Team vs team
Use your own phones and join a team. Any teammate’s answer advances everyone. Beat the other teams on the leaderboard.
OUTDOOR MURDER MYSTERY
Murder Mystery: Death in the Shadows in Oakland, CA
4.3Player rating
THE CITY IS YOUR CRIME SCENE
Play at your pace · usually 90 min 2.2 km Oakland, CA App-guided
Play in
English
CASE #01 / YOUR MISSION
Your city. Your suspects.
Your case to crack.
- Real streets
- Fictional crime
- App-guided play
CONFIDENTIAL / CASE BRIEFING
The story starts here.
You know the old saying, “The boyfriend did it”? On an ill-fated night, love goes terribly wrong for Bella Wanderlust and Walter Bridges.
Bella, a famous travel blogger, was found dead during a ghost tour led by the theatrical Percy Shadows. Now, it’s up to you to uncover the truth.
Was it Walter, the obsessed boyfriend? Percy, the ghost tour guide with a flair for the dramatic? Or is someone else hiding in the shadows?
🔎 Gather clues, interrogate suspects, and expose the real murderer before they strike again. Make sure to have your pen and paper ready to jot down all the crucial evidence.
Is this for you?
Who it's for
This 2.2 km loop starts and ends at Oakland City Hall, passing the Fox Theater, Tribune Tower and Piedmont Piano Company as you investigate a travel blogger's death on a ghost tour. Couples, friends and families with teens who want to play detective themselves get around 90 minutes of clue hunting. Anyone hoping for actors at a sit-down murder mystery dinner, or an indoor game, should pick something else.
What makes this quest special
Highlights
A travel blogger is dead and the trail through Oakland, CA is still warm enough to follow.
Read the scene, then read the people, decipher hidden messages and piece the evidence together until the alibis stop agreeing.
Twelve stops across 2.2 km from Frank H Ogawa Plaza, past Oakland Museum of California and Cathedral of Christ the Light, on historic streets and in the corners most visitors walk straight past.
A date night that is also a killer group activity, played with your partner, a few friends, or alone if you trust yourself.
Just your phone, starting whenever you like, with nothing to collect and nobody waiting on you.
From people who played this quest
Good times. In their words.
4.30 / 5
10 player ratings
Selected player reviews. Original words and ratings.
Most relevant starts with detailed five-star reviews. All ratings remain available.
From your phone to the streets
A walk that turns into an adventure.
- 1
Open the app. You’re on your way.
Choose your pass, then open your quest in the Questo app. It guides you from the starting point.
- 2
Get outside. Follow your curiosity.
Discover real places and their stories on foot. Stop for a coffee or a photo, then pick up where you left off.
- 3
Crack a clue. Share a little victory.
Look around for answers, solve puzzles and enjoy the “we got it!” moments.
MULTIPLAYER QUEST
Choose your pass
Choose access for the phones you’ll use.
Get this quest✓ Full refund until you start playing
BRING YOUR WHOLE GROUP
One city. Rival teams. Great stories together.
A school trip, a team day or friends out together. Turn your next outing into a little friendly competition.
Everyone for themselves
One player per phone. Solve clues on your own and race for the top spot on the final leaderboard.
Can a team share one phone?
Yes. Play together on one phone per team, or use your own phones and join the same team in the app. We recommend your own phones so everyone can take part.
The real-world playing space
Oakland, CA
A · Start
5 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza, Oakland, CA 94612, USA
B · Finish
334 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza, Oakland, CA 94612, USA
Start and finish only. Discover the stops as you play.
Along the way
Landmarks & Hidden Gems Included
WHAT MAKES A QUEST DIFFERENT
Your adventure, with a playful twist.
1 / 4
Setting
- This quest
- An outdoor route through the city
- Escape room
- An indoor setting designed for the game
2 / 4
Playing together
- This quest
- Use your own phones to team up or compete
- Escape room
- Solve challenges together in the room
3 / 4
Pace
- This quest
- Check this quest’s playing modes and access hours
- Escape room
- Usually a booked session with a time limit
4 / 4
Price
- This quest
- Choose device access above to see your total
- Escape room
- Prices and group sizes vary by venue
Features and terms vary by experience. Check the details before booking.
Good to know before you play
- Murder Mystery
A little clarity before you go
Frequently asked questions
Is there a murder mystery game I can play in Oakland?
Yes. This one is played outdoors in downtown Oakland. It starts and ends at Oakland City Hall and takes you through 12 stops, including the Fox Theater, Tribune Tower and Pan Theater. You gather clues and interrogate suspects to work out who killed travel blogger Bella Wanderlust.
Can we use it as a murder mystery party for our group?
It works well for friends, birthdays and hen or stag groups who want to do the investigating themselves rather than watch a staged show. Everyone plays on their own phone, one ticket covers your whole group, and you start whenever suits you, with no time slot to book.
Does it work as a team building mystery game?
It can. Colleagues walk the route together, share clues and debate the suspects: Walter the obsessed boyfriend, Percy the theatrical ghost tour guide, or someone else. The walk covers about 2.2 km in around 90 minutes, so it fits into an afternoon without a guide or fixed start time.
How does the murder game app work?
The app leads you from place to place, tells the story at each stop and sets a puzzle based on what is in front of you. There is no guide and no group to join. You can pause at any point and continue later from where you stopped.
Is it outdoors, and what if the weather turns?
The whole game is played outside on the streets of downtown Oakland, walking about 2.2 km between stops. Because you choose your own start time and can pause and pick it up again later, you can wait out a shower or come back on a drier day.
Keep exploring
Every quest. One year.
Explore the annual passGive them a story
A day out, gifted.
Explore Questo giftsKeep exploring Oakland, CA
More adventures in Oakland, CA
AN OUTDOOR CASE IN OAKLAND, CA
An outdoor Oakland, CA case for murder-mystery and escape-game fans
Murder Mystery: Death in the Shadows in Oakland, CA is an Oakland, CA outdoor murder-mystery game for mystery and escape-game fans. The city-specific case centers on Murder Mystery.
Oakland City Hall is the starting point and Vitality by Bruce Beasley is the finish for this 2.2 km city route, which includes 12 challenges. Practical fit: 2.2 km route; 12 location-based challenges; Playable in English.
The city becomes the playing space here. Choose a conventional escape room when weather-free play and a designed indoor environment matter more. Playable languages: English.
