Virtual Scavenger Hunt Ideas & Sample Lists

You found our list of virtual scavenger hunt ideas!

Virtual scavenger hunts are remote games where players scramble to find items or fulfill challenges before time runs out. For example, a player may have to retrieve their favorite mug or take a selfie to earn points. The goal of these games is to have fun and encourage engagement for participants. These activities are also known as an Online Scavenger Hunt, Zoom Scavenger Hunt, Digital Scavenger Hunt or Virtual Treasure Hunt.

These hunts are online equivalents of office scavenger hunts and scavenger hunt ideas, and are examples of virtual team building exercises and of online games for remote teams. These activities are similar to a virtual amazing race.

If you would like to hold an online scavenger hunt of your own, then read on for our complete guide!

Virtual Scavenger Hunt Lists

Not sure what items or challenges to include in your virtual scavenger hunt? Here are some ideas that are suitable for teams with a wide range of ages, backgrounds, and interests.

• Standard Virtual Scavenger Hunt
• Virtual Scavenger Hunt for Students
• Virtual Scavenger Hunt for Kids
• Virtual Scavenger Hunt for Adults

Standard Virtual Scavenger Hunt

Here is a virtual scavenger hunt template that is suitable for a wide range of audiences.

• Adulting/self-help book or adult coloring book
• Coffee machine
• Movie with Sandra Bullock or Keanu Reeves (Double points if they’re both in the movie!)
• Hand sanitizer
• Selfie with your pet(s)
• View from your window
• Home office setup
• Homemade brownies
• Your dinner
• Movie ticket stubs
• Recreate a popular TikTok dance
• Face mask
• Teddy bear
• Pandemic board game
• Online shopping box
• Coupons
• Something you cannot live without
• Recreate an old family photo
• Recreate a famous work of art
• High school or college diploma
• Newspapers or magazines
• Favorite mug
• Perform a handstand

These virtual scavenger hunt ideas are a great starting point. We hope they help you compose a list that is tailor-fit for your team.

Virtual Scavenger Hunt for Students

Here is a template you can use for scavenger hunts with high school students, and college students.

Virtual Scavenger Hunt for Kids

This template is fun and colorful, and the clues are oriented toward virtual scavenger hunts for kids.

Virtual Scavenger Hunt for Adults

Adults love scavenger hunt games too! Here is a list of items you can search for.

Holiday Themed Treasure Hunt List

Here is a list that you can use for holiday parties, or otherwise during the winter season!

How to do a Virtual Scavenger Hunt

Setting up an online scavenger hunt is pretty simple. Here is a step-by-step guide on how to launch a successful game for your team.

1. Compile a list of items and challenges

A remote scavenger hunt lives and dies on the items or challenges that players need to gather or complete. When putting together your list, consider what your team members have lying around the house. Married couples and parents may own different belongings than younger or single employees.

To prevent every item from being a fetch quest, add some simple challenges, such as taking selfies with a pet, baking homemade brownies, or performing a handstand. The best digital scavenger hunt challenges are fun to do and have results that are easy to photograph or video.

After assembling your list, assign point values to each item and challenge. The more difficult items or challenges are worth more points.

Here is an entire list of scavenger hunt clues.

2. Gather your players

With the final list in hand, bring the team together and explain the rules. During this meeting, set a time frame for the Virtual Scavenger Hunt. We recommend giving your team 30 minutes to complete a 20-entry list. After everyone understands the rules, distribute your list to the team.

For a list of essential rules, take a look at the Virtual Scavenger Hunt Rules section below.

3. Unleash your players

Once your team receives your scavenger hunt list, the game officially begins. Use a countdown timer to help you and the players keep track of time. Your team does not need to stay connected via video conference during the game. However, players should feel free to message the host with questions if they have any.

When team members find an item or complete a challenge, they “check off” that entry by taking a photo or video. Players must submit completed entries by the end of the game.

4. Name the winner

After the timer runs out, stop accepting submissions. Look through each player’s submissions and calculate points. The team member with the highest score wins. If there is a tied score, then we like to use the tiebreaker of whichever team member who submitted first wins. Once you know who the champion of your virtual scavenger hunt is, announce the winning team member to the rest of your team.

5. Celebrate!

Now that you know who the victor is, leave time to celebrate with your team. Give rewards to the first, second, and third place champions. Ideas include gift cards, the chance to leave work early for the day, or a fun surprise in the mail. You can also ask your team to share fun stories from the scavenger hunt or explain the meaning behind various items they gathered. Virtual scavenger hunts are excellent team building activities because your team will come together and learn more about each other in the process.

Virtual Scavenger Hunt Rules

To ensure your scavenger hunt runs smoothly, your team needs to be on the same page about how the game works. Set these ground rules for your virtual scavenger hunt:

1. All items must be found on the premises; no leaving your location!
2. Each item can only be used once to fulfill an entry.
3. All photos or videos must be taken by the players—no screenshots, please!
4. Send all photos at once to avoid overwhelming the host with messages.
5. Any responses submitted after the time frame are ineligible.
6. Stay safe. At no point will the game require players to perform challenges that are dangerous or break the law.

With these rules, your team can play fairly and safely. Virtual scavenger hunts work best when players abide by the rules so that final scores can be easily and clearly calculated.

Have fun searching!

Conclusion

Virtual scavenger hunts are a fun, exciting and active way to bring people together online. You can do themed hunts, photo hunts and more. Your participants will enjoy getting up and out of their seats, plus having the opportunity to share more about what they find.

Next, check out our lists of free templates for virtual museum scavenger hunts, the best scavenger hunt apps, and this one with virtual escape rooms for team building.

We also have a list of photo scavenger hunt templates, holiday themed scavenger hunt clues and a guide to lightning scavenger hunts.