How to make your own treasure hunt

A step-by-step guide — build your first treasure hunt in minutes.

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A treasure hunt is a route where the player moves from station to station, solving riddles and following clues. Stations can be physical (a QR code at a location) or virtual (a link). Here is how to build one:

Four steps to build one

  1. 1

    Plan the route

    Decide where the hunt takes place (home, garden, city) and pick the spots where you will hide clues.

  2. 2

    Create stations

    In the editor you add elements to each station: a text clue, a question, a code lock, a photo, a task or a word puzzle. A station can hold several elements, shown to the player one after another.

  3. 3

    Generate QR codes

    Generate a QR code for each physical station, print it and place it on site. Players scan these with their phones.

  4. 4

    Publish and share

    Publish the hunt and send the first QR code or link to the player. From there they walk the route on their own.

Two finished hunts you can copy

Indoors, 5 stations, 20 minutes

For a birthday when you cannot leave the house. The present waits on top of the wardrobe. One station per room, so the clues never get mixed up.

  1. 1.Front door — text clue: "Where the morning starts, there is the first letter." The QR code taped to the fridge is next.
  2. 2.Kitchen — question: "Which cake did you ask for three times last week?" The right answer opens the way.
  3. 3.Living room — photo station: a close-up of one book on the shelf. The next QR code is inside that book.
  4. 4.Bathroom — code lock: the four digits written on the mirror, readable only in steam. Hint: "Breathe on it."
  5. 5.Bedroom — a text clue pointing at the top of the wardrobe, with a photo of the wrapping.

Garden hunt for children, 6 stations, 30 minutes

For ages 6–10. Short, loud, physical stations: the point is not the puzzle but the running between clues.

  1. 1.Terrace — info card with the rules and the team name.
  2. 2.Sandpit — task: find three pebbles and stack them. The next code is under the stone.
  3. 3.Tree — question: how many branches grow from the one above the gate? (the answer is the code)
  4. 4.Garden tap — picture puzzle: a photo of the sprinkler with the next location half visible behind it.
  5. 5.Garden furniture — word puzzle; the assembled word names the hiding place.
  6. 6.Pantry — the treasure: a box with sweets and a treasure-hunter certificate.

Where most first hunts go wrong

  • Walk the route yourself before you put the codes out — half a minute between stations is good, five minutes is too much.
  • One task per station. Three puzzles in one place kills the momentum.
  • Write a hint for every code lock, referring back to the previous station, so getting stuck is not the end of the game.
  • Turn on ordered play when the route has a spatial logic — without it any code can be scanned at any time.
  • Print the codes the day before and test each one with a phone: a badly cut code will not scan.
  • No printer? Write the station codes on paper — a player can join with a code instead.

Ready to start?

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