# Games now start on time, by themselves

> Every game made on CommonYard now starts at its time and runs itself to the end — no host needed. Makers can still take the controls, and hand them back.

Published: 2026-10-04
URL: https://commonyard.app/news/games-run-themselves/

A game used to wait for its host to press start. If the host was busy, everybody waited. Not any more.

## What changed

- **Every game starts at its time.** A quiz night, a word scramble, a survival room — when the clock reaches its start, it starts.
- **And runs itself to the end**, question by question and round by round.
- **Too few players?** It waits a quarter of an hour for more, then calls itself off.

## You can still run it yourself

In **What you made**, under **Games**, tap **Take control** on any of your games to run it by hand. **Hand back** puts it back on autopilot. See [Make a game](/guides/make-a-game/).

## Games made for a yard

A member's game for a yard waits for one of the yard's owners or admins to allow it, on the yard's own **GAMES** page. An admin's goes up at once. See [Your yard's games and ladder](/guides/your-yards-games/).