Temple Flyover: Visit Every Dedicated Temple From the Air

Next spring, the doors of the Salt Lake Temple will open to the public for the first time in generations. From April 5 to October 1, 2027, visitors will walk through the newly renovated temple before it is rededicated. The first million free reservations were claimed within 24 hours.

Most of us will see a few temples in our lifetime. Some will see only one. But there are now more than 220 dedicated houses of the Lord spread across six continents. What if you could visit all of them, from the air, in an afternoon?

That is what Temple Flyover does. It is a free 3D game that flies you over a dedicated temple, circles it, and asks one question: Which temple is this? You study the spires, the gardens, the streets and the hills around it, then pick from four nearby temples before the 30-second timer runs out.

This guide shows how the game works, with many screenshots. It also looks at the Salt Lake Temple's rededication, the remarkable pace of temple building, why it matters to be able to "visit" every temple from a computer, and what it took to build a game like this.

Contents

1. How to play Temple Flyover
2. Play with a whole room on phones
3. The Salt Lake Temple: renovation and rededication
4. A season of temple building
5. Why visit every temple from a computer?
6. A short aerial tour of famous temples
7. Is this the only game like it?
8. The challenge of building it (and the code)
9. Tips for a higher score
10. Questions people ask

How to play Temple Flyover

1. Choose how you're playing

Open Temple Flyover on a laptop, tablet, TV or phone. First, pick On this device to play by yourself or pass it around the family, or Host a game with phones for a room full of people.

Then pick which temples you want:

• Around the world goes back and forth between the United States and other countries.
• Nearest to me starts with the temples closest to you, then moves outward. Enter a ZIP code or use your location.
• A state or country lets you play only Utah, only Brazil, only Europe and more. Places are included when they have at least seven temples, so every game has real variety.

Finally, choose 5, 10 or 20 temples, or Keep going and stop whenever you like.

The game remembers which temples you have already seen on that device. Each new game starts somewhere random and won't repeat temples until you've seen the whole set.

2. Watch the flyover and guess

The camera flies in and settles on the temple. Wherever possible, it faces the front of the temple. Garden walkways and the main entrance are often your best clues. Then you have 30 seconds to choose from four answers.

The four choices are never random. They are always temples near the right answer, so you can't just guess the only temple in the right country. If the answer is in Southern California, expect other Southern California and Arizona temples as choices.

3. Zoom out for a hint

Stuck? Tap Zoom out for a hint. The camera pulls back to show the neighborhood, then the town, then the region, up to three times. Each hint lowers the points for that temple, so try to name it from the close view first.

4. See the answer and learn something

After you answer, the camera circles the temple so you can see all sides, and you can drag to look around. The answer card shows the temple's location, its dedication date and who dedicated it. It also notes rededications and renovations.

Points depend on speed and hints. A fast answer with no hints is worth up to 1,000 points. A slow answer is still worth at least half. A wrong answer is worth nothing, but you still get the flyover and the facts. Tap I've been to this temple to add it to your free Temple Passport.

5. Finish and challenge someone

At the end you'll see your total, the list of temples you saw (each links to its own page) and a Challenge someone button. It makes a picture you can send by text, WhatsApp or email, or save for an Instagram or TikTok story.

Play with a whole room on phones

Temple Flyover works well for a family, but it was built for a room. Choose Host a game with phones and put the screen on a TV or projector. A QR code and a four-letter game code appear. Everyone scans it and answers on their own phone. No app, no accounts.

Everyone sees the same flyover on the big screen and answers in secret. When the timer ends, the TV reveals the answer and the scores. This works for:

• Seminary and youth classes: a quick opener before a lesson about temples
• Family home evening: parents against kids, or grandparents on a video call
• Ward activities and youth camps: one projector, everyone playing
• Missionary preparation classes: learn the temples in the area where someone is called
• Temple trip planning: preview the temples you'll pass on a road trip

Only nicknames are sent to the game room, and rooms are deleted automatically within a few hours.

The Salt Lake Temple: renovation and rededication

No temple has a story quite like the Salt Lake Temple. Pioneers broke ground on February 14, 1853, and built it mostly by hand over 40 years. President Wilford Woodruff dedicated it in more than 30 sessions between April 6 and April 24, 1893.

On December 29, 2019, the temple closed for the largest renovation in its history, including a seismic upgrade to help the temple withstand a major earthquake. In October 2024, President Russell M. Nelson told the Church that "the preservation and renovation of the Salt Lake Temple and other areas on Temple Square have been underway for nearly five years" and that the work was projected to be finished by the end of 2026.

In Temple Flyover, you can see that work from the air. The 3D imagery shows Temple Square during construction, with cranes and scaffolding around the temple's six spires.

Elder Ulisses Soares of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles connected the temple's new foundation with our own lives in October 2025: "Our beloved prophet then taught us that just as it was necessary to implement major measures to strengthen the foundation of the temple in order for it to withstand the forces of nature, we also need to take extraordinary measures, perhaps measures we have never before taken — to strengthen our own spiritual foundation in Jesus Christ."

The 2027 open house

Here is what has been announced so far:

• Dates: the Salt Lake Temple Celebration runs April 5 to October 1, 2027. Rededication dates are still listed as "to be announced."
• Theme: President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, announced the theme "Rejoice in Christ" on September 1, 2026. "We expect 5 million people to come and see and enjoy this wonderful experience," he said.
• Tours: about one hour, starting at the Conference Center, Monday through Saturday 8:40 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 8 p.m. Tours will be offered in English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Mandarin and American Sign Language, according to Church News.
• Tickets: free reservations are released in batches at TempleSquare.org, up to six per visitor.

Temple Flyover is a good way to get ready. Play a Utah-only game and learn the temples around the Salt Lake Valley. Then, when you stand on Temple Square in 2027, you'll know exactly what the temple and its neighbors look like from above.

A season of temple building

When the Salt Lake Temple was dedicated in 1893, the Church had four operating temples, all in Utah. Today the number is very different. As of October 1, 2026, the Church had 385 temples announced, under construction or in operation, with 222 dedicated.

Much of that growth came quickly. President Nelson announced 200 new temples during his nearly eight years as President of the Church, more than half of all planned and existing temples at the time. In his October 2024 general conference message, he explained why:

"My dear brothers and sisters, do you see what is happening right before our eyes? I pray that we will not miss the majesty of this moment! The Lord is indeed hastening His work. Why are we building temples at such an unprecedented pace? Why? Because the Lord has instructed us to do so. The blessings of the temple help to gather Israel on both sides of the veil."

— President Russell M. Nelson, "The Lord Jesus Christ Will Come Again," October 2024

In 2022 he put it this way: "He is making His temples more accessible. He is accelerating the pace at which we are building temples. He is increasing our ability to help gather Israel."

President Nelson passed away on September 27, 2025, and President Dallin H. Oaks was ordained President of the Church on October 14, 2025. At the October 2025 general conference, President Oaks explained a change of emphasis: "With the large number of temples now in the very earliest phases of planning and construction, it is appropriate that we slow down the announcement of new temples." The focus turned to building and dedicating the temples already announced. "We will now move forward in providing the ordinances of the temple to members of the church throughout the world," he said.

That work has moved fast. In President Oaks' first year, 13 temples were dedicated and 18 began construction. He dedicated the Burley Idaho Temple on January 11, 2026, his first as President of the Church, and the Belo Horizonte Brazil Temple on August 16, 2026. At Belo Horizonte he said, "We are living in a glorious season of temple building."

Members of the Quorum of the Twelve have dedicated temples across the world in that same year: Elder David A. Bednar in Alabang, Philippines, and Cleveland, Ohio; Elder Gerrit W. Gong in Harare, Zimbabwe; Elder Dale G. Renlund in Davao, Philippines; Elder Neil L. Andersen in Bacolod, Philippines; Elder Patrick Kearon in Phnom Penh, Cambodia; and others, as listed by the Deseret News. The same report says 2026 is on pace to be the second-biggest year for temple dedications in Church history, behind 34 dedications in 2000.

Every one of those new temples is in Temple Flyover. The game also includes a recent rededication: President D. Todd Christofferson rededicated the San Diego California Temple on August 23, 2026. The aerial imagery was captured during its renovation, so you can still see scaffolding on its towers.

More dedications are coming soon. The Church will dedicate seven temples over four Sundays from October 11 to November 1, 2026, beginning with Miraflores Guatemala City and Ephraim Utah. We add new temples to the game after they are dedicated.

Why visit every temple from a computer?

A screen can never replace walking onto temple grounds, feeling the quiet, or serving inside. Temple Flyover shows exteriors only. But being able to see every dedicated temple from home has real value.

It makes the worldwide Church visible

It is one thing to read that there are temples in Kinshasa, Phnom Penh, Rome and Fiji. It is another to fly over them one after another and see the city, the hills and the neighborhoods around them. Children who play learn that the Church is not just where they live. A teenager in Idaho sees the Accra Ghana Temple. A family in Brazil sees Idaho Falls on the Snake River.

It brings far-away temples close

Not everyone can travel. An elderly grandparent, a member in a remote area or someone recovering from illness may never see most of these temples in person. Technology now makes it possible to see, in three dimensions, temples that once could only be seen in photographs. President Nelson's invitation to "focus on the temple" can include learning about the temples we may never visit.

It prepares people for a mission or a temple trip

Missionaries can learn the temples in their mission before they arrive. Families planning a temple trip can preview the grounds. Couples preparing to be sealed can see their temple and the area around it. Try Nearest to me to learn the temples within driving distance first.

It turns temple pictures into a conversation

A game creates questions: Why is this temple on a hill? Why are there two spires here and six there? Who dedicated it? When was it rebuilt? The answer card gives the facts. The conversation is up to you. A short game can be a natural way to talk with children about why we build temples and what happens inside.

It is free and easy

Temple Flyover runs in a web browser. There is no app to install, no account to create and no cost. It works on school Chromebooks, church meetinghouse TVs and phones.

A short aerial tour of famous temples

These are a few temples that are especially rewarding to see from the air. All of these images are screenshots from the game.

Washington D.C. Temple

Its six spires rise out of thick forest in Kensington, Maryland, and have long been a landmark beside the Capital Beltway. Dedicated by President Spencer W. Kimball in 1974, it was rededicated by President Nelson on August 14, 2022, after a major renovation.

Rome Italy Temple

Dedicated in 2019 by President Nelson, the Rome temple shares its grounds with a visitors' center, a meetinghouse and housing for temple patrons. From the air you can see how a central piazza ties them together.

Idaho Falls Idaho Temple

Dedicated in 1945 by President George Albert Smith, this temple sits beside the Snake River. Its single central tower makes it one of the most recognizable temples from above.

Mexico City Mexico Temple

Dedicated by President Gordon B. Hinckley in 1983, it is one of the largest temples outside the United States. From the air, the temple's grounds stand out against the dense city around it.

Bountiful Utah Temple

Dedicated in 1995 by President Howard W. Hunter, the Bountiful temple sits high on the bench above the Salt Lake Valley. Its curving road and bright white walls are a strong clue.

Oakland California Temple

Dedicated in 1964 by President David O. McKay, the Oakland temple looks out over the San Francisco Bay from the Oakland hills. Its terraced gardens lead down toward the bay.

Is this the only game like it?

There are several good temple games. Here is how Temple Flyover compares to the others we found:

Years ago, LDS Living showed readers how to look at temples in 3D on Google Maps by searching for them one at a time. Temple Flyover turns that into a game. As far as we have been able to find, it is the only free game that flies you over every dedicated temple in live 3D and lets a whole room play together on their phones. If you know of another, tell us. We'd love to see it.

The challenge of building it (and the code)

Building a game that "just flies to the temple" turned out to be much harder than it sounds.

Finding the exact spot

Many public lists place a temple at the center of its city, not at the temple itself. In our first version, about 30 temples pointed at a downtown area instead of the temple. The Tallahassee Florida Temple was pinned on the state capitol, about 10 kilometers away. We checked each one against the temple's street address and corrected them. We also looked up the ground height at every temple so the camera doesn't sink into a hillside or float too high.

Facing the front

A temple is easiest to recognize from the front, where the entrance and the garden walk lead to the doors. So we review temples one by one from four directions and pick the view that shows the front. That means looking at hundreds of aerial views, and the work continues as we refine each temple. Where trees or the imagery itself hide the front, we use the clearest side.

Fair answers and fair imagery

Some temples have sharp, detailed 3D imagery. Others look flat. A game of ten temples could be frustrating if too many were blurry. So each set of ten has only a few temples with weaker imagery and at least one prominent, well-known temple. The four answer choices always come from the closest temples to the correct answer, so the game rewards knowing the temple, not guessing the country.

Live rooms

Hosting a game with phones needs a small server that creates a room, collects answers and shares scores in real time. The rooms keep only nicknames and are deleted automatically within a few hours.

How many lines of code?

When formatted for reading, Temple Flyover is about 2,900 lines of code:

• about 1,840 lines of JavaScript for the game, the camera, the timer, scoring, hints and the phone rooms
• about 820 lines of CSS for the layout on phones, laptops and TVs
• about 200 lines of SQL for the live game rooms
• plus a temple data table of 221 records, about 4,000 lines when formatted, with each temple's position, ground height, camera direction, dedication date and dedicator

Another 400 or so lines of small tools helped check temple positions, compare data sources and capture review images.

// One temple record from the data table
{ "id": "san-diego-california-temple", "n": "San Diego California Temple",
  "p": "San Diego, California, USA", "d": "1993-04-25", "by": "Gordon B. Hinckley",
  "lat": 32.8663961, "lng": -117.2287003, "el": 98, "h": 0, "r": 300, "tl": 62 }

// Where the camera goes for a temple (mult > 1 is a zoomed-out hint)
function camFor(t, mult) {
  mult = mult || 1;
  return {
    center: {
      lat: t.lat,
      lng: t.lng,
      altitude: t.el + (t.z == null ? 25 : t.z),
    },
    range: (t.r || 300) * mult,
    tilt:
      mult > 1
        ? Math.max(35, (t.tl || 62) - (mult > 5 ? 22 : 10))
        : t.tl || 62,
    heading: t.h || 0,
  };
}

// After you answer, pull back and circle the temple once
async function orbit(t, stillCurrent) {
  $("#tfLock").hidden = true;
  var base = camFor(t, 1);
  var o = {
    center: base.center,
    range: (t.r || 300) * 1.9,
    tilt: Math.max(50, (t.tl || 62) - 4),
    heading: base.heading,
  };
  try {
    map.flyCameraTo({ endCamera: o, durationMillis: 2200 });
    await new Promise(function (r) {
      var h = function () {
        map.removeEventListener("gmp-animationend", h);
        r();
      };
      map.addEventListener("gmp-animationend", h);
      setTimeout(h, 2600);
    });
    if (stillCurrent && !stillCurrent()) return;
    map.flyCameraAround({ camera: o, durationMillis: 26000, repeatCount: 1 });
  } catch (e) {
    console.warn(e);
  }
}

// Four choices: the right temple plus three of the 14 closest temples
function choicesFor(t) {
  var pool = ALL.filter(function (a) {
    return a[3] !== t.id;
  })
    .map(function (a) {
      return { n: a[0], d: km(t.lat, t.lng, a[1], a[2]) };
    })
    .sort(function (a, b) {
      return a.d - b.d;
    })
    .slice(0, 14);
  return shuffle(
    shuffle(pool)
      .slice(0, 3)
      .map(function (p) {
        return p.n;
      })
      .concat([t.n]),
  );
}

Tips for a higher score

• Count the spires. One central spire, six spires, two towers or none narrows it down fast.
• Look at the land. Mountains, ocean, desert, river or a dense city all point to a region.
• Follow the garden walk. It usually leads to the front doors, which helps you picture the temple from the ground.
• Notice the neighbors. Stake centers, visitors' centers, parking structures and freeways are clues.
• Answer before you zoom. Each hint costs points. Use them only when you're truly stuck.
• Learn your region first. Play A state or country for your area, then go global.
• Read the answer card. The dedication facts make the next game easier.

Questions people ask

Is Temple Flyover free?

Yes. It is free to play, with no app, no account and no login.

How many temples are in the game?

221 dedicated temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. New temples are added after they are dedicated.

Can I see inside the temples?

No. Temple Flyover shows only the outside of each temple, using public 3D aerial imagery from Google. It is a way to learn about temples and the places they serve, not a tour of the inside.

Does it work on a phone?

Yes. It works on phones, tablets, laptops and TVs. For a group, put the game on a TV or projector and have everyone join on their phones.

How do I play with my seminary class or family?

Choose Host a game with phones, then Create the game. Everyone scans the QR code or enters the four-letter code. Answers are made on phones; the big screen shows the flyover and the scores.

When is the Salt Lake Temple open house?

The Salt Lake Temple Celebration and public open house runs from April 5 to October 1, 2027. Reservations are free at TempleSquare.org. Rededication dates have not been announced yet.

Is Temple Flyover an official Church product?

No. Weak Things made it independently. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Temple names and dates come from the Church's official temple list.

Play Temple Flyover

Whether you have five minutes or an evening, you can visit more temples today than most people once saw in a lifetime. Start with the temples nearest you, then try the world. And if you'll be on Temple Square in 2027, learn the Salt Lake Temple and its neighbors from the air first.

Play Temple Flyover free

Keep reading and playing

• Temple Games: guess dedication dates, follow countdowns and keep a Temple Passport
• All Weak Things games for families, seminary and Primary
• Guess When Your Temple Will Be Dedicated
• Rejoice in Christ: the 2027 Youth Theme
• Church History Road Trip Games
• General Conference Games for Kids and Families
• Family Home Evening Games Teens Will Actually Play
• A Daily Scripture Puzzle Like Wordle: Meet Verse Quest

Aerial imagery in Temple Flyover and in the screenshots and video on this page is ©2026 Google and is shown with Google's attribution. Temple Flyover is an independent game made by Weak Things, a small family business.