Artifact Tracer

About the Game

Trace an Artifact Through Time and Place

Can you tell where an artifact came from, and when it was made, using only what you can see? Study its form, motifs, materials, and craftsmanship, then place your guess on the map and timeline. Artifact Tracer is not about memorizing trivia. Every answer is a deduction built from the clues in front of you.

1,000+ Artifacts Across Chinese History

From prehistoric jade and ancient bronzes to ceramics, paintings, lacquerware, metalwork, and everyday objects, more than 1,000 artifacts form a playable journey through Chinese history. Every run brings a different mix of objects, periods, and clues to uncover.

4 Game Modes 

Trace Mode: Study an artifact and determine both its place and time.

Speed Challenge: You have just 10 seconds to identify the right era. Three jade lives are all you get.

Reverse Trace: Start with a time and place, then identify the correct artifact from four candidates.

Reveal Challenge: The artifact begins hidden in darkness. Use up to three reveals to uncover just enough detail to make your call.

Curated Challenges

China Through the Ages: Travel across the full sweep of Chinese history, with artifacts spanning different periods and categories.

Kilns Through the Ages: Follow centuries of ceramic tradition through changing forms, glazes, and techniques.

Objects of Power: Explore artifacts shaped by courts, ritual, authority, and the visual language of power.

The World Beyond: Enter the world of tombs and burial culture, and discover what objects reveal about changing ideas of death and the afterlife.

Build Your Archive

Every artifact you encounter adds to your growing Archive. Some also unlock Story Cards that reveal the people, beliefs, conflicts, trade, and traditions behind the objects. What begins as a guess gradually becomes a collection of stories pieced together from the past.

Daily Challenge

Take on a fresh combination of collections and game modes every day. Post your score to the leaderboard, compete with other players, and see how far your knowledge and instincts can take you.