How to Play STARKO

STARKO is a trivia game that runs in your browser. Nothing to download, no subscriptions, and you can start with 3 free questions without an account. This guide explains every mechanic — questions, clues, maps, discoveries, ranks and power-ups — so you walk into your first game with an edge.

1. 1

   1. Pick a theme

   When you land on /play, you see four free themes: Sports, Music, Cinema & TV, and VIPs & Public Figures. There are five additional premium themes (Science & Tech, History & Politics, Art & Literature, Nature & Exploration, Curiosities & Records) that unlock by rank or one-time purchase. Each theme shows the sub-themes it covers — pick one you know well to start building momentum.

2. 2

   2. Answer questions

   Each question has four options and 20 seconds on the clock. Questions are mixed by difficulty: 40% easy, 35% medium, 25% hard. Right answer: you earn stars (more for hard) and clues. Wrong or timed out: you lose 1 of 5 lives. When you run out of lives, you wait for them to recharge (one every 12 minutes) or watch a short video to recover one.

3. 3

   3. Accumulate clues

   Every right answer gives you a variable amount of clues (1–5 depending on difficulty). Clues don't trade directly — they accumulate until you hit 100. Every 100 clues, the game automatically converts them into 1 Ancient Map. Think of clues as your progress bar between discoveries: you see a bar fill up and you know exactly how close the next reward is.

4. 4

   4. Ancient Maps unlock countries

   Ancient Maps are the discovery currency. Every country in STARKO costs a fixed number of maps: 5 for the most common (Portugal, Brazil, USA), up to 50 for the rarest (Vanuatu, Bhutan). When you have enough maps, the system unlocks the next country automatically — you don't have to choose. Countries unlock in fixed difficulty order, from the most recognisable to the most obscure.

5. 5

   5. Discover countries and complete continents

   Every country you discover appears in your Discovery Journal with a gold flag, discovery date, and stats. The 80 countries are spread across 6 continents: Europe (20), Africa (18), Asia (16), North & Central America (14), South America (8) and Oceania (4). When you complete every country in a continent, it earns Conquered status and you get a star bonus.

6. 6

   6. Rank up

   Beyond discovering countries, you accumulate stars that determine your explorer rank: Novice (0–500), Apprentice (500–2,000), Expert (2,000–5,000), Specialist (5,000–10,000), Master (10,000–25,000) and Legend (25,000+). Every rank-up unlocks features — premium themes, new power-ups, and badges that appear on your share cards. Rank is your fast way of showing how much you know.

7. 7

   7. Use power-ups when you need them

   If you're stuck on a hard question, you can use 50/50 (eliminates 2 wrong answers) or Extra Time (+10 seconds on the clock). Each power-up has charges that you buy in the Shop or earn from the Welcome Pack. Power-ups are optional — many players reach Legend without ever using them.

8. 8

   8. Daily bonus and Welcome Pack

   Every day, STARKO gives you a bonus that grows with your visit streak (1–7 days): stars, lives, or extra-time charges. Missing a day resets the streak. For new players, there's a one-time Welcome Pack in the first 48 hours: 500 stars, 5 lives, 5 50/50 charges and 3 premium days for €2.99 (down from €6.99).

9. 9

   9. Play trial mode without an account

   You don't have to create an account to try. The first 3 questions are completely free and count as a trial. If you like it, we create the account with a magic link by email — no password. Any stars and clues you earn in trial mode transfer to your account automatically.