How to Make a Trivia Game with AI: Free Prompt and Template
Writing 20 good trivia questions by hand takes an evening. With an AI chatbot and the right prompt, it takes about ten minutes, and you still decide what goes in your game. Here's the whole process, with a prompt you can copy and a template that uploads straight into Trivia Anywhere.
Download the template. One spreadsheet, every question type.
An AI trivia generator you already have
You don't need a special AI quiz maker. ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Copilot all write good trivia questions when they get a clear prompt: the topic, who's playing, how hard, how it should read and exactly what format to return. The prompt on this page does all of that, so the questions come back ready to upload, and you keep full control of what's in your game.
What you need
- ✓ Any AI chatbot: ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Copilot or similar. The free versions work.
- ✓ Our question template (below), or the copy inside your game's Questions tab
- ✓ A free Trivia Anywhere account. No credit card needed.
Step 1: Download the question template
The template is a spreadsheet with one example of every question type: multiple choice, select-all, true/false, poll and type-the-answer. Its column names are exactly what Trivia Anywhere reads when you upload, so a file that follows it imports with no clean-up.
Step 2: Fill in the AI trivia prompt and copy it
Tell us your topic and who's playing, and the prompt below updates as you type. It asks the AI to answer in the template's exact columns, to write at the right reading level, and to spread the correct answers across A, B, C and D.
Write 20 trivia questions about [TOPIC, e.g. the solar system] for [WHO IS PLAYING, e.g. my 8th-grade science class]. Difficulty: a mix of easy, medium and hard. Reading level: easy for a general adult audience to read in a few seconds. Use short, plain sentences (under 15 words) and everyday words. Reply with ONLY a CSV (comma-separated text, no table, no extra words) that starts with this exact header row: Question,Type,Option A,Option B,Option C,Option D,Option E,Option F,Correct Answer,Accepted Answers (Open Ended Questions Only),Time Limit,Points,Hint (Optional),Category (Optional),Round (Optional),Feedback (Optional) Rules for each row: - Type: multiple-choice for every question. - multiple-choice: 4 options in Option A to Option D. Leave Option E and Option F empty. - Correct Answer: copy the exact text of the correct option (for true-false: True or False). - Put the correct answer in a different position each time. Spread it evenly across A, B, C and D, and never use the same position more than twice in a row. - Wrong options must sound believable, be about the same length as the right one, and be clearly wrong to someone who knows the topic. No "all of the above" or "none of the above". - Keep every option under 8 words. - open-ended: leave the options empty and put the accepted answers in the Accepted Answers column, separated by | (for example: Jupiter|jupiter). - Time Limit: 20 (30 for longer questions). Points: 1000. - Hint: one short clue, or leave it empty. - Category: a 1 to 3 word topic. - Round: leave empty. - Feedback: one sentence under 130 characters explaining why the answer is right. Players see it after the answer is revealed. - Put double quotes around any cell that contains a comma. - Only use facts you are sure are true. If you are not sure, write a different question.
Your answers only change the text above. Nothing is sent anywhere.
The full ChatGPT prompt for trivia questions
Prefer to fill in the blanks yourself? Here's the full prompt. Replace each part in [brackets], then paste it into ChatGPT or any other AI.
Write [NUMBER, e.g. 20] trivia questions about [TOPIC, e.g. the solar system] for [WHO IS PLAYING, e.g. my 8th-grade science class]. Difficulty: [easy / medium / hard / a mix]. Reading level: easy for [READING LEVEL, e.g. a 6th grader] to read in a few seconds. Use short, plain sentences (under 15 words) and everyday words. Reply with ONLY a CSV (comma-separated text, no table, no extra words) that starts with this exact header row: Question,Type,Option A,Option B,Option C,Option D,Option E,Option F,Correct Answer,Accepted Answers (Open Ended Questions Only),Time Limit,Points,Hint (Optional),Category (Optional),Round (Optional),Feedback (Optional) Rules for each row: - Type: multiple-choice for every question. - multiple-choice: 4 options in Option A to Option D. Leave Option E and Option F empty. - Correct Answer: copy the exact text of the correct option (for true-false: True or False). - Put the correct answer in a different position each time. Spread it evenly across A, B, C and D, and never use the same position more than twice in a row. - Wrong options must sound believable, be about the same length as the right one, and be clearly wrong to someone who knows the topic. No "all of the above" or "none of the above". - Keep every option under 8 words. - open-ended: leave the options empty and put the accepted answers in the Accepted Answers column, separated by | (for example: Jupiter|jupiter). - Time Limit: 20 (30 for longer questions). Points: 1000. - Hint: one short clue, or leave it empty. - Category: a 1 to 3 word topic. - Round: leave empty. - Feedback: one sentence under 130 characters explaining why the answer is right. Players see it after the answer is revealed. - Put double quotes around any cell that contains a comma. - Only use facts you are sure are true. If you are not sure, write a different question.
Ideas to fill it in
Classroom review
Topic: Chapter 5, the water cycle · Who: my 7th-grade science class · Reading level: middle school · Mix in true/false
Team building
Topic: our company history and fun facts about the office · Who: our sales team · Difficulty: easy · 3 rounds
Bar or pub night
Topic: 90s movies, music and TV · Who: adults at a pub trivia night · Difficulty: a mix · 4 rounds
Wedding or shower
Topic: how well do you know the couple (add a few facts about them to the prompt) · Who: wedding guests · Difficulty: easy
Steps 3 to 5: Paste, check, save
- Paste the prompt into your AI. It replies with rows of comma-separated text that start with the template's header row.
- Check every question. AI can be confidently wrong. Read each question and its correct answer, and fix or delete anything you're not sure of. If the wording feels stiff, ask the AI to "make the questions shorter and simpler".
- Save it as a spreadsheet. Copy the reply into a plain text file and save it as questions.csv, or paste it into Excel or Google Sheets and save or download it as a .csv or .xlsx file. Some AI tools can also give you the file to download directly; just ask.
Step 6: Upload it to Trivia Anywhere
Open your game, go to the Questions tab and choose Upload CSV / Excel. You'll see a preview of every question before anything is saved. Press import, and your hints, categories and answer explanations come in with the questions. Round names come in too; playing in rounds is part of the paid plans.
Step 7: Make sure the answers aren't all "A"
AI tools love putting the right answer first. After a few questions, players notice and just tap A. The prompt asks the AI to mix up the positions, and Trivia Anywhere double-checks: if you upload 10 or more multiple-choice questions and at least 70% have the correct answer in the same spot, the import preview tells you and offers to turn on Shuffle Answer Choices.
Shuffling reorders the options every time you play, and scoring stays correct. You can also turn it on any time in your game's settings under Interface & Display.
Tips for better AI trivia questions
Give it your material
Paste your lesson notes, a reading or facts about your company or the couple, and ask for questions based only on that text. You get questions about what you actually covered.
Keep answers short
Answer choices of a few words read well on a phone. Long options slow everyone down.
Keep explanations to one line
Players see the Feedback column after each reveal. The big screen shows about two lines, so under 130 characters works best.
Ask for a reading level
Say who is playing and how they read. "Short sentences a 6th grader can read" makes a big difference.
Mix the difficulty
A few easy questions early keep everyone in the game. Save the hard ones for the last round.
Ask for more than you need
Request 30 questions, keep your favorite 20. Deleting is faster than rewriting.
Frequently asked questions
Can ChatGPT make trivia questions?
Yes. ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Copilot can all write good trivia questions if you tell them the topic, who is playing, the difficulty and the format you need. Our free prompt does that for you and asks for the exact columns Trivia Anywhere imports.
Is there a free AI trivia question generator?
The free versions of most AI chatbots work as a trivia question generator when you give them a clear prompt. Copy ours from this page, fill in your topic, and the AI writes the questions in a spreadsheet you can upload and play for free.
Does Trivia Anywhere have a built-in AI question generator?
Not built in. You use the AI you already have (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Copilot or another) with our free prompt and template, then upload the file. You stay in control of every question, and most AI chatbots are free to use.
Why does the AI put every correct answer in A?
AI models tend to write the right answer first. Players notice quickly and start guessing A. Our prompt asks the AI to spread the answers out, and when you upload 10 or more multiple-choice questions with 70% or more of the answers in the same position, Trivia Anywhere warns you and offers to turn on Shuffle Answer Choices, which reorders the options every game and keeps scoring correct.
Can I use Excel or Google Sheets?
Yes. Upload a .csv or an Excel (.xlsx) file. In Google Sheets, use File, Download, Comma-separated values (.csv), then upload that file.
Is it free?
Yes. The free plan includes up to 25 players per game, 3 saved games and unlimited questions, and spreadsheet upload works on every plan.
How many questions can I upload?
There is no limit on questions per game. For a live game, 15 to 25 questions usually fills 20 to 30 minutes.
Can the AI add pictures to questions?
Not through the spreadsheet. Upload your questions first, then add a picture to any question in the question editor.
Can AI-written questions be wrong?
Yes. AI can state wrong facts with total confidence. Always read the questions before you play, especially for a classroom or a work event.
Ready to try it?
Make a free account, upload your AI-written questions and run your first game today.