This is a list of puzzle hunts by theming. 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
Fairy tales - DASH 3
Jules Verne - MIT Mystery Hunt 2010 (round)
20000 Leagues Under the Sea - MIT Mystery Hunt 2015
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
Cthulhu mythos - SUMS Puzzle Hunt 2013, Miskatonic University Game
Discworld - mezzacotta Puzzle Hunt 2016
Harry Potter - DASH 7, CMU Hunt Fall 2016, Singapore Puzzle Hunt 2016, Harvard Puzzle Hunt 2004, Mathcamp Puzzle Hunt 2014
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
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
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 Shawshank Redemption - Singapore Puzzle Hunt 2019
Sneakers - MIT Mystery Hunt 2013 (round)
Star Wars - MUMS Puzzle Hunt 2015, Mathcamp Puzzle Hunt 2015
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
Beavis and Butthead - MIT Mystery Hunt 1997
Doctor Who - Doctor When
Game of Thrones - BAPHL 12
Gravity Falls - P.I.HUNT 4
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
Scooby-Doo - P.I.HUNT 7
SpongeBob SquarePants - MIT Aquarium Puzzle Hunt 2022
Star Trek - Curtis 50 Trek
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)
Mario - MIT Mystery Hunt 2011 (round), Huntinality 2021 (Waluigi)
Mega Man - MIT Mystery Hunt 2011 (round)
Portal - CMU Hunt Fall 2017, MIT Mystery Hunt 2011
Professor Layton - BAPHL 11, Puzzle Potluck 2
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
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
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

Business

Corporate culture - MIT Mystery Hunt 2003, CMU Hunt Fall 2011?, REDDOThunt 2020
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
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

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

Food

Food, general - BANG 15
Candy - Mathcamp Puzzle Hunt 2022
Cookies - Galactic Puzzle Hunt 2018, Harvard Puzzle Hunt 2006, Mathcamp Puzzle Hunt 2016
Food Pyramid - Purple People Eaters Puzzle Hunt

History

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
Prehistory - CMU Hunt Spring 2023
Pirates - BAPHL 13, CMU Hunt Spring 2021, CMU Hunt Spring 2008
Presidents - BANG 14
Vikings - BANG 26
Wild West - DASH 10, DASH 1
Witch hunts - MIT Mystery Hunt 2010 (round)
Wonders of the World - College Puzzle Challenge 2005

Non-fiction literature

Godel, Escher, Bach - MIT Mystery Hunt 1996

Paranormal

Anomaly - CMU Hunt Fall 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
Halloween - BANG 13, Inexact Puzzlehunt, P.I.HUNT 6
Hell, Seven deadly sins - MIT Mystery Hunt 2007
Holidays - MIT Mystery Hunt 2019, BAPHL 12
Luck - BANG 20
Zodiac - BANG 12

Mythology

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

STEM topics

Mathematics

Science

Research institute - BANG 22, Berkeley Mystery Hunt 2013
Feynman - MIT Mystery Hunt 2013 (round)
Ornithology - CMU Hunt Fall 2014
Physics - BAPHL 2
Weather - CMU Hunt Fall 2012

Technology

Artificial intelligence - MIT Mystery Hunt 2023
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
Phonograph - MIT Mystery Hunt 2010 (round)
Trains - Microsoft Puzzlehunt 14
Web 2.0 - Huntinality 2022

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List of Puzzle Hunts by Theme