Best4Family help · Game ToolsDraft · publication pending

Set and start a timer for game turns

An agreed turn duration gives everyone a visible way to keep the game moving.

Before you start

Some turns take a long time when the group has no visible time limit.

1Step 1

Set the duration

Start a Timer or Combo (Standard) session. Open Actions, then Game Settings. Enter 60 under Timer Duration (seconds), leave Start timer when turn changes off and save.

Game Settings shows 60 seconds with Start timer when turn changes off.

2Step 2

Check the ready timer

Add players if you also want turn order. Scroll to Timer: it shows 1:00 and Per turn: 60s. Sofia is taking the turn in this example.

Sofia is the second of four players and is taking the current turn. — The timer is ready with a full minute.

3Step 3

Start the countdown

Tap the green start icon on the timer card. The running view shows the remaining seconds counting down.

The started countdown shows fewer than 60 seconds remaining.

4Step 4

Reset or move on

The circular arrow restores the full minute. In a Combo session, tap Next to change the player and start their turn time deliberately. Do not use Pause to preserve the remaining seconds.

All done

Start a session with Timer or Combo (Standard). Open Actions and Game Settings, enter Timer Duration (seconds) and save. The start icon begins the countdown and the circular arrow resets it. In the current Android version, pausing also resets the remaining time to the full duration.

Good to know

Game Tools is an experimental Labs helper. It does not know your board-game rules and is not a video game or story generator.
The current Free policy allows two active rounds per family. Ended sessions do not count towards that active limit.
Use these examples for shared scores without confidential details. The current list rules do not sufficiently protect sessions and dice templates from queries by other signed-in users.
Pause does not reliably preserve the remaining time in this Android version. After stopping, the display returns to the full duration; resuming the previous remainder is not confirmed.
The countdown runs locally in the open view. A synchronised, second-accurate timer across devices or in the background is not promised.
Start timer when turn changes is a separate setting. It does not automatically advance the player when time expires. The example leaves it off.
Free allowance: 2 game sessions running at the same time per family.
Where the Free allowance applies, you need an available place or Premium to add more. Existing content remains readable and editable, even above the allowance. Premium removes this quantity limit; it does not promise unlimited AI usage.
Ended sessions free a place. Players, dice rolls and completed history have no additional quantity limit.

If something looks wrong

Pause returns the timer to the full duration.

This is a known limit of the current Android version. Start again for a new full turn; continuing from the previous remaining time is not reliable.

About this article

Written by Best4Family editorial team. Content reviewed: 18.09.2026. Updated: 30.09.2026.

The screenshots show the Android app. The layout and controls are largely the same on iOS. The examples use fictional family data.