Help • Urban Trails™

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I start playing after purchase?

What if I don't receive my access code?

What should I wear?

How long does a tour take?

Can multiple people join the same session?

Does it work offline or with low signal?

Yes — the core game continues even if your signal drops. Once you’ve started, the trail is cached on your device so puzzles, directions, and your progress keep working.

There are just a few things to know:

Streaming media such as audio or video may need a connection to load, so it might not appear until you have signal again.
If you refresh the web page while you have no reception, your browser can’t reload the game and will show a “no connection” message. When that happens, just move somewhere with signal and reload — you’ll pick up from the last point where you were online.
If your GPS struggles to get a fix, you’ll see an in-game fallback option so you can keep playing without a perfect location lock.

Can I change text size or colour mode?

What if my GPS isn’t working?

Is it suitable for children?

Game Rules

Core Play

1
Observe, don’t Google: Solve puzzles using what you see and the story context. Looking up answers online is against the spirit of play and may spoil the experience.
2
Stay in sequence: Complete each stop in order unless the app explicitly allows skipping.
3
No tampering: Don’t move, modify, or hide any physical clues or public property.
4
Be considerate: Don’t obstruct paths, doorways, or other players. Keep noise low in quiet areas.

Hints & Answers

1
Hints reveal sequentially: Hint 1 → Hint 2 → Show Answer.
2
Each hint or answer reveal applies a time penalty of +2:30.
3
Submitting the correct answer hides the hint panel to prevent accidental penalties.

Fair Play

1
Do not share puzzle solutions publicly; avoid spoilers for other players.
2
No brute force: avoid trying long lists of answers quickly to guess the solution.
3
Respect the timer: pausing or backgrounding the app may not pause Race Mode.

Safety & Conduct

1
Watch traffic and obey crossings; keep to public areas and respect private property.
2
Follow venue rules—especially libraries and colleges; keep noise low in quiet zones.
3
Be aware of surroundings; don’t put yourself or others at risk to get a clue.

Accessibility

Urban Trails is designed to be as accessible as possible on your device, but the physical routes themselves take place in real streets and historic areas, which we cannot alter.

Digital experience

The game runs in your browser and supports light and dark modes, adjustable text size, audio narration, captions and transcripts. Once your trail is loaded, you can continue playing even if your signal drops, and your progress will resync when you’re back online. These features are intended to make the digital side of the experience as inclusive and flexible as possible.

Other considerations

Race Mode includes a visible timer and hint penalties, which some players may find stressful. Casual Mode removes time pressure and may provide a more comfortable experience. If you use a screen reader or other assistive technology and encounter any issues, please let us know so we can continue improving accessibility across the digital experience.

Physical accessibility

Each Urban Trails mission involves walking through real city streets, pathways and public spaces. Many of these areas include gradients, uneven or cobbled surfaces, kerbs, steps, narrow pavements and busy road crossings. Because we rely on the existing layout of the city, we aren’t able to modify or guarantee accessible routes.

For this reason, the experience may not be suitable for wheelchair users or for people who find walking long distances difficult or painful. Some puzzles also require reading plaques, carvings or other architectural details at specific viewpoints.

We want everyone to enjoy Urban Trails, so if you’re unsure whether a route is right for you, please feel free to contact us before booking.

Contact

If you’d like to discuss accessibility before booking, or share feedback after completing a trail, use the contact form below or the support email address listed beneath it.

Still Need Help?

support@urbantrails.com

We aim to reply within 24 hours.