City game in Krakow: how to choose a scenario and format

A city game in Krakow can take two forms. The first is a game in an app on your own phone that you can start at any time, for example Krakow Legends from Gra Miejska Kraków. The second is a game with an iPad, props and augmented reality from EscapeCity, run by Gamescape, with a booked time slot and a start at ul. Kościuszki 74. The scenarios differ in theme, neighbourhood, game length and difficulty, so start by working out how much time you have and who’s playing.

The overview below isn’t a ranking of every game in the city. It covers the scenarios available on these two sites, and the details come from the game pages, checked in September 2026.

What is a walk with tasks like?

The map leads you to the next spot, but getting there doesn’t finish the task. You have to read the clue, compare ideas and decide what to do next. That’s how a walk around Krakow turns into a shared mission in the open air.

In EscapeCity games you meet at Gamescape, get an iPad and instructions on how to use it, and before the start you sign a declaration for renting the kit. The iPad shows a map with GPS navigation, and augmented reality adds digital characters and objects to the view of your surroundings. Some scenarios also include physical props. If you get stuck, you call up a hint in the app, without waiting for staff. At the end you head back to the finish, find out your score and hand back the kit.

The routes are walking routes and don’t involve any running. In light rain the game goes ahead, and in a gale, a downpour or a storm the operator arranges another date. That’s according to the EscapeCity city games page.

The iPad scenarios at a glance

On the Gamescape game pages you’ll find five bookable scenarios for a small team. They all start and finish at ul. Kościuszki 74, and every one can be played in English too:

• Operation Mindfall: a spy mission, 1 to 4 players, 140 minutes, difficulty 7/10, a route of up to 3.5 km towards Wawel, through the Planty and back along the Embankments.
• Eight Portals: fantasy in Stary Zwierzyniec, around aleja Waszyngtona and Emaus, 1 to 4 players, 140 minutes, difficulty 6/10, a route of up to 3.5 km. Archive photos of Krakow are built into the game.
• The Last Crime: a story-driven crime game, 1 to 4 players, 140 minutes, difficulty 5/10, a route of about 3.5 km between the Vistula Embankments, Plac na Stawach and the Rudawa river.
• Magic Portal: a fantasy adventure for children aged 7 to 12, 1 to 6 players, 120 minutes, difficulty 4/10, a route of up to 3.5 km towards Wawel.
• Treasure Hunters: a family pirate adventure, 1 to 6 players, 90 minutes, difficulty 4/10, about 2 km along a path by the Rudawa.

The difficulty scale is the operator’s own rating. The EscapeCity site describes the same games in words (for example, Operation Mindfall as intermediate), so don’t compare the numbers with other companies’ ratings.

More EscapeCity scenarios

The EscapeCity catalogue also has scenarios whose date you arrange through the booking system or an order form. This format also covers games for companies and large groups, split into teams of four to six:

• Kraków Legends: an adventure inspired by the legends, about 3 km along the Royal Route, finishing by the Vistula, difficulty 7/10. The full version takes up to 2.5 hours, the shorter one up to 2 hours.
• Blackout: City in the Dark: a mission about a cyberattack on the city, about 3.2 km around Mały Rynek and Kazimierz, difficulty 8/10. The full version starts from Mały Rynek, the shorter one from Plac Wolnica.
• Christmas Adventures: a winter city game around the Main Market Square and nearby, about 2.5 km.

Game times on the game pages and in the EscapeCity catalogue aren’t always the same. When you book, confirm the total time including the introduction and the finish.

A game in an app on your own phone

Krakow Legends in the app is a separate product, even though its name is similar to the EscapeCity scenario. The game takes you through the city centre on a trail of Krakow’s legends, and you solve the tasks in real places. You’ll need an Android or iOS phone, GPS turned on and internet access to download the app. You start whenever you like, you can take breaks, and any number of people can play on one phone. According to its creators, the full game takes about one and a half to two hours, and you can try a free demo before you buy.

This format suits you when you don’t want to be tied to a start time, you’re playing with children who need breaks, or you’re sightseeing at your own pace.

Which scenario should you choose?

• Your first game, or a family with younger children: Treasure Hunters (90 minutes, a shorter route), or Magic Portal if the children are aged 7 to 12.
• You want to see the sights of the centre along the way: Krakow Legends, in the app or EscapeCity’s version along the Royal Route.
• You’re looking for a less well-known area: Eight Portals in Stary Zwierzyniec or The Last Crime along the Rudawa.
• You like intrigue and a challenge: Operation Mindfall or, with a bigger group, Blackout in Kazimierz.
• You don’t want to book a time: the app game.

With a crime game, check that the theme works for everyone. A task from the story shouldn’t automatically be read as a description of a real investigation, and legends aren’t confirmed historical facts.

On the route

Share out the roles. One person can handle the map, another can read the task, and the rest can compare it with the surroundings. Take turns, so the screen doesn’t become one player’s private attraction. When crossing the road, keep your attention on the street, not on the puzzle.

When you book, tell them how many people are coming, the children’s ages and the group’s language. Bring water and comfortable shoes, because a route of up to three and a half kilometres with breaks for tasks usually takes two hours or more.

What stays with you after the mission?

A team photo can be a nice souvenir, but it shouldn’t give away the answers to others or show people without their consent.

Often the most interesting part of the memory is something you talk about after the game: an unexpected connection, a decision you made together or a detail of the city you noticed. When you choose a scenario, leave yourselves time for that conversation too.