How to play
Hide & Splash is a battle royale for outdoors: teams run around a park with their phones, pick up water balloons and throw them at each other – on the map, by pointing the phone at the other team. Outside the shrinking zone it rains. The last dry team wins.
What you need
- At least two teams, one phone each, with GPS and compass.
- Chrome on Android or Safari on iPhone. Firefox does not provide compass data.
- A park or open space without big roads – about 100 to 500 meters across.
- Optionally a host who follows the game on a live map.
Setting up a game
- Create a new game: tap the map to set the center, choose the radius, duration and how many items there are.
- Teams join with the QR code or the game code and choose a team name.
- The host starts the game. After a 10-second countdown the teams spread out.
Before the first game, try the sensor test: it shows whether GPS and compass work on your phone.
The zone and the rain
The zone (blue circle) shrinks in four phases; the next zone is shown as a dashed white circle. Outside the zone it rains, and the rain gets heavier with every phase. When the game time is over, a cloudburst starts: it rains everywhere, harder every second – so there is always a winner. A team without a GPS position for more than 30 seconds counts as outside.
Items
Water balloons and umbrellas lie on footpaths inside the zone. Walk to within about 10 meters to pick one up. You can carry up to three water balloons and one umbrella; new items appear regularly.
Water balloons
Point your phone at another team and throw. A water balloon flies up to 30 meters and hits every team in the blue cone. A hit makes a team 60% wetter. The team that was hit sees the direction the throw came from – but not where you are now.
Umbrella
An open umbrella lasts 10 seconds. It keeps the rain off and blocks water balloons from the direction your phone is pointing (±45°).
Winning
A team at 100% wetness is out. The last team left wins. If the host ends the game early, the driest team wins.
Tips
- Compass off? Move the phone in a figure eight a few times, away from cars and lamp posts.
- Aim with the top edge of the phone, or with the back camera when you hold it upright.
- The screen stays on during the game. Leaving the page is fine – you stay in the game, but without GPS it rains on you after 30 seconds.
- Look up while running – especially near roads. Never look at your phone while crossing a street.
- Only play on footpaths, in parks and on squares. No roads, railway tracks, building sites or private property.
- Children only play under supervision.
- You take part at your own risk.