What is augmented reality (AR)?

Augmented reality, or AR, combines the view of your real surroundings with digital elements. When you look at the camera image on a phone or tablet, an app can place a model, a character or a clue in it. You still see the place you’re in, and the digital element looks as if it’s standing right there. You don’t need goggles for this: a device with a camera and the right app are enough.

How is AR different from VR?

Virtual reality, or VR, shows surroundings that are entirely computer-generated, and you usually view it through a headset that blocks out the real world. AR doesn’t block anything out; it just adds a layer to what you see. So AR and VR aren’t two names for the same technology.

A well-known example of AR is Pokémon GO. In AR+ mode, a creature is anchored to a point in space, so you can walk up to it and take its photo against the park or street you see through the camera.

How does it work, in a nutshell?

The device combines the camera image with data from its motion sensors. The software looks for distinctive points in the image and uses them to work out how the phone is moving through space. That’s why the digital element stays in the same place, even when you walk all the way around it. Some apps also use GPS location to show content only at a specific point in the city.

This principle explains the most common problem. On a smooth, uniform surface, such as a white wall, the device can’t find any reference points and the image may drift. It helps to point the camera at an area with clear details, move more steadily and find better light.

AR in Krakow city games: what does the player see?

In Krakow city games, AR usually runs on an iPad that the organiser gives the team for the duration of the game. The tablet guides you around a GPS map, and at selected points along the route it shows things on the camera image that aren’t really there. A few examples from operators’ descriptions, checked in September 2026:

• In Kraków Legends by EscapeCity, an AR game, you point the iPad at the Main Market Square and see virtual characters and objects laid over the real townhouses. The route follows the Royal Route towards Wawel, and each team has one iPad.
• In Operation Mindfall, AR is used for spy tasks: according to the game card, you point the iPad at a townhouse in Salwator and defuse a ticking bomb against its backdrop. The route starts on ul. Kościuszki, heads towards Wawel and comes back along the Vistula Embankments.
• Magic Portal by Gamescape is a game for children aged 7-12, in which a team with an iPad hunts for magic crystals, and the operator stresses that the AR works without goggles.

In a game like this, AR is one of the layers, not the whole game. Some tasks rely on props, looking closely at buildings and talking things through as a team. We cover how to share one tablet between several people in a separate article on augmented reality games.

How can you tell if a game really has AR?

Not every game on a phone is augmented reality. A map, a GPS position and a question on the screen can all work without it. Before you choose, ask yourself three questions:

• Does the description mention the camera image? If the game only talks about a map and points to visit, it may not have AR.
• Is the digital element tied to a place? In AR, a character or object appears against a specific building, not on a blank screen.
• What device do you need? With games where the organiser provides the tablet, you don’t have to worry about your own phone. With games on your own phone, check the requirements in the description.

An example of a game that doesn’t mention AR is the Krakow Legends app, a different product from the EscapeCity game above: it runs on your own phone with GPS, has no time limit, and its description talks about interactive features, not augmented reality. It’s a good choice when a relaxed pace matters more than on-screen effects.

You’ll also come across AR in Krakow outside games. In 2022 the city, together with Wawel Royal Castle, released a free app called Smok w Krakowie (“Dragon in Krakow”, announcement in Polish), in which you can summon a dragon on your screen at several spots between Wawel and the Main Market Square. When it was announced, it was only available for Android.

Not just for fun

AR can be used to show models, instructions and extra information next to real objects. It makes sense when it makes a specific task easier: seeing a shape, understanding where something is or finding a detail. A 3D effect on its own doesn’t guarantee a better explanation than an ordinary drawing.

When you’re out walking, remember that a digital clue doesn’t change the rules for getting around the city. Watch AR scenes when you’ve stopped, away from the road and tram tracks, and cross the street with the tablet lowered. Augmented reality adds a layer to your surroundings, but it shouldn’t take your attention away from them.