Payphone Go
The most recommended of 3 location games
Fun, creative real-world game that gets people exploring their local area. Some payphone locations on the map are off, and the time limit feels odd.
Fun, creative real-world game that gets people exploring their local area. Some payphone locations on the map are off, and the time limit feels odd.
24 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 23
- criticize it
- 1
- approval share
- 96%
Recommended in 1 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 23 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 23 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 1 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Creative, fun real-world concept
“more in the spirit of what art is supposed to be than what you see in 99% of galleries these days”
Comment from 6 Mar 2026 in “Payphone Go” “it's so creative. The audio recordings were a great idea”
Comment from 6 Mar 2026 in “Payphone Go” “Incredible idea. I love this so much.”
Comment from 6 Mar 2026 in “Payphone Go” - Comment from 6 Mar 2026 in “Payphone Go”
- Comment from 6 Mar 2026 in “Payphone Go”
Explores local geography and places
“Real world exploration games like this and Jet Lagged: The Game Hide and Seek are just so cool.”
Comment from 6 Mar 2026 in “Payphone Go” “it's already let me understand more of the local geography”
Comment from 6 Mar 2026 in “Payphone Go” Wish it existed where they live
“This is brilliant and makes me wish even more that I still lived in California”
Comment from 6 Mar 2026 in “Payphone Go” “I'd love to have this for PA or NJ.”
Comment from 6 Mar 2026 in “Payphone Go”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Map locations are inaccurate
“on the map it's about 1000 feet from there. Searching the address on google maps correctly shows it at the station”
Comment from 6 Mar 2026 in “Payphone Go” Time limit feels odd
“It's a really great example to aspire to, in terms of the level of polish. I do find the time limiting odd”
Comment from 6 Mar 2026 in “Payphone Go”
Other location games people recommend
The two most recommended other location games, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Payphone GoThis page | 23 | 1 | 96% | 1 | — | — |
| Pokémon Go | 8 | 27 | 23% | 4 | — | — |
| Payphone Tag | 6 | 0 | 100% | 3 | — | — |
What people said
18 of the 25 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“It's a really great example to aspire to, in terms of the level of polish. I do find the time limiting odd”
“super weird and creepy like its from some ARG game”
“My new favorite fishing story.”
“more in the spirit of what art is supposed to be than what you see in 99% of galleries these days”
“enjoyed playing with this.”
“it's already let me understand more of the local geography”
“This is brilliant and makes me wish even more that I still lived in California”
“Real world exploration games like this and Jet Lagged: The Game Hide and Seek are just so cool.”
“What a cool idea. Love it!”
“by playing this you’re also supporting the continued existence of the phones”
“I'd love to have this for PA or NJ.”
“As a GIS programmer and a payphone nerd.”
“Honorable mention: https://walzr.com/payphone-go/?phone=1599”
“Would benefit from seasons i.e. wipe the leaderboard every once in a while”
“This is such a fun and creative idea.”
“on the map it's about 1000 feet from there. Searching the address on google maps correctly shows it at the station”
“it's so creative. The audio recordings were a great idea”
“Incredible idea. I love this so much.”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.