paul (the egg/chicken emoji)
• Once fires are out, paste your saved password back in

Critical Steps:

1. Before Rule 19: Copy your entire password somewhere safe
2. Complete Rule 19 (bold vowels)
3. Fires appear
4. Delete ONLY the flame emojis, protect Paul at all costs
5. Paste your saved password back
6. Repair any damage

Strategy: This is why Paul should be at the START of your password. Keep your cursor near Paul and delete fires spreading toward him first. Work quickly but don’t panic-delete Paul.

Rule 21: Your Password is Not Strong Enough 🏋️‍♂️

Breakdown: Add strength meter emojis (🏋️‍♂️) to fill a security bar shown by the game.

Solutions:

• Copy the strongman emoji: 🏋️‍♂️
• Paste it multiple times until the security bar fills
• Usually requires 3-5 strongman emojis

Strategy: Simple enough. Just keep pasting the emoji until the bar is full.

Rule 22: Your Password Must Contain One of the Following Affirmations

Breakdown: Add one of these phrases to your password:

• “I am loved”
• “I am worthy”
• “I am enough”

Solutions:

• Use lowercase: “i am loved” (recommended)
• Spaces are allowed
• Choose the shortest phrase for efficiency

Strategy: Use “i am loved” in lowercase to avoid adding extra uppercase letters that might complicate things.

Rule 23: Paul Has Hatched! Please Don’t Forget to Feed Him, He Eats Three 🐛 Every Minute

Breakdown: The egg emoji 🥚 becomes a chicken emoji 🐔. You must feed Paul by adding caterpillar emojis 🐛. He consumes three caterpillars per minute.

Feeding Rules:

• Paul eats 3 caterpillars every 60 seconds
• If he runs out of food, he starves and you lose (game over)
• If you add more than 8 caterpillars at once, he overeats and you lose (game over)

Solutions:

• Add 3-6 caterpillar emojis regularly
• Set a timer or reminder for every 20-30 seconds
• Never exceed 8 total caterpillars at once

Critical: For the rest of the game, you MUST keep feeding Paul while solving other rules. Many players fail because they focus on later rules and forget Paul.

Strategy: Have someone else be on “Paul duty” to remind you to feed him. Set phone timers. Keep the caterpillar emoji copied and ready to paste quickly.

Rule 24: Your Password Must Include the URL of a [X] Minute [Y] Second Long YouTube Video

Breakdown: The game randomly generates a specific video length (e.g., “5 minutes 31 seconds”). You must find a YouTube video exactly that length and include its URL.

How to Find Videos:

• Search YouTube for “[number] minute [number] second video”
• Browse results until you find one with the EXACT duration
• Or upload your own video of the exact length

Solutions:

• Search for the exact duration on YouTube
• Filter through results manually
• Avoid URLs with atomic element symbols if possible

Major Conflicts:

• YouTube URLs contain many numbers (affects Rule 5)
• May contain Roman numerals (affects Rule 9)
• May contain element symbols (affects Rule 18)

Strategy: This is one of the hardest rules. You may need to try dozens of videos. Look for URLs with favorable number combinations. Some players upload custom videos of exact lengths to control the URL.

Rule 25: A Sacrifice Must Be Made. Pick Two Letters That You Will No Longer Be Able to Use

Breakdown: Choose two letters of the alphabet that will be permanently banned from your password. You cannot use them anymore.

Solutions:

• Choose uncommon letters: J, Z, Q, X
• Make sure the letters aren’t already in your password
• Consider future rules before choosing

Strategy: Pick J and Z as they’re rarely used in English and unlikely to appear in future rule requirements.

Rule 26: Your Password Must Contain Twice as Many Italic Characters as Bold

Breakdown: The number of italicized characters must be exactly double the number of bolded characters.

Solutions:

• Count your bolded characters (from Rule 19, all vowels are bold)
• Italicize double that number of characters
• Can overlap: same character can be both bold AND italic

Easy Method:

• Italicize all the vowels that are already bolded
• Italicize additional characters until you have double the bold count

Strategy: Italicize all bolded vowels plus one additional character. This usually satisfies the 2:1 ratio.

Rule 27: At Least 30% of Your Password Must Be in the Wingdings Font

Breakdown: Convert 30% of your password characters to the Wingdings font (a font of random symbols).

Solutions:

• Calculate 30% of your password length
• Select that many characters
• Change their font to Wingdings

Easy Method:

• Add a long string of a’s (equal to 30% of your password)
• Change those to Wingdings
• The password will show symbols instead of letters

Strategy: Add Wingdings characters rather than converting existing ones. This preserves readability of important parts of your password.

Rule 28: Your Password Must Include This Color in Hex

Breakdown: The game shows a color swatch. You must include that color’s hexadecimal code (e.g., #FF00FF).

Hex Color Format:

• Always starts with #
• Followed by 6 characters (0-9 and A-F)
• Example: #FF00FF (magenta)

How to Find Hex Codes:

• Use browser eyedropper tools (Firefox has built-in)
• Use online color pickers (W3Schools, ColorPicker.com)
• Take screenshot and use paint programs to find RGB/hex

Critical Issue:

• Hex codes contain numbers that affect Rule 5
• Finding hex codes with NO numbers (only letters A-F) is ideal
• Pure white (#FFFFFF) is all letters, no numbers

Solutions:

• Use eyedropper tool to identify the exact color
• Hope for a color with minimal or no numbers
• #FFFFFF (white) is the best possible result

Strategy: If the color isn’t white, you may need to find a shade so close to white that it’s nearly identical but has a hex code like #FFFFFЕ. Use color pickers to test colors close to the shown swatch.

Rule 29: All Roman Numerals Must Be in Times New Roman

Breakdown: Change the font of every Roman numeral (I, V, X, L, C, D, M) in your password to Times New Roman font.

Solutions:

• Select each Roman numeral
• Change font to Times New Roman
• Leave other characters in their current fonts

Strategy: Tedious but straightforward. Select and change fonts for each Roman numeral individually.

Rule 30: The Font Size of Every Digit Must Be Equal to Its Square

Breakdown: Every number in your password must have its font size changed to that number squared.

Font Size Conversions:

• 0 → 0² = 0 pixels (becomes invisible)
• 1 → 1² = 1 pixel (tiny)
• 2 → 2² = 4 pixels
• 3 → 3² = 9 pixels
• 4 → 4² = 16 pixels
• 5 → 5² = 25 pixels
• 9 → 9² = 81 pixels

Solutions:

• Select each digit individually
• Change its font size to its square
• Some numbers become extremely small
• 0 becomes invisible (0 pixels)

Strategy: Work through each digit systematically. The password will look chaotic with wildly different sized numbers.

Rule 31: Every Instance of the Same Letter Must Have a Different Font Size

Breakdown: If a letter appears multiple times in your password, each occurrence must have a unique font size.

Example:

• If “a” appears 5 times, one might be 10px, another 12px, another 14px, another 16px, another 18px
• All 5 must be different sizes

Solutions:

• Identify repeated letters
• Assign each occurrence a different font size
• Track which sizes you’ve used for each letter

Strategy: Create a system for font sizes. For example, first “a” = 10px, second “a” = 12px, third “a” = 14px. Remember Rule 27 made 30% Wingdings, so those characters need different sizes too.

Rule 32: Your Password Must Include the Length of Your Password

Breakdown: Count the total number of characters in your password and add that number to the password itself.

Solutions:

• Count all characters (including emojis, spaces, symbols)
• Add that number to your password
• The number you add increases the length, so recalculate

Complications:

• Adding the number changes the password length
• You may need to adjust to match the new length
• This affects Rule 5 (digits must sum to 25)
• This affects Rule 33 (length must be prime)

Strategy: Plan ahead for Rule 33. You’ll need a prime number length, so add a prime number (like 101, 103, 107) and adjust your password to be exactly that length.

Rule 33: The Length of Your Password Must Be a Prime Number

Breakdown: The total number of characters in your password must be a prime number (only divisible by 1 and itself).

Prime Number Examples:

• 101, 103, 107, 109, 113, 127, 131, 137, 139, 149

Solutions:

• Choose a target prime number (101, 103, or 107 work well)
• Add or remove characters to reach that exact length
• Include that prime number in your password (Rule 32)

Combined with Rule 32:

• If your password is 103 characters long
• You must include “103” in the password
• The “103” counts toward the 103 total characters

Strategy: Aim for 103 characters total. This is a manageable prime number that most players can work with.

Rule 34: Uh Let’s Skip This One

Breakdown: There is no Rule 34. The game intentionally skips this number.

Why: The developer chose to skip this rule number, likely as a joke reference to internet culture (Rule 34 of the internet).

Solutions:

• Nothing to do here
• Continue to Rule 35

Strategy: Enjoy the brief moment of relief before the final rule.

Rule 35 (FINAL RULE): Your Password Must Include the Current Time

Breakdown: Add the current time from your computer’s clock to your password.

Time Format:

• Usually HH:MM (hour:minute)
• Example: “02:47” or “14:23”

Major Problems:

• Adds numbers that break Rule 5 (sum must equal 25)
• Changes password length, breaking Rule 33 (must be prime)
• You’re racing against time as it changes every minute

Solutions:

• Best Solution: Use 00:00 (midnight)
  • Adds minimal numbers (just zeros)
  • Easiest to balance with Rule 5
• Alternative: Change your computer’s clock to 00:00
  • Right-click clock → Adjust date/time → Turn off automatic → Set to 00:00
• Alternative: Wait until midnight and quickly add the time

Strategy for Beating the Game:

1. Before Rule 35, prepare your password to be exactly 103 characters (including room for time)
2. Plan your numbers so adding “00:00” keeps Rule 5 sum at 25
3. At midnight (00:00), quickly add the time
4. Immediately click through to complete the game

The Password Game’s Ending Explained – Rule 36

After completing Rule 35, a new box appears asking, “Is this your final password?” When you click “Yes,” the game presents one final challenge.

Rule 36: Please Retype Your Password

A second text box appears below your completed password. You must retype the ENTIRE password exactly as it appears, including:

• All text and numbers
• All emojis (Paul the chicken, caterpillars, moon phases, etc.)
• All formatting (bold, italic, font sizes, font types)
• All special characters and symbols

How to Complete:

• Copy your entire password
• Paste it into the second box
• Ensure all formatting is preserved

Victory Screen: Once you successfully retype your password, the game displays a completion message. You’ve officially beaten The Password Game – something even the creator Neal Agarwal struggled to do initially

Frequently Asked Questions

How many rules are in The Password Game?

There are 35 main rules plus a final 36th rule that requires you to retype your completed password. The game deliberately skips Rule 34, jumping from Rule 33 to Rule 35.

How long does it take to complete The Password Game?

Most players who successfully complete the game take 2-4 hours. Many players never finish, giving up at difficult rules like Rule 16 (chess notation) or Rule 24 (YouTube video length).

Who created The Password Game?

The Password Game was created by Neal Agarwal, an independent game developer who posts his games on neal.fun. He released the game on June 27, 2023. Agarwal created the game as a parody of increasingly absurd password requirements after encountering a service that told him his password was “too long” and therefore “too secure.”

Does The Password Game get updates? When was the last update?

The game was released on June 27, 2023, and has received minor updates since launch. The core 35 rules have remained the same, though the developer has fixed bugs and technical issues. As of now, the game remains in its original form with the same rule structure.

Can you use The Password Game answer for a real password?

No, absolutely not. While the completed password is technically very complex, it’s completely impractical and insecure.

Why is The Password Game so popular?

The Password Game went viral and has been played over 10 million times for several reasons:

• Relatable Frustration: Everyone has experienced annoying password requirements online.
• Escalating Absurdity: The genius of the game is its pacing. It starts with reasonable rules (5 characters, including a number) that lull you into thinking it’s manageable. The slow escalation into madness (chess moves, YouTube videos, feeding a virtual chicken) keeps players engaged through the “what’s next?” factor.
• Shared Experience: The game creates memorable moments that players love discussing online.
• Challenge and Achievement: Very few players actually beat the game, making completion a genuine achievement.
• Accessibility: Being free, browser-based, and requiring no download or account makes it easy for anyone to try.

The combination of satire, challenge, shareability, and cultural relevance transformed The Password Game from a simple browser game into a viral phenomenon that highlighted both the absurdity of modern password policies and the determination of gamers to overcome any challenge.