List of Puzzle Hunts by Theme

This page may contain major spoilers. Be warned!

See also: List of Puzzle Hunts and List of Puzzle Hunts by Date

This is a list of puzzle hunts by theme. Hunts may be listed multiple times if they touch on multiple themes. Fakeout themes are included. This article may have plot and other hunt spoilers.

Existing fiction themes

Literature

• Literature, general - MIT Mystery Hunt 2022, Microsoft Puzzlehunt 16, CMU Hunt Spring 2012, Hunt20 2.1 Puzzle Hunt, Puzzle Boat 6, College Puzzle Challenge 2013
• Dr. Seuss - Puzzled Pint May-20
• Fairy tales - DASH 3
• Jules Verne - MIT Mystery Hunt 2010 (round)
• 20000 Leagues Under the Sea - MIT Mystery Hunt 2015
• A Series of Unfortunate Events - Puzzled Pint Feb-21
• Alice in Wonderland - MIT Mystery Hunt 2014, Microsoft Puzzlehunt 7, CMU Hunt Spring 2007, SUMS Puzzle Hunt 2010, Singapore Puzzle Hunt 2015
• Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - USC Puzzle Hunt 2016, NPL Extravaganza 2017
• Cthulhu mythos - SUMS Puzzle Hunt 2013, Miskatonic University Game
• Discworld - mezzacotta Puzzle Hunt 2016
• The Grinch - Puzzled Pint Dec-20
• Harry Potter - DASH 7, CMU Hunt Fall 2016, Singapore Puzzle Hunt 2016, Harvard Puzzle Hunt 2004, Mathcamp Puzzle Hunt 2014
• Hercule Poirot - Puzzled Pint Jul-21
• His Dark Materials - Harvard Puzzle Hunt 2008
• Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - College Puzzle Challenge 2012
• The Hunger Games - The Famine Game
• Library of Babel - Shardhunt
• The Phantom Tollbooth - Caltech Puzzle Hunt 2018
• Where's Waldo? - Puzzle Rojak
• Winnie the Pooh - Mathcamp Puzzle Hunt 2018
• The Wizard of Oz - MIT Mystery Hunt 2000

Comic books and comics

• Comic books - Microsoft Puzzlehunt 9
• Asterix - MUMS Puzzle Hunt 2013

Movies

• Movies, general - Microsoft Puzzlehunt 15, College Puzzle Challenge 2009 (Movie production)
• Marvel Cinematic Universe - Puzzle Potluck 3, Puzzle Boat 8, Singapore Puzzle Hunt 2020, MIT Aquarium Puzzle Hunt 2018
• Miyazaki films - Puzzled Pint Apr-22
• Pixar - DaroCaro Puzzle Hunt, SUMS Puzzle Hunt 2018
• Back to the Future - USC Puzzle Hunt 2015, MIT Aquarium Puzzle Hunt 2013
• Batman - QoDE Puzzle Hunt
• Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure - MIT Mystery Hunt 1997
• Get Smart - MIT Mystery Hunt 2013 (round)
• Ghostbusters - Ghost Patrol franchise, BANG 37, BANG 29
• Inception - MIT Mystery Hunt 2016, BAPHL 4, MIT Aquarium Puzzle Hunt 2015
• Indiana Jones - MIT Mystery Hunt 2013 (round), DASH 4
• Inside Out - MIT Mystery Hunt 2018
• James Bond - DASH 8
• Jurassic Park - Puzzled Pint Jun-22
• The Matrix - MIT Mystery Hunt 2003
• Metropolis - MIT Mystery Hunt 2010 (round)
• The Nightmare Before Christmas - MIT Mystery Hunt 2019
• Ready Player One - Singapore Puzzle Hunt 2018
• The Expanse - Puzzled Pint Aug-22
• The Shawshank Redemption - Singapore Puzzle Hunt 2019
• Sneakers - MIT Mystery Hunt 2013 (round)
• Star Wars - MUMS Puzzle Hunt 2015, Mathcamp Puzzle Hunt 2015
• Tenet - Puzzled Pint Sep-21
• Time Bandits - MIT Mystery Hunt 2004
• Tron - Microsoft Puzzlehunt 11, WarTron
• WarGames - WarTron

Television

• General television - Microsoft Puzzlehunt 19, DASH 2
• Game shows - Microsoft Puzzlehunt 3, UMD Puzzle Hunt 2020
• 24 - BANG 24
• The Amazing Race - BANG 16, Puzzle Boat 4, Singapore Puzzle Hunt 2021
• Avatar: The Last Airbender - Mathcamp Puzzle Hunt 2021, Puzzled Pint Jan-22
• Beavis and Butthead - MIT Mystery Hunt 1997
• Doctor Who - Doctor When
• Game of Thrones - BAPHL 12
• Gilligan's Island - Puzzled Pint Dec-21
• Gravity Falls - P.I.HUNT 4
• The Great British Bake Off - Puzzled Pint Aug-20
• Jeopardy! - Microsoft Puzzlehunt 123, UMD Puzzle Hunt 2020, MIT Aquarium Puzzle Hunt 2017
• The Masked Singer - Carvana Puzzle Hunt 2021
• MasterChef - MUMS Puzzle Hunt 2010
• Mission: Impossible - Microsoft Puzzlehunt 5
• My Little Pony - Puzzles Are Magic
• Schoolhouse Rock! - Puzzled Pint Sep-20
• Scooby-Doo - P.I.HUNT 7, Puzzled Pint Nov-20
• SpongeBob SquarePants - MIT Aquarium Puzzle Hunt 2022
• Squid Game - Puzzled Pint Jul-22
• Star Trek - Curtis 50 Trek
• Steven Universe - Puzzled Pint May-21
• Stranger Things - Singapore Puzzle Hunt 2022
• The Twilight Zone - Microsoft Puzzlehunt 18

Musical Theatre

• General theatre - MIT Mystery Hunt 2012, Microsoft Puzzlehunt 20, CMU Hunt Spring 2016
• The Producers - MIT Mystery Hunt 2012

Video games

• Video games, general - MIT Mystery Hunt 2011, Microsoft Puzzlehunt 21
• Text adventures - Harvard Puzzle Hunt 2007
• Incremental games - Galactic Puzzle Hunt 2018 (Cookie Clicker), Huntinality 2021 (round)
• Age of Empires - Microsoft Puzzlehunt 2
• Among Us - Puzzle Potluck 4
• Animal Crossing - Puzzle Potluck 4
• Civilization - MIT Mystery Hunt 2011 (round)
• Five Nights at Freddy's - Puzzled Pint Jan-23
• Mario - MIT Mystery Hunt 2011 (round), Huntinality 2021 (Waluigi)
• Mega Man - MIT Mystery Hunt 2011 (round)
• Neko Atsume - Puzzled Pint Jan-20
• Portal - CMU Hunt Fall 2017, MIT Mystery Hunt 2011
• Professor Layton - BAPHL 11, Puzzle Potluck 2
• Spiritfarer - Puzzled Pint Feb-22
• Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? - MIT Mystery Hunt 1999, CMU Hunt Fall 2007
• The Legend of Zelda - MIT Mystery Hunt 2011 (round), Harvard Puzzle Hunt 2010

Pokémon

• Pokémon - MIT Mystery Hunt 2018 (round), SUMS Puzzle Hunt 2016, Smogon Puzzle Hunt 1
• Pokémon contests - Smogon Puzzle Hunt 2
• Pokémon Go - Silph Puzzle Hunt
• Pokémon Mystery Dungeon - Smogon Puzzle Hunt 3

Genre themes

• Animated TV show - BAPHL 1
• Bomb Defusal - Quantum Online Puzzle Hunt
• Cyberpunk - MIT Mystery Hunt 1994
• Espionage / global search - MIT Mystery Hunt 2006, SUMS Puzzle Hunt 2011, Burn After Solving
• Fictional sleepers - MIT Mystery Hunt 2016
• Heist - MIT Mystery Hunt 2013, UMD Puzzle Hunt 2021, College Puzzle Challenge 2008
• Horror - MIT Mystery Hunt 2001, Microsoft Puzzlehunt 123
• Fictional magic - CMU Hunt Spring 2010
• Investigative - Mathcamp Puzzle Hunt 2020
• Medieval - CMU Hunt Fall 2015
• MMO - MIT Mystery Hunt 2021
• Mystery - MIT Mystery Hunt 2008, CMU Hunt Spring 2011, REDDOThunt 2018, SUMS Puzzle Hunt 2014, SUMS Puzzle Hunt 2009, Singapore Puzzle Hunt 2017, Intercoastal Altercations 4
• Parallel universes - Microsoft Puzzlehunt 22, MIT Mystery Hunt 2021, MUMS Puzzle Hunt 2010
• Quests - MIT Mystery Hunt 1993, CMU Hunt Spring 2019, Puzzle Potluck 1
• Sci-fi - MIT Mystery Hunt 2018 (round)
• Sports - BAPHL 18, Galactic Puzzle Hunt 2017, P.I.HUNT 1, Intercoastal Altercations 5
• Superheroes / Supervillains - MIT Mystery Hunt 2005, BANG 23, MUMS Puzzle Hunt 2011
• Time loop / travel - Galactic Puzzle Hunt 2022, Microsoft Puzzlehunt 6, MIT Mystery Hunt 2010, BAPHL 14, CMU Hunt Fall 2018, CMU Hunt Spring 2009, MUMS Puzzle Hunt 2016, College Puzzle Challenge 2016
• Treasure hunting - BAPHL 9, MIT Mystery Hunt 1992, CMU Hunt Spring 2013, Carvana Puzzle Hunt 2019, Harvard Puzzle Hunt 2005
• Zombies - BAPHL 8, BANG 19, CMU Hunt Spring 2014, Mathcamp Puzzle Hunt 2012

Puzzle metafiction / references

• DASH - BAPHL 19
• Escape from Zyzzlvaria - MIT Mystery Hunt 2009
• Hunt locations - BAPHL 10
• Past hunts - MIT Mystery Hunt 2010 (with references to 1983, 2000, 2009), BAPHL 15, Puzzled Pint Jul-20
• Puzzle Factory - MIT Mystery Hunt 2023

Hunt Mechanic Themes

• Puzzle construction - See Category:Puzzle construction challenges
• All work and no play - P.I.HUNT 5
• Codes - Puzzled Pint Apr-23
• Conlang - Galactic Puzzle Hunt 2019
• Darkness - BANG 28
• Hexominoes - BANG 35
• Jigsaw Puzzles - P.I.HUNT 8
• Lists - Lists of Lists
• Morse Code - BANG 34
• Riddle sequences - P.I.HUNT 9

Non-fiction themes

Animals

• Cats - Puzzled Pint Dec-22
• Dogs - MIT Mystery Hunt 2016, Puzzled Pint May-22
• Fish - MIT Mystery Hunt 2015
• Rats - MIT Mystery Hunt 2022

Business

• Corporate culture - MIT Mystery Hunt 2003, CMU Hunt Fall 2011?, REDDOThunt 2020
• Internet shopping - Puzzled Pint Mar-22
• Lemonade stand - DASH 6
• Stock Market - Intercoastal Altercations 3

Education

• Back to School - BANG 25
• Camp counseling - Mathcamp Puzzle Hunt 2011
• Computer Science courses - CMU CS Hunt
• Enigmatology - MIT Mystery Hunt 1998, UMD Puzzle Hunt 2017
• Ivy League - MIT Aquarium Puzzle Hunt 2021
• MIT (fictional) - MIT Mystery Hunt 2021
• MIT (hacking culture) - MIT Mystery Hunt 2018 (round)
• Museum - MIT Mystery Hunt 2023, UMD Puzzle Hunt 2021
• Scholarship applications - MIT Aquarium Puzzle Hunt 2019
• Standardized testing - Galactic Puzzle Hunt 2022
• University - Microsoft Puzzlehunt 2023, Miskatonic University Game

Entertainment

• Birthday Party - Teammate Hunt 2020
• Camping - EC Puzzle Hunt
• Gambling / casinos - Microsoft Puzzlehunt 8 (Las Vegas), College Puzzle Challenge 2014, College Puzzle Challenge 2004
• Magic (real-life) - College Puzzle Challenge 2018, Puzzled Pint Apr-20
• Rubik's cube - MUMS Puzzle Hunt 2019, MIT Mystery Hunt 2013 (round), Edric's Truzzle Hunt 2022, ffao Hunt
• Theme Park - MIT Mystery Hunt 2020, Teammate Hunt 2021, CMU Hunt Spring 2017
• Toys - Teammate Hunt 2020
• Vacation - CMU Hunt Spring 2020, REDDOThunt 2022, College Puzzle Challenge 2015
• Zoo - Mathcamp Puzzle Hunt 2019

Art

• Rene Magritte - CMU Hunt Spring 2022

Board games

• Board games, general - Puzzle Boat 7, NPL Extravaganza 2011, Puzzled Pint Jun-20
• 20 Questions - MIT Aquarium Puzzle Hunt 2016
• Chess - Puzzled Pint Jun-21
• Clue - MIT Mystery Hunt 1995, Microsoft Puzzlehunt 4, Puzzle Potluck 2, P.I.HUNT 3
• Dungeons & Dragons / tabletop RPG - MIT Mystery Hunt 2017, BAPHL 20, Puzzled Pint Mar-23
• Monopoly - MIT Mystery Hunt 2002, CMU Hunt Fall 2022
• Settlers of Catan - MIT Mystery Hunt 2018 (round), Harvard Puzzle Hunt 2009
• Trivial Pursuit - BANG 7, Puzzle Potluck 3

Music

• Pop music, general - Microsoft Puzzlehunt 17
• Rock band tour - BAPHL 6
• 2 Tone Records - 2 Tone Game
• Elvis Presley - MIT Mystery Hunt 1997

Sports

(Also see Genre Themes/Sports heading for hunts with a fictional sports theme (usually puzzleball or similar)

• Archery - A Round of Archery
• Baseball - BAPHL 21
• Motorsport - BAPHL 5
• Olympics - Microsoft Puzzlehunt 1, Carvana Puzzle Hunt 2020
• Soccer - Puzzled Pint Nov-22

Food

• Food, general - BANG 15
• Candy - Mathcamp Puzzle Hunt 2022
• Condiments - Puzzled Pint Oct-21
• Cookies - Galactic Puzzle Hunt 2018, Harvard Puzzle Hunt 2006, Mathcamp Puzzle Hunt 2016
• Food Pyramid - Purple People Eaters Puzzle Hunt
• Tacos - Puzzled Pint May-23

History

• 2020 (year) - Puzzled Pint Dec-21
• Alchemy - MUMS Puzzle Hunt 2014
• American history (fictional) - BAPHL 7
• Archaeology - BAPHL 3, DASH 9
• Colonial America - USC Puzzle Hunt 2013
• Humboldt expedition - MIT Mystery Hunt 2010 (round)
• Oregon Trail - CMU Hunt Fall 2020
• Mobsters - Puzzled Pint Mar-20
• Prehistory - CMU Hunt Spring 2023
• Pirates - BAPHL 13, CMU Hunt Spring 2021, CMU Hunt Spring 2008
• Presidents - BANG 14
• Vikings - BANG 26, Puzzled Pint Aug-21
• Wild West - DASH 10, DASH 1
• Witch hunts - MIT Mystery Hunt 2010 (round)
• Wonders of the World - College Puzzle Challenge 2005, Puzzled Pint Nov-21

Language

• Letters - Puzzled Pint Aug-23
• Punctuation - Puzzled Pint Oct-22
• Question words - Puzzled Pint Aug-23

Non-fiction literature

• Godel, Escher, Bach - MIT Mystery Hunt 1996

Paranormal

• Anomaly - CMU Hunt Fall 2019
• Aliens - Galactic Puzzle Hunt 2019
• Conspiracy theories - Berkeley Mystery Hunt 2015
• Psychics - CMU Hunt Fall 2008

Religion and Tradition

• Apocalypse - CMU Hunt Spring 2018, MUMS Puzzle Hunt 2012, SUMS Puzzle Hunt 2012, College Puzzle Challenge 2010
• Christmas - Puzzled Pint Jul-23
• Halloween - BANG 13, Inexact Puzzlehunt, P.I.HUNT 6
• Hell, Seven deadly sins - MIT Mystery Hunt 2007, Puzzled Pint Sep-22
• Holidays - MIT Mystery Hunt 2019, BAPHL 12
• Luck - BANG 20
• Seasons - Puzzled Pint Oct-20
• Zodiac - BANG 12

Mythology

• Mythology, various - Labor Day Extravaganza franchise
• Atlantis - Microsoft Puzzlehunt 10
• Greek Mythology - MIT Mystery Hunt 2010 (round), Puzzled Pint Apr-21
• Knights of the Round Table - BANG 17
• Phoenix - DP Puzzle Hunt

STEM topics

Mathematics

• The number 21 - BANG 21
• Circles - Puzzled Pint Feb-20
• Squares - BAPHL 16
• Triangles - BAPHL 19

Science

• Research institute - BANG 22, Berkeley Mystery Hunt 2013
• Richard Feynman - MIT Mystery Hunt 2013 (round)
• Ornithology - CMU Hunt Fall 2014
• Physics - BAPHL 2
• Quantum Physics - Puzzled Pint Sep-23
• Units of Measurement - Puzzled Pint Jun-23
• Weather - CMU Hunt Fall 2012

Technology

• Artificial intelligence - MIT Mystery Hunt 2023
• BuzzFeed - Puzzled Pint Jan-21
• Cloning - CMU Hunt Fall 2009
• Deep-sea exploration - MIT Mystery Hunt 2015, College Puzzle Challenge 2017
• Email spam - CMU Hunt Fall 2021
• Medicine - DASH 11, DASH 5
• Optical devices, vision - Galactic Puzzle Hunt 2020
• Outer space - CMU Hunt Spring 2015, SUMS Puzzle Hunt 2015, Berkeley Mystery Hunt 2016, Mathcamp Puzzle Hunt 2017, NPL Extravaganza 2012
• Phonograph - MIT Mystery Hunt 2010 (round)
• Robots - Puzzled Pint Feb-23
• Trains - Microsoft Puzzlehunt 14
• Web 2.0 - Huntinality 2022