Marble Race: a 3D Random Winner Picker

Guess which of ten marbles wins, or race your friends' names through a wild 3D course. Chance picks the winner.

PickWhim Marble Race is a free 3D marble race that picks a random winner. Guess a number from 1 to 10 and watch ten numbered marbles tumble through pegs, propellers, pinball bumpers, swinging gates, mud and a slalom. The first marble over the finish line wins. You can also race a list of names, and with more than 10 names the winning marble hands its names to a spinning wheel that picks the final winner.

How to play

1. 1

   Choose a mode

   Players type a name and pick a number from 1 to 10, or switch to Use names and paste your list.

2. 2

   Press Start the race

   After a short countdown the gate opens and the camera follows the leader. Use Full view to see the whole course, or the speed button to watch at double speed.

3. 3

   Find out who won

   The first marble over the finish line wins. Did you guess right? Or, with a long list of names, watch the wheel pick from the names on the winning marble.

The course

The track has six levels, and each one shakes up the order in a different way.

• Level 1

  Peg garden

  A forest of posts that sends marbles bouncing left and right. One pipe here throws a marble out of the race.

• Level 2

  Propellers

  Spinning bars sweep marbles along or throw them back.

• Level 3

  Pinball

  Round bumpers kick marbles away, and green speed pads give a quick boost.

• Level 4

  Swing gates

  Walls slide across the track, with a patch of mud that slows everyone down.

• Level 5

  The maze

  Three lanes and a shaking floor. The middle lane is the fast way, the right lane is a long detour, and the left lane ends in a pipe that throws the marble out of the race.

• Level 6

  Slalom and the blaster

  Alternating walls make a final S-curve. Right before the checkered finish line, floor vents charge up and throw marbles all the way back to level 2, where they have to run the course again.

Using the marble race for names

Type one name per line. With ten names or fewer, every name gets its own marble and the first marble over the line wins. With more than ten names, the list is shuffled and shared out over the ten marbles, about the same number each. The marble that wins takes all its names to a spinning wheel, and the wheel picks the final winner. Every name has the same chance of winning, and the list never leaves your device.

Ideas for the marble race

• Classroom

  Give every student a marble and let the class cheer for it. Great for picking who presents first.

• Giveaways

  Paste your entrants, go full screen and pick the winner live in front of everyone.

• Streams

  Share your screen and let chat guess a number. The marble that wins crowns the winner.

• Parties

  Friends and family each pick a number and race for bragging rights, snacks or the dishes.

Why use a marble race to pick a winner?

A draw is more fun when everyone can watch it and cheer. A marble race turns a simple pick into a small show. The outcome comes from a physics simulation with random starting places and random obstacle speeds, so it cannot be planned in advance. If you just need a quick result, try the spin the wheel.

Frequently asked questions