Manhunt: Hide & Seek Real GPS Match Setup Guide

To start a real-time GPS match in Manhunt: Hide & Seek, create a private match room, set your physical boundaries on the satellite map, split players into Hunter and Hider teams, and choose your radar refresh rate before launching. Connect all devices while players are still gathered at the initial staging ground so every phone establishes an accurate GPS reference point before anyone disperses.

1. Create the Lobby and Pair Devices

The host creates the private session and distributes access to the group:

1. Select Create Match in the main menu and set the lobby visibility to private.
2. Share the generated alphanumeric room code or send the direct link to participants.
3. Have every player enter the code while remaining in the staging area.
4. Verify that each player appears in the lobby roster with a green radar icon indicating an active satellite lock.
5. Move players into the Hunter or Hider roster slots to establish your team balance.

Connecting while moving or after players disperse causes satellite lock delays and desynchronization. Keep everyone stationary until the host screen confirms that all participants have acquired precise location permissions.

2. Define the Playable GPS Boundary

The host establishes the match geofence directly on the live map overlay using circular radius tools or custom polygon boundary points. Setting perimeters along visible physical landmarks—such as fences, wide roads, or rivers—prevents participants from entering hazardous areas or crossing onto private property.

Players who cross outside the digital perimeter receive on-screen boundary warnings, and the app reveals their live location to the other team until they step back inside the zone.

3. Set Grace Periods and Team Ratios

The grace period locks hunter radar tracking and freezes hunter movement at the start of the round, giving hiders time to break visual contact and conceal themselves. Adjust team ratios and countdown lengths according to map size and terrain density:

• Compact Zones (under 250m): Set a 60–90 second grace period with a ratio of 1 Hunter to 3 Hiders.
• Standard Zones (300–600m): Set a 2–3 minute grace period with a ratio of 2 Hunters to 4–6 Hiders.
• Expansive Zones (700m+): Set a 4–5 minute grace period with a ratio of 3 Hunters to 6–8 Hiders.

Increase the proportion of hunters in heavily built-up areas with dense architecture or foliage to compensate for obscured sightlines. In open fields or parks with sparse cover, assign fewer hunters or lengthen the hiders' head start.

4. Configure Radar Updates and Ping Frequency

Choose a radar update mode that matches your desired playstyle and device battery constraints:

• Continuous Tracking: Updates player positions in real time. This mode favors direct pursuit and high-speed chases, but it accelerates battery consumption and makes stealth evasion difficult.
• Interval Pings (60–120 seconds): Sweeps positions periodically rather than continuously. This mode gives hiders time between pings to change paths or hide, preserves phone battery, and reduces mobile data consumption.
• Proximity Pings: Triggers location reveals only when hunters approach within a specific distance threshold of a hider.

5. Complete Pre-Launch Checks and Start

Before pressing start, have every player complete these device checks:

• Set Location Accuracy: Turn on high-accuracy GPS and grant background location permissions ("Always Allow").
• Disable Battery Savers: Turn off low-power modes that throttle background data or sleep GPS services.
• Switch to Cellular Data: Disconnect from public Wi-Fi networks to prevent connection drops during transitions between outdoor access points.
• Adjust Display and Sound: Increase screen timeout limits to prevent device sleep and raise notification volume so boundary alerts remain audible.

Once all map pins align accurately on the host screen, press start to begin the countdown timer and release the hiders.