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The Syndicate · Outdoor escape game

Self-Guided The Groningen Syndicate City Escape Game

4.4 on Google (23 reviews)

Self-Guided The Groningen Syndicate City Escape GameSelf-Guided The Groningen Syndicate City Escape Game – Groningen (2)Self-Guided The Groningen Syndicate City Escape Game – Groningen (3)Self-Guided The Groningen Syndicate City Escape Game – Groningen (4)Self-Guided The Groningen Syndicate City Escape Game – Groningen (5)
  • 1.5–2 hours
  • 1–5 players per team
  • In the free Loquiz app on your phone
  • Start any time within 12 months
  • Free cancellation until you start

Track Magnus and the stolen formulas on foot through Groningen, from the Grote Markt to the Der Aa-kerk, at your own pace.

Magnus has the stolen formulas and a head start, and Groningen is where the trail goes cold — unless you pick it up.

The Syndicate is a self-guided city escape game you play on your own phone, at your own pace, with the streets of Groningen as the board. It runs on the Loquiz app: the game knows where you are standing, and every location holds a riddle, a code or a photo task. Each member of your group takes a character with a real job in the mission, so nobody stands around watching one person solve it.

Among the places the trail takes you: Stadhuis Groningen, Martinitoren and Martinikerkhof. The city itself is the source material, and it gives up what you need to the group that actually stops and looks.

Waagplein and Vismarkt are on the route as well, and somewhere along the way you start reading the city rather than walking through it.

The Outdoor Escape Game Version, on the Streets of Groningen

Take the part of an escape room you actually enjoy — the ciphers, the logic, the moment it clicks — and put it on the streets of Groningen. You cover 3 to 4 km on foot over two hours, nobody is locked in anywhere, and no facilitator is rationing hints or resetting anything for the next group. Stuck on something? Keep walking with it.

Company Outing Ideas for Groningen That Take a Minute to Book

This one takes about a minute to organise: book a date, send the link, and let the teams start when they are ready. There is nothing to book a room for, nobody to hire and no schedule to hold everyone to — the case, the route and the puzzles are already built around Groningen, and it runs about two hours over 3 to 4 km on foot. One ticket covers a group of two to five people on a single phone for €19.95, so a department of twenty is four tickets and four teams racing the same case. If you have been asked for company outing ideas and would rather not book another restaurant, this is the version where somebody else did the work.

A Heist Game for Groups of Almost Any Shape in Groningen

Teams. One ticket takes five people, so a department splits neatly into groups working the same case across Groningen. No host to hire, no venue, no departure time. Put three or four teams on it simultaneously and the debrief writes itself — which is the difference between a company outing and a day out.

Families. It works from about age eight, and 3 to 4 km is a walk children manage without trouble. They are usually the ones who spot the detail on the wall that the adults walked past, and the code-breaking is the part you do together.

Friends. Everyone in the group takes a character with a job to do in the mission, which is the part that stops one person doing all the thinking. A heist plot, a city to search and no host watching the clock.

Couples and pairs. The whole case fits on one phone between two of you at €19.95. Nobody to tag along with, nothing to catch, no guide — you decide how fast it goes and where it pauses.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does the Syndicate city escape game work?

Book a date, and a link arrives by email; the Loquiz app does the rest. You open it at the first location in Groningen and the game takes your position from there. Every stop asks for something — a riddle, a cipher, a photograph — and answering it opens the next one. Keep going and Magnus runs out of room.

What is the story?

A set of formulas has been stolen and Magnus is the one carrying them. Your job is to reach him first. Each player takes a character with a specific role in the operation, so it plays as a role-playing game and not as a sequence of riddles.

Is this an escape room?

No, and that is the point. There is no room, no host and no locked door — it is an outdoor escape game played on the actual streets. If you like escape rooms, this is the same kind of thinking with the walls taken away.

How long does it take?

Around two hours, over 3 to 4 km of walking. Nothing counts down. You choose the date at booking and the hour on the day, and a group that stops for lunch simply finishes later.

How many people can play on one ticket?

One ticket covers a group of two to five people playing on one device, at €19.95 in total. Groups larger than five buy a second ticket, which also lets them play against each other.

Is it hard?

It sits at intermediate. Observation and lateral thinking do the work — local knowledge is not required, and nothing on the route is a dead end for a group that keeps at it.

Is it suitable for children?

It works from about age eight. Children manage the 3 to 4 km without trouble, are usually the quickest at the photo tasks, and are often the first to spot the detail on a wall that everyone else walked past.

Do we need to book a time slot?

You set a date and time at booking; when you actually begin is your own affair. There is nowhere to assemble, nobody guiding and no group to catch up with.

What happens if it rains?

You decide when to play and you can pause whenever you like. If a shower comes over, step inside somewhere, wait it out and pick up where you left off — nothing is counting down while you wait.

What size group does it work with?

Anything from two to five people on one phone; beyond five you take a second ticket and the two groups race. Anyone who would rather chase a killer or hunt down clues than chase a thief will find that under the other city games in Groningen.

More City Games: city games across the Netherlands · The Amsterdam Syndicate

  1. Stadhuis GroningenGrote Markt 11, 9712 HN Groningen, Netherlands
  2. MartinitorenMartinikerkhof 3, 9712 JG Groningen, Netherlands
  3. MartinikerkhofMartinikerkhof 874, 9712 JG Groningen, Netherlands
  4. Forum GroningenNieuwe Markt 1, 9712 KN Groningen, Netherlands
  5. WaagpleinWaagplein 1, 9712 JZ Groningen, Netherlands
  6. VismarktVismarkt, Groningen, Netherlands
  7. Lamme HuiningegasthuisAkerkstraat 19a, 9712 BD Groningen, Netherlands
  8. KorenbeursAkerkhof, 9712 BA Groningen, Netherlands
Show all 12 stops
  1. Der Aa-kerkAkerkhof 38, 9711 JC Groningen, Netherlands
  2. AcademiegebouwBroerstraat 5, 9712 CP Groningen, Netherlands
  3. Universiteitsbibliotheek GroningenBroerstraat 6, 9712 CP Groningen, Netherlands
  4. Universiteitsmuseum GroningenOude Kijk in Het Jatstraat 7, 9712 EA Groningen, Netherlands

How it works

  1. BookYour ticket arrives by email.
  2. Go to the startThe start point is in your email. Any day within 12 months.
  3. PlayOpen the link on one phone per team and press start.

What players in other cities say

4.4 on Google (23 reviews)

  • ★★★★★

    Had great fun playing secrets of Haarlem!

    Martin M.March 2026 · via google
  • ★★★★★

    Game in Amsterdam was fun!

    Enzo L.March 2026 · via google
  • ★★★★★

    Had So much fun playing while exploring the city

    Philip C.March 2026 · via google
  • ★★★★★

    I had a fantastic experience with CityGame! The concept is creative, engaging, and a great way to explore a city in a completely new way. The games are well-designed, combining puzzles, storytelling, and adventure so you’re constantly discovering something interesting around every corner. What I especially love is how CityGame turns a normal walk through the city into an interactive experience. It’s perfect for friends, families, or team outings, and it makes sightseeing much more exciting than the usual tours. Everything was easy to use, the challenges were fun and clever, and it really encouraged us to look closer at the city and its hidden details. Highly recommended if you’re looking for a unique and memorable way to explore!

    Jessica S.March 2026 · via google
  • ★★★★★

    This is an interesting way to conduct a self-guided Amsterdam city tour. It used the GPS on your phone to guide you to stops on a route. There are mini quizzes once you arrive at the stops on the path. The quizzes draw your attention to features in front of you or to a brief history of the place. In many cases, we visited a spot that would not have been obvious as a regular passer by. The tour as a whole was interesting to us as newcomers, but I would have liked more information on many locations we visited - a few links outside of the app for each place would have been helpful. Beyond that, the interface was a bit clunky and sometimes awkward to navigate. We definitely don't regret trying this out and feel like we got our money's worth on the experience.

    JaibhijaiJune 2024 · via google
  • ★★★★★

    This was a fun game! It had a few challenges which was good and surprises. It got me to go around and explore Queenstown, New Zealand. I got to places in Queenstown, New Zealand I hadn’t been to before while on holiday here. Thank you for that and it gave a feel what it would be like to be the actual Sherlock Holmes!

    Dylan J.February 2024 · via google
How we check reviews

These reviews were left by players on Google and other review sites and are copied from there as they are, with their source.

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