What is HuntGo?

HuntGo turns the real world into your playing field. With your phone, GPS and a group of players, you head outside for a Hunt filled with pursuit, strategy, teamwork and surprises.

Do you know games or shows where hunters try to track down a fugitive player, such as the Dutch TV format Jachtseizoen? Then you will immediately recognise part of the experience. But HuntGo aims to go much further than just chasing. It is being developed as a platform for different GPS games, roles and challenges that you can play again and again.

Start with Hunters versus Runners

One of the best-known and easiest game modes to understand is Hunters versus Runners. The runners try to stay out of the hunters’ hands, while the hunters use GPS, teamwork and smart decisions to find them.

Before the Hunt starts, the host can determine things such as the playing area, game duration, head start for the runners and the available game options. As soon as the head start is over, the real chase begins.

The hunters do not necessarily see the exact location of the runners continuously. Location information can become available at configured GPS intervals. This means the game is not only about following a marker, but mainly about predicting: which route did a runner take after the last location update?

Running fast is not enough. Choose your routes, work together, use information at the right moment and try to predict what the opposing team will do. A good strategy can be just as important as speed.

Caught? Then the jail comes into play

When the jail feature is enabled during a Hunt, being caught does not automatically mean that the game is over for a runner.

A captured runner is sent to the configured jail location. From that moment, the game changes: the remaining runners must decide whether they continue escaping safely or attempt to rescue their teammate.

At the same time, the hunters face an additional tactical choice. Do they continue the chase at full force, or do they take into account a possible rescue attempt at the jail?

The jail transforms a straightforward chase into a much more strategic team game. A successful rescue mission can completely change the course of the Hunt.

Game mode Infection

Not every Hunt has to revolve around hunters chasing runners. In Infection mode, the balance between players changes throughout the game itself.

At the start, part of the group begins as infected players. Their objective is to find and infect the remaining players.

When a player is caught, they are not eliminated from the game. Instead, they switch sides and become part of the infected team.

As a result, the infected group keeps growing throughout the Hunt, while the number of uninfected players becomes smaller and smaller.

At the beginning, the free players may still have plenty of space and opportunities to escape. As more players become infected, staying out of reach becomes increasingly difficult.

The final uninfected players therefore have to become smarter with their routes, information and teamwork.

The objective of Infection

For the infected players, the objective is simple: eventually infect everyone.

For the remaining players, the challenge is survival. Stay out of the hands of the infected group and remain uninfected for as long as possible.

Because captured players immediately switch teams, the balance of the game can change completely within just a few minutes. A player who helped you escape earlier may suddenly be chasing you shortly afterwards.

This makes Infection faster, more chaotic and more unpredictable than a traditional Hunters versus Runners Hunt.

Turn your surroundings into a playing field

With HuntGo, you are not limited to one standard map or fixed location. The host can determine the area in which the Hunt takes place.

This means a park, neighbourhood, holiday park, school camp, sports complex or event location can suddenly become a complete playing field.

The playing area becomes part of the strategy. A large open route plays very differently from an environment with many streets, paths, bridges or possible directions.

That makes every Hunt different. A route that worked perfectly yesterday may turn out to be completely wrong in another location.

Decide how your Hunt is played

HuntGo is deliberately not built around one fixed set of game rules. The host gets different options to adapt a Hunt to the group and the location.

Depending on the selected game mode and available features, settings may include:

• the total game duration;
• the runners’ head start;
• GPS and location intervals;
• the playing area;
• the jail;
• available roles;
• the use of a spy;
• the use of guardians or game supervisors;
• power-ups and tactical game actions;
• the players and teams taking part.

A short Hunt in a small area can therefore be fast and intense, while a longer Hunt in a larger area can focus much more on planning, cooperation and strategy.

More roles. More strategy.

In addition to hunters and runners, game modes can include extra roles. This means not every player has to do exactly the same thing and creates more ways to work together.

The Hunter

The hunters try to find and catch the runners. They use available location information, communication and teamwork to do so.

A good hunter does not only look at where a runner has been, but mainly tries to predict where that player is going next.

The Runner

The runner tries to stay out of the hunters’ hands until the Hunt is over. Moving smartly, choosing unexpected routes and using available options at the right moment can make all the difference.

The fastest route is therefore not always the best route.

The Spy

When the game settings allow it, an additional tactical role can be added: the spy.

The spy can receive additional information or a different objective within a game mode. This creates uncertainty between players and makes teamwork much more exciting.

Who can you trust? And which information is actually correct?

The Game Supervisor

A game supervisor does not necessarily have to participate as a regular hunter or runner. This role can be used to maintain an overview, guide players and provide assistance when necessary.

This can be especially useful with younger players, larger groups, school camps, sports clubs or organised events.

Use power-ups at the right moment

A Hunt does not have to revolve around GPS and speed alone. Tactical power-ups can temporarily change the game and force players to make different decisions.

The available power-ups depend on the game mode and settings.

Extra Ping

Hunters can use Extra Ping to receive additional location information. Timing is important. Using it too early could mean missing the moment when that information would have been far more valuable.

ONLINE

ONLINE is a tactical option for the hunters that can temporarily influence the location information available to the opposing team.

The purpose is not to give the hunters permanent control, but to create a strategic moment that can suddenly change the course of the chase.

Fake Ping

A runner can use Fake Ping to deliberately mislead the hunters.

A false location at exactly the right moment can cause hunters to lose valuable minutes while the runner moves in a completely different direction.

OFFLINE

With OFFLINE, a runner can temporarily try to influence their digital trail. This forces the hunters to rely even more on previous information, logical thinking and prediction.

ONLINE and OFFLINE are opposing game mechanics and are not used simultaneously.

Not just following a dot, but thinking ahead

An important part of HuntGo is that a GPS game does not automatically mean that everyone can continuously see exactly where other players are.

The moments between location updates are exactly what create tension.

A location tells you where someone was at a particular moment. After that, the real game begins: where could that player be now?

This turns GPS from a simple tracking function into an important part of the strategy.

Every Hunt can feel completely different

The combination of location, players, roles, game duration, GPS settings, jail and power-ups means that the same game mode can feel different every time.

You can choose a simple Hunt where the chase itself is the main focus, or a more advanced Hunt with extra roles, tactical options and more uncertainty.

The number of players also changes the game. Two teams in a compact area require a different approach from a large group spread across a much bigger playing field.

Game rules and fair play

HuntGo takes place in the real world. That means safety and responsible behaviour are always more important than winning.

Every Hunt should therefore follow a number of simple principles:

• always follow traffic rules;
• do not enter private property without permission;
• do not enter dangerous or restricted locations;
• respect other players and people in the surrounding area;
• do not use technical tricks to deliberately manipulate GPS or game information;
• make sure the selected playing area is suitable for the players taking part;
• stop or leave a situation whenever continuing to play is unsafe.

The smartphone supports the game, but common sense remains the most important rule of all.

And this is only the beginning

HuntGo is being developed as a platform for different GPS game modes. Hunters versus Runners and Infection already show how differently a Hunt can be structured.

We are also working towards even more possibilities and game concepts, including missions, checkpoints, Capture the Flag, smuggling games, King of the Hill and other GPS challenges.

New game modes do not have to be simple variations of a chase. GPS can also be used for missions, capturing areas, transporting objects, reaching checkpoints or working together against other teams.

The goal is for HuntGo not to become one game you play a few times, but an app where you can experience a completely different Hunt again and again.

For young and old

HuntGo is designed for players aged 6 and above, but it is definitely not just for children. Teenagers, parents and even grandparents can join in together.

Not everyone has to be the fastest player. Searching, cooperating, planning, guiding and thinking strategically can be just as important.

This makes a Hunt suitable for groups of friends, families, school camps, sports teams, clubs and events.

Choose what fits your Hunt

HuntGo will offer different product levels: Free, Plus and Pro. This allows you to start easily and later choose more possibilities when you want to organise larger or more advanced Hunts.

Free is designed to discover HuntGo and start playing.

Plus offers more room and possibilities for larger groups.

Pro is designed for players, organisers and groups that want to get the most out of HuntGo.

The exact features available within each level may be expanded as HuntGo continues to develop.

Your phone actually gets you off the couch

HuntGo does not try to simply ban screen time. Instead, the smartphone becomes part of the outdoor game.

You use it for GPS, information, game actions and strategy, but the real adventure takes place outside.

Running, searching, hiding, working together, outsmarting each other and above all having fun together. Essentially the same things we used to do outside, but now with the possibilities of today.

Ready for your first Hunt?

Gather your players, choose the playing area, set up your Hunt and get ready to head outside.

Because once the Hunt begins, the real world is no longer just your surroundings. It is your playing field.