Room Escape Artist

GGC MMXXVI is a puzzle hunt through the streets of Manhattan created by Gotham Immersive Labs. It took place in July 2026

Format

Style of Play:

• Puzzle hunt

Who is it For?

• Adventure seekers
• Puzzle lovers
• Best for players with at least some experience

Required Equipment: A mobile device is mandatory. Pens, pencils, scissors, tape, and other common puzzle hunt accessories will likely come in handy.

Recommended Team Size: 3-4

Play Time: Varies by team, but anticipate about 5 hours including breaks

Price: $265 for a team of 2 to 4 (including fees)

Booking: This event runs annually in the summer. Sign ups are available in the spring on the GGC website. Join their mailing list to be informed of upcoming events.

Description

The Great Gotham Challenge is an annual puzzle hunt that takes place in Manhattan. The specific neighborhood changes each year, and participants are informed of the starting location shortly before the event begins. At the designated starting time, each team is provided with instructions and an envelope with the first puzzle. The answer to this puzzle leads to a second location, and so on. Along the way, teams are provided not just puzzles but also information on the history of the neighborhood. Inputting the solution to the final puzzle provides the location of the finish line, where teams can gather with GGC staff and other teams that have also finished.

Andrew Reynolds’ Reaction

GGC MMXXVI was similar in many ways to other Great Gotham Challenges that have come before it – and that was a good thing. It focused our attention on a small area of New York City, including places that were both familiar and new to someone like me who has spent a lot of time in Manhattan over the years. The strength of GGC in general lies in two main areas: the interweaving of the real world and the puzzle world, and the characters and interactions they create to tie the two worlds together. These all came together to make each puzzle location feel like a special set piece that could not have happened anywhere else – because it couldn’t.

There were opportunities for improvement as well. One late-game interaction allowed for only one team at a time and caused a bottleneck; a different location felt like it had seen better days. And, more generally for GGC games, crowded locations that involve multiple actor interactions could use some minimal signposting or confirmation. This would help ensure that the person you are talking to is indeed part of the game and not a stranger potentially dozens of people are going to bother throughout the day.

Whether you are familiar with Manhattan or just visiting for the first time, you’re bound to learn something about the city while you play. And along the way there will be interesting people to meet (and pickpocket), food to try, and – of course – great puzzles to solve.

David Spira’s Reaction

I should disclose up-front that GGC’s COO is both a close friend and my (now former) podcast producer. With that out of the way, my team had a rough day at GGC MMXXVI. We started off strong and enjoying ourselves, and then a few things went wrong on our team (that mostly had nothing to do with GGC… the details don’t matter) but we found ourselves in a rough spot trying to keep up, play, and enjoy ourselves. Playing GGC from behind, I felt that the experience was optimized for the front of the pack, as it seems like a lot of effort goes into making GGC into a race… and all of this made it more challenging to enjoy all of the objectively cool things that they built into the experience, such as a small heist, an outrageously great and shockingly hidden dumpling spot in a strange building, an actor-driven “Subway Takes” interaction, and a very funny installation in an electronics’ store window.

There was a lot to love. Nevertheless, I found myself wishing that there were more catch up mechanics… or even a way to participate that isn’t functionally a race. GGC builds their challenges around interesting locations in NYC and the history of the city, but I found myself unable to really appreciate these details. On that subject, I’d love it if they sent us the historical information after the game, because I didn’t have time to enjoy it during the game. It’s a strange sensation when you like a thing that you’re doing, but also have a rough time throughout it… but that was GGC MMXXVI for me and my team.

Brett Kuehner’s Reaction

• + Very good puzzle variety – included puzzles based on words, making connections, images, history, and physical objects
• + Puzzle difficulty levels varied and required different skills and knowledge, giving all team members a chance to contribute
• + Starting puzzle was a fairly quick solve, which kicked off the day with a high energy level
• + One of the puzzles provided food along with puzzle components, and it was delicious and well-timed
• – A puzzle in the middle was a bit too hard and sapped our energy. Fortunately there were progressive hints to help us through, but removing a layer from it might have been a good choice.
• + Fun performer interactions and tasks
• – Occasional less-fun interactions with bystanders we thought were part of the game. In-game characters should have some kind of visible confirmation once you find them
• + Used the history of the city and various city locations to give an experience that was more than just puzzling
• – Too few locations had seating and flat surfaces to solve on
• + Bottlenecks were rare, which is impressive given the number of teams and variable solve rates
• – One puzzle at the end was badly bottlenecked, and small changes could have significantly reduced the waiting time
• +/- Variable acting performances, but they were generally good, and the “Subway Takes” actor was particularly delightful
• – The area in play in some puzzles could be a little hard to determine, and that added some difficulty that was less fun
• – The game did not have any real progress indicators, which made it hard to determine how many puzzles were left and if we should take hints to move along
• + The “Find the GGC stickers” side quest was a fun way to keep us engaged as we walked between locations
• + Ending at a location with food, drink, and hangout space was a great choice, giving teams a chance to chat and recharge

This event ran in July 2026 and is no longer available. However, Great Gotham Challenge runs shorter public events all summer. Sign up for their mailing list to learn about the 2027 events when they are announced.

Disclosure: Gotham Immersive Labs provided the Hivemind reviewers with a complimentary play.

Learn more about GGC on REPOD S9E4: