Race Across The World: The Experience has been available to play in London since May 2025, and since then, thousands of players have already signed their names in the coveted guest book and claimed their spot on the leaderboard.
But if you’ve only seen the happy faces and victory poses on social media or you’ve heard from a friend in passing that they had a great time, you might still be wondering…what actually is Race Across The World: The Experience?
Apart from being the official live experience of the hit TV show, Race Across The World: The Experience is an adventure where you and your teammates play the main characters, and the city streets become your playground. But there’s a lot more to it than that.
Read on as we try to put labels on London and Manchester’s most epic adventure and give you a taste of what you’re in for!
A London Treasure Hunt, But Make It Bigger, Better and Braver
We’re often asked what Race Across The World: The Experience is, and that’s a fair question. After all, the TV show it’s based on is all about crossing continents without flights or phones, and our races are entirely set within the City of London, London’s West End and Manchester.
In essence, Race Across The World: The Experience is an interactive adventure that challenges teams to pass three checkpoints as quickly and efficiently as they can using limited resources.
If you’re a fan, you’ll have seen countless teams receive cryptic messages to their GPS trackers to lead them on an end-of-leg dash to their checkpoint hotel. Race Across The World: The Experience is a bit like that, the main difference being that instead of a GPS tracker, you’ll have WhatsApp at your disposal, where cryptic messages will be delivered to you.
At the start of each leg, you’ll choose from one of two guides: one offers cheap but vague directions, the other is more expensive but straightforward. As a team, you’ll decide which set of directions to spend your virtual budget on, so remember to allocate your funds wisely…
Is Race Across The World: The Experience in London a Treasure Hunt?
The short answer is…sort of! Race Across The World: The Experience is presented by CityDays, creators of urban scavenger hunts all over the world.
Just like a London treasure hunt, you’ll follow clues along a secret trail to a final destination and pick up tidbits of information, scenic sights and hidden delights along the way.
But you’ll also be up against a live leaderboard (either against strangers or rival teams on the same booking as you), manage a virtual budget and instead of buried treasure, you’ll be hunting down the guest book.
The crucial difference between a typical treasure hunt and the race is that the experience is themed around Race Across The World with plenty of references that fans will appreciate and newbies will also enjoy.
So, yes. You can think of Race Across The World: The Experience as a scavenger hunt if you like, but don’t underestimate how varied the gameplay is.
An Outdoor Escape Room Through The UK Capital
Another way you can categorise Race Across The World: The Experience is by calling it an outdoor escape room. Don’t worry though, you won’t be locked inside a dark room the City of London will become your arena.
To unlock each stage of the race, you’ll need to solve a physical puzzle that will further test your teamwork skills, as well as your ability to problem solve. Each of the puzzles has been designed to make you think, so dust off your thinking caps!
You’ll notice we haven’t mentioned a map, and that’s because you won’t be given one! As we mentioned before, even though you must use your phone(s) to complete the race, your resources are limited.
At the start of the race, you’ll collect a race pack that contains all the essential items you’ll need during the race (aside from your phone). Feel free to open up the envelope at the start of the race to see what’s inside, but don’t worry if none of it makes sense to you at the start. All will be revealed as the race unfolds!
Rules and Restrictions of The Race
Race Across The World: The Experience puts you in charge, but we still have some ground rules to keep the race fair, fun and inclusive for all. Starting from the top…
- Only adults (18+) may purchase tickets. Under 18s must be accompanied by an adult.
- Teams must consist of 2-8 players.
- No public transport during the race.
- You need at least one phone per team with WhatsApp installed to play. The experience uses data.
Apart from that, you’re free to let the race unfold as you like. If you don’t want to rush, ignore the timer and your placement on the leaderboard.
And feel free to spend as long as you like exploring or chilling out at the checkpoint venues. After all, it’d be a waste not to use your exclusive discounts!
So…What Is The Race Across The World Experience?
Whether you think Race Across The World: The Experience sounds more like a treasure hunt or an outdoor escape room, what matters most is that the race works for you.
That’s why we’ve made the game as inclusive as possible, so anybody who wants to play can join in. Wheelchair and pram-friendly routes are available, and there’s even a dog-friendly route so you can bring your dog along for the journey. If you require a carer ticket, just get in contact with us.
So now to answer the age-old question… What is Race Across The World: The Experience?
Simply put, the race is an outdoor adventure that requires some serious teamwork, head-scratching and wily decision-making to conquer. As a team, you’ll have to…
- Navigate between three hidden checkpoints
- Decipher directions
- Solve four physical puzzles
- Manage and maintain your virtual budget
- Find and unlock the guest book
- Beat your opponents!
So if you think that sounds more like a treasure hunt than an escape room (or vice versa), that’s fine with us, as long as you have fun!
Ready to Race?
If you’re ready to race, book your tickets now from Fever if you want to play in London, or directly from our website for Manchester.
Check out our FAQs for answers to any questions you may have or feel free to contact us. See you on the leaderboard!