50 free 2022 trivia questions with answers — trivia quiz, new questions added Aug 2026.
2022 was the year Will Smith slapped Chris Rock, the New York Times bought Wordle, Queen Elizabeth II died, Elon Musk bought Twitter, Argentina won the World Cup on penalties and a lettuce outlasted a British prime minister. These current events trivia questions for 2022 cover the news, films, shows, songs, games and sports of the year. Every answer is sourced, with a short explanation so you learn something even when you miss.
30 of 50 questions with answers and explanations. Play the quiz
Q 01Which film won Best Picture in March 2022, the first winner released by a streamer?
CODA
Apple's film was also the first Best Picture winner with a primarily deaf cast.
Q 02Will Smith slapped which comedian on stage at the 2022 Oscars?
Chris Rock
Minutes later Smith won Best Actor for King Richard; the Academy banned him from its events for ten years.
Q 03Who directed Top Gun: Maverick, Tom Cruise's highest-grossing film?
Joseph Kosinski
Kosinski had previously directed Cruise in Oblivion; Val Kilmer returned for his final film role.
Q 04Queen Elizabeth II died on September 8, 2022 at which residence?
Balmoral Castle
Her death in Scotland triggered Operation Unicorn, the plan for a Scottish death, alongside Operation London Bridge.
Q 05How much did Elon Musk pay for Twitter when the deal closed in October 2022?
$44 billion
He marked the close with the tweet "the bird is freed" after walking into HQ carrying a kitchen sink.
Q 06Argentina won the 2022 World Cup final on penalties after what scoreline in extra time?
3-3
It was Argentina's third title and their first since Maradona's team won in 1986.
Q 07Kylian Mbappe's hat-trick in the 2022 final was the first in a World Cup final since whom?
Geoff Hurst
Hurst's came for England in 1966; Mbappe also took the Golden Boot with eight goals.
Q 08Which country became the first African nation to reach a World Cup semi-final in 2022?
Morocco
They beat Spain and Portugal on the way before losing 2-0 to France.
Q 09Why was the 2022 World Cup played in November and December?
To avoid Qatar's extreme heat
It was the first World Cup staged outside the traditional May-to-July window.
Q 10Who created Wordle, which the New York Times bought in January 2022?
Josh Wardle
The Welsh engineer built it for his partner; the Times paid a "low seven-figure sum".
Q 11Which team did the Los Angeles Rams beat in Super Bowl LVI in February 2022?
Cincinnati Bengals
The Rams won 23-20 at their own SoFi Stadium, the second straight year a team won at home.
Q 12The 2022 Depp v. Heard defamation trial was held in which US state?
Virginia
The case centred on a 2018 Washington Post op-ed; the jury found for Depp on June 1.
Q 13Which 1985 Kate Bush song hit number one in eight countries thanks to Stranger Things?
Running Up That Hill
It had peaked at number three in the UK and 30 in the US on first release.
Q 21Webb's first operational image, revealed July 11, 2022, showed which galaxy cluster?
SMACS 0723
President Biden unveiled the deep field at the White House a day before the rest of the first images.
Q 22NASA's DART spacecraft deliberately crashed into which asteroid moonlet in September 2022?
Dimorphos
The impact shortened its orbit by 32 minutes, far beyond the 73-second success threshold.
Q 23Artemis I, launched November 16, 2022, was the first flight of which NASA rocket?
Space Launch System
The uncrewed Orion capsule looped around the Moon and splashed down on December 11.
Q 14What do the Stranger Things kids name the season 4 villain, after a D&D character?
Vecna
The season arrived in two volumes, seven episodes on May 27 and two more on July 1.
Q 15Which Beyonce single from Renaissance topped the Hot 100 in 2022?
Break My Soul
The album is sequenced like a continuous DJ mix and pays homage to Black dance-music pioneers.
Q 16Taylor Swift's Midnights made her the first artist to do what on the Hot 100?
Hold all top ten spots
Released October 21, 2022, the album was framed as the story of thirteen sleepless nights.
Q 17Roughly how much did Avatar: The Way of Water gross in its first run?
$2.3 billion
It became the third-highest-grossing film of all time, behind the first Avatar and Avengers: Endgame.
Q 18In Netflix's Wednesday, which school do the Addamses send their daughter to?
Nevermore Academy
Jenna Ortega starred, and Tim Burton directed four episodes of each season.
Q 19House of the Dragon, which premiered in August 2022, adapts which 2018 book?
Fire & Blood
It is set about 200 years before Game of Thrones, during the Targaryen civil war called the Dance of the Dragons.
Q 20Which fantasy author provided the worldbuilding for FromSoftware's Elden Ring?
George R.R. Martin
Released February 25, 2022, it is set in the Lands Between and directed by Hidetaka Miyazaki.
Q 24Shinzo Abe was assassinated in July 2022 while campaigning in which Japanese city?
Nara
He was shot with an improvised firearm while speaking outside a railway station.
Q 25Liz Truss resigned as UK prime minister on which day of her tenure?
50th
Her mini-budget of unfunded tax cuts spooked markets and made her the shortest-serving PM in British history.
Q 26Which crypto exchange filed for bankruptcy on November 11, 2022?
FTX
A CoinDesk report about sister firm Alameda Research's balance sheet triggered the collapse nine days earlier.
Q 27Which country topped the medal table at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics?
Norway
Norway's 16 golds set a record for a single Winter Games, its third straight time topping the table.
Q 28Which Encanto song topped the US Hot 100 in early 2022?
We Don't Talk About Bruno
Encanto became the first Disney animated film to land multiple Hot 100 top-ten hits.
Q 29Which team did the Houston Astros beat in the 2022 World Series?
Philadelphia Phillies
The Phillies led 2-1 before Houston won three straight for its second title.
Q 30Who won his first NBA Finals MVP as the Warriors beat the Celtics in 2022?
Stephen Curry
It was Golden State's fourth championship in eight years.