York's Haunting File: Self-Guided Exploration Game

DISCLAIMER: You will explore by yourself using the Questo app on your phone. No physical guide or stranger groups involved. The full route covers about 2.6 km (1.6 mi) and takes around 1:30h to complete. You can play any day, at any time. Languages available: EN.

This is a self-guided exploration game played through the shadowed alleys of York. You will explore 13 different locations while playing as a new recruit of the Bureau of Otherworldly Observation, handed a file on the city's restless dead that nobody has ever managed to close. At each location, you will solve a real-world puzzle by searching for clues around on statues, monuments or facades, and receive the instructions for the next chapter. The game focuses around the old town, mixing real historical facts with local legends. Perfect for ghost-story fans, mystery lovers and urban explorers.

Starting from York Castle Museum, the stops are spaced on average 200m apart, with each location taking around 5-10 min to complete. Along the way, you'll learn cool fun facts like that the York Castle calendars of prisoners survive year by year and list every prisoner, every charge and every sentence.