Run a manhunt for a big group

Hunting Game can run one manhunt for up to 100 players when the host has Pro. Only the host pays. Everyone else joins free on their own iPhone or Android phone, and leaders can referee from a map. Below is a 45-minute session plan, how to split teams, how big an area to pick, and what to sort out with parents before the day.

Why use an app for a big game

In a big game, most chasers never see a runner, and every catch turns into an argument. Hunting Game helps with both. Chasers see the runners on a map at each location update, and a catch is a 4-digit code from the runner's phone, so nobody has to tag, grab or chase anyone into a corner.

• Up to 100 players in one game with Pro. Free games hold 4, referees included.
• Only the host needs Pro. Everyone who joins plays free.
• iPhone and Android players join the same game with the same 5-digit join code.
• Each player needs their own phone, an account (Apple, Google or a code sent to their email), location access and mobile data for the whole game.
• Every player has to be 13 or older.

Check ages and phones before the day, so nobody is left out on the field.

Leaders as referees (Family mode)

Family mode is the one to use with a youth group. It adds referees, and leaders make good ones.

• A referee sees every player live on the map during the game.
• During the game, a referee can remove a player, and can end the game early by naming the winning team.
• Once the game starts, referees are hidden from the players in the app; the website's player list still shows them.
• Referees can message each other in the chat without the players seeing it.
• Referees take a spot each, so count them in your player total.
• The referee map helps you run the game. It does not replace supervision: positions can be wrong, late or missing, so keep leaders spread out and count everyone back in at the end.

The host drags players onto the referee side in the lobby, and the host can be a referee too. In the lobby, the host can also remove a player, and that account can't join that game again. Manhunt and Hide and Seek have no referees: switching to either mode turns any referee into a chaser. In Family mode the play zone never shrinks.

Show the game on a big screen

Open hunting-game.com/spectate on a laptop or a projector and type the join code. No account is needed. The screen lists every player, referees included, with names, photos, roles and who is hit by a Scan or Blackout. Once the head start ends, the map shows each team only as the other team sees it: runners where the chasers last saw them, and chasers when the runners can see them. Referees never appear on the map, and in Hide and Seek there is no map.

A big screen at the base gives caught players something to watch and makes the debrief easy. Tell the players first that the game is on screen, and keep that screen out of public view: anyone who sees the code can watch the game too.

A 45-minute session plan

Ask everyone to install the app and sign in before the day. The first sign-in asks for a date of birth and the first game asks for location access, and doing both with 40 people on a field eats into your session. Check the mobile signal at the site beforehand too, because every phone needs a connection during the game.

Teams

The host can put players into teams by hand, or switch on Random teams so the app picks them when the game starts. Referees aren't included in the random deal. Random teams make about a third of the players runners in Manhunt, and about half in Family and Hide and Seek. With "Caught runners become chasers" on, it's the other way round: about a third chase.

For a first game with a big group, that's a good starting point. If the chasers win in ten minutes, move a few players over to the runners before the next round. If nobody gets caught, do the opposite, or make the location updates more frequent.

Picking the area for your group size

• 10 to 20 players: about a 10-minute walk across, like a big park or a campsite.
• 20 to 50 players: 10 to 15 minutes across, like a school or university campus or a village center.
• 50 to 100 players: up to 20 minutes across, like a large park or several blocks of quiet streets.

Agree on the boundary out loud, walk the edges with the leaders first, and keep busy roads, railway lines and water outside it. With Pro, the host can also draw it in the app as a play zone, a circle or any shape. Anyone who leaves it gets a warning on screen (and an alarm, if notifications are on) and has 30 seconds to get back, or they're out. In Manhunt the host can let the zone shrink, which forces an ending in big areas.

Under-18s: consent and safety

• As the organiser, you choose the area and the rules, and you supervise your group. The app does not check whether a place is safe, and it is not a safety or emergency service.
• Hunting Game is for ages 13 and over. Check ages before you plan the session.
• Players under 18 need a parent's or guardian's agreement. Tell parents in advance what the app shares: their child's location with the players in the game while it runs, and the game on our website for anyone with the join code.
• Our Terms ask players under 18 not to play alone or after dark. That rules out the classic camp night game for under-18s, so run it in daylight.
• Keep the join code inside the group. Don't put it on a public screen or a social media post.
• Keep a leader at the base for the whole game, with a phone on loud.

The guide for parents explains who sees what and how long data is kept. It's a good link to send with your permission note.

Birthday parties (13 and up)

Manhunt fits a teen birthday party, and it doesn't need a big area. For 6 to 12 teenagers, a park or a few quiet blocks is enough.

• More than 4 players needs Pro for the host, so a parent with Pro can host the game. Pro renews automatically until you cancel it in the App Store or Google Play.
• Play three 15-minute rounds with random teams, so everyone gets to chase and run.
• Try one round of one runner against everyone, with the birthday person as the runner.
• At the end, everyone can make a share card of their route on the map, and nothing is posted unless they choose to share it.

School trips and camps

• Use Family mode, with leaders as referees spread across the area.
• Pick an area with clear edges, like a campsite, school grounds or a park, and keep roads and water outside it.
• Leave a leader at the base with the spectate screen and a first-aid kit.
• Make sure phones are charged before the game. The app uses GPS for the whole game.
• Check your school's or camp's rules on phones first, and get parents' agreement for under-18s.

Team building

Manhunt works for adult groups too, at a lunch break, an off-site or a company day.

• Use random teams to mix departments.
• Keep it to 30 minutes so it fits in a lunch break, in a park near the office.
• Put the spectate screen in a meeting room, so people who don't want to run can watch and cheer. Tell the players first that the game is on screen.
• Give the people who'd rather not run a referee role in Family mode.

Questions

Does everyone need Pro?

No, only the host needs Pro. Everyone who joins a Pro game plays free, and the game holds up to 100 players.

How many players can join?

Up to 4 in a free game, referees included, and up to 100 when the host has Pro. You need at least one chaser and one runner to start.

Does everyone need an account?

Yes. Every player signs in with Apple, Google or a 6-digit code sent to their email. The first sign-in asks for a date of birth, and players must be 13 or older.

Does everyone need their own phone?

Yes. Each player's phone shares its own position, so players can't share a phone. Spectators don't need the app or an account: they can watch on the spectate page in any browser, with the join code.