The Best Virtual Scavenger Hunt Ideas

While searching the internet for fun and interactive ways to keep your remote team engaged, you may have run into some virtual scavenger hunt ideas for adults. These online games are interactive solutions that encourage team building in the workplace. They invite your team to think strategically and use their critical thinking skills to solve puzzles, answer riddles, and find clues.

You may be wondering: Why is keeping your employees engaged so important? Studies show that employee engagement has the potential to increase productivity. Companies with high employee engagement are 21% more profitable than companies that don’t have an engaged workforce.

If you’re ready to get more out of the workplace dynamic with the help of our team building virtual scavenger hunt ideas, you’ve come to the right place.

Here’s everything you need to know:

What is a virtual scavenger hunt?

A virtual scavenger hunt is just like the real thing, except it’s virtual! That means it doesn’t matter what city, state, or country your team works from. They’ll have an opportunity to connect with their team members and work with them in a team setting to find clues and answer tricky questions. Every scavenger hunt is different. However, they all have relatively the same structure. Everyone will be broken into teams and required to chase down clues, interact with the environment around them, or solve puzzles and riddles.

Scavenger hunt ideas come in different shapes and forms. Some can be purely for entertainment and require you to chase down ghosts or take a visit into space. Others are driven by learning and provide a more fruitful experience full of opportunities to learn more about the world around us. No matter what style of scavenger hunt you choose, you can rest assured that it will keep your team engaged from start to finish.

The benefits of virtual scavenger hunt ideas for adults

Team building and collaboration

An online scavenger hunt is a team-based activity that invites your employees to work together in a team setting. They’ll need to communicate effectively, take the initiative and find the best plan of attack with each clue they receive if they want to take home the win before the other team does. Throughout the experience, each individual will learn more about their team members' work ethic and find new ways to tackle challenges, solve clues, and take home the win before another team does.

Improve critical thinking skills

These virtual experiences require some out-of-the-box thinking. Every clue, riddle, and puzzle they encounter will require critical and creative thinking. Together, your team members need to use their existing knowledge to find the next clue and bounce ideas off each other to complete the scavenger hunt on time.

Increase employee engagement

Employee engagement is one of the most important aspects of a quality work environment. Studies show that disengaged employees cost companies and organizations an estimated $450-550 billion every year. By providing your team with the interactive experiences and resources they need to stay engaged in a digital world, you have the power to improve your retention rate and save your company money. With an engaged workforce, you also have an opportunity to increase productivity and improve the workplace experience for the individual.

Enhanced company culture

Keeping your team engaged and entertained is a great way to show you care about company culture. Even if you have a growing remote workforce, developing a company culture your employees know and love should still be at the top of your priority list. It shows your company cares about the individual’s needs and values and is the driving force in employee satisfaction.

… They’re fun!

You can’t deny how fun scavenger hunts are for the whole team! In a survey, 33% of working professionals claim to leave a job because of boredom. Now, you may not be able to change what they do for work daily, but you can improve their relationship with the company, coworkers, and team. These games are a great interactive experience that's both challenging and entertaining. They provide undeniable entertainment during the workweek, that's hard to get from other experiences!

Our top 5 scavenger hunt ideas for adults

Wonder Woman in History Virtual Scavenger Hunt

Educate and entertain your team at the same time. Our wonder woman in history scavenger hunt teaches your team about important women in history, sharing their stories on how they changed the world. Your team will be split into smaller groups and be required to tackle a series of questions and clues.

Throughout the experience, they’ll have an opportunity to meet Jane Goodall, experience Frida Kahlo’s studio, and sit down with Marie Curie in her laboratory. Every story will provide them with new clues and a newfound appreciation for female figures in history. This compelling, one-of-a-kind scavenger hunt experience can accommodate groups of 25 to 600 and is an hour and 15 minutes long.

Ghost Hunt: The Haunted Online Scavenger Hunt

Get ready to take a virtual walk within haunted places and listen to bone-chilling tales of their ghosts. To get started: your team will meet the host on Zoom. Everyone will go into a breakout room and use a browser-based app to follow the clues across different and unusual websites. Together, they will search for the answers to the riddles and tricky questions they face throughout the ghost hunt.

Throughout this virtual scavenger hunt, your team will visit Philadelphia's Eastern Penitentiary, experience the home of Mark Twain, check into the Hollywood Hotel, and learn about the chilling fate of Giles Corey at the Salem Witch Trials Memorial.

This game can accommodate 25 - 600 participants and is an hour and 15 minutes long. All your team will need is access to Zoom, a good internet connection, teamwork, and a bit of courage.

Do you think they can handle it without getting too scared?

Team-Based Virtual Scavenger Hunt

This 90-minute online adventure is a team-based scavenger hunt designed for team building, engagement, and sharing more than a few laughs. Each challenge is designed for your employees to think creatively about their surroundings. Individuals will be divided into teams and need to work together to solve up to 50 engaging missions involving text, video, and photo missions submitted via our custom app. Throughout the online adventure, the host will show off the best submissions for each round and award the winning team a prize.

This is one of the most interactive and creative-driven team-building virtual scavenger hunt ideas we have at Elevent. It’s an hour and 30 minutes long and can support up to 80 participants.

Diversity in History Scavenger Hunt

For this online scavenger hunt idea, your team will work through team-building diversity games and learn about the remarkable contributions and creations of people of many creeds, colors, countries, and perspectives.

Everyone will meet with the host on Zoom and head into breakout rooms. Together, they’ll visit different museum websites, searching for answers. Throughout their online journey, they’ll study landmarks, appreciate art, explore pop creations, explore the underground railroad, and visit the apartments of immigrant families in the Tenement Museum. Everyone will have an opportunity to meet over 16 different heroes and reflect on the impact they left on the world.

This hour and 15-minute online adventure can accommodate groups of up to 600. During the two rounds, your team will be put into different combinations of groups offering a one-of-a-kind mix and mingle format that encourages engagement and allows for new friendships in the workplace.

Around The World Scavenger Hunt

Want to take your team on an adventure around the world they will never forget? You’ve come to the right place. It’s time to sit back, relax, and take your mind around the world to explore the best museums and historical locations, all online. Everyone will work together to follow the clues, find objects and answer questions about everything they encounter.

Our host will set everyone up on Zoom and send individuals to breakout rooms. In the breakout rooms is where the real fun begins. Your team will need to collaborate and use their sharp wits and nimble fingers to take home the win before the other teams do. This is one of the scavenger hunt ideas for adults that can accommodate up to 500 participants and is an hour and 15 minutes long.

Book your next virtual scavenger hunt with Elevent

If you’re looking for a fun and innovative way to interact with your team members during the work week: look no further! With the right scavenger hunt games by your side, you can easily keep your team engaged, entertained, and happy.

If you're ready to experience the power of scavenger hunt ideas firsthand, contact us today.

Originally published at Aug 24 2022, 9:31:59 PM. Updated on May 4 2024.