How Location-Based Games Support Sustainable Tourism

Gamified travel is changing the way we explore the world. A location-based game lets travelers interact with real places through their phones, blending the real world and virtual rewards in a way that’s fun, educational, and even eco-friendly. By combining mobile gaming with sustainable travel principles, destinations can encourage responsible behavior and richer experiences and tourists benefit, too.

The Rise of Location-Based Mobile Games

Location-based mobile games are not new, but their popularity exploded thanks to titles like Pokémon GO and Niantic’s earlier hit, Ingress. These games use GPS on your smartphone to turn real-world landmarks into virtual points of interest. For example, in Ingress, players hack “portals” located at public art, historic buildings, or other significant sites.

Another classic is Munzee, where players hunt QR codes hidden all over the world. These tourist game formats invite exploration, helping players discover local spots they might otherwise miss. As these games evolve, they are increasingly used by tourism destinations to promote sustainable travel.

Where Pokémon GO and Similar Games Are Especially Popular

Many countries have embraced Pokémon GO in a big way, making them great spots for travelers looking for a fun location-based gaming experience. Notable examples include:

Japan: As the home of Pokémon, Japan remains one of the strongest markets for Pokémon GO with a high number of active players, regular in-game events, and plenty of iconic real-world PokéStops and Gyms across cities and countryside.
United States: The U.S. continues to have a large and active player base for Pokémon GO, making its urban parks, themed events and community Day activities full of social energy.
Germany: Germany has seen strong engagement with Pokémon GO, with the game topping Google Play charts in the past.
Brazil: With millions of players, Brazil is another major hub for Pokémon GO activity and events, including stadium raids, community days and localized promotions.

For travelers, these destinations offer not only the game fun but also opportunities to visit landmarks, take part in community events, and explore local parks and neighborhoods through a location-based game lens.

How Tourism Destinations Use Games for Sustainable Promotion

Many places now incorporate gamified systems to encourage visitors to act responsibly and explore more deeply. These aren’t just games. They’re tools for sustainable development.

1. City and Cultural Exploration with Cluetivity

Berlin-based Cluetivity offers location-based, augmented-reality games that transform historical streets, parks, and cultural landmarks into interactive adventures. Their escape-room–style games challenge players to solve puzzles or complete missions in real-world locations. With over 250 partners in 40 countries, Cluetivity’s model shows how mobile gaming can support sustainable tourism while entertaining visitors.

2. Nature and Geology Tours via TurfHunt

With the TurfHunt app, destinations like UNESCO geoparks bring their landscapes to life with location-based game challenges. In Norway’s MAGMA UNESCO Global Geopark, visitors can play treasure-hunt style games to complete tasks related to geology, ecology, and cultural history. These interactive quests encourage slow travel, exploration on foot, and deeper engagement with nature.

3. Japan’s Mystery-Solving Street Walk Games for Regional Revitalization

Japan is also innovating with a different kind of interactive travel game. Many municipalities now run “mystery-solving street walk games” (real-world puzzle trails) to activate regional tourism and engage both domestic travelers and locals.

For example, the Tokyo Metro and game company SCRAP collaborated on “The Underground Mysteries”, a puzzle-solving and city exploration event where participants ride Tokyo Metro lines and walk through the streets of Tokyo solving clues. The 2019 edition reportedly drew over 280,000 players.

Elsewhere in Japan, hotel-based events such as “Asakusa Detective Agency – The Secret of the Millionaire’s Letters” send families and friends on a 2-3 hour street walk through Asakusa solving riddles and discovering local shrines, shops and hidden corners.

These games promote lesser-known areas, extend visitor stays, and invite slower, more engaged exploration, precisely the kind of behavior aligned with sustainable tourism practices.

What’s in It for Tourists?

So why should you, as a traveler, care about these systems? Here are some major benefits.

More Engaging Exploration

Rather than simply ticking off landmark checkboxes, tourist game routes feel like an adventure. You solve puzzles, complete challenges, and actually discover hidden corners of a destination. This transforms a passive sightseeing trip into an active, meaningful journey.

Motivation and Rewards

Many of these games come with incentives: digital badges, points, discounts, or even physical rewards. Rewards (even small ones) can significantly motivate participation and keep travelers engaged.

Educational and Cultural Learning

By completing location‐based quests, you learn about local history, ecology, and traditions in a fun way. For example, the Tokyo Metro mystery game offered routes with English and Chinese support to make it accessible to foreign visitors and encourage exploration of less touristy neighbourhoods.

Eco-Friendly Travel

These games often encourage sustainable actions: walking instead of driving, avoiding printed maps, and supporting local businesses. The Japanese street walk games, for instance, guide travelers to local shops, encourage public transit use, and activate quiet neighbourhoods. Thus they align with sustainable tourism goals.

Community Impact and Local Support

By participating, you help local tourism boards collect real data on visitor behaviour. That data can support long-term conservation or revitalization efforts. Destinations benefit, and so do residents, all through a mobile gaming experience.

Where You Can Play: Real Destinations with Travel Games

Here are some places where you can try these sustainable, location-based games:

Japan (Tokyo, Asakusa, regional towns): Whether you’re playing Pokémon GO in parks or solving city-wide puzzles through local mystery walk games, Japan offers rich options.
Finland and other Nordic nature destinations: With a strong embrace of nature, Nordic countries provide excellent terrain for location-based game experiences tied to trails, national parks, and community-based eco-activities.
European cities via Cluetivity or similar providers: Many historic towns and urban areas in Europe now offer gamified walking tours.
Global spots where Pokémon GO remains strong: Urban markets such as the U.S., Japan, Germany and Brazil host regular community events and social meet-ups for Pokémon GO players.

The Future of Sustainable Tourism Gaming

Using location-based game design in tourism is more than a gimmick. It can reshape how people explore, learn, and contribute to the places they visit. These techniques combine mobile gaming with reward systems that actually support local communities and environmental goals.

For travelers, it means a journey that’s not just Instagram-worthy, but meaningful. For destinations, it’s a powerful way to engage visitors, reduce environmental impact, and gather data on how people move and behave. And in places like Japan, the rise of mystery-solving street walk games shows how gamified tourism can drive regional revitalization, bring travellers off the beaten path, and support sustainable local economies.

Next time you travel, try a tourist game that blends real exploration with playful purpose. Not only will you have fun. You’ll leave behind a positive footprint, not just footprints.

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