7 Video Games Where You Can Play Hide-and-Seek

7 Video Games Where You Can Play Hide-and-Seek

Some video games are linear: You have a goal and you achieve it, ideally successfully. Others are a bit more open-ended, letting you explore gorgeous worlds and interact with fascinating people or characters. Sometimes, it’s even fun to try and hide from them.

One of my favourite things to do in open-world video games is play hide-and-seek with friends. It brings back those nostalgic childhood experiences from the comfort of your own living room — extremely valuable during a global pandemic. For those who are interested in trying this out, here are some video games where you can easily host or participate in a hide-and-seek match. It’s up to you whether it becomes deadly…

Be careful who you trust. (Image: InnerSloth)
Be careful who you trust. (Image: InnerSloth)

Among Us

Among Us — a hidden identity game set on a space station — is the latest multiplayer craze (it even caught the attention of U.S. Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez). But it’s not just about completing tasks and finding the secret traitor, you can also play hide-and-seek! A mode I’d recommend is putting the darkness setting at its highest level and having the “traitor” go around trying to find and kill people who are trying to stay hidden on the station. It’s a great way to take a break from the normal mode and still involves murder.

What's great about Hot Pursuit is the landscapes are very explorable, provided you get over the barriers. (Image: Electronic Arts)
What’s great about Hot Pursuit is the landscapes are very explorable, provided you get over the barriers. (Image: Electronic Arts)

Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit Remastered

When I saw that Electronic Arts was coming out with another remastered version of Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit, I flipped. It was one of my favourite racing games on the PS2 and not only because it was fun to play as both the speed racer and the arresting officer. My sisters and I would play “Car Hide-and-Seek” in the game’s many oversized courses. It’s surprisingly harder than you think to find a car that’s in a good hiding spot.

They're not hiding very well.  (Image: Facepunch Studios)
They’re not hiding very well. (Image: Facepunch Studios)

Rust

Rust is a competitive survival game where players fight over resources as they struggle to endure the chaos of the wilderness. However, there are servers that are non-combative, which means they’re great places to try out games like hide-and-seek. Fair warning, though, you might find more than you’d like: characters in Rust always start out naked.

Look at all those hiding places. (Image: Epic Games)
Look at all those hiding places. (Image: Epic Games)

Fortnite/PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds

Both of these multiplayer combat games have giant maps that are filled with large towns, crumbling buildings, and so many places to hide — with a group of friends and a private match, the sky’s the limit. Of course, you have to make sure you settle on one part of the map before playing, otherwise, you’ll never find each other again. Fortnite gets a bonus because not only do you have a swath of locations to work with, but you can also construct your own. Come and find me, if you dare…

Ah the museum, the perfect camouflage.  (Image: Nintendo)
Ah the museum, the perfect camouflage. (Image: Nintendo)

Animal Crossing: New Horizons

There are a lot of things you can do when visiting other people’s islands. You can dig up weeds, shop in their store, maybe steal a few apples if you’re feeling rude. But a really fun activity you can try in Animal Crossing: New Horizons is playing hide-and-seek. Given the number of trees, houses, and natural landscapes, the possibilities are endless. That said, I especially like to play inside the museum, as there are quite a few clever spots you can hide in.

Don't try and hide in the fire. It probably won't work.  (Image: Bethesda)
Don’t try and hide in the fire. It probably won’t work. (Image: Bethesda)

Fallout 76

If you’re someone who enjoys playing a good MMORPG like Red Dead Redemption Online, World of Warcraft, Fallout 76, or Elder Scrolls Online, you’ll know the maps provide a nearly endless array of places to hide (although you may have to find places free of randomly spawning enemies). Some of these games are also free-to-play, which means you don’t have to shell out for the basic game but you would have to turn over some cash for items and accessories. But if you’re not playing for that, who cares?