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Hide and Seek

Some forms of play are timeless. Running around with a stick pretending to be in the army. Chasing each other in games of tag. And, of course, hide and seek. The games in this list offer digital ways to play hide and seek with a variety of different twists.

Hide In A Crowd: There are games like Spy Party, Thief Town, Hidden in Plain Sight and Buissons, that let you play as a range of characters and then challenge another player to find you amongst a computer-controlled crowd, from what way you move and interact. The Fruit game in Game & Wario on Wii U has the same mechanics, with one person trying to steal fruit without the other players working out who they are. Wii Party offers hiding in its Spot the Sneak mode where one player has a secret advantage in the mini-games that the other players have to spot. Another great example is Wii U Party, Lost and Found Square mode. One player stands in a crowd of identical people and uses the Wii U gamepad to look around and describe their location to other players, who use the TV to explore and find them. At the end, you see a map of where the players had run.

Prop Hunt: There are games with "Prop Hunt" modes where you can change into the items in the world to hide. Fortnite has a great Prop Hunt mode, as does Minecraft. Then there are games like Witch It designed around this idea of transforming into normal items and hiding in a game world.

Separate Screens: There games like Mario Chase and Luigi's Ghosthouse in Nintendoland, or Pac-Man Vs where one person has their own screen while the others team up to hunt for them use the main TV screen. Or games you play online where everyone has their own screen and try to hide from a particular character like in Secret Neighbor. Screencheat is a twist on this, where you share the same screen and try to shoot each other, but your characters are invisible.

Hidden Objects: Or there are hidden object games where the computer hides things that you have to find, like Hidden Folks and Hidden Through Time. There's a hidden object mode in Super Mario Odyssey where you hunt online player's hidden balloons. A twist on this is Here Kitty where one person hides a phone that then makes cat noises until the seeker has found it.

Open World Hiding: You can use pretty much any open-world game to make your own hiding fun. You can hide in Minecraft (having turned nameplates off), sneak around on public transport in or simply count to 10 while visitors hide in Animal Crossing New Horizons.

This list includes 71 games from the last 20 years, with 3,132 likes. They come from a range of different genres and play-styles and are all good games if you want to hide and seek.

DetailsList Details

PEGI Ratings: PEGI 3 to PEGI 18
ESRB Ratings: ESRB EVERYONE to ESRB MATURE 17+
Australian Ratings: G to MA 15+
Genres: Action, Adventure, Battle, Brain Game, Collecting, Communication, Creative, Fighting, Narrative, Physically Active, Platform, Point-and-Click, Puzzle, Race, Rhythm, Role-Play, Sequencing, Shooting, Simulation, Sports, Stealth, Strategy and Traversal
Total Likes: 3,132
 

Among Us

Release Date: 16/11/2018, updated in 2020

Out Now: Android, PC, Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and iOS

Skill Rating: 8+ year-olds

Components: 2D Overhead and Hand-Made

Among Us is a strategy game where crew-mates prepare their spaceship for launch by completing tasks. However, one of the players is an impostor intent on sabotaging the ship and killing the crew. As the game progresses in real-time the impostor...

Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Release Date: 25/04/2020

Out Now: Switch

Skill Rating: 9+ year-olds

Components: 3D Third-Person, Cartoon, Day and Night, Open World and Weather

Animal Crossing: New Horizons is a role-play collecting game where you live on a small island teeming with life. Insects, fish, trees, vegetation and fossils are represented with cute cartoon visuals. Rather than the scale or grandeur of other game...

Sneaky Sasquatch

Release Date: 30/07/2019, updated in 2022

Out Now: Apple TV, Mac and iOS

Skill Rating: 5+ year-olds

Components: 2D Overhead, Cartoon, Day and Night, Hand-Made and Open World

Sneaky Sasquatch is an adventure game where you sneak around in campsites and try to find food from coolers and picnic baskets without getting caught. From this simple premise grows a game with endless ways to play and explore its open world: race, play...

Hello Neighbor (Series)

Release Date: 08/12/2017

Out Now: Amazon Fire, Android, Mac, PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Switch and Xbox One

Skill Rating: 11+ year-olds

Components: 3D First-Person

Hello Neighbor is a stealth survival game with a horror feel. You try and sneak into the basement of their neighbour’s house to uncover a "horrible secret". The game responds to your strategy by setting traps along paths the player followed in...

Super Mario Odyssey

Release Date: 27/10/2017

Out Now: Switch

Skill Rating: 10+ year-olds

Components: 3D Third-Person and Open World

Super Mario Odyssey is a running and jumping game in the long-running Mario series where you save Princess Peach from Bowser. While it's a familiar setup, here you explore vast open worlds and use your hat to help you get around, fight, and even possess...

Nintendo Land

Release Date: 30/11/2012

Out Now: Wii U

Skill Rating: 8+ year-olds

Components: 3D First-Person and 3D Third-Person

Nintendo Land is a collection of Nintendo games that was created for the Nintendo Wii U launch. It uses the console’s tablet screen to create specific roles for different players. In Mario Chase, the hiding player uses the tablet controller screen...

Hidden in Plain Sight

Release Date: 16/07/2014, updated in 2020

Out Now: Mac, PC, Switch, Xbox 360 and Xbox One

Components: 2D Overhead and Pixels

Hidden in Plain Sight is a unique battle that requires keen observation rather than quick reflexes. Up to four players fight to protect or assassinate the king, catch a thief or race across the screen without being stopped. The twist is that you each...

Under Leaves

Release Date: 27/04/2017

Out Now: Android, Mac, PC and iOS

Skill Rating: 2+ year-olds

Components: 2D Side-On and Hand-Made

Under Leaves is a puzzle game where you search for colour-filled hidden objects in scenes made of flora and fauna. Each one is a hand-drawn watercolour illustration and is accompanied by a soothing soundscape. It's a game about observation and attention...

Thief Town

Release Date: 26/09/2014

Out Now: Mac, PC, PS4 and Switch

Skill Rating: 6+ year-olds

Components: 2D Side-On and Pixels

Thief Town is a stealth traversal game where you play in a crowd of identical characters. You must first work out which one you are and then spot the other human players to attack them. Get it wrong and all you do is reveal yourself.

Deceive Inc

Release Date: 21/03/2023

Out Now: PC, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S

Skill Rating: 11+ year-olds

Components: 3D First-Person

Deceive Inc is an online stealth traversal game where you are a spy trying to get into the vault to steal an artefact. The twist is that everyone can disguise themselves as different agents to blend in with the computer-controlled characters. It stands...

Let's Revolution

Release Date: 19/07/2023

Out Now: PC

Skill Rating: 8+ year-olds

Components: 2D Overhead, Board, Cards, Cartoon and Grid

Let's Revolution is a puzzle adventure where you work to stop a narcissistic King from ruining your world. Play is like Mine Sweeper where you get numerical clues on one tile about what's on its neighbours. Here though, you use this information for...

Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley

Release Date: Coming soon

Coming Soon: PC, PS4, Switch and Xbox One

Skill Rating: 7+ year-olds

Components: 2D Overhead, Cartoon, Hand-Made and Open World

Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley is a musical adventure game where you restore the harmony of Moomin Valley from grotesque parks. It's the variety of play and the beloved characters that make this game a great experience for small (and not-so-small) kids.

Dragon Quest Treasures

Release Date: 09/12/2022, updated in 2023

Out Now: PC and Switch

Skill Rating: 8+ year-olds

Components: 3D Third-Person, Cartoon, Day and Night and Open World

Dragon Quest Treasures is a lighthearted and more approachable version of the popular Dragon Quest role-play games. Along with the exploration, light battles and resource collection is a central monster-hunting hide-and-seek challenge where you get...

Fortnite

Release Date: 25/07/2017, updated in 2018

Out Now: Android, PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One and iOS

Skill Rating: 8+ year-olds

Components: 3D Third-Person, Cartoon and Open World

Fortnite rose to popularity via its Battle Royale mode where 100 players fight against each other in online battles to the death. While they play, using shooting, evasion and building skills to survive, a storm is closing in to make the playable area...

Minecraft

Release Date: 23/11/2017, updated in 2019

Out Now: 3DS and 2DS, Amazon Fire, Android, Mac, PC, PS Vita, PS3, PS4, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One and iOS

Skill Rating: 6+ year-olds

Components: 3D First-Person, 3D Third-Person, Blocks, Day and Night, Open World and Weather

Minecraft is an open-world adventure where you collect, craft and construct structures and items. Play involves exploring the world to find resources and good locations to build. Some of the best aspects of the game are less well known; along with the...

Jailbreak (Roblox)

Release Date: 01/08/2017

Out Now: Android, PC, Xbox One and iOS

Skill Rating: 8+ year-olds

Components: 3D Third-Person and Cartoon

Jailbreak is a popular Roblox game about escaping prison and getting away with various crimes. Based on the popular Prison Life and Madcity Roblox games, but adds a large open world in which you could drive vehicles, earn weapons and rob various...

BedWars (Roblox)

Release Date: 19/01/2017, updated in 2023

Out Now: Android, Mac, PC, PS4, Switch, Xbox One and iOS

Skill Rating: 9+ year-olds

Components: 3D Third-Person and Open World

BedWars is a game played on Minecraft (since 2017) or Roblox servers (since 2021). It's a team game where you start on an island and must protect your bed and build bridges to attack other teams' beds. The trick is the ecosystem of items and crafting...

Granny

Release Date: 24/11/2017, updated in 2018

Out Now: Android, PC and iOS

Components: 3D Third-Person and Cartoon

Granny is a horror adventure game where you are locked in a house by a creepy grandma. You wake up in a dark room and have to carefully work your way through the house to escape without being caught. It's noted for the tense gameplay and jump scares.

Boomerang Fu

Release Date: 13/08/2020

Out Now: PC, PS4, Switch and Xbox One

Skill Rating: 9+ year-olds

Components: 2D Overhead and Cartoon

Boomerang Fu is a fighting game where you control small food-like characters. Using your boomerang the aim is to slice the other players with ranged or melee attacks. You can use a large range of power-ups such as explosive boomerangs, disguises and...

Mario Party (Series)

Release Date: 08/10/2010, updated in 2013

Out Now: Switch, Wii and Wii U

Skill Rating: 4+ year-olds

Components: 3D Third-Person and Dice

Mario Party is an interactive board game. Players roll a dice to move around a board and then compete in different mini-games to earn the chance to throw again or earn points. You play as Nintendo characters and take on challenges that make use of the...

Dead by Daylight

Release Date: 14/06/2016, updated in 2020

Out Now: Android, PS4, Stadia, Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and iOS

Skill Rating: 16+ year-olds

Components: 3D Third-Person

Dead by Daylight is a survival horror game where one player takes on the role of a killer and another other four try and work together to survive. It's unusual because of this asynchronous play and its cross-over with different franchise-inspired themes.

New Pokemon Snap

Release Date: 30/04/2021

Out Now: Switch

Skill Rating: 5+ year-olds

Components: 3D First-Person and Cartoon

New Pokemon Snap is the latest in the series of Pokemon Snap games. It's a puzzle safari where you are guided through the natural world of Pokemon creatures to take pictures of them in the wild. The aim is to time your photos to capture them in specific...

Poppy Playtime

Release Date: 12/10/2021, updated in 2022

Out Now: Android, PC and iOS

Components: 3D Third-Person

Poppy Playtime is a horror puzzle adventure game where you are pursued by vengeful toys in an abandoned factory. Amidst the disturbing music and jump scares you hack electrical circuits and collect useful items. Along with the unusual horror setting,...

Kill It With Fire

Release Date: 13/08/2020

Out Now: Android, PC, PS4, Switch, Xbox One and iOS

Skill Rating: 8+ year-olds

Components: 3D First-Person

Kill It With Fire is a fighting game where you kill spiders. Lifting objects, looking under things and generally exploring the houses means you find spiders. The challenge is then to kill them with increasingly ridiculous weapons.

Hidden Through Time

Release Date: 12/03/2020, updated in 2022

Out Now: Android, Mac, PC, PS4, Switch, Xbox One and iOS

Skill Rating: 6+ year-olds

Components: 2D Overhead and Hand-Made

Hidden Through Time is a spot the item game that also takes you on a journey through different time periods. You are tasked with finding specific items and must zoom, interact and uncover things to find each one.

Hidden Folks

Release Date: 15/02/2017

Out Now: Android, Mac, PC, Switch and iOS

Skill Rating: 8+ year-olds

Components: 2D Overhead and Hand-Made

Hidden Folks tasks you with exploring hand-drawn worlds to find particular people. It’s simple enough for youngsters to control but complex enough to keep parents and carers involved too.

June's Journey

Release Date: 05/09/2019

Out Now: Android and iOS

Skill Rating: 8+ year-olds

Components: 2D Side-On

June's Journey is a puzzle game where you search for objects hidden amongst the scenery that help you solve a murder. You play as June, a 1920s detective investigating the recent murder of her sister and her husband. Finding objects quickly enough earns...

Wind Peaks

Release Date: 29/07/2020, updated in 2021

Out Now: PC and Switch

Skill Rating: 4+ year-olds

Components: 2D Overhead and Hand-Made

Wind Peaks is a puzzle game where you find hidden objects by clicking on objects. It's similar to the Where’s Wally books, but offers an ongoing narrative about children searching for treasure in a forest and campsite.

Witch It

Release Date: 22/10/2020

Out Now: PC, PS4 and Xbox One

Skill Rating: 8+ year-olds

Components: 3D Third-Person and Open World

Witch It is a game where you play a witch or a hunter. The witches run and hide in the village and can turn into everyday items. Transforming into these props in such a way as they look like part of the world is key to hiding. Observing the placement...

Beasts of Maravilla Island

Release Date: 12/06/2021

Out Now: PC, PS4, Switch and Xbox One

Skill Rating: 6+ year-olds

Components: 3D First-Person, Hand-Made and Open World

Beasts of Maravilla Island is an adventure game where you play an aspiring wildlife photographer. You play Marina who explores the hidden, magic jungles of Maravilla Island. Follow the sights and sounds of the place, you solve puzzles to discover...

Screencheat

Release Date: 23/01/2016

Out Now: Mac, PC, PS4, Switch and Xbox One

Skill Rating: 10+ year-olds

Components: 3D First-Person

Screencheat pits four players against each other in a shooting battle on one system but keeps the violence low by making the players invisible. You win by peeking at other players’ portion of the screen to figure out where they are as you hunt them...

Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker

Release Date: 13/11/2014, updated in 2018

Out Now: 3DS and 2DS, Switch and Wii U

Skill Rating: 6+ year-olds

Components: 3D Third-Person

Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker is a running, exploring, puzzle game where you guide the Toad character to save Toadette from the villain Wingo and retrieve the Power Stars on each level. You navigate puzzles and obstacles, fighting enemies to reach the...

Pac-Man Vs.

Release Date: 27/11/2003, updated in 2017

Out Now: 3DS and 2DS, DS, GameCube, Switch and Wii

Skill Rating: 5+ year-olds

Components: 2D Side-On

Pac-Man Vs. is a version of Pac-Man adapted for multiple players. One player controls Pac-Man and tries to eat the pellets, while the others control the ghosts to try to catch him. Each team scores points in different ways, and the first team to hit the...

Pupperazzi

Release Date: 20/01/2022, updated in 2023

Out Now: PC, Switch and Xbox One

Skill Rating: 8+ year-olds

Components: 3D First-Person, Cartoon and Open World

Pupperazzi is an adventure game where you explore an island to find and photograph all manner of canine friends. You interact with the world, climb, skate and explore to get the perfect angle on the perfect pup. It starts as a silly challenge but turns...

Spy Party

Release Date: 12/04/2018

Out Now: PC

Components: 3D Third-Person

Spy Party is a one-versus-one game about observing behaviour. One player is a spy at a party among many computer-controlled guests, with a list of missions. The other player is a sniper who must spot the human-controlled spy by watching the way they are...

Ninjala

Release Date: 24/06/2020

Out Now: Switch

Components: 3D Third-Person

Ninjala is an online action battle game where you play colourful gum-chewing ninjas who compete in futuristic tournaments.

Assassin's Creed Identity

Release Date: 25/02/2016

Out Now: Android and iOS

Skill Rating: 11+ year-olds

Components: 3D Third-Person and Open World

Assassin's Creed Identity is an action-adventure video game that takes the city exploration, combat and narrative adventure to mobile devices. Set during the Italian Renaissance, you explore Rome, Firenze, and Monteriggioni as one of four different...

Colour With Crayons (Dreams)

Release Date: 27/07/2019, updated in 2020

Out Now: PS4 and PS5

Skill Rating: 6+ year-olds

Components: 3D Third-Person and Hand-Made

Colour with Crayons is a running and jumping game. You are a crayon in a world made from art supplies. Find the required number of transparent boxes and colour them in to progress. It's an unusual premise extended by the optional hunt for cones to...

Ever Seen A Cat?

Release Date: 18/01/2022

Out Now: PC

Skill Rating: 3+ year-olds

Components: 2D Side-On

Ever Seen A Cat? is a hidden object puzzle game where you are trying to spot monochrome cats in different scenes. It's simple enough for players of any age to enjoy it but has some randomisation of the levels so you need to play multiple times to get...

Secret Shuffle

Release Date: 08/12/2022

Out Now: Android and iOS

Skill Rating: 10+ year-olds

Components: 2D Side-On

Secret Shuffle is a rhythm game where up to 60 players dance to music and have to try and spot who is listening to the same track as they are. Play combines aspect of Twister and Silent Discos to create a game that's both approachable and fun. It's...

Taming Gaming Book Written by parents for parents, the database complements the in-depth discussion about video game addiction, violence, spending and online safety in the Taming Gaming book. We are an editorially independent, free resource without adverts that is supported by partnerships.

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