Scavenger Hunts: The Three Types And How To Run One Well

A scavenger hunt is a game where teams work through a list of things to find, photograph or work out, usually against the clock. The idea is simple enough that people run them for birthday parties, work outings, weddings and rainy Sundays. What varies enormously is the format, and most disappointing hunts are the result of picking the wrong one for the group.

Here are the three types, what each is good for, and the practical rules that make one work.

The three formats

The list hunt

The classic: a written list of items to collect or photograph. A red leaf, a receipt from a bakery, something older than the people playing. Easy to make yourself, very flexible, and it works anywhere.

The weakness is that a list hunt has no shape. Teams collect in any order, everything is equally easy, and there's no build-up. Fine for children and for a short game; thin for a full afternoon with adults.

The clue hunt

Each answer leads to the next location. This is the format with actual momentum: you can't skip ahead, and every solved clue feels like progress. It takes far more work to write, because a single bad clue stops the whole game.

This is what most city scavenger hunts and escape-style games use, and it's the format that holds adults' attention.

The photo or challenge hunt

Points for completing tasks: a team photo in front of a monument, a video of everyone doing something, a passer-by convinced to join a picture. Loud, sociable, and very good for large groups because everything runs in parallel.

The risk is tasks that embarrass people. A challenge that requires approaching strangers is fun for two people in the group and mortifying for the rest.

The rules that decide whether it works

Teams of four to six. Below four there aren't enough ideas; above six, people become spectators. If you have twenty, that's four teams, not one big group.

Set a clear finish time and place. The most common failure is teams drifting back at random over forty minutes. Name the time, name the café, and stick to it.

Make the scoring simple. Complicated points systems get argued about and nobody remembers them. Equal points per item, with a couple of harder bonus items, is enough.

Write more items than anyone can finish. If every team finishes everything, the winner is decided by walking speed. Twenty items where the best team gets fifteen is a better game.

Keep the area small. A hunt spread over a whole city becomes a walking race. A dense centre or a single park is more fun.

Decide the phone rule in advance. Looking things up isn't cheating unless you say so. Say so, or write clues that a search engine can't answer.

What to leave out

Anything that requires taking something that isn't yours, entering private property, or bothering strangers who didn't sign up to be part of your game. Tasks that involve alcohol exclude the people not drinking. And dares that rely on humiliating one person stop being funny for that person within the first ten minutes.

Which occasions suit which format

Children's parties: list or photo hunt, short, with a clear prize.

Work outings: clue hunt, in teams, because it forces conversation between people who don't normally talk.

Hen and stag weekends: photo hunt for the sociable energy, but check the tasks would be fine for everyone in the group.

Visiting a city: clue hunt tied to real places, so you see something while playing.

Family afternoons: a mix, with the youngest given the physical finding tasks.

If you'd rather not write one yourself

Writing a good clue hunt takes a day and one broken clue ruins it. Ready-made city routes solve that: the puzzles are tied to buildings and inscriptions that are actually there, teams play at their own pace from a phone, and several teams can run the same route at once.

You can see which cities have routes and pick one nearby. The page on how the game works explains the format in a couple of minutes.

For a large group or a company outing, there's a setup for companies and groups.

Frequently asked questions

How long should a scavenger hunt be?

Ninety minutes to two hours for adults, forty-five minutes to an hour for young children. Longer than that and the energy drops.

How many people do you need?

At least four, in teams of four to six. Larger groups split into several teams rather than playing as one.

What makes a good clue?

One that can only be answered by being in the right place and looking. If a search engine answers it from the sofa, it isn't doing its job.

Should there be a prize?

Something small and slightly silly works better than something valuable, which makes people competitive in a way that spoils it.

What if it rains?

Outdoor hunts survive light rain. For heavy rain, move the start rather than cancelling if the format has no fixed time.

Can you do a scavenger hunt with two people?

Yes, though clue hunts suit pairs better than list hunts, which rely on splitting up.

In short

Pick the format for the group, keep teams to six, set a hard finish time, and cut anything that embarrasses people. If you're writing your own, we've put together a longer list of scavenger hunt ideas you can borrow from.

Planning one for a specific group and not sure it'll work? Ask us through the contact page.