Classroom
A stock market game you can run in one class period
Rise to Riches is a free investing simulation for economics, personal finance and business classes. Students invest virtual money using real historical annual returns. Students need no account and nothing to install. Start a game or read the beginner's investing guide first.
How to run a stock market game in class, step by step
- Open the game on your screen. On the homepage choose Play With Friends, then create a room. You don't need an account.
- Turn on Classroom. Switch on Classroom on the create screen. You can see it in the lobby.
- Pick the length. Rooms run 10, 15, 20 or 35 years. At normal speed that is roughly one minute per year (an estimate).
- Share the join code. Students enter the code or scan the QR code, then type a nickname. The join screen reminds them to use a nickname, not their full name.
- Start the clock. Everyone trades in the same historical market at the same time, and you can pause the room from the host screen.
- Debrief with the results. The end screen ranks students and compares every portfolio with an S&P 500 index fund.
What Classroom changes
- Chat starts off. Students see "Chat is turned off by the host".
- You can turn chat on or off at any time from the host screen.
- AI feedback is turned off for the room.
- Results from the room are not posted to the public leaderboard.
Classroom is selected in the lobby. The host can change chat through the host controls during play; AI feedback stays off and classroom runs stay off the public leaderboard.
How the timing works
At normal speed one simulated year takes about a minute. A 10-year room therefore runs in roughly ten minutes and a 20-year room in about twenty, plus setup and any pauses. Treat these as estimates. Rooms run 10, 15, 20 or 35 years, and the host can pause the room clock for everyone.
Students receive a cash deposit each simulated quarter rather than one lump sum at the start. That structure keeps everyone making decisions throughout the run instead of buying once and watching.
Running it as a whole class
In a multiplayer room, one person hosts and shares a join code. Every student plays the same years on the same server clock. Their decisions differ, but synthetic within-year moves and life-event expenses can also differ. Treat a single game's ranking as a discussion starting point, not proof of investing skill.
Because the market period is identical for everyone, the debrief is simple: ask the top and bottom finishers to explain their allocation, then compare both against a plain S&P 500 index fund over the same years.
A 45-minute lesson plan
A one-period plan (framing, a 20-year run, benchmark comparison and debrief) is laid out minute by minute in the high school stock market game lesson. With a shorter period, use a 10-year room.
Learning objectives
After one session students should be able to:
- Explain the difference between money deposited and money earned (profit).
- Compare a portfolio's return with an S&P 500 index fund over the same years.
- Describe how spreading money across investments changed their risk.
- Name one decision they would change, and why, using evidence from their game.
Readiness check before class
- Open investmentsimulator.app on a student device on the school network. Filters vary by school, so confirm it loads.
- Create a test room with Classroom on and join it from a second device.
- Decide the room length that fits your period, and whether you will turn chat on.
- Print or share the worksheet below.
Middle school and high school: adapt the task, not the game
For middle school, demonstrate a 10-year game on the teacher's screen before independent play. Set one learning goal: distinguish deposits from profit. Ask students to consider only the S&P 500 fund and cash for the exercise. This is a teaching instruction, not an asset restriction enforced by the game. Pause the shared room clock to discuss a deposit or price change. End with a three-minute debrief: what changed because money was added, and what changed because an investment rose or fell? Review the privacy notice against your school's rules first.
For high school, use the same Classroom room but add a diversification goal. Ask students to justify a small selection of available assets, record a decision and compare their return with the index benchmark. Debrief risk, liquidity and the effect of life events. Replays should use the same start year, length, mode and comparable deposits; within-year randomness can still differ.
Classroom is a host setting in the existing room flow, not a separate game. Chat starts off and the host can change it; AI feedback and public leaderboard submission are disabled. Guest play remains available, but review the site's age rules and your school's requirements before assigning it.
Student worksheet
Name or nickname: ____________________ Years played: ________
- Hypothesis. Before the game: how will you split your money (percent in stocks, the index fund, gold or oil, CDs and savings)? Why?
- Decisions. Record three trades: the year, what you bought or sold, and the reason.
- Results. Your final return: ______% S&P 500 benchmark return: ______% Did you beat it?
- Deposits versus profit. How much did you deposit in total? How much of your final wealth was profit?
- Reflection. What would you do differently with the same years? Was your result skill, luck or both?
What students actually practice
The asset menu covers individual stocks, an S&P 500 index fund, gold, crude oil, certificates of deposit, and a high-yield savings account. CDs carry an early withdrawal penalty and random life events deduct cash mid-run, so students run into liquidity and risk tradeoffs rather than only chasing returns. Concepts are explained in plain language in the investing guide.
Rise to Riches is an educational simulation using virtual money. It is not financial advice and involves no real-money trading.
Other modes worth assigning
The real estate simulation swaps stocks for property across U.S. cities, which works well as a follow-up lesson on illiquid assets. The Sandbox lets students build counterfactual scenarios and see how a shock changes an otherwise historical timeline.
Frequently asked questions
Is the stock market game free for classrooms?
Yes. Rise to Riches is free, and students need no account, download or email address. It runs in the browser, including on Chromebooks. School web filters differ, so open the site on a student device before class.
How long does one class session take?
At normal speed one simulated year takes about a minute, so a 10-year room runs roughly 10 minutes and a 20-year room roughly 20, plus setup and any pauses. These are estimates. A 10- or 15-year room usually leaves time for a debrief in a 45-minute period.
How do students join a multiplayer game?
The host chooses Play With Friends, creates a room and shares the join code, link or QR code. Students enter a nickname and the code. Everyone plays the same years on the shared host clock. Within-year simulated paths and life events can still differ, so one result does not prove a strategy is better.
Are these live prices, and what are the limitations?
No. The stock game uses stored historical annual returns with synthetic moves within each year. It uses virtual money, omits taxes and brokerage costs, and is not investment advice. Knowing the calendar years can create hindsight. Classroom turns off AI feedback and public leaderboard posting, and chat starts off with a host control.
What can students invest in?
Individual stocks, an S&P 500 index fund, gold, crude oil, certificates of deposit, and a high-yield savings account. Each year's result follows real historical annual returns; the moves inside each year are simulated.
Does it teach anything beyond stock picking?
Yes. Quarterly cash deposits, random life-event expenses and CD early-withdrawal penalties bring in diversification, time horizon and liquidity, not only stock picking.
Check the methodology and limitations and contact us for support before class.