What is the Lost in the City challenge?
It's pretty simple! You're given a set of famous landmarks in the city, that you have to find your way around without using any maps, apps, or transport! We'll time how long it takes you to complete the challenge, and how far you travel, and give you a score. Feel free to share this with your friends to see if they can beat your score! Read the full rulebook here.
When will it be released?
Due to the current circumstances regarding COVID-19 and the lockdown and social distancing laws in place around the world, the release of Lost in the City has been delayed by an uncertain length of time. We really hope to have the release before the end of 2020, but it would be inappropriate for us to do so before it is safe for people to go out.
Is it free to play?
Yes! It is completely free to play, but some features have been reserved for premium users. After all, the whole project was created by one student who spent hundreds of hours developing the app and website entirely, and it costs money to run the game.
Is there a free trial for premium?
Of course there is! Users that subscribe to our newsletter are entitled to a free premium trip. It will be applied automatically when you subscribe to the newsletter using the email address that your account is registered to.
Where can I get the app?
The game hasn't been released yet so you are unable to download it as of yet. If you want to be notified when the game launches, join our newsletter using the form on our homepage.
Where will the game be available?
At time of release, Lost in the City will only be available in London, though we plan to expand to other cities soon.
Can I play offline?
Unfortunately, you will need an internet connection so that we can verify your location. While playing, your phone will send us your location approximately once every 10 seconds so that we can check when you arrive at your next checkpoint. Don't worry, we collect and send very little information, so we won't use a lot of your mobile data allowance.
To reduce data usage, you can minimise the app or turn off your screen (don't close the app completely) while walking between checkpoints. Make sure to open the app when you arrive at each checkpoint so that we can verify that you reached the checkpoint.
What information do you collect?
While you complete the challenge and our app is open, we will check your location every few seconds. We only collect your geolocation, nothing else. We do not track your location when you're not completing the challenge. More information is available in our privacy policy.
Why is my trip under review?
To make the challenge fairer for those playing it honestly, we have introduced certain restrictions. If the system thinks that you may have cheated in some way, your trip will automatically be flagged as suspicious. This can happen if you get a very high and unlikely score, if you travel too fast, go offline for a long period of time, or were detected to be using public transport. A moderator will verify your attempt within 48 hours to make sure it is valid.
Why is my trip marked as invalid?
As explained in the paragraph above, we try to minimise cheating as much as possible. If it is very likely that you have cheated in some way, we will mark the trip as invalid, which means you can no longer share it, can't challenge your friends, and it won't appear on your profile. If you want a reason as to why it was marked as invalid, or want to appeal the decision, please send an email to appeals@lostinthecity.xyz.
Why is my trip marked as incomplete?
If you cancel a trip, or close the app for a long period of time, your trip will be ended and marked as incomplete. You will not receive any points for this trip and it will not appear in your public profile. If you close the app or turn off your screen for over 30 minutes your trip will automatically be cancelled, and cannot be resumed.