diff --git a/src/Game/Controller/GameController.php b/src/Game/Controller/GameController.php
index c7d03ab..bc504a5 100644
--- a/src/Game/Controller/GameController.php
+++ b/src/Game/Controller/GameController.php
@@ -136,6 +136,11 @@ final class GameController extends AbstractController
             return $this->redirectToRoute('game', ['session' => $session->getId()]);
         }
 
+        if ($request->isMethod('POST') && $request->request->has('expire_ready')) {
+            $dashboardService->expireOwnReadyIfDue($session, $user);
+            return $this->redirectToRoute('game', ['session' => $session->getId()]);
+        }
+
         // Lazily pick up readiness changes from other players since our last request
         $dashboardService->checkAllPlayersReady($session);
 
@@ -154,17 +159,22 @@ final class GameController extends AbstractController
 
         if ($session->getStatus() === SessionStatus::READY) {
             $isReady = false;
+            $readyAt = null;
             if ($player) {
                 $settingName = SessionSettingType::tryFrom('ReadyAtForPlayer' . $player->getScreen());
                 if ($settingName) {
                     $setting = $session->getSettings()->filter(fn(SessionSetting $s) => $s->getName() === $settingName && $s->getPlayer() === $player)->first();
-                    $isReady = $setting !== null;
+                    if ($setting) {
+                        $isReady = true;
+                        $readyAt = (int)$setting->getValue();
+                    }
                 }
             }
 
             return $this->render('game/waiting.html.twig', [
                 'session' => $session,
                 'isReady' => $isReady,
+                'readyAt' => $readyAt,
                 'mercure_public_url' => $this->mercurePublicUrl,
             ]);
         }
diff --git a/src/Game/Service/GameDashboardService.php b/src/Game/Service/GameDashboardService.php
index fee6b6b..6da63d6 100644
--- a/src/Game/Service/GameDashboardService.php
+++ b/src/Game/Service/GameDashboardService.php
@@ -20,6 +20,8 @@ use Symfony\Component\Mercure\Update;
 
 final class GameDashboardService
 {
+    private const READY_TIMEOUT_SECONDS = 60;
+
     public function __construct(
         private readonly GameRepository $gameRepository,
         private readonly SessionRepository $sessionRepository,
@@ -313,11 +315,12 @@ final class GameDashboardService
 
         /** @var \App\Game\Repository\SessionSettingRepository $settingRepo */
         $settingRepo = $this->entityManager->getRepository(SessionSetting::class);
-        $setting = $settingRepo->getSetting($session, $settingName, $player);
+        $existingSetting = $settingRepo->getSetting($session, $settingName, $player);
+        $nowReady = $existingSetting === null;
 
-        if ($setting) {
-            $session->removeSetting($setting);
-            $this->entityManager->remove($setting);
+        if ($existingSetting) {
+            $session->removeSetting($existingSetting);
+            $this->entityManager->remove($existingSetting);
         } else {
             $setting = new SessionSetting();
             $setting->setSession($session);
@@ -334,17 +337,71 @@ final class GameDashboardService
         // transitioned the session out of READY and published 'all_ready' —
         // don't also publish a redundant 'player_ready'.
         if ($session->getStatus() === SessionStatus::READY) {
-            try {
-                $topic = '/game/hub/' . $session->getId();
-                $this->hub->publish(new Update($topic, json_encode(['type' => 'player_ready', 'player' => $player->getScreen(), 'ready' => !$setting])));
-            } catch (\Exception $e) {
-                // Mercure might be down, but we don't want to crash the game
-            }
+            $this->publishPlayerReady($session, $player->getScreen(), $nowReady);
         }
 
         return true;
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Explicitly (and idempotently) expires the current user's own ready status once
+     * their 60-second window is genuinely up. Called by the ready player's own browser
+     * on a timer, so the "not ready" broadcast goes out as close to the deadline as
+     * possible instead of waiting for someone else's request to lazily discover it.
+     */
+    public function expireOwnReadyIfDue(Session $session, User $user): void
+    {
+        if ($session->getStatus() !== SessionStatus::READY) {
+            return;
+        }
+
+        $player = null;
+        foreach ($session->getPlayers() as $p) {
+            if ($p->getUser() === $user) {
+                $player = $p;
+                break;
+            }
+        }
+
+        if (!$player) {
+            return;
+        }
+
+        $settingName = SessionSettingType::tryFrom('ReadyAtForPlayer' . $player->getScreen());
+        if (!$settingName) {
+            return;
+        }
+
+        /** @var \App\Game\Repository\SessionSettingRepository $settingRepo */
+        $settingRepo = $this->entityManager->getRepository(SessionSetting::class);
+        $setting = $settingRepo->getSetting($session, $settingName, $player);
+
+        if (!$setting) {
+            return; // Already not ready
+        }
+
+        $readyAtTimestamp = (int)$setting->getValue();
+        if ((new \DateTime())->getTimestamp() - $readyAtTimestamp < self::READY_TIMEOUT_SECONDS) {
+            return; // Not actually due yet
+        }
+
+        $session->removeSetting($setting);
+        $this->entityManager->remove($setting);
+        $this->entityManager->flush();
+
+        $this->publishPlayerReady($session, $player->getScreen(), false);
+    }
+
+    private function publishPlayerReady(Session $session, int $screen, bool $ready): void
+    {
+        try {
+            $topic = '/game/hub/' . $session->getId();
+            $this->hub->publish(new Update($topic, json_encode(['type' => 'player_ready', 'player' => $screen, 'ready' => $ready])));
+        } catch (\Exception $e) {
+            // Mercure might be down, but we don't want to crash the game
+        }
+    }
+
     public function checkAllPlayersReady(Session $session): void
     {
         if ($session->getStatus() !== SessionStatus::READY) {
@@ -359,6 +416,7 @@ final class GameDashboardService
         }
 
         $readyPlayersCount = 0;
+        $now = new \DateTime();
 
         /** @var \App\Game\Repository\SessionSettingRepository $settingRepo */
         $settingRepo = $this->entityManager->getRepository(SessionSetting::class);
@@ -369,9 +427,22 @@ final class GameDashboardService
                 continue;
             }
 
-            if ($settingRepo->getSetting($session, $settingName, $player)) {
-                $readyPlayersCount++;
+            $setting = $settingRepo->getSetting($session, $settingName, $player);
+            if (!$setting) {
+                continue;
             }
+
+            $readyAtTimestamp = (int)$setting->getValue();
+            if (($now->getTimestamp() - $readyAtTimestamp) >= self::READY_TIMEOUT_SECONDS) {
+                $session->removeSetting($setting);
+                $this->entityManager->remove($setting);
+                $this->entityManager->flush();
+
+                $this->publishPlayerReady($session, $player->getScreen(), false);
+                continue;
+            }
+
+            $readyPlayersCount++;
         }
 
         if ($readyPlayersCount === $numPlayers) {
diff --git a/templates/game/waiting.html.twig b/templates/game/waiting.html.twig
index 44e1a64..69f66b5 100644
--- a/templates/game/waiting.html.twig
+++ b/templates/game/waiting.html.twig
@@ -63,14 +63,18 @@
                     </div>
                 {% endif %}
                 <form method="post" class="mt-4">
+                    <input type="hidden" name="toggle_ready" value="0">
                     <div class="form-check form-switch mb-3">
-                        <input class="form-check-input" type="checkbox" id="toggle_ready" name="toggle_ready" onchange="this.form.submit()" {{ isReady ? 'checked' : '' }} {{ not app.user.verified ? 'disabled' : '' }}>
+                        <input class="form-check-input" type="checkbox" id="toggle_ready" name="toggle_ready" value="1" onchange="this.form.submit()" {{ isReady ? 'checked' : '' }} {{ not app.user.verified ? 'disabled' : '' }}>
                         <label class="form-check-label" for="toggle_ready">
                             <strong>I am ready to start!</strong>
                         </label>
                     </div>
                     <p class="text-muted small">
                         As soon as everyone has checked this box, the game starts automatically for everyone.
+                        {% if isReady %}
+                            Your ready status expires in <span id="ready-countdown">1:00</span> if not everyone else is ready by then.
+                        {% endif %}
                     </p>
                 </form>
 
@@ -82,9 +86,14 @@
     </div>
 </div>
 
+<form id="expire-ready-form" method="post" style="display:none">
+    <input type="hidden" name="expire_ready" value="1">
+</form>
+
 <div id="mercure-config"
      data-mercure-public-url="{{ mercure_public_url|e('html_attr') }}"
      data-topic="/game/hub/{{ session.id|e('html_attr') }}"
+     data-ready-at="{{ readyAt|e('html_attr') }}"
      style="display:none">
 </div>
 
@@ -92,6 +101,7 @@
     const config = document.getElementById('mercure-config');
     const publicUrl = config.dataset.mercurePublicUrl;
     const topic = config.dataset.topic;
+    const readyAt = config.dataset.readyAt;
 
     let reloading = false;
     const reloadOnce = (eventSource) => {
@@ -117,5 +127,37 @@
             }
         };
     }
+
+    // Our own ready status expires 60s after we set it - proactively tell the
+    // server as close to that deadline as possible, so the other players find
+    // out live instead of only whenever someone else's request happens to
+    // trigger the lazy check.
+    if (readyAt) {
+        const timeoutMs = 61000; // slightly more than the server-side 60s
+        const readyAtMs = readyAt * 1000;
+        const countdownEl = document.getElementById('ready-countdown');
+
+        const updateCountdown = () => {
+            const remaining = Math.max(0, Math.ceil((readyAtMs + timeoutMs - Date.now()) / 1000));
+            if (countdownEl) {
+                const m = Math.floor(remaining / 60);
+                const s = remaining % 60;
+                countdownEl.textContent = m + ':' + s.toString().padStart(2, '0');
+            }
+            return remaining;
+        };
+
+        const remaining = updateCountdown();
+        if (remaining <= 0) {
+            document.getElementById('expire-ready-form').submit();
+        } else {
+            const countdownInterval = setInterval(() => {
+                if (updateCountdown() <= 0) {
+                    clearInterval(countdownInterval);
+                    document.getElementById('expire-ready-form').submit();
+                }
+            }, 1000);
+        }
+    }
 </script>
 {% endblock %}