How to run a play-along quiz on a live stream — single or multi-question rounds, letting the audience join by link or QR, operator control, and holding and thank-you screens.
A quiz turns your audience from viewers into players. Where a poll asks for an opinion, a quiz has right answers and a round structure — reveal a question, let people answer, show the result, move on. It's a natural fit for sport, entertainment and community streams. This guide covers building a quiz, getting the audience in, and running it live. It's part of audience engagement for live streams, and pairs with live polls.
Single question or a full round
Decide the shape first:
- A single question is a quick play-along moment — one question, reveal, done. Good for a between-segments beat.
- A multi-question round is a segment in its own right — several questions in sequence, building to a result.
Either way, keep questions short and unambiguous, with clearly distinct options that read at a glance over video.
Get the audience in
Players join a lightweight quiz page on their phones:
- A QR code on screen is the fastest way in — scan and play. See using QR codes for audience interaction.
- A short join link works for chat or a second screen.
- No app, no account — it opens in the phone browser.
Give people a moment to join before the first question — which is exactly what a holding screen is for.
Drive it live with an operator
A quiz is paced by an operator, not a fixed timer:
- Holding screen before you start, so latecomers can join ("Scan to play — starting soon").
- Reveal questions on cue. The operator advances with Prev/Next, so the on-screen question matches the show's pace.
- Show the answer/result when you're ready, then move on.
- Thank-you screen at the end to close the round cleanly.
Don't let the quiz outrun the show. Operator-driven Prev/Next (rather than an automatic countdown) keeps the on-screen question tied to what the presenter is actually doing.
It's an overlay
Like polls and lower thirds, the quiz runs as an overlay:
- Build the quiz — questions, options, holding and thank-you screens.
- Add its URL as a browser source in OBS or a web browser input in vMix.
- Live, take it on at the holding screen, advance through the questions, and take it off after the thank-you.
Live-quiz checklist
- Decided single question vs. multi-question round
- Short, unambiguous questions with distinct options
- QR code and/or join link for players
- Holding screen before the first question
- Operator advancing questions on cue (Prev/Next)
- Thank-you screen to close the round
How Show Runner handles it
Show Runner's quiz overlay supports both single questions and multi-question rounds, with the audience joining by short link or QR code. An operator drives it live with Prev/Next, and you can configure a holding page before the quiz starts and a thank-you screen at the end (both with adjustable text position and scale). Build it in the browser, drop the URL into OBS or vMix, and run it alongside your other graphics.
FAQ
How does the audience join a live quiz?
They scan an on-screen QR code or open a short join link, which loads the quiz in their phone browser — no app or account. A holding screen before the first question gives people time to join.
Can I control when each question appears?
Yes. In Show Runner an operator advances the quiz with Prev/Next, so each question is revealed on cue and stays tied to the show's pace rather than running on an automatic timer.
What's a holding screen and a thank-you screen?
The holding screen shows before the quiz starts ("scan to play — starting soon") so latecomers can join; the thank-you screen closes the round at the end. Both are configurable in Show Runner, including text position and scale.
Is a quiz different from a poll?
Yes — a quiz has correct answers and a round structure you play along with, while a poll is a single opinion or prediction question with a live tally. See how to run a live poll for the poll format.
Prefer a quick opinion question? See how to run a live poll. Or start for free.