The 9 Best Vancouver Self-Guided City Games

1.Vancouver City Sightseeing Adventure: a murder mystery in Gastown

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 38 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $32Our pick

You’ll meet a detective near Waterfront Station, then work with a partner or small group to solve a murder while exploring Gastown. Expect 90 minutes to two hours of clues, walking, local landmarks, and time pressure. English instructions, mobile ticket, and outdoor play in all weather.

“Great way to see Gastown. Good for small groups visiting Vancouver for the first time or people wanting to get outside and play tourist in their own city”

Check availability →Read our full review

2.Vancouver City Sightseeing Adventure: spy game Secret Mission

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 23 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $32

You’ll receive a secret agent kit and follow clues through downtown Vancouver, from Granville Street and Sinclair Centre to the Marine Building and Bill Reid Gallery. This self-guided outdoor mystery covers 2 to 2.5 km, suits ages 12 and up, and runs in all weather.

“Witzig, spannend und interessante Hintergrund Geschichte. Unbedingt machen! Kurzweilige eine mini Stadtführung inklusive. Englisch Kenntnisse unbedingt erforderlich!”

Check availability →Read our full review

3.Private Vancouver Sightseeing Adventure: a Gastown murder mystery

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 19 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $31

Meet a costumed detective near Waterfront Station, form a team, and follow a 2 to 2.5 km route through Gastown. Your kit includes maps, evidence, clues, tools, and artifacts. The private game suits groups of 6 to 15, with larger bookings available.

“The game was exactly as advertised and was a mix of clues that were fairly easy to solve and some that were very tricky. Thanks for a fun couple of hours running around Gastown.”

Check availability →Read our full review

4.Foxtrail Scavenger Hunt – Amphibious Trail Vancouver

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 17 reviews · 3 hours 30 minutes (approx.)

Start in Yaletown and follow Foxtrail’s app-guided route through Vancouver, solving word puzzles, opening lockboxes, and spotting clues in the city. You set the pace, work in a group of up to six, and return to the starting point after roughly three and a half hours.

“DO NOT book with Foxtrail Canada. I rarely give negative reviews but I don’t want another family to be disappointed and out $. We attempted the Foxtrail Amphibious Trail Vancouver experience on March 16, 2024 at 1:40 p.m. At the very start, the lockbox at Martway that was to contain supplies was empty. Martway management didn’t have a solution. We left two urgent voicemails and an email with Foxtrail and waited for 90 minutes but never heard back. We went home a bunch of sad sacks. Two days later, we received an apologetic email from Patricia Monteiro with Foxtrail and were assured she had “initiated the process” for our refund.…”

Check availability →Read our full review

5.Foxtrail Scavenger Hunt – Compass Trail Vancouver

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 14 reviews · 3 hours (approx.)

You’ll start at 808 Beatty Street and follow Foxtrail Compass through Yaletown and downtown Vancouver. Use your phone, a physical toolkit, mechanical puzzles, AR features, and teamwork to crack codes and find hidden clues. The self-guided route takes about three hours and ends where it began.

“If you are looking for something to do in a sunny afternoon (or morning), I highly recommend Foxtrail! I’ve been living in Vancouver for more than 20 years and I enjoyed discovering the city with this activity in COMPASS trail. It was fun, creative, a great combination of physical clues, puzzles and AR in the app. It is suitable for the whole family.”

Check availability →Read our full review

6.Vancouver Old Town Treasure Hunt: Self-Guided Walking Game

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 12 reviews · 1 hour 30 minutes (approx.) · from $7Best value

Use the Questo app to solve 14 puzzles on a 90-minute walk from the Marine Building to Maple Tree Square. You’ll uncover Vancouver stories at Waterfront Station, the Steam Clock, Sun Tower, Sam Kee Building, and Gastown sites. The game works offline and lets you pause, skip, or resume when you like.

“We enjoyed the stories associated with each of the landmarks and the encouragement to look more closely at the architecture. The clues were fun (some pretty challenging). At the price, it's hard to go wrong”

Check availability →Read our full review

7.Private Vancouver Sightseeing Adventure: spy game Secret Mission

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 9 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $31

You’ll meet a costumed Special Agent, receive a spy kit, and follow clues through downtown Vancouver to the Marine Building, Granville Street, and Cathedral Place. This private, screen-free game covers about 2 to 2.5 km and suits groups of 7 to 15, with larger bookings possible.

“It was a lot of fun. The clues were clever, and made you work. The distance covered was manageable and we learned about some of the historic buildings in downtown. When polling our group the highlight was discovering a small beautiful little park which none of us knew was there. Would we do it again? Absolutely!”

Check availability →Read our full review

8.Vancouver Gastown Scavenger Hunt

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 7 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $15

Use the Explorial app and an access code to explore Gastown at your own pace. Solve riddles, find landmarks, answer questions, and complete photo challenges at Gassy Jack, the Steam Clock, Waterfront Station, and more. The private experience takes about one to two hours.

“It was an amazing opportunity to explore the city and have fun in family where a kid could also participate!”

Check availability →Read our full review

9.Vancouver City Sightseeing Adventure with Kids: Heroes & Villains

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 6 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $31

Join Vancouver Mysteries for a two-hour outdoor puzzle walk through downtown Vancouver. Your team gets a game book, map, and artifacts, then follows clues to the Olympic Cauldron, Convention Centre, seawall, float planes, and city sculptures. No phone is required.

“This scavenger hunt was so much fun for our family. Our 8-year-old absolutely loved the comic book style set-up, and it was a neat way for us as the adults to see a part of the city as well. The one piece that would have made the experience much better would have been for the meeting location to be at "location 1" instead of a 10-minute walk away from the scavenger hunt zone. Then having to walk back to the office at the end, too, was tough after so much walking earlier for our kiddo's little legs. Overall, it was a lot of fun and we'd recommend it, but would…”

Check availability →Read our full review