Payphone Tag Is Australia’s New National Sport
Australia has introduced a new national sport called Payphone Tag, which involves capturing payphones for points. Players sign up online, receive a PIN, and can capture payphones by dialing a specific number. The game has gained popularity, with thousands of captures reported in just a week.
- ▪Payphone Tag allows players to capture payphones by dialing a number and entering a PIN.
- ▪The game has attracted 800 players and recorded 36,640 captures in the last week.
- ▪Telstra made payphone calls free in 2022, contributing to the game's popularity.
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| Original publisher | Hackaday |
| Canonical URL | https://hackaday.com/2026/04/28/payphone-tag-is-australias-new-national-sport/ |
| Publication time | Tue, 28 Apr 2026 20:00:18 +0000 |
| Retrieval time | 2026-04-28T20:04:39.761Z |
| Last seen | 2026-04-28T20:04:39.761Z |
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Payphone Tag Is Australia’s New National Sport 44 Comments by: Zoe Skyforest April 28, 2026 Title: Copy Short Link: Copy Australia’s payphones are an iconic part of the national landscape, even if they’re not as important as they once used to be. However, they’re having a resurgence of late, in part thanks to a new national pastime—the sport of Payphone Tag! Created by [Alex Allchin], the game is simple. To play, you first sign up on the website and get your emoji and 5-digit PIN. You then go out and find a payphone, dial the Payphone Tag number, and enter your PIN when prompted. This lets you “capture” the phone, raising your score in the game. If a phone is already captured, no matter—just head out there, dial the number, and key in your own PIN to steal it.
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