How Do I Build My Own ARG?

Overview

What You'll Create

An ARG isn't just a story you read. It's a story you play.

Players decode weird fonts. Scan QR codes on posters. Inspect images with secret tools. Notice hidden clues in videos. Talk to characters through Discord or email. Think of it like: escape room + group chat + internet puzzle hunt + story.

This recipe gives you everything you need to build your first one. We're talking Season 1, Episode 1—not your life's work. Something small enough to finish, cool enough to remember.

What You'll Learn

How to design a "Core Fantasy" that hooks players
The right scale for your first ARG (hint: smaller is better)
Which puzzle types to use and which tools create them
The "Minimum Viable ARG" blueprint: Hook → Trail → Climax → Resolution
How to run it live without losing your mind

Ingredients

Your Toolkit

Story & World

Any writing app. Use ChatGPT or Claude to brainstorm story hooks, generate riddles, or flesh out character backstories.

Puzzle & Cipher Tools

WordLoom for crosswords,
ARG Fonts for cipher text,
Carbbels for anagrams,
Stegalex for cipher encoding/decoding,
Zygnul for glitch text,
Apoculus/Apochron for magic eye stereograms.

Hidden Messages

Inknigma/Lucyra for invisible ink,
Ghostmark for hidden images,
SpectroGhost/SonoGlyph for audio secrets,
Liminala for metadata,
Qridian for QR codes,
Veilocity for motion text.

Media Creation

Audacity for audio recording/editing,
GIMP or Inkscape for image editing,
DaVinci Resolve for video editing.

Hosting & Community

Discord server, class website, group chat, or social media accounts. One main hub is enough to start.

Instructions

Build Your ARG

Start With the Core Fantasy

Don't start with puzzles. Start with fantasy: what do you want players to feel like they're doing?

Use this template:

"What if players were ___ trying to ___ but ___ keeps getting in their way?"

Example: What if players were student investigators trying to prove a teacher disappeared into a digital alternate reality but the evidence is trapped inside glitched images and QR codes?

Pick Your Scale

This is Season 1, Episode 1. Don't overbuild.

Tiny (1–2 days): 3–4 clues, 1 platform, for a small friend group
Small (3–7 days): 5–8 clues, 1–2 platforms, for a club or class
Medium (1–3 weeks): 10–15 clues, multiple platforms, for a larger community

Pro Tip: For your first ARG, aim for Tiny or Small. Finishing something small beats never finishing something giant.

Build Your Story Skeleton

You don't need every detail. But you do need a skeleton:

Starting situation: "Someone vanished." / "Something weird appeared."
Final goal: "Recover the missing file." / "Unlock the final password."
Why puzzles exist: The sender is hiding. The system is corrupted. Someone's testing them.

Create 1–3 characters: a Sender (main contact), a Blocker (enemy/glitch), and optionally a Guide (drops hints when stuck).

Design Your Puzzle Trail

Pick 2–4 puzzle types. Each clue should be solvable, lead clearly to the next, and teach a skill they'll need later. Use Stegalex for classic ciphers like Caesar, Vigenère, or Base64.

Think of your clues as dominoes. Each one must clearly tip over the next.

Example Trail: Image with invisible text (Inknigma) → decodes to URL → Notion page with cipher text (use Stegalex to encode) → deciphers to password → unlocks audio file → SpectroGhost reveals final phrase.

Create Your Hook

Your first weird thing. You want players asking: "Wait… what is going on?"

A glitched image posted to your server (Zygnul), captioned "please help"
A QR code on a poster (Qridian) leading to a hidden page
An audio file where the spectrogram shows text—record in Audacity, encode with SpectroGhost
A "normal" image hiding invisible text (edit in GIMP, encode with Inknigma)
A "magic eye" stereogram (Apoculus) that reveals a password when you unfocus your eyes

Mini Challenge: Take a meme image. Use GIMP to add subtle edits, then use Inknigma to hide a 1-word message. Use that as your very first clue.

Build Your Climax

This is where threads connect. The big "aha!" moment.

Every file name's first letter spells a message
A spectrogram reveals the main character's identity
A stereogram (Apoculus) hides the final password in plain sight
A QR code encodes a vCard with an in-character phone number

This moment leads to your final answer—or your Season 2 tease.

Land the Resolution

Don't just stop when they solve the last puzzle. Give them closure:

In-character message: Thank them or warn them
Reward: Downloadable image, Discord role, shoutout
Future hint: "There's more hidden in files you haven't seen yet…"

Run It Live

You're not just a writer—you're the Game Master.

Handle difficulty: Prepare 2–3 hints per puzzle in advance. Hint 1 is a nudge, Hint 2 is specific, Hint 3 is almost the solution.

React to choices: Players will solve things weirdly. That's fine. "Yes, and…" their solutions or patch quietly.

Remember: The goal is fun mystery, not perfectly obeying your outline.

Example

Sample Puzzle Trail

Here's how the domino chain looks in practice

The Trailhead

Your public lure. The thing that makes people stop scrolling. A glitched video with a hidden QR code. A cryptic message on a bulletin board. A "magic eye" stereogram (Apoculus) hiding a password. Cast it where your players already gather.

The Chain

Each solution unlocks the next puzzle. Decode a cipher → get a URL. Scan a QR → find an image. Inspect metadata → reveal a password. The chain pulls players forward, one "aha!" at a time.

The Payoff

Give players closure: a hidden identity revealed, the full story unlocked, a secret video, a Discord role. But leave the door cracked. A post-credits stinger, an unanswered question, a hint that Season 2 is coming. Satisfy them now, hook them for later.

Common Mistakes

Dodge These Traps

Every new ARG creator hits these. Here's how to avoid them.

Trap #1

Making It Too Long

Fix: Start with 3–7 puzzles, not 30. You can always add more in Season 2.

Trap #2

Forgetting the Story

Fix: Every puzzle should feel like it exists for an in-world reason. No random riddles.

Trap #3

No Clear Next Step

Fix: After each clue, ask: "Would players know what to try next?" If not, add a nudge.

Trap #4

Unsolvable Puzzles

Fix: Test 1–2 puzzles on a friend before launch. If they're stuck forever, adjust.

Trap #5

Unhinted Tools

Fix: If players need SpectroGhost, hint it: "The sound looks strange." For Lucyra: "Shine a different light."

Important

Safety & Boundaries

Make your ARG spooky, thrilling, weird… but safe.

Avoid: Telling players to trespass or break rules. Involving real people without permission. Sharing personal info. Anything that could cause real-world harm.

Good boundaries: Keep missions digital or clearly safe ("check the school bulletin board"). Use fictional names for characters. Tell an adult if this is for a class or club.

Sample Disclaimer

"This is a fictional game. Please stay safe and obey real-world rules while playing."

Add this to your server or first post. It sets expectations and keeps everyone on the same page.