Manhunt FAQ

The basics

What is Manhunt?

Manhunt is an outdoor chase game that mixes hide-and-seek and tag. A team of hunters tries to find and tag runners inside agreed boundaries. Tagged runners go to jail, and free runners can rescue them with a jailbreak. In some places it's played the other way round (Build-up Manhunt): a few people hide and everyone else hunts, or tagged runners join the hunters. It's usually played outdoors, often after dark, with 6 to 20 players.

Is Manhunt the same as hide and seek?

No. In hide-and-seek, found players are simply out. In Manhunt, hunters have to physically tag runners, runners can run instead of staying hidden, and caught runners can be freed from jail by teammates. Manhunt is played over a bigger area, in teams, and usually lasts longer.

How is Manhunt different from tag, sardines and capture the flag?

Tag is pure chasing in the open. Sardines is hide-and-seek inside out: one person hides and finders squeeze in with them. Capture the flag is two teams raiding each other's base for a flag. Manhunt sits in the middle: hiding and searching like hide-and-seek, chasing like tag, and a jail you can raid like capture the flag.

Is Manhunt the same as Jailbreak?

In most places, yes. Jailbreak is the name many groups use for Manhunt with a jail that can be raided.

How do you win Manhunt?

Hunters win by having every runner caught at the same time. Runners win if at least one runner is still free when the time limit runs out.

Players and setup

How many people do you need for Manhunt?

At least 4, ideally 6 to 20. With more than 30, split into two games or play Team Manhunt.

How many hunters should there be?

About a quarter of the group, rounded: 1 for 4 to 5, 2 for 6 to 9, 3 for 10 to 13, 4 for 14 to 17, 5 for 18 to 21, 6 for 22 to 25. If one side keeps winning, move a player across.

How big should the playing area be?

A circle about 90 meters plus 12 meters per runner from the middle to the edge: roughly 125 meters for 3 runners, 175 meters for 7 and 270 meters for 15. The rules page has the full table.

How long is the head start in Manhunt?

Usually 2 to 4 minutes, depending on the size of the area. Some groups count to 100 instead.

How long does a game of Manhunt last?

Most rounds last 15 to 30 minutes after the head start. Short rounds are better: you get more rounds, and everyone gets a turn as a hunter.

Where is the best place to play Manhunt?

Parks, quiet residential streets, campus quads, campsites and large yards with a mix of open space and cover. Choose somewhere you're allowed to be, with no busy roads or water inside the boundary.

Can you play Manhunt during the day?

Yes. Pick an area with plenty of cover, like a wooded park, and keep the head start a little shorter because hunters can see further.

Rules and arguments

What counts as a tag?

A light two-finger touch on the shoulder or back. Tackling, grabbing, tripping and pushing are never tags. If the hunter isn't sure they made contact, it doesn't count. Some groups use a two-hand hold and the chant "Manhunt, manhunt, 1-2-3!" instead.

What is a jailbreak?

A jailbreak is when a free runner reaches jail without being tagged and frees the prisoners, traditionally by tagging a prisoner's hand and shouting "Jailbreak!". In the Manhunt app you hold the Jailbreak button for 5 seconds inside jail while every hunter's phone sounds an alarm.

Can hunters guard the jail?

Many groups ban it. A fairer rule allows guarding in the open only. In the Manhunt app, any hunter within 35 meters of jail is shown on every runner's map.

Can runners stay in one spot the whole game?

Many house rules say runners must keep moving. In the app, hunters get a ping every few minutes showing a circle around each runner, and old circles stay on the map, so a runner who never moves becomes easy to find.

Can you hide inside, in a car or up a tree?

No. Standard rules allow public outdoor places only: no buildings, sheds, cars, roofs, water, or climbing higher than your own head.

What happens if you go out of bounds?

Traditionally, a runner who leaves the area is caught. In the app you get a warning buzz and 30 seconds to come back, during which hunters can see exactly where you are.

What do you say at the end of Manhunt?

"Olly olly oxen free!" It means everyone can come out and return to base without being caught.

Variations

What is Infection Manhunt?

Infection (also called Build-up or Zombie Manhunt) starts with one or two hunters. Every runner they tag switches sides, so the hunting pack grows until one survivor is left or time runs out.

What is Flashlight Manhunt?

A night version where the hunter catches runners by holding a flashlight beam on them and calling their name, instead of touching them. It's gentler for younger players because nobody sprints in the dark.

Can you play Minecraft Manhunt in real life?

Yes. In Speedrunner Manhunt IRL one runner must touch a set of secret checkpoints inside the boundary before three to six hunters tag them, while hunters get periodic reveals of the runner's rough location.

Strategy

What are the best hiding spots in Manhunt?

Spots with cover, a view and two exits: behind a hedge line, in the shadow beside a building, under playground equipment, behind a wide tree at the edge of an open field. Avoid dead ends, anywhere private, and anything you'd have to climb.

Should runners stay still or keep moving?

Both, at the right time. Freeze when a hunter is close, because movement catches the eye. Move right after a hunter has passed, or (with the app) right after a ping: hunters head to where you were, and your new spot stays hidden until the next ping.

How do hunters win Manhunt?

Work as a team: split the area, sweep in a line so runners can't slip behind you, chase runners toward other hunters, and keep one hunter within sight of jail late in the game.

Safety and age

What age is Manhunt for?

Kids from about 8 can play daytime Manhunt in a small, supervised area. Night games suit teens and adults. The Manhunt app is for self-serve play from age 13, and for younger players only when an adult runs the game.

Is Manhunt safe?

Yes, with sensible rules: boundaries away from roads and water, touch tags only, a safety word that stops the game instantly, lights at night and a headcount at the end of every round. See the full safety guide.

Does the Manhunt app track my child's location?

Only during a live game, only to other players in that same private game, and only in the limited way the rules allow: opponents see a fuzzy circle, not an exact dot. Location sharing stops when the game ends, and raw location data is deleted from the server within 24 hours.

Can strangers join a game in the app?

No public games, no search and no chat. You can only join with the host's code, link or QR code, and once a game has started the host has to approve anyone new.

Is Manhunt a good game for a camp or youth group?

One of the best: it works for 10 to 30 players, needs no equipment and gets everyone moving. Use a smaller area, a leader as referee, and Infection or Team Manhunt so nobody sits out for long.

History

Who invented Manhunt?

Nobody. Manhunt is a folk game that grew out of hide-and-seek, tag and older jail-and-rescue games like prisoner's base, kick the can and ringolevio. It spread by word of mouth, which is why the rules and even the name vary from place to place.

Is Manhunt related to the Rockstar video game or Minecraft Manhunt?

No. Rockstar Games' Manhunt (2003) is a mature-rated stealth video game that only shares the name. Minecraft Manhunt is a YouTube format (from December 2019) where one player tries to beat Minecraft while others hunt them. The outdoor game is a separate folk game.

The Manhunt app

Is there an app for Manhunt?

Yes. Manhunt IRL is an app that referees the game: synced timers, GPS boundaries, fuzzy location pings for hunters, a heartbeat vibration for runners, jail and jailbreaks, confirmed tags and a replay of everyone's route at the end.

Is the Manhunt app free?

Yes, for the whole group: unlimited games, up to 50 players, every core mode, and the same information for every player. Nobody can pay to see more of the map. There are no ads during live play.

Does everyone need an iPhone?

No. One person needs an iPhone to host. Everyone else can join from any phone: iPhone users through the app, and anyone else, including Android users, from the invite link in their web browser. Browser players keep their screen on during the game, because browsers can't share location in the background.

Does the app show exactly where everyone is?

No. Hunters see a fuzzy circle around each runner at every ping, and the runner is almost never at its center. Exact positions never reach an opponent's phone. Teammates see each other, and an optional referee sees everyone.

How accurate is the GPS?

Phone GPS is usually accurate to 5 to 15 meters outdoors, and worse near tall buildings. The game is designed around that: pings are deliberately fuzzy, boundaries allow for GPS wobble, and a tag is confirmed by the players, not decided by GPS alone.

Does the app need an account?

No. Pick a nickname and play. No sign-up, no email, no password.