Timer Stop

A simple daily timing game on Reddit. Each day there's a target time (like 5.4 seconds). You press Start, count it out in your head, and press Stop. There's no timer on screen. Whoever gets closest to the target tops that day's leaderboard.

That's the whole game. It's meant to be quick — one try, a few seconds, done.

Inspiration

We wanted something you could play in five seconds without reading any instructions. The idea is dead simple: can you guess when a few seconds have passed? Turns out it's a fun thing to compete on, and a new number every day gives people a reason to come back.

What it does

• Shows a target time each day (between 2 and 10 seconds).
• You press Start, count in your head, and press Stop. No timer is shown.
• It records how close you were and puts you on the leaderboard.
• You get one attempt per day, so it stays fair.
• It tracks a simple daily streak and your best result.

How we built it

• Built on Devvit Web, so it runs as an interactive Reddit post.
• React for the screen, a small Hono server for the API.
• Redis stores the daily target, the leaderboard, and each player's streak.
• A daily scheduled job creates the new post automatically.
• The timing is measured with the browser clock when you press Start and Stop.

Challenges we ran into

• Keeping it honest: we limit it to one attempt so people can't just retry until they get it perfect.
• We had a pulsing animation on the button that accidentally ticked once per second — that gave away the timing, so we removed it.
• Getting the daily streak logic right (count once per day, reset if you miss a day).
• Setting up and registering the app on Reddit for the first time.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

• It's genuinely simple and anyone can play it instantly.
• A clean, soft light design that fits on the screen and works on mobile.
• The daily target + leaderboard + streak gives a real reason to come back.

What we learned

• A simple idea can be more fun than a complicated one.
• Hiding the timer is what makes the game work.
• Devvit Web made it easy to go from a web app to a real Reddit post.

What's next for Timer Stop

• Post results as comments so people can compare and chat.
• An all-time leaderboard, not just daily.
• A public launch so anyone on Reddit can play.

Built With

• devvit