Earth Gacha FAQ
Does it cost anything?
No. Earth Gacha has no paid content, and you can’t buy packs or cards. You get 1 pack back every 5 minutes and can hold up to 10. When you run out you can choose to watch a rewarded video ad for 3 more packs, up to 20 times a day. You can play perfectly well without ads; you just wait a bit.
Is this gambling?
No. The randomness comes from real-world data, but no money is involved anywhere: you can’t pay to pull, and cards can’t be traded or cashed out.
Are the photos real?
Yes. Every card is a real observation record on GBIF. “Original observation” takes you to its page on the original platform, with the photographer, date, place and other users’ identifications. See About Earth Gacha.
Why do some cards only show a scientific name?
Species names come from iNaturalist and GBIF. Many species, especially insects, spiders and other small creatures, don’t have a common name yet, so the card shows the scientific name. Scientific names are the same everywhere: search one on GBIF or iNaturalist and you’ll find everything recorded about that species.
Why is an ordinary-looking creature a rare card?
Rarity is about how many times a species has been recorded worldwide, not how many exist in the wild. A small insect that is common where it lives can still be rare in the game if few people photograph it or it’s hard to identify to species. On the other hand, the Mallard has 32.84 million records and will always be an N. See how rarity works.
Why did I get the same species twice?
Each card is one observation, not one species. Lots of people may have photographed the same species, so it can turn up again in a different photo and place. Your collection counts species: duplicates don’t add points, but the collection keeps the rarest copy.
Can rarity change?
Yes. Rarity is worked out from GBIF’s record count at the moment you open a pack. As more people upload observations, a species gains records and its rarity can drop. Cards already in your collection keep the score they had when you pulled them.
Do I need an account?
No. You can open packs without signing in, and your collection stays in your browser. With an account, your packs are saved to it, you can see them on any device, and you appear in the ranking. The ranking shows your nickname, never your email.
How does the ranking work?
By collection score: each new species you collect is worth 100 points for UR, 30 for SSR, 10 for SR, 3 for R and 1 for N; duplicates add nothing. For accounts, the server counts packs and points.
What is the map on a card?
Open “More info” on a card to see a world map: countries with records of that species are shaded by how many records they have, darker for more, and the red dot is where this photo was taken. The collection page also has a map view showing where each of your cards was photographed.
Can my own photos end up in the game?
Yes. Upload wild organisms you photograph to iNaturalist; once the community identifies them to Research Grade, they’re exported to GBIF and enter the pool. See how to get your own photos into the game.
Who owns the photos?
Their photographers. Every card shows the photographer and license and links to the original record. We display photos as their licenses require and never alter or sell them.
Where does the ad money go?
90% is donated to iNaturalist; the other 10% pays for servers and other running costs.
Is my data safe?
When you’re signed out, everything stays in your browser. With an account, we store your email, nickname and the cards you’ve pulled through Supabase. See the privacy policy.