Needle JamCover Up
The album sleeve is uncovered a quarter at a time. Name the artist as early as you dare — the longer you wait, the less it pays.
Testing with friends · coming to iPhone
One song.
One challenge.
The whole table.
Needle Jam is a music party game. The song starts, a challenge drops — name the artist before the sleeve is uncovered, recall the order of a mix, spot the movie — and everyone shouts their answer.
One iPhone for the whole table · 2 to 6 players · in English and French
The challenges
Eight ways to derail a turn
Nobody knows when a challenge drops, or which one. It never takes anyone's turn away: the song still plays, the card still gets placed. It only changes how you get there.
Music Mix
Several clips play back to back, a few seconds each. Recall the order they played in — and only then find out which one you're placing.
Music Quiz
A multiple-choice question while the song plays. Two hundred questions across eleven categories: decades, genres, lyrics…
Movie Song
The song plays, four films appear. Only one put it on its soundtrack.
Name That Tune
Before your turn, a mystery song. Pick its title from the choices.
Speed Round
Half the time to place the card. No time to argue.
Older or Newer
Two songs, one question: which came first? The challenge that gives a chance to people who "don't know anything about music".
Odd One Out
Four songs: three from the same decade, one that isn't. Find it.
A challenge drops about one turn in three — often enough that you expect it, never often enough to see it coming.
The whole table plays
It's never just one person's turn
Whoever holds the phone isn't alone. Everyone else has ways to get involved — and ways to regret it.
Call a letter
Answers get shouted across the room
Every choice gets a letter. The whole table can call it out to whoever holds the phone — to help, or to throw them off.
Steal or doubt
A miss is an opening
A wrongly placed card goes on offer to the next player, who bets on stealing it. Or play Doubt: anyone can challenge a placement before the reveal — at their own risk.
Tokens
Win a challenge, keep an edge
Win the challenge and place the card: one token. Hold two at most, and spend one to learn a song's decade.
A turn
Listen, place, reveal
Every player builds their own timeline. Older or newer than the songs you already have? First to ten cards wins — and the lap is finished, so everyone gets the same number of turns.
The song arrives
The phone draws it. Nothing to print, nothing to scan.
It plays
The clock starts with the music. Sometimes a challenge crashes in.
You place it
Before, after, or between two cards on your timeline.
The year drops
Right: the card stays. Wrong: someone else may take it.
1977The 70s
1991The 90s
Here?
2004The 2000s
2019The 2010s
On the TV
Your living room becomes a game show
The question, the choices and the timelines go up big for the whole room. The phone stays in the player's hands.
- AirPlay — to an Apple TV or a compatible TV, wirelessly.
- A plain cable — no AirPlay on your TV? A USB-C to HDMI cable plugged into the iPhone does the job.
- FaceTime — friends far away? Share your screen during the call: the game plays really well remotely.
The music
Nothing to connect to get started
Four decks, each with its own songs and questions. Every song plays a 30-second Apple Music preview. No account, no subscription, nothing to install. Subscribed to Apple Music? Turn on full songs in the settings.
Main deck
Decades of hits, playable in English or French.
Classic Rock
Riffs you know from the first bar. In both languages.
Québécois
Songs, trivia and films from Québec. French only — this one wouldn't make sense translated.
Country New
From Hank Williams to today: 355 songs, with its own trivia and movie songs.
Want to play?
Needle Jam is being tested at real parties right now. Join the beta to try it before it lands on the App Store.