If you’ve landed on Gimkit’s homepage wondering what button to click first, you’re not alone. Between the sign-up screen, the login page, the teacher dashboard, and something called “The Hub,” it’s easy to feel like you’ve walked into the wrong room. This guide sorts out exactly what each piece of Gimkit Home actually does, who it’s for, and how to get from a blank screen to your first live game or assignment.
What “Gimkit Home” Actually Refers To
There isn’t one single “Gimkit Home” page that does everything. Instead, the term usually covers three related landing spots, depending on who’s using it and why:
- The public homepage (gimkit.com) — where new visitors sign up, log in, or join a game with a code.
- The teacher dashboard — where educators create kits, manage classes, and launch games after logging in.
- The Hub — a student-facing home base where kids see every assignment and live game they’ve been invited to, across all their classes, in one spot.
That third one is the piece most people are actually searching for without knowing its name. Before The Hub existed, teachers had to share a fresh link or game code every single time, and students juggled a mess of bookmarks. Gimkit built The Hub specifically to fix that — it’s the closest thing the platform has to a real “home” for students.
Getting Into Gimkit for the First Time
Whether you’re a teacher setting up an account or a student joining a class, the front door is the same homepage, but the paths split quickly.
For Teachers
- Go to Gimkit’s website and click Sign Up.
- Choose to sign up with an email address or a Google account (Google sign-in is common since so many schools already use Google Workspace).
- Once you’re in, you land on your dashboard — the control center for everything you’ll build.
- From there you can create a kit (Gimkit’s word for a set of questions), import questions from Quizlet or a spreadsheet, or browse the public library of kits other teachers have shared.
For Students
Students generally don’t need to create an account to play a single live game — they can go to gimkit.com/join, punch in the game code their teacher shows on screen, type a nickname, and jump straight in. But if a teacher has set up a Class inside Gimkit and added students to it, logging in unlocks something more useful: The Hub.
Once a student is logged in and part of a class, they no longer need a code at all for that teacher’s games. They just open The Hub, and any live game currently running or scheduled shows up automatically, along with every assignment they still need to finish.
Inside the Teacher Dashboard
The dashboard is where the actual work of teaching with Gimkit happens. A few things worth knowing about it:
Kits. This is your library of question sets — the ones you’ve built yourself, ones you’ve duplicated from the public gallery, or ones you’ve imported from another tool. Each kit can be edited, previewed, and tweaked before you ever put it in front of students.
Classes. Setting up a Class lets you roster your students once instead of re-sharing links every day. It’s also what makes The Hub work — without a Class, students are stuck joining manually with a code each time.
Host. This is the button you’ll hit most often. Pick a kit, choose a game mode, and either launch a live game right then or schedule one for later so students see it waiting in The Hub at the right time.
Assignments. Rather than a synchronous game everyone plays together, Assignments let students work through a kit on their own schedule — useful for homework, makeup work, or self-paced review. Auto-grading means you’re not manually checking every response.
Live Games vs. Assignments: What’s the Difference?
People new to Gimkit often assume it’s only the fast-paced, whole-class game show format — and that’s a fair first impression, since that’s how it started. But the platform now splits fairly evenly between two modes of use.
A live game is synchronous. Everyone plays at once, answering questions in real time to earn in-game currency, which they then spend on upgrades, power-ups, or cosmetic items depending on the game mode. It’s the version most people picture: energetic, a little chaotic, great for review days or test prep.
An assignment is asynchronous. A student opens it whenever they’re ready — during class, during study hall, or from home — works through the questions at their own pace, and Gimkit grades it automatically. This is the format that makes Gimkit function almost like a flashcard app with teeth, and it’s the one that shows up in The Hub alongside live games rather than requiring a separate link.
Game Modes Worth Knowing About
Gimkit has moved well past the original “answer questions, earn money” loop, even though that’s still the foundation. Over the last couple of years the platform has leaned into narrative-style modes that wrap review questions inside a playable mini-world:
- Classic — the original mode, and still the simplest way to review material quickly.
- Trust No One — a social-deduction mode with an Among Us-style twist, where a few players are secretly “impostors.”
- The Floor Is Lava — a survival-style mode where correct answers keep your platform intact.
- Fishtopia — a fishing-themed minigame layered over standard review questions.
- Team Mode — designed for collaborative rather than purely individual play, useful for classes that want less head-to-head competition.
Some of these modes are available on Gimkit’s free plan, though typically with a five-player cap; the full library and larger class sizes open up with a paid upgrade.
KitCollab: Letting Students Write the Questions
One feature that surprises a lot of new teachers is KitCollab. Instead of the teacher writing every question, KitCollab lets students submit their own questions and answers, which the teacher can then approve, edit, or use directly in a kit. It’s a nice way to turn a review session into something students actually helped build, and it doubles as a quick check of whether they understood the material well enough to write a good question about it.
What’s Free and What Requires Gimkit Pro
Gimkit’s free (Basic) plan is genuinely usable, not just a teaser. Teachers can host live games and create kits without paying anything, though Pro-exclusive game modes are capped at five players per game on the free tier, and Assignments, along with image and audio uploads, sit behind the paywall.
Gimkit Pro runs $14.99 a month or $59.88 billed annually for an individual teacher. That unlocks unlimited players in every game mode, the full Assignments feature, and the ability to upload your own images and audio into questions.
Schools and districts aren’t stuck paying per-teacher retail prices, either. Gimkit Groups offers two flat tiers: a Department license at $650 a year covering up to 20 teachers, and a School license at $1,000 a year covering an entire building. Purchase orders are accepted for these group licenses, though not for individual Pro subscriptions.
| Plan | Cost | What You Get |
|---|---|---|
| Basic (Free) | $0 | Unlimited games, core game modes, 5-player cap on Pro-exclusive modes |
| Pro (Individual) | $14.99/mo or $59.88/yr | Unlimited players, all game modes, Assignments, image/audio uploads |
| Groups – Department | $650/yr | Pro access for up to 20 teachers |
| Groups – School | $1,000/yr | Pro access for an entire school |
Tips for Getting the Most Out of Gimkit Home
A few small habits make the day-to-day experience noticeably smoother:
- Set up Classes early, even if you’re not using Assignments yet. It’s what unlocks The Hub for your students and saves you from re-sharing codes every class period.
- Schedule games in advance when you know exactly when you’ll want students playing — they’ll see it sitting ready in The Hub at the right time without you lifting a finger that day.
- Use the QR code option for younger students or anyone who struggles typing a game code accurately; hovering over the game code on your host screen brings it up automatically.
- Preview a kit before hosting if you imported it from somewhere else — imported questions sometimes need formatting cleanup that’s easier to catch before students are staring at a typo.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do students need an account to join a Gimkit game?
No. For a one-off live game, students just need the game code and can join as a guest with a nickname. An account only becomes necessary if a teacher wants to use Classes, Assignments, or give students access to The Hub.
What’s the difference between Gimkit Home and gimkit.com/join?
gimkit.com/join is specifically for entering a game code to join a single live game. “Home,” by contrast, usually refers to either the teacher dashboard or The Hub — both of which show ongoing games and assignments rather than requiring a one-time code.
Can I use Gimkit without paying?
Yes. The free Basic plan supports unlimited live games and kit creation, with a five-player limit on Pro-only game modes and no access to Assignments.
Is Gimkit only for younger kids?
Not really — its strategy and currency mechanics tend to resonate more with upper elementary through high school students, since there’s more going on than a simple speed-based leaderboard.
How do I find my game code again if I lose it?
If you’re hosting, it’s displayed on your screen throughout the game. If you’re a student who missed it, ask your teacher to resend it, or check The Hub if you’re part of a Class — it’ll be listed there automatically.
Gimkit Home, in whatever form you land on it — the public sign-up page, the teacher dashboard, or The Hub — is really just the entry point to a platform built around two simple ideas: make review games that don’t feel like review, and make joining one as frictionless as possible. Once Classes and The Hub are set up, most of the manual sharing disappears, and it becomes less about remembering a code and more about just showing up.
