List of Puzzlehunts
Very incomplete! Under construction.
Many of the large numbers were crudely estimated by copy-pasting and counting lines without that much concern for accuracy. If you would like to report an error or do some much more careful counting, please feel free and let me know your results.
I probably won’t add Puzzled Pint because there are too many compared to the other hunts, but it’s a good source of small, easy-ish puzzle sets. Also possibly of interest but not sure if they fit well on this list yet: small CMU orientation hunts; Edric’s Treasure Hunts (not Truzzle or Puzzle).
Another incredibly good introductory hunt not listed below is Colby’s Curious Cookoff. I didn’t include it in the table because I think it’s characterized as more of an evergreen puzzle set rather than an event with specific start and end times.
| Start Date | “Franchise” | Puzzlehunt | Puzzles | Metas |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-12-01 | Huntinality | Huntinality III: Hunts Aupon a Time | 36 | 5 |
| 2023-11-10 | Galactic | Galactic Puzzle Hunt 2023: GalactiCosmiCave | 37? | 2? |
| 2023-09-02 | Halpin | Two on the Isle (Hawaiian mythology) | 12 | 1 |
| 2023-07-28 | Shardhunt | 25 | 4 | |
| 2023-07-16 | Edric | Edric’s 2023 DUAL Puzzle Hunt | 48? | 2? |
| 2023-06-02 | “MIT” | Admiral Boötes’ Cosmic Discovery Expedition: Further Galaxies | 19? | 4? |
| 2023-05-06 | Microsoft Puzzlehunt 23: Puzzle University | 98? | 20? | |
| 2023-04-22 | CMU | Prehistory Hunt (Spring ‘23) | 16 | 3 |
| 2023-04-15 | Brown Puzzlehunt | 24 | 4 | |
| 2023-02-10 | Grand Hunt Digital | 30 | 3 | |
| 2023-01-13 | MIT | 2023 MIT Mystery Hunt | 152 | 18 |
| 2022-12-03 | Boat | Puzzle Boat 9 (part 1) (arcade) | ? | ? |
| 2022-11-19 | CMU | Monopoly Hunt (Fall ‘22) | 22 | ? |
| 2022-10-08 | Exploring the Countryside | 24 | 3 | |
| 2022-09-03 | Halpin | Cross Purposes (Malaysian folk tales) | 12 | 1 |
| 2022-08-26 | Galactic | Galactic Puzzle Hunt 2022: The Exam | 38 | 5? |
| 2022-07-11 | Edric | Edric’s 2022 Puzzle Hunt | 24 | 2 |
| 2022-07-09 | REDDOT | REDDOThunt 2022 (trip planning) | 19 | 3 |
| 2022-07-02 | Edric | Edric’s 2022 Truzzle Hunt | ? | ? |
| 2022-06-18 | Huntinality | Huntinality 2.0 (web2.0 (?)) | 33 | 5 |
| 2022-04-23 | CMU | This Is Not a Puzzle Hunt (Spring ‘22) | 24 | ? |
| 2022-04-15 | Quantum Online Puzzle Hunt (bomb defusal) | 24 | 3 | |
| 2022-01-15 | MIT | 2022 MIT Mystery Hunt (Bookspace) | 162? | 20? |
| 2021-12-18 | Puzzle Rojak (Where’s Waldo?) | 27 | 5 | |
| 2021-12-04 | Silph Puzzle Hunt (Pokémon Go) | 33 | 5 | |
| 2021-11-20 | CMU | Spam Hunt (Fall ‘21) | 21 | ? |
| 2021-10-23 | Boat | Puzzle Boat 8 (infinity) | ? | ? |
| 2021-10-09 | Burn After Solving | 18 | 6 | |
| 2021-10-01 | Teammate | Matt & Emma’s Carnival Conundrum | 43 | 5 |
| 2021-09-10 | QoDE Puzzle Hunt (Batman) | 43 | 5 | |
| 2021-08-21 | Potluck | Puzzle Potluck 4 (Animal Crossing) | 9(×2) | 3? |
| 2021-07-23 | Galactic | Galactic Puzzle Hunt 2020: 20/20 Vision | 36 | 7 |
| 2021-07-16 | Hunt20 (books) | 18 | 2 | |
| 2021-07-09 | Edric’s Truzzle Hunt 2021 | ? | ? | |
| 2021-05-29 | Huntinality | Huntinality (Waluigi) | 15 | 2 |
| 2021-05-08 | Paradox Puzzlehunt (Soda Fountain of Youth) | 10 | 2 | |
| 2021-04-24 | Inaudible Puzzlehunt | 8 | 1 | |
| 2021-04-10 | CMU | Pirate Hunt (Spring ‘21) | 22 | ? |
| 2021-01-30 | Inexact Puzzlehunt (Halloween) | 9 | 1 | |
| 2021-01-15 | MIT | 2021 MIT Mystery Hunt (⊥IW) | 175? | 22? |
| 2021-01-02 | UMD Puzzlehunt | 23 | 2 | |
| 2020-12-04 | Daro & Caro’s Pixar Puzzle Hunt | 15 | ?? | |
| 2020-11-14 | CMU | Oregon Trail Hunt (Fall ‘20) | 21 | ? |
| 2020-10-23 | Teammate | Matt & Emma’s Birthday Bash | 32? | 5? |
| 2020-10-10 | Boat | Puzzle Boat 7 (board games) | ? | ? |
| 2020-09-18 | DP Puzzle Hunt | 23 | 2 | |
| 2020-09-05 | Halpin | Balancing Act (Egyptian mythology) | 11 | 1 |
| 2020-07-02 | Edric’s Puzzle Hunt 2020 | 24 | 2? | |
| 2020-06-20 | Potluck | Puzzle Potluck 3 (Trivial Pursuit) | 18 | it’s complicated |
| 2020-06-06 | REDDOT | REDDOThunt 2020 (office work) | 18 | 3 |
| 2020-04-25 | CMU | Getaway Hunt (Spring ‘20) | 18 | ? |
| 2020-02-01 | Puzzles Are Magic (My Little Pony) | 12 | 3 | |
| 2020-01-17 | MIT | 2020 MIT Mystery Hunt (Penny Park) | 159? | 25? |
| 2019-10-19 | Boat | Puzzle Boat 6 (books) | ? | ? |
| 2019-10-05 | CMU | Anomaly Hunt (Fall ‘19) | 20 | ? |
| 2019-08-31 | Halpin | Distressed (Inuit mythology) | 10 | 1 |
| 2019-08-07 | MUMS | MUMS Puzzle Hunt 2019 (Rubik’s cube) | 30 | 1 |
| 2019-06-15 | Potluck | Puzzle Potluck 2 (Professor Layton) | 9 | it’s complicated |
| 2019-04-16 | CMU | The Quest for the Dragon’s Riches (Spring ‘19) | 19 | ? |
| 2019-03-15 | Galactic | Galactic Puzzle Hunt 2019: The Galactic Artifact | 36 | 6 |
| 2019-02-23 | CMU | CS Hunt (Spring ‘19) | 10 | ? |
| 2019-01-18 | MIT | 2019 MIT Mystery Hunt (holidays) | 158? | 14? |
| 2018-11-30 | Caltech | 2018 Caltech Puzzle Hunt (The Land of Wisdom) | 82? | 6? |
| 2018-11-10 | Potluck | Puzzle Potluck 1 (Quest for the Grail) | 6 | 1 |
| 2018-10-27 | Boat | Puzzle Boat 5 | ? | ? |
| 2018-10-06 | CMU | Time Travel Hunt (Fall ‘18) | 18 | ? |
| 2018-10-05 | REDDOT | REDDOThunt 2018 (murder mysteries) | 18 | 3 |
| 2018-09-01 | Halpin | It Takes Two (Mayan mythology) | 10 | 1 |
| 2018-03-31 | CMU | Apocalypse Hunt (Spring ‘18) | 19 | ? |
| 2018-03-16 | Galactic | Galactic Puzzle Hunt 2018: The Great Galactic Bake Off | 36 | 4 |
| 2018-01-12 | MIT | 2018 MIT Mystery Hunt (Inside Out) | 122? | 25? |
| 2017-10-14 | CMU | Aperture Science Student Testing Initiative (Fall ‘17) | 20 | ? |
| 2017-10-14 | Boat | Puzzle Boat 4 (fantastic marathon) | ? | ? |
| 2017-09-29 | REDDOT | REDDOThunt 2017 (talent contest) | 19 | 3 |
| 2017-09-02 | Halpin | When First We Practice To Deceive (Anansi) | 11 | 1 |
| 2017-03-25 | CMU | CarnivalHunt (Spring ‘17) | 17 | ? |
| 2017-03-14 | Galactic | Galactic Puzzle Hunt 2017: Puzzleball Championships | 25 | 5 |
| 2017-01-13 | MIT | 2017 MIT Mystery Hunt (Monsters et Manus/Dungeons & Dragons) | 143? | 14? |
| 2016-12-26 | SUMS | SUMS Puzzle Hunt 2016 (Pokémon) | 20 | it’s complicated |
| 2016-11-05 | CMU | Harry Potter and The Hunt of Puzzles (Fall ‘16) | 18 | ? |
| 2016-10-10 | mezzacotta | mezzacotta Puzzle Competition | 25 | 1 |
| 2016-09-03 | Halpin | Here Comes the Sun (Shinto) | 8 | 1 |
| 2016-03-26 | CMU | Puzzlehunt: The Musical! (Spring ‘16) | 18 | ? |
| 2016-05-09 | MUMS | MUMS Puzzle Hunt 2016 (time travel) | 25 | 1 |
| 2016-01-15 | MIT | 2016 MIT Mystery Hunt (Huntception) | 147? | 17? |
| 2015-11-07 | CMU | Adventure hunt (Fall ‘15) | 23 | ? |
| 2015-11-02 | SUMS | SUMS Puzzle Hunt 2015 (intrigue in space) | 20 | 1 |
| 2015-10-10 | Boat | Puzzle Boat 3 (cube escape) | ? | ? |
| 2015-09-05 | Halpin | Speaking of Witch… (Baba Yaga) | 7 (PDF) | 1 |
| 2015-05-04 | MUMS | MUMS Puzzle Hunt 2015 (Star Wars) | 20 | 1 |
| 2015-03-21 | CMU | Space Hunt (Spring ‘15) | 15 | ? |
| 2015-01-16 | MIT | 2015 MIT Mystery Hunt (20,000 Puzzles Under the Sea) | 143? | 15? |
| 2014-10-27 | SUMS | SUMS Puzzle Hunt 2014 (medieval intrigue) | 20 | 1 |
| 2014-08-30 | Halpin | I Get By With A Little Help From My Friends (Ramayana) | 13 (PDF) | 1 |
| 2014-05-05 | MUMS | MUMS Puzzle Hunt 2014 (alchemy) | 20 | 1 |
| 2014-03-23 | Boat | Puzzle Boat 2 (island escape) | ? | ? |
| 2014-01-17 | MIT | 2014 MIT Mystery Hunt (Alice in Wonderland) | 123? | 12? |
| 2013-11-02 | SUMS | SUMS Puzzle Hunt 2013 (dreams/Cthulhu) | 20 | 1 |
| 2013-07-29 | CiSRA | CiSRA Puzzle Competition 2013 (mezzacotta archive) | 25 | |
| 2013-05-13 | MUMS | MUMS Puzzle Hunt 2013 (alchemy) | 20 | 1 |
| 2013-01-18 | MIT | 2013 MIT Mystery Hunt (coin heist) | 134? | 21? |
| 2012-11-02 | SUMS | SUMS Puzzle Hunt 2012 (E.V.I.L./apocalypse) | 20 | 1 |
| 2012-09-24 | CiSRA | CiSRA Puzzle Competition 2012 (mezzacotta archive) | 20 | 1 |
| 2012-09-01 | Halpin | … And I Feel Fine (Ragnarök) | 9 (PDF) | 1 |
| 2012-04-23 | MUMS | MUMS Puzzle Hunt 2012 (drop bears) | 20 | 1 |
| 2012-01-13 | MIT | 2012 MIT Mystery Hunt (Broadway) | 112? | 12? |
| 2011-09-27 | SUMS | SUMS Puzzle Hunt 2011 (E.V.I.L./global search) | 20 | 1 |
| 2011-09-03 | Halpin | Let’s Get Away from the City (Decameron) | 10 | 1 |
| 2011-08-08 | CiSRA | CiSRA Puzzle Competition 2011 (mezzacotta archive) | 20 | 1 |
| 2011-04-11 | MUMS | MUMS Puzzle Hunt 2011 (villains) | 20 | 1 |
| 2011-01-14 | MIT | 2011 MIT Mystery Hunt (video games) | 106? | 26? |
| 2010-11-02 | SUMS | SUMS Puzzle Hunt 2010 (Alice in Wonderland) | 20 | 1 |
| 2010-09-04 | Halpin | Wishful Thinking (Shahrazad cont.) | 12 | 1 |
| 2010-05-17 | CiSRA | CiSRA Puzzle Competition 2010 (mezzacotta archive) | 20 | 1 |
| 2010-04-19 | MUMS | MUMS Puzzle Hunt 2010 (MasterChef plot) | 25 | 1 |
| 2010-01-15 | MIT | 2010 MIT Mystery Hunt (alternate timeline) | 107? | 10? |
| 2009-09-05 | Halpin | Sun and Sand (Shahrazad) | 12? | 2? |
| 2009-04-27 | CiSRA | CiSRA Puzzle Competition 2009 (mezzacotta archive) | 20 | 1 |
| 2009-03-30 | MUMS | MUMS Puzzle Hunt 2009 (Bananas in Pyjamas) | 25 | 1 |
| 2009-01-16 | MIT | 2009 MIT Mystery Hunt (Escape from Zyzzlvaria) | 115? | 13? |
| 2008-08-30 | Halpin | Short Story (Aesop) | 6 | 1 |
| 2008-04-28 | CiSRA | CiSRA Puzzle Competition 2008 (mezzacotta archive) | 20 | 1 |
| 2008-04-07 | MUMS | MUMS Puzzle Hunt 2008 (secret steak plot) | 25 | 1 |
| 2008-01-18 | MIT | 2008 MIT Mystery Hunt (Dr. Otto Awkward’s murder) | 119? | 14? |
| 2007-09-01 | Halpin | Are We There Yet? (Odyssey) | 12 | 1 |
| 2007-04-16 | CiSRA | CiSRA Puzzle Competition 2007 (mezzacotta archive) | 20 | |
| 2007-03-26 | MUMS | MUMS Puzzle Hunt 2007 (water heist) | 25 | 1 |
| 2007-01-12 | MIT | 2007 MIT Mystery Hunt (hell) | 97? | 11? |
| 2006-09-02 | Halpin | Labor Intensive (Herculean labors) | 12 | 1 |
| 2006-03-27 | MUMS | MUMS Puzzle Hunt 2006 (fake scientists) | 20 | 1 |
| 2006-01-13 | MIT | 2006 MIT Mystery Hunt (S.P.I.E.S.) | 92? | 10? |
| 2005-10-16 | Boat | The Puzzle Boat (island visit) | ? | 9? |
| 2005-04-04 | MUMS | MUMS Puzzle Hunt 2005 (fantasy destabilization) | 25 | 1 |
| 2005-01-14 | MIT | 2005 MIT Mystery Hunt (Normalville) | 115? | 6×2? |
| 2004-09-13 | MUMS | MUMS Puzzle Hunt 2004 (cult kidnapping) | 18 | 1 |
| 2004-01-16 | MIT | 2004 MIT Mystery Hunt (Time Bandits) | 84? | 8? |
| 2003-01-17 | MIT | 2003 MIT Mystery Hunt (corporate mystery / The Matrix) | 105? | 8? |
| 2002-01-18 | MIT | 2002 MIT Mystery Hunt (Monopoly) | 74? | 9? |
| 2001-01-12 | MIT | 2001 MIT Mystery Hunt (horror) | 50? | 5? |
| 2000-01-14 | MIT | 2000 MIT Mystery Hunt (The Wizard of Oz) | 46? | 6? |
| 1999-01-15 | MIT | 1999 MIT Mystery Hunt (Carmen Sandiego) | ?? | ?? |