How to play
Last updated: 5 October 2026
Quests in the real world, played in teams. Go to each place, take the photo or give the answer, and your phone checks it.
Rules may change during the beta. We will update this page when they do.
On this page
The game
Your organizer sets up a quest: a list of steps, a start place and a time limit. You join with the code from your organizer, give a name and pick your team. No account needed.
- Teams play the steps in order. The next step opens when your team is done with the one before.
- Your team’s time starts when you tap Start. When it runs out, your team can’t send anything more.
- Roles (Navigator, Photographer, Solver) are just labels with a tip. Anyone can do anything, and anyone in the team can change a role.
- Your organizer can send messages to your team or to all teams. Messages are one-way: you can’t reply. If you need something, use Need help.
- Need help sends your organizer a fixed choice, such as “We are lost” or “We need more time”. If someone is hurt, call 112 first: the free emergency number in Luxembourg and the whole EU.
- Surprise tasks are an optional bonus. Your organizer can send one with a timer and bonus points; it shows next to your current step. Do it for the bonus or skip it: skipping costs no points.
Steps
- Photo stepsTake a photo of what the step asks for: a place, a sign, an object. Only the BeaconStep camera works, never your gallery.
- Answer stepsType a short answer. Capitals, accents and extra spaces don’t matter.
Stuck? Tap Hint. It costs your team 20 points, once per step. After that the whole team can read it for free.
Zone and live check
- Be in the zoneMany steps have a place. Send your photo or answer from inside the circle around it. Your location must be accurate to 100 m or better. A weak signal uses no try: wait a moment and send again. A try sent from outside the circle does use a try. Some steps have no fixed place: do them anywhere in the play area, the big circle on the map.
- Live checkEach photo also shows a hand sign the app picks at random: 1 to 5 fingers, a thumbs-up, a peace sign or an open palm. It shows the photo was taken right there, right now.
Points
Each step gives its step points, usually 100, plus a speed bonus of 0 to 50 points.
The bonus depends on the target time T: the quest time divided by the number of steps. Time on a step counts from the moment the step opens for your team.
| Time on the step | Speed bonus |
|---|---|
| Up to T/2 | +50 |
| T | +25 |
| 1.5 T or more | 0 |
Example
A quest of 60 minutes with 6 steps: T = 60 ÷ 6 = 10 minutes.
- Step points
- 100
- Speed bonusDone in 4 minutes: under 5 minutes (T/2)
- +50
- Hint used
- −20
- Points for this step
- 130
Tries
Each step gives your team 3 tries. A wrong try costs time, not points: the clock keeps running, so the speed bonus gets smaller.
After the 3rd try, you choose:
- Ask organizer to reviewA person looks at your last try. Not possible when that try was outside the zone.
- Skip this step (0 pts)The next step opens. You can’t go back.
Organizer review
Sometimes a person checks instead of the app: when you ask for a review, when the AI isn’t sure, or when AI photo checks are off.
- Your team moves on to the next step at once. The step’s points wait for the organizer.
- Approved: the points are added to your score.
- Not approved: the step didn’t count. It gives 0 points and can’t be tried again.
Who wins
The team with the most points wins. If two teams have the same score:
- the team that used less time is ahead (counted from its own Start to its finish);
- if that is the same too, the team that used fewer hints.
Fair play
- Photos come only from the BeaconStep camera, never from the gallery.
- Our server checks the place, the time, the photo and the answer. The clock on your phone doesn’t count.
- Don’t photograph people who did not agree.
- While the game runs, your organizer sees where you are, also when your phone is locked. Nothing is saved, and sharing stops when the game ends. Lock your phone while walking: the game keeps going.
AI photo checks need the OK of the player who takes the photo. Without it, the organizer checks the photo. More in our Privacy notice.
Questions
Something unclear? Write to Support. You can write in English, French or German.