General
What is Urban Hunt?
Urban Hunt offers a series of interactive, modern-day scavenger hunts that take teams on an adventure around a particular neighbourhood or venue. Teams sign-up through the website and play using the Facebook Messenger app on their phone, embarking on a self-guided game of cryptic clues. It’s a fun way of discovering local hotspots and hidden gems and leaves you feeling like you really know a place, thanks to the interesting facts shared along the way.
Where can I see the different trails?
All Urban Hunt trails are available here.
One team, multiple devices
If you would like for more than one person to receive and be able to answer the clues for your team, simply invite additional players to join your team(s) from your event dashboard once you have paid or confirmed your hunt. You can add up to 4 people per team, including the captain.
Setup
How much does it cost?
The cost of our trails can vary, but our standard trails are just AU$40 or £20 per team. Check each trail’s information page for its cost.
How many people can I have per team?
There is no limit to the number of people that you have in a team, although for the best experience we recommend 2-4 players per team.
How many people can I organise an event for?
You can register a maximum of 4 teams to compete against each other through our online sign-up process (up to 16 people). For games of more than 4 teams, we can set up multi-team events for an almost unlimited number of players on your behalf. Simply contact [email protected] for the latest options available.
Can I change my team details after I have signed up?
If you would like to add other players to receive your team’s clues either before or during the game, ask your event organiser or a member of your team that is already confirmed to send you an ‘invite’ link to join the team. Players can be removed from a team by the player themselves or by the event organiser. Team names cannot currently be changed once submitted.
When can I play Urban Hunt?
You can play anytime within 6 months 12 months (due to COVID19) upon signing up for your Hunt. You must commence play within the specified time period on the day. For example, if a trail states that play must commence Tue - Sun between 10am - 4pm, you must START your hunt between these times. Some clues can take you inside of cafes, shops, museums, galleries or bars and these time restrictions ensure teams can complete the trail in full. If you wish to play leisurely, try to start at least an hour before the latest start time.
How long will the trail take?
The average time it takes to complete a trail can be found on the trail details on the Urban Hunt website or through Facebook Messenger. The average duration of a trail is automatically updated based on previous teams. If you would like to take a leisurely pace without time constraints, please ensure you start the trail well before the last indicated time.
For museum trails, will we have time to look around the other exhibits whilst we do the trail?
Yes, we have specifically designed the museum trails so that visitors can take their time exploring the collection. After each question your time is paused so you can experience all the museum has to offer. Simply click ‘Next clue’ when you are ready to move on.
What if I run out of time during a hunt and want to pause?
We offer each team one 6-month extension on their trail. To initiate an extension on your trail, visit your support page and select the ‘Pause Game’ option. Please be aware that on our museum trails, you will need to re-purchase admission to re-enter a museum on a different day.
Will I be able to solve a trail if I don’t know the city?
If you don't know the city you can still solve the clues, just use a map or ask a local! Knowing the trail area may benefit you on a few clues but isn't likely to be the deciding factor on who wins the Hunt. Our answers are designed so that you can’t just search them online, you need to be there in person!
Will my phone work for Urban Hunt?
Currently Urban Hunt works only through Facebook Messenger. This means that your team captain will need a Facebook account to play. We recommend that you have the latest version of the Facebook Messenger app installed for the best experience.
Can I receive my team’s clues on a second device?
Yes! The event organiser or other confirmed players can invite other players to their team(s) via their event dashboard. Each team can have up to 4 players receiving their clues
Will multiple teams end up just following each other?
Our public trails each have one start location and follow one route from start to finish. The cryptic nature of our clues generally staggers how long it takes to figure out their answer and spreads teams out.
For events of more than 4 teams, we offer multi-team trails with randomly-assigned staggered starts at different points around a trail and a live leaderboard exclusive to your event. Please get in touch for more information, by emailing [email protected]
Will we have any breaks?
Yes. Each trail usually includes scheduled refreshment breaks that you can choose to take or skip.
Is it suitable for children?
Absolutely! These trails are suitable for all ages, particularly when playing as a family group. Please make sure that if you do want to enjoy a hunt with your children, they are supervised at all times.
Gameplay
How do we sign up for a Hunt?
Browse our selection of trails online and sign-up to your favourite by clicking the ‘Sign Up’ button on your preferred trail page. Follow the prompts to pay and confirm your event. Once your payment is processed, you’ll be redirected to your event dashboard from where you can name your teams if you haven’t already and/or invite other players to receive the clues for your team(s). You’ll also receive an email with a link to your event dashboard for you to easily revisit the page at other times.
How do we begin a Hunt?
Once you've signed up, click the ‘Play Now’ button on your event dashboard to begin your game. You will be redirected to Facebook Messenger, where you should click ‘Get Started’ to connect with Urban Hunt. You’ll receive a START button in your chat. Make your way to your start location and click to begin. Any person confirmed as a player of a team can start their team’s game by following this process.
If there are multiple teams in your hunt, each team will need at least one player to have joined their team on the event dashboard in order to play. One player per team will need to click the Play Now button from the event dashboard to launch Facebook Messenger and begin the hunt for their team.
How do I answer the questions?
Every time you receive a clue, your response to that message will be marked as your answer. Our answers are not case sensitive and for each clue there may be a few different answers we accept (e.g. if the answer is '17' we may accept 'seventeen' etc..).
Currently all answers are text-based so you just have to type your answer as a reply to the clue. We may introduce photo answers in the future, but for now please refrain from sending us anything but a text response unless we specify.
How long does it take to receive a reply?
Generally you should get a reply within 10 seconds. If you are in an area with poor reception you can ‘invite’ another team member on a different phone network to receive your team’s clues from the event dashboard.
If you have not received anything within a minute, please tap the blue menu to the left of the text box and visit our support page for troubleshooting and to reboot your session.
Why aren't I receiving a response?
Check your internet connection and that your last message has been delivered. Don't forget that museums and many cafes and bars offer visitors free Wifi that you can use!
Why do I keep being told my answer is incorrect?
Trails are designed to be cryptic, so often the correct answer is not always the first one that comes to mind. Make sure you re-read the clue to check exactly what it is asking, and use a hint or hot hint to simplify. If you are still convinced that you have the correct answer, skip the clue and email [email protected] and we will look into it for you.
What is the difference between a hint and a hot hint?
Urban Hunt offers you the option to receive a hint or hot hint to simplify clues you are finding difficult. A hint helps you to work out where you must go and a hot hint is for when you think you have arrived where the answer should be, but can’t find it. Your first hint and hot hint of the trail are both without penalty. Your team will incur a 10 minute time penalty for each hint or hot hint thereafter, but a 30 minute penalty if you skip the question completely. It’s therefore definitely better to use the hints rather than skip!
I have an unanswered question or problem and need help!
For general support, visit our support page under the support tab on your home dashboard. Once your event is set-up, you can also access gameplay support from your event dashboard. If you still need assistance, please email [email protected].
Trail Builder
How do I create my own trail with Urban Hunt?
Visit our build page and get started by selecting either our personal or premium option. You’ll be directed to the trail builder where you can enter details such as your trail name and start location. Once complete, use the tabs across the top to move on to creating your questions and publishing your creation to access a link to invite others to play your trail.
What is the difference between the personal and premium trail builder?
Personal trails allow you to create a free scavenger hunt of up to 10 clues for a single team using some of our classic features, perfect for a personalised birthday, proposal or celebration activity. It allows you to put your creativity into action to make a thoughtful gift or perhaps engaging entertainment for friends, family or the kids that doesn’t cost a cent.
Premium trails allow up to 5 teams of 4 players to simultaneously compete in a multi-team event with a dedicated live leaderboard. As with a personal trail, you still create all the content, but you can share your event with up to 20 players and choose whether teams are scored on speed (time) or accuracy (points). Premium trails are an awesome solution for tailored small team socials for colleagues, sports clubs or hens parties.
How many times can my trail be played?
Both personal and premium trails can be tested unlimited times by the creator, but can only be played once in one single event. With premium trails, there’s the option to purchase multiple event licenses if you would like to run the same trail over multiple events - get in touch with [email protected] for more information.
How do I invite people to play my trail?
Navigate to the publish tab at the top of the trail builder and put your trail live by clicking Publish. An invite URL link will then appear for you to copy and share with your players. Players will need to sign-in or register with Urban Hunt and can then use your trail URL link to access your event dashboard. Players can name and join teams on the event dashboard and invite others. Alternatively, the organiser can choose to name and invite players to specific teams.
How many people can play the trail I created?
Personal trails can be played by one team of up to 4 people, whereas premium trails can be played by up to 5 teams of 4 people (a maximum of 20 total). All players can be added to teams before the event begins to receive the clues to their own device, by the invitation process outlined above.
Can multiple teams play my trail at once?
Yes, but only on premium trails. You can upgrade a personal trail to premium by clicking the Upgrade button at the top of the trail builder. If you would like to create an event for more than 5 teams, please get in touch about our custom options by emailing [email protected].
Can I set up a leaderboard for my trail?
Premium trails have a live leaderboard automatically included. Players can view this leaderboard during gameplay by typing #position or alternatively the leaderboard is viewable on the event dashboard.
Can my premium trail be played on multiple events?
Premium trails come with a single event licence, however there is the option to purchase multiple event licences if you would like to run the same trail over multiple events - get in touch with [email protected] for more information.
Can I charge people to play my trail?
No, both personal and premium trails created using Urban Hunt cannot be sold. If you are interested in creating trails that are available for purchase to the public, please get in touch about becoming an Urban Hunt trail creator by emailing [email protected].