Download MP3Welcome to Seekt: The Simple Scavenger Hunt App
This podcast is intended as a deep dive and complete overview for anyone new to Seekt.
Let's Talk about Some Seekt Basics
Seekt is a scavenger hunt application for iPhone and Mac, created by Bussière Organizational. It allows anyone to design, host, and play scavenger hunts using their phone. Everyone can host for free with one player device to test their hunts. When you are ready for larger groups, paid plans are available as one-time purchases that scale based on group size — from small gatherings up to large institutional events. The host's own device does not count toward the limit. There are no subscriptions, no advertisements, and no recurring fees. The tagline is "The Simple Scavenger Hunt App," and the design philosophy reflects that: a host can create a hunt with nothing more than a list of items and a timer, but the app also offers a deep set of optional tools for those who want a richer experience.
How It Works at a Glance
A host creates a hunt by adding items — things for players to find, photograph, answer, or collect. When the hunt is ready, the host creates a game from it, which generates a unique join code and a QR code. Players scan the QR code or type the join code into the app, pick or create a team, and wait for the host to start. Once the game begins, teams race to complete items, submit evidence, and climb the leaderboard. The host watches everything unfold from a live dashboard, reviewing submissions, sending announcements, and monitoring team safety. When the timer runs out or the host ends the game manually, final scores are locked and results are available for everyone to see.
Creating a Hunt
The host begins by naming the hunt and optionally adding a description. From there, items are added one at a time. Each item starts with a clue (which is the instruction or question that players will see) and also a point value. Beyond that, the host can choose from a range of item types and optional features, or leave everything at the defaults for a simple, straightforward hunt.
The app comes with a pre-built library of twenty ready-to-use scavenger hunt items covering common activities like finding something of a particular colour, photographing a landmark, collecting a natural object, or recording a short video. Hosts can use these items as-is, modify them to suit their event, or create entirely new items from scratch. Hosts can also save their own items to a personal library for reuse in future hunts, building up a collection over time.
Item Types
Seekt supports several types of items, each suited to different kinds of challenges.
The most common type is photo and video evidence. Players photograph or record a short video clip of whatever the clue describes, and the host can review the submission later. GPS coordinates are recorded automatically with each submission, so the host can see exactly where evidence was captured.
Text and numeric answers allow the host to ask questions that players answer by typing. These can be configured for automatic scoring, where the answer must match exactly, or for manual review, where the host reads the response and decides whether to accept or reject it. Numeric answers work the same way but restrict the input to numbers.
Multiple choice items present players with a question and four possible answers. The host marks the correct answer during hunt creation, and submissions are scored automatically and immediately.
Photo matching items let the host upload a reference photograph as the clue. Players must find the real-world subject of the photograph and submit their own photo of it. The host reviews the match.
Multi-part items require players to submit more than one photo or video for a single item. Progress is shown to the player as they work through the parts, such as "two of three submitted." This is useful for items that involve a sequence of actions or require collecting multiple related things.
Collect items are physical objects that must be brought back to a location, not just photographed. The item is marked with a distinct indicator so players know they need to retrieve something rather than simply take a picture of it.
Barcode scan items create product-finding challenges. The host scans a product's barcode during design and writes a clue hinting at the product without naming it. Players search for the product and scan its barcode, with a limited number of attempts set by the host.
Any item can also be designated as a power-up. When a team completes a power-up item, they earn a score multiplier that applies to their next several items, adding a layer of strategy to the order in which items are completed.
Location Triggers
Any item can be locked behind a GPS location. When a location trigger is set, the item appears in the player's hunt list but cannot be submitted until the player physically arrives within a specified radius of the target location. A directional arrow on the player's screen guides them toward the location, showing both the direction and distance remaining. Once they are close enough, the item unlocks and they can submit their evidence. The radius is configurable, with a default of fifty metres.
The Hint System
Hosts can attach hints to any item. Hints come in two forms: text hints, which are short written clues, and location hints, which place a pin on the map with an optional label. Multiple hints can be added to a single item.
Hints can be free or they can carry a point cost. When a hint has a cost, revealing it deducts points from the team's score, creating a strategic decision for players: spend points to get help, or try to figure it out on their own and keep the points.
Timing and Availability
Items can be configured with availability windows. A host can set an item to appear only after a certain number of minutes have elapsed since the game started, or to expire after a certain number of minutes. This creates waves of content during the game — some items available from the start, others appearing partway through, and some disappearing if not completed in time. Players are notified through the live news feed when timed items become available or are about to expire.
Hidden and Bonus Items
Items can be marked as hidden, which means they do not appear in the player's hunt list at all until they are unlocked. A hidden item is unlocked by completing a specific trigger item designated by the host. Until then, the hidden item appears as a blurred teaser in the list, hinting that something is waiting without revealing what it is. This creates a layered experience where completing one challenge opens the door to another.
Exclusive Items
An exclusive item can only be claimed by one team. The first team to submit a valid response earns the points and locks the item out for everyone else. Other teams see the item marked as claimed. This adds a race element to the game, encouraging teams to prioritize high-value exclusive items.
Scoring
Each item has a base point value set by the host. On top of that, the host can enable several optional scoring mechanics when starting a game.
Time-decay scoring causes items to lose value over time. The host sets a decay rate — a percentage of value lost per minute — and a floor, which is the minimum percentage the item can decay to. For example, an item worth one hundred points with a one-percent-per-minute decay rate and a ten-percent floor would be worth seventy points after thirty minutes and would never drop below ten points. Players see exactly how many points were deducted due to decay on each submission, so the scoring is transparent.
A first-finder bonus awards extra points to the first team that successfully submits any given item. This rewards speed and encourages teams to go after items quickly rather than saving them for later.
A streak bonus rewards teams that complete several items in a row. After three or more consecutive accepted submissions, the team earns bonus points. The streak resets if a submission is rejected.
These scoring options are all optional. A host who wants simple, fixed-point scoring can leave them all turned off.
The Game Zone
Hosts can define a game zone by drawing a polygon on a map. The game zone represents the physical boundary of the playing area. If a player submits evidence from outside the zone, the submission is flagged for the host's attention, and the player receives a live alert that they have left the playing area. When the player returns to the zone, they receive another alert confirming they are back inside. The game zone is visible on the map tab during gameplay for both players and the host.
Setting Up and Starting a Game
When the host is satisfied with the hunt, they create a game. This generates a unique six-character join code and a corresponding QR code. The join code uses a character set that avoids visually ambiguous characters, so there is no confusion between similar-looking letters and numbers.
Before starting the game, the host configures several options. They set an optional time limit by choosing a duration in hours and minutes. They can enable the scoring bonuses described earlier. They can set a check-in interval for player safety. They can designate a home base location, either using their current GPS position or by placing a pin on a map. And they can enable multi-member mode, which allows multiple players to join the same team from their own phones.
Once everything is configured, the host starts the game. The status changes from waiting to active, the timer begins, and players can start submitting.
How Players Join
Players open the app and either scan the QR code using the built-in scanner or type the join code manually. The app looks up the game and presents the player with the option to create a new team or, if multi-member mode is enabled, to join an existing team.
When creating a team, the player enters a team name and their own name. They become the team captain and are taken directly into the game.
When joining an existing team, the player enters their name and submits a join request. The team captain sees the request on their phone and can approve or reject it. While waiting, the player sees a "Waiting for Approval" screen that polls for the team captain's decision every few seconds. If approved, the player enters the game. If rejected, the player is notified and can try again or join a different team.
Team Management
In multi-member mode, each team has a captain and one or more regular members. The captain is the player who created the team. The captain can approve or reject join requests, and can transfer leadership to another approved member at any time. Regular members can leave the team voluntarily. The team roster is accessible during the game and shows all approved members with the captain indicated by a crown icon. Members are listed with the captain at the top, followed by other members in the order they joined.
Each team member uses their own phone and can submit evidence independently on behalf of the team. All submissions contribute to the same team score.
The Gameplay Experience
Once the game is active, players see a tabbed interface with three sections: the hunt list, a map, and the leaderboard.
The hunt list is the primary view. At the top, a timer shows elapsed time and, if a time limit is set, the remaining time with a countdown. The countdown changes colour as time runs low — orange when fewer than ten minutes remain, red when fewer than five. Below the timer, the team's current score and the team name are displayed.
The hunt list itself shows every item in the game. Each item displays its clue, point value, and current status. Items that are available show a clean, tappable card. Items locked behind a location trigger show a directional arrow and distance. Items that have been completed show a checkmark and strikethrough. Partial multi-part items show progress. Exclusive items that another team has claimed are marked accordingly. Hidden items appear as blurred teasers until their trigger item is completed.
To keep groups spread out during the game, each team sees the items in a different randomised order. This randomisation is deterministic — it uses a seeded algorithm based on the game and team identifiers — so the order is consistent for each team member but different between teams.
The News Feed
During gameplay, a live news feed appears at the top of the hunt list. Feed items are short, colour-coded messages that inform the player of events happening in real time. These include rank changes on the leaderboard, another team taking the lead, a tie forming between teams, a close gap between the player's team and the one ahead or behind, new teams joining the game, submission rejections by the host, first-finder bonuses earned, streak bonuses awarded, exclusive items being claimed by other teams, bonus items unlocking, timed items becoming available or expiring, timer warnings at key thresholds, zone violations, bonus time being added by the host, and the completion of all items. Feed items appear with a brief animation and dismiss themselves automatically after a few seconds. The feed can be toggled off by players who prefer a cleaner view.
Game Tips
When a game starts, players see contextual tips based on the features active in that particular game. If the game includes hints with costs, a tip explains the trade-off. If there are exclusive items, a tip explains the first-claim mechanic. Tips appear as green cards at the top of the hunt list and can be dismissed individually. They are designed to onboard players to the specific mechanics of the game they are playing, so a simple game with no special features shows no tips at all.
Submitting Evidence
When a player taps an item, the app opens the appropriate submission interface based on the item type.
For photo and video items, the player can take a photo with the camera, choose one from their library, record a short video, or select a video from their library. Videos are automatically compressed and trimmed to a maximum of ten seconds. The player's GPS location is captured at the moment of submission. For multi-part items, the interface guides the player through each part in sequence, showing progress along the way.
For text and numeric answers, a text field appears where the player types their response. If the item is configured for automatic scoring, the result is immediate — correct or incorrect. If configured for host review, the submission is marked as pending and the player sees a confirmation that their answer has been sent for review.
For multiple choice items, four options are displayed and the player taps their selection. The result is immediate.
After submission, the player sees a result screen showing the points awarded, including any deductions for decay or bonuses earned. For items pending host review, the screen indicates the submission is awaiting review.
The Map
The map tab shows the game zone boundary as a semi-transparent blue polygon, team positions as colour-coded markers with labels, and photo and video submissions as pins on the map. Players can tap a pin to see the submission details, including the team name, item clue, thumbnail, and timestamp. The map updates every five seconds.
The Leaderboard
The leaderboard tab shows all teams ranked by score, with the team name, current score, and number of items completed. It updates automatically every ten seconds. On the host dashboard, tapping a team on the leaderboard expands it to show the names of all team members, with the team captain clearly marked. Teams with multiple members display a member count badge next to the team name.
Announcements
The host can send announcements to all teams or to a specific team at any time during the game. Announcements appear as orange cards in the player's hunt list, showing the message text and timestamp. Players can dismiss announcements individually.
The Host Dashboard
While the game is running, the host has access to a live dashboard. The dashboard shows the current game status, a QR code for late joiners, the live leaderboard, and a count of pending submissions.
The host can review submissions as they come in. Each submission shows the team name, item clue, submitted photo or video, GPS coordinates, timestamp, and whether the submission was inside the game zone. The host can accept or reject each submission. Accepting awards the configured number of points. Rejecting awards no points to the team and allows the team to resubmit. The host can also manually adjust the points awarded on any submission, increasing or decreasing them from the default.
The host can send announcements at any time, either to all teams or to a specific team. The host can extend the game timer by adding bonus minutes, and players are immediately notified with a "Bonus Time" alert and see the extra time reflected on their countdown. The host can also end the game early if needed.
For safety, if check-ins are enabled, the host's game dashboard shows which teams have checked in recently and which are overdue. This gives the host visibility into team activity and helps the host identify if a team may need attention.
The dashboard includes a slideshow mode that displays submitted photos in sequence, suitable for projecting via AirPlay after the game for a group review of the best submissions. Individual photos and videos can also be shared directly from the app.
Safety Check-ins
When the host enables check-ins and sets an interval, each team's captain is periodically prompted with a "Safety Check-in" dialog asking if the team is okay. The prompt appears at the configured interval, measured from the time of the last check-in. If the captain acknowledges the check-in, the timer resets. If the team does not check in, the host sees them flagged as overdue on the dashboard.
Home Base
The host can set a home base location when starting a game. This is the location where players should return when the game ends or when they have completed all items. A directional arrow, similar to the one used for location-triggered items, guides players back to home base, showing direction and distance. The host can set home base to their current location with a single tap or choose a custom location on the map.
Offline Mode
Seekt is designed to work in environments where cellular or Wi-Fi connectivity may be intermittent. When a player loses their connection, the app switches to offline mode automatically. Submissions are saved locally in a queue, along with their GPS coordinates and timestamps. When connectivity returns, the queue syncs automatically, uploading all pending submissions to the server. Players see an indicator showing how many submissions are queued. The app also offers a manual sync button if needed.
Randomised Item Order
To prevent all teams from heading to the same location at the same time, each team sees the hunt items in a different order. The randomisation is deterministic, using a seeded algorithm that produces the same order every time for a given team but a different order for each team. This means if a team member closes and reopens the app, their item order remains consistent, but their order differs from every other team's order.
Synchronised Display Updates
The app polls the server at regular intervals for updated game data — every ten seconds for the main game view and host dashboard, and every five seconds for the map and team roster. To ensure that updates appear at roughly the same time across all devices, the app aligns its display updates to fixed wall-clock boundaries. Regardless of when each device's poll happens to fire, the fetched data is displayed at the next aligned boundary. This means that announcements, leaderboard changes, and other updates appear within the same one-second window across all phones, creating a consistent shared experience even without push notifications.
Hosting Plans
Playing is always free. Everyone can host for free with one player device to test and preview their hunts before committing to a plan. Paid plans are one-time purchases that scale based on group size, from small gatherings up to large institutional events. The host's own device is not counted toward the limit. Plan details are available on the Seekt website and within the app.
If a game reaches its device limit and another player tries to join, the host is notified on their dashboard and can upgrade on the spot. The new limit takes effect immediately on the active game, so nobody has to start over. The current plan is accessible from the home screen of the app, where an icon in the top corner displays the plan name.
Platform Availability
Seekt is available on iPhone running iOS seventeen or later. It is also available on Apple Silicon Macs through the Mac App Store, where hosts can take advantage of the larger screen for designing hunts and managing games.
The Website and Demo
The Seekt website at seekt.ca serves as the public-facing landing page for the app. It provides an overview of features, a section explaining how the app works for both hosts and players, a list of use cases, and a frequently asked questions section.
The website also includes an interactive demo that simulates the player experience directly in a web browser. The demo renders a mockup of the iPhone interface with a functioning hunt list, leaderboard, map, and news feed. Items complete automatically over time, scores update, the leaderboard shifts, and feed items appear — all without requiring a download or account. The demo is designed to give prospective users a feel for what gameplay looks like before they install the app.
Who Is It For?
Seekt is designed for anyone organising a group activity where participants need to find things, go places, or complete challenges. It has been built to be flexible enough for casual birthday parties where the host simply lists ten things to find in the backyard, and structured enough for corporate team-building events with location-triggered challenges, timed availability windows, and competitive scoring. Schools use it for field trips. Youth groups use it for camps. Families use it for reunions and holiday activities. Event organisers use it for city tours and neighbourhood scavenger hunts. The common thread is that the host wants to create an engaging, competitive, and well-organised experience without needing any technical expertise or complex setup. A hunt can be created in minutes, shared with a single QR code, and played by any number of teams.
Seekt was built in Canada but can be used worldwide.