Planned Release Date: 2026

About This Game

Search, turned into a battle.

SearchBattle is a word party game for 1–8 players, played on a real search engine.
Everyone searches one word for the same topic, and hit counts and search results decide the winner. It isn't about how much you know — it's about which single word you bring to the topic. What gets tested is your "search power."

Please note: the game interface and all topics are in Japanese.

One round

The topic is "space" (宇宙). What would you search?
Everyone types one word and presses Search. Once pressed, there's no taking it back.
All the queries line up: "JAXA", "stargazing", "Hayabusa" — same topic, very different words.
Then the search engine gives its verdict. The results for "JAXA" mention "space" 24 times: 24 points. "Stargazing" mentions it zero times: 0 points. Nobody decides the answer, so nobody can argue with it.

Three kinds of rules

Compete on hit counts
Go for the most, the fewest, or right up to a limit. In "Hit Count Chicken Race", stay under 1,000,000 hits and get closer than anyone else. You can retry up to three times, but going over on your last try is a bust.
Compete on the words in the results
What appears in the result titles and snippets decides the round. In "Search Minefield", you get exactly one search. Results are revealed one by one: every treasure word ("free") scores, but a single mine word ("paid", "ad") drops you to zero on the spot.
Compete by adding words
Add one word and see how the count moves. In "Search Sabotage", you add a word to an opponent's query to cut their hits; whoever keeps the highest count wins.
14 rules in total. Play one rule, or take on a series of randomly chosen rounds (first to 1–10 wins). Pick a "Quick" or "Relaxed" pace.

"Search power"

A rating that starts at 100 for everyone. Win and it rises; lose and it falls.
Who has the highest among your friends? Screenshot your 142 and brag, or get laughed at for your 61.

How to gather

• Steam online: up to 8 players. Create a room and gather by friend invite or room ID.
  
• One PC: pass the keyboard and take turns searching.
  
• Solo: some rules — Word Hunt, Search Minefield, Search Snipe practice — can be played alone.
  
• Topics by vote: if a topic seems unfair, the players vote on it. Settled in 20 seconds.

Same topic, never the same match

SearchBattle uses real web searches, so hit counts and results change with time, region, and environment. Yesterday's winning word may not work today. That's part of the game.

What's included

• 14 rules: Word Hunt / Most Hits / Fewest Hits / Search Minefield / Hit Count Chicken Race / Word Relay (co-op and versus) / Word Combo / Double Word Combo / Which Has More? / Bucket Relay / Search Sabotage / Search Deck / Search Balance / Search Snipe
  
• 1–8 players. Steam online, turn-based play on one PC, and solo play
  
• Single rounds or random-rule series (first to 1–10 wins). Pace presets: Quick, Relaxed, Custom
  
• "Search power" rating (saved per Steam account) and selectable player icons
  
• Japanese-language interface and topics
  
• Keyboard and mouse. Separate music and sound-effect volume, and a reduced-effects option

Streaming and videos

Streaming and video uploads are welcome, including monetized content; no prior permission is needed.
If you can, please include "SearchBattle" in the title and link to the Steam store page in the description.

Before you play

An internet connection is required for all gameplay, including local play. Each online participant needs their own PC and Steam account.
Searches use the Microsoft Edge WebView2 Runtime (built into Windows 11; installed on first launch on Windows 10). Changes to the search service or access restrictions may prevent searching. Results display titles and descriptions from external websites. This game is not affiliated with or endorsed by any search engine provider.

AI Generated Content Disclosure

The developers describe how their game uses AI Generated Content like this:

Generative AI was used to create some visual assets: title/menu artwork, character portraits, UI illustrations, and Steam store and library artwork.