Last updated: 2026-08-21
Weekend is a voice-controlled AI game platform for smart TVs from Weekend Entertainment (formerly Volley), founded in 2016 and backed by $72.5M in total funding. It streams licensed Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune titles plus the original Song Quiz and Wit's End to Roku, Fire TV, Samsung and LG televisions, using phone-based voice input instead of a controller.
About Weekend
Weekend is a voice-controlled AI game platform for smart TVs, built by Weekend Entertainment (formerly Volley) and founded by Max Child and James Wilsterman in 2016. It replaces the console controller and the printed rulebook with a phone-as-microphone setup: players speak their answers out loud and an AI referee listens, scores and hosts in real time. The company has raised $72.5M across five rounds, including a $55M Series C in July 2024 co-led by Microsoft's M12 Ventures and Lightspeed Venture Partners, with Amazon's Alexa Fund also participating. The core mechanism is conversational AI voice recognition tuned for a noisy living room with several overlapping speakers, a harder problem than a single-user smart speaker command. In Song Quiz and the licensed Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune titles, the AI judges spoken answers against acceptable variants and keeps score without a remote. Wit's End goes further: it is a voice-driven fantasy RPG where a generative AI dungeon master improvises the story from whatever the group says, so no two playthroughs follow the same script. Weekend is built for group settings where a controller in one person's hands leaves everyone else watching: family game night, small gatherings, and casual weeknight play. The company positions the app against tabletop and screen-share party games like Jackbox, with the pitch that everyone participates by voice instead of passing a phone or controller around. The app is free to try for 7 days, then converts to a subscription: $12.99/month through the TV app stores on Roku, Fire TV, Samsung and LG, or $14.99/month and $99.99/year through Apple's App Store, where in-app purchase pricing runs higher. A companion iOS and Android app is required as the voice-input remote; there is no web or desktop client. Weekend has expanded its catalog to include 20 Questions against an AI riddlemaster and a kids-trivia title, and has kept adding Alexa-native experiences since its 2024 raise. App Store and Google Play ratings diverge sharply by platform: 4.5 out of 5 from 8.4K raters on iOS versus 2.15 out of 5 from 75 raters on Android, where reviewers report the voice recognition mishearing answers more often.
Pricing
Free 7-day trial on every platform, then a subscription: $12.99/month via the Roku, Fire TV, Samsung or LG TV app stores, or $14.99/month ($99.99/year) via Apple's in-app purchase pricing on iOS. One subscription covers every game in the library. No permanent free tier.
Key Features
- Voice-only gameplay: Players answer entirely by voice through a phone-as-microphone connection, replacing the controller that Jackbox and most other TV party games still require.
- Licensed game shows: Ships official Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune adaptations under license from Sony Pictures Television, alongside the original titles Song Quiz and Wit's End.
- AI dungeon master in Wit's End: Wit's End runs a generative AI game master that improvises a fantasy story turn by turn from whatever the group says aloud, so no two sessions follow the same script.
- Multi-speaker voice recognition: The scoring engine is built to parse overlapping spoken answers from several players in one room, a harder version of the single-user smart-speaker problem.
- Four-TV-platform reach: Runs as a native app on Roku, Fire TV, Samsung and LG smart TVs, with a companion iOS or Android app acting as the microphone and remote.
- 7-day free trial: Every subscription starts with a 7-day free trial before billing begins, cancellable from the TV platform's own subscription settings.
Pros
- One subscription unlocks the full game library across all four supported TV platforms, instead of buying party-game packs individually.
- Exclusive Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune licenses among AI voice-game apps, content that browser-based rivals like AirConsole or PadlessBox cannot offer.
- iOS users rate the app 4.5 out of 5 across 8.4K App Store ratings, well above the same product's Android score for the identical game library.
Cons
- Android users rate the app 2.15 out of 5 from 75 ratings, and reviewers report the voice recognition mishearing answers and dropping out mid-game, a large gap versus the iOS build.
- There is no permanent free tier; every account converts to a paid monthly or annual subscription once the 7-day trial ends.
- No web or desktop client exists; play requires both a supported smart TV and a phone for voice input, which not every household has.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does Weekend cost in 2026?
Weekend is free to try for 7 days on every supported platform. After the trial it converts to a subscription: $12.99/month when purchased through the Roku, Fire TV, Samsung or LG TV app stores, or $14.99/month ($99.99/year) through Apple's in-app purchase pricing on iOS. One subscription unlocks every game in the library.
Does Weekend have a free plan?
No. Weekend offers a 7-day free trial rather than an ongoing free tier, and access to Jeopardy!, Wheel of Fortune, Song Quiz and Wit's End ends when the trial expires unless you subscribe. The trial can be cancelled from the TV platform's own subscription settings before billing starts.
Which tools compete with Weekend in 2026?
Jackbox Games remains the best-known party-game rival, played by passing a phone browser around rather than by voice. AirConsole and PadlessBox offer browser-based, phone-as-controller party games with no app download. For AI-driven roleplay specifically, Character.ai and Janitor AI compete for the same audience but as text chat rather than a voice-run group game.
What separates Weekend from Jackbox Games?
Weekend is entirely voice-controlled and ships official Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune licenses; Jackbox is controller-free too but uses phones as text and drawing input rather than microphones and carries no game-show licenses. Weekend bills as an ongoing subscription with new titles added over time, while Jackbox sells each party pack as a one-time purchase you own outright.
How do you get started with Weekend?
Install the Weekend app from your Roku, Fire TV, Samsung or LG TV app store, then pair it with the companion Weekend app on iOS or Android, which becomes your microphone and remote. Pick a game like Song Quiz or Jeopardy!, gather your group in the room, and start answering out loud; the first 7 days are free.
Top Alternatives
- Character.ai: Pick Weekend if you want a shared TV party game for a room full of people; pick Character.ai if you want a private one-on-one AI chat companion on your phone or browser.
- Janitor AI: Pick Weekend's Wit's End if you want a voice-driven group RPG on the TV; pick Janitor AI if you want text-based solo AI character roleplay.
- Playabl: Pick Weekend if you want ready-made licensed game shows to play tonight; pick Playabl if you want to prompt your own browser game from scratch.
- Project Genie: Pick Weekend for voice-driven party games on the TV; pick Project Genie if you want to generate and explore a walkable 3D AI world instead.