CASE #01 · Death in the Shadows · Questo Originals

San Mateo murder mystery. Solve a case on your own streets

You know the old saying, “The boyfriend did it”? On an ill-fated night, love goes terribly wrong for Bella Wanderlust and Walter Bridges.

No booking, start anytime
1.8 km · 12 points
$8.99/person for two · $6.00 in a group

Unlock the case · $17.99 for two

Full refund until you start playing · $6.00/person as a group

★ 4.9 · 10 verified reviews in San Mateo · also playing in 769 cities

Gather your party

Who's playing tonight?

One pass unlocks the whole group's phones: the Duo covers 2, the Fellowship 5. Everyone plays on their own screen.

Like an escape room. The room is San Mateo.

Escape rooms are genuinely good. They also want a slot booked days ahead and a fixed hour. This is the version you can decide on at 7pm: outdoors, across 1.8 km of San Mateo.

	This case	Escape room	MM dinner
Price / person	$8.99 for two, $6.00 in a group of 5	$25–40	$60+
Party size	2 or 5 phones	fixed 4–8	shared table
Booking	none, play now	slot, days ahead	weeks ahead
Where	1.8 km of San Mateo	a windowless room	a hotel ballroom

The case file · written by Questo Originals

Bella Wanderlust died on a ghost tour. The tour kept going.

Bella, a famous travel blogger, was found dead during a ghost tour led by the theatrical Percy Shadows. Now, it’s up to you to uncover the truth.

Was it Walter, the obsessed boyfriend? Percy, the ghost tour guide with a flair for the dramatic? Or is someone else hiding in the shadows?

Gather clues, interrogate suspects, and expose the real murderer before they strike again. Make sure to have your pen and paper ready to jot down all the crucial evidence.

12 challenge locations
≈2,340 steps
1 final accusation

Investigate a Chilling Mystery
Step into the shoes of a detective and uncover the truth behind Bella's murder.
Solve Puzzles & Follow Clues
Explore historic streets, decipher hidden messages, and piece together the evidence.
Uncover a Deadly Secret
Explore famous landmarks and hidden corners as you piece together the truth behind Bella’s murder.
Perfect for Date Night… Or a Killer Group Activity
Play with your partner, a group of friends, or even solo, just don’t end up the next victim!

On the streets of San Mateo

The streets, the suspects, the app, in 30 seconds

How tonight works

1
Unlock now
Pay and the case opens in the Questo app straight away: no guide, no group, no time slot. 30 seconds, not a confirmation email.
2
Walk to Point 1
Point 1 · 320 2nd Ave, San Mateo, CA 94401, USA. From there the case runs through 12 stops and finishes at Point 12 · 220 Main St, San Mateo, CA 94401, USA, a 1.8 km route through San Mateo.
3
Solve it together
Everyone gets clues on their own phone. Each puzzle you crack unlocks the next location, and the finish puts you on the San Mateo leaderboard.

The route

Start: Point 1 · 320 2nd Ave, San Mateo, CA 94401, USA
Finish: Point 12 · 220 Main St, San Mateo, CA 94401, USA

What San Mateo players say

★ 4.9

10 verified reviews

90%

rated it 5 stars

★★★★

it was fun! puzzles was a little simple, but had a good time walking around the city! make sure you have good friends and you’ll have a good time!

Prateek Garg · Aug 25, 2025

★★★★★

fun to walk around and speak in pretend voices.

Samantha Tak · Jul 21, 2025

★★★★★

loved it! we did at night and was so fun for our family of 5! I’d say for kids at least 10 yrs. or older personally (depending on maturity ofc)

MollBCull · played this case in Old Saybrook · Aug 13, 2025

Questions locals ask

Yes. The case unlocks the second you pay and there is no time slot to reserve. Buy at 7pm, walk to the starting point, and you'll be working the first clue within the half hour. If tonight falls through, it stays in your account.

Yes, the free Questo app on iOS or Android, about a 2-minute download. Buy on this page, open the app, and the case is waiting in your account. Grab it at home on Wi-Fi; the route itself runs fine on normal mobile data.

No. There's no guide, no group and no set time. It's a self-guided game: you unlock the case, walk the 1.8 km route on your own schedule, and everyone in your party gets clues on their own phone. Closer to an escape room than to a walking tour of San Mateo.

Nothing is booked, so you simply play another evening. The case does not expire. If weather turns mid-game, pause it, get inside, and resume from the same point later. If you haven't started yet, take a full refund instead.

The Fellowship covers up to 5 phones for $29.99 ($6.00 each). Bigger groups usually share a phone between two, or add a second pass and run two teams on the same case. That's the better version, and the San Mateo leaderboard settles it.

Point 1 is at Point 1 · 320 2nd Ave, San Mateo, CA 94401, USA, and the route finishes at Point 12 · 220 Main St, San Mateo, CA 94401, USA, a 1.8 km route with 12 challenge locations. The exact spot, with a photo, appears in the app the moment you unlock.

It's a whodunit, not a horror game: no jump scares, no gore, nothing chasing you. Kids usually spot the clues faster than the adults. Younger children can walk along, though the deduction will be over their heads.

Yes, and the case plays best after dark. Bring a charged phone; the route stays on public streets and squares, and it's roughly 2340 steps in total.

Yes, gift the case and the person you send it to picks their own evening, in San Mateo or in any of the other cities it runs in. It doesn't expire, so it works for a birthday, a hen do, an anniversary or a team night out. They'll need the free Questo app to play.

Multiplayer quest · gather your party

Start the case tonight

It unlocks the moment you pay. Walk to Point 1 · 320 2nd Ave, San Mateo, CA 94401, USA, open the app, and the investigation starts.

Full refund until you start playing.

Buy tonight, decide later. The case doesn't expire. Pause any time and pick it up another evening.

Giving it to someone?

Works as a birthday, hen do or anniversary present. They pick the evening, in San Mateo or any other city.

Gift this case →

Have a code? Use unlock code →

Choose your pass

Unlock · $17.99 for two

Instant unlock · full refund until you start playing

1 ·Pay. The case unlocks in 30 seconds
2 ·Get the free Questo app (2 min, iOS & Android)
3 ·Walk to Point 1 whenever, tonight or any night

Outdoor murder mystery in San Mateo

A citywide case for mystery and escape-room fans

Murder Mystery: Death in the Shadows in San Mateo is a self-guided murder mystery you play on foot in San Mateo. A detective game for date nights, friends and families who would rather run the investigation themselves than watch a staged dinner show. No guide, no group, no booking.

Self-guided over 1.8 km with 12 challenge locations, at your own pace, any evening of the week: an outdoor escape room the size of San Mateo, with no slot to book. It's one of the few things to do in San Mateo you can decide on at 7pm without a reservation.

Same case, playing nearby