Secrets of · Scavenger hunt
Secrets of San Diego Self-Guided Scavenger Hunt & Walking Tour
1.5–2 hours · 1–4 players per team · free Loquiz app€19.95 per team
The Syndicate · Outdoor escape game
Self-Guided The Old Town San Diego Syndicate City Escape Game
- 1.5–2 hours
- 2–5 players per team
- In the free Loquiz app on your phone
- Start any time within 12 months
- Free cancellation until you start
Pick up the trail of Magnus and the stolen formulas in Old Town San Diego, from Calhoun Street to La Casa de Estudillo.
The formulas are gone, Magnus took them, and the last place anyone saw him was Old Town San Diego. That is as much as anyone can tell you.
What you are joining is an undercover mission dressed as a city escape game: your own phone, your own pace, and Old Town San Diego for a playing board. The Loquiz app knows your position, so each location opens with its own riddle, cipher or photo task. Every player has a character and every character has a job, so the thinking is shared out rather than handed to whoever is fastest.
Among the places the trail takes you: Whaley House Museum, Immaculate Conception Catholic Church and Presidio Plaza - Old Town. The city itself is the source material, and it gives up what you need to the group that actually stops and looks.
McCoy House and Old Town Market 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 Old Town San Diego
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 Old Town San Diego. 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.
A Team Building Escape Game You Can Organise in Old Town San Diego Today
Organising it is a date, a link and nothing else. No room to reserve, no facilitator to pay, no start time everyone has to make — the case and the route through Old Town San Diego already exist, and the whole thing takes about two hours across 3 to 4 km. Because one ticket at €19.95 covers two to five people on one phone, twenty colleagues is four tickets and four teams on the same case. That last part is what turns it from an outing into a competition.
A Heist Game for Groups of Almost Any Shape in Old Town San Diego
Teams. A team building escape game that needs no facilitator, no room booking and no scheduled start. Buy one ticket per five people, send the teams into Old Town San Diego on the same case, and compare who cracked what. Running several groups at once is what turns it into a competition, and it is the reason this works as a company outing rather than just an afternoon out.
Friends. The characters are what make it work with friends: everyone has a part in the mission and therefore something to argue about. A stolen set of formulas, a city to comb through, and no guide anywhere in sight.
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.
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 Old Town San Diego 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?
Magnus has stolen the formulas and you have to get them back before he disappears with them. Everyone in your group takes a character with their own part in the mission, which is what makes it a role-playing game rather than a list of puzzles.
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?
Plan for two hours and a 3 to 4 km walk. There is no clock and no scheduled departure: the date is fixed when you book, the starting time is yours, and taking longer costs nothing.
How many people can play on one ticket?
€19.95 buys one ticket, one phone and two to five people around it. Bigger groups split across two tickets, and two teams working the identical case against each other is how most of them prefer it.
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?
From roughly eight upwards, yes. The distance is no obstacle, the photo tasks are where younger players get ahead, and the detail that unlocks a stop is frequently spotted by the smallest person there.
Do we need to open the game at a specific time?
A date and time go on the booking, but they do not bind you — begin when you are ready. Nobody is waiting anywhere: no meeting point, no guide, no group.
What happens if it rains?
You play when it suits you and stop when it suits you, so a shower just means a coffee. No timer is running, and the case is exactly where you left it when you step back out.
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 hunt down clues than chase a thief will find that under the other city games in San Diego.
More City Games: city games across the United States · The Glasgow Syndicate
- Whaley House Museum2476 San Diego Ave, San Diego, CA 92110, USA
- Immaculate Conception Catholic Church4001 Twiggs Street, 92110 San Diego, United States
- Presidio Plaza - Old Town2802 Juan St, San Diego, CA 92110, USA
- Cosmopolitan Hotel and Restaurant2660 Calhoun St, San Diego, CA 92110, USA
- La Casa de Machado y Silvas2767 San Diego Ave, San Diego, CA 92110, USA
- Seeley Stable2648 Calhoun St, San Diego, CA 92110, USA
- McCoy House4002 Wallace Street, 92110 San Diego, United States
- Old Town Market4010 Twiggs Street, 92110 San Diego, United States
Show all 13 stops
- Robinson-Rose House4002 Wallace Street, 92110 San Diego, United States
- First San Diego Courthouse2731 San Diego Avenue, 92110 San Diego, United States
- El Campo Santo2410 San Diego Ave, San Diego, CA 92110, USA
- Mason Street School3966 Mason Street, 92110 San Diego, United States
- La Casa de Estudillo4000 Mason Street, 92110 San Diego, United States
How it works
- BookYour ticket arrives by email.
- Go to the startThe start point is in your email. Any day within 12 months.
- PlayOpen the link on one phone per team and press start.
What players in other cities say
- ★★★★★
Wir (Mein Mann, unsere 9-jährige Tochter und ich) haben heute ganz spontan das Spiel "Moordmysterie Düsseldorf" gebucht und gespielt. Die Buchung verlief schnell und reibungslos. Es hat super viel Spaß gemacht! Die Story, die Rätsel, das Konzept, die Route, die Gestaltung der App... richtig gut!!! Das Spiel würde ich vor allem Familien mit Kindern empfehlen. Für Erwachsene waren die Rätsel (meiner Meinung nach) zu einfach. Aber trotzdem wegen der schönen Route durch Düsseldorf, der Story, den lustigen Anweisungen zwischendurch eine schöne Aktion, die man zusammen machen kann.
Lingling Z.October 2026 · via google - ★★★★★
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
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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