Near Hide and Seek

Play real-world hide and seek with friends. Near is the dedicated hide and seek app bringing your private game’s map, GPS clues, questions, and timers together.

HOW A REAL WORLD GAME OF HIDE AND SEEK WORKS

• Pick a playground: a city preset, your own drawn border, or a Public Borders board
• Split into hiders and seekers, with up to 4 teams
• Hiders get a hiding countdown to disappear on foot or by public transit
• Seekers ask questions, connect the answers, and close in
• Time Hidden climbs until the hiders are found, then swap roles and go again

SIX QUESTION TYPES

• Matching: is their nearest park, station, or landmark the same as yours? One answer confirms or kills a theory
• Measuring: who is closer to a chosen place? Splits the board in two
• Radar: are the hiders inside a circle you draw? Clears a whole neighborhood at a time
• Thermometer: move first, then find out whether you got warmer or colder
• Photo: request a picture and look for the one detail that gives them away
• Tentacles: which of several nearby places are the hiders closest to?

Near calculates location-based answers privately. Hiders check the result and send it when ready.

DEDUCE THE HIDING SPOT

• Apply supported answers to the map and shade the areas they cannot be in
• Keep your team's deductions and notes together as the hiding spots get fewer
• Follow rail lines, look up walking and transit directions, and measure before you commit
• Switch between Light, Dark, and Satellite maps

WHO NEAR IS FOR

Groups of friends, university clubs, youth groups, and families who would rather be outside than on a couch. It works best in a city with public transit and a group big enough for two teams.

LESS ORGANIZING, MORE OUTDOOR GROUP GAME

• Bring the crew together with a six-letter room code or invite link
• Share room messages and photo clues without leaving the game
• Save borders, add friends, and revisit your game history
• Roll dice, pick random numbers, and keep useful tools close by

WHAT YOU NEED

• A Near account to create a room or play as a hider or seeker, with Apple, Google, or email sign-in
• A shared spectator link to watch without an account; spectators cannot share location
• An internet connection, plus location access for location-based play

A LITTLE PERSONALITY FOR YOUR PIN

Use cosmetic Scout Points to customize your marker with colors and symbols. Optional tips support Near and award Scout Points. You can also choose to watch a rewarded video from Google AdMob. Points don't buy extra questions or a gameplay advantage. There are no banner or interstitial ads.

YOUR HIDING SPOT STAYS A SECRET

• Seekers aren't shown hiders' live coordinates
• For live presence, Near stores your latest position rather than a continuous location trail
• Limited question geometry stays with the game, and rooms expire after seven days
• Room photos are private to members and deleted with the room or within eight days
• See the Privacy Policy for details and retention periods

LIVE GAME LOCATION

Near collects location during your joined game, even when the screen is locked or another app is open, to keep team positions and location-based clues current. Stale positions can give incorrect clues. A visible Android location service continues play; optional Allow all the time access helps resume the same game after a phone restart or app update. Leave the room or tap Stop Sharing to stop. Location is never used for ads.

PLAY SAFELY

Stay in public, permitted areas, follow transit rules, and never use Near while driving. GPS is approximate; Near is a game, not a safety or emergency service.

Near is an independent fan companion, not affiliated with Jet Lag: The Game, Wendover Productions, or Nebula.

Ready or not, here comes your next adventure.