Discover interactive, real-world adventures created for the Austin streets.
Download the free Story City app and start exploring today!
In Partnership with Australia House and the Canadian Innovation Lounge, Story City is bringing interactive adventures to SXSW & Austin!
SXSW adventurers, are you ready? From March 5-15, the streets of Austin are turning into an interactive playground—for free!
Immerse yourself in six thrilling, location-based experiences where you’re not just following a story—you’re living it in the streets. Whether you’re chasing interdimensional artifacts, cracking spy codes, or proving you’re “Canadian” or “Australian” enough to earn honorary citizenship, these limited-time adventures, and Austin, are waiting to be explored.
🔹 Solve puzzles.
🔹 Make choices that change the outcome.
🔹 Step into the story and experience Austin like never before.
📲 Download the Story City app & start playing today!
Find more information about the Activations and Story City Below! In partnership with:
Play for Free – March 5-15 Only!
These adventures are 100% free and available exclusively in Austin and only during SXSW. Don’t miss your chance to experience Austin through the lens of interactive storytelling.
Who Is Story City?
Story City doesn’t just tell stories—it drops you inside them. Using our creator driven platform, the Story City app transforms cities into interactive playgrounds where the next chapter unlocks only when you’re standing in the right spot, guiding you from one chapter to the next. It’s storytelling that moves with you.
From high-stakes puzzle trails to thrilling choose-your-adventures and hidden historical gems, every Story City experience is crafted to unfold exactly where it was meant to—right in the real world, through the Story City app.
Whether you’re a gamer, explorer, traveler, or storyteller, Story City turns every city into your personal adventure map—unlocking its best-kept secrets in a way you’ve never experienced before.
Come meet us at the Canadian Innovation Lounge, 4th Floor of the Fairmont Hotel, March 10th 11am-6pm!
SXSW Exclusive Stories in Austin
Story Start Points
Spy Academy – Sponsored by Australia House
A top-secret spy agency has recruited you—but do you have what it takes to pass their initiation tests?
This thrilling downtown Austin mission will challenge your stealth, problem-solving, and physical skills. The route is accessible, but at least one teammate may need to climb, run, or sneak to complete the challenge.
💡 Pro Tips: Wear comfortable shoes, a hat, and bring water. Mission duration: 30-45 minutes.
Dynasty Duel – Sponsored by Canadian Innovation Lounge
Two feuding families. One massive payout. The battle is on!
Choose your side: The Smiths or The Jenkins. In this dinner-party-mystery-style adventure, you’ll pick a character, tackle unique challenges, and navigate Austin’s high society in a race for fortune—or total ruin.
Play solo or team up with friends for a competitive showdown where every decision changes the game. Try the preview!
Tips From Your Barista
Your favorite café has vanished overnight—replaced by a mysterious coffee shop. As you step inside, you uncover a hidden world where survival depends on cryptic barista wisdom.
☕ Explore multiple downtown coffee shops in this 6 episode, caffeine-fueled mystery.
Can you unravel the secrets brewing behind the counter?
The Omicron
You are one of the Chosen, tasked with stopping an interdimensional invasion by hunting down rare and dangerous artifacts—Omicrons.
Will you take the riskier path for greater power or play it safe and jeopardize the fate of the world?
With five different endings, will you rise as the Chosen One?
Created by award-winning fantasy author Isobelle Carmody.
Agent 82
Austin is under alien invasion, and only you can stop it! Hidden beneath the city lies a secret missile facility, but time is running out—can you crack the launch codes before it’s too late?
🛸 Follow a puzzle-filled trail through an Austin park, choosing between:
🔹 Casual Mode (for families)
🔹 Hard Mode (for puzzle masters)
⏳ Time is ticking, Agent 82—the city’s fate is in your hands! Try the preview!
Plan an ‘Escape’ to the Great White North or the Land Down Under!
With global politics heating up, many have joked about moving abroad. Now, you can pretend to do just that! Play your way through these tongue-in-cheek challenges to earn your very own “fake” citizenship certificate from Canada or Australia.
Passport to Poutine: The Eh-Lympics – Sponsored by Canadian Innovation Lounge
Think you can blend in seamlessly as a Canadian?
Test your cultural knowledge through three interactive challenges and earn your “Fake Honorary Canadian” certificate at the Canadian Innovation Lounge.
💡 But be warned—real Canadians are watching. Will they let you in or call you out?
Escape Down Under – Sponsored by Australia House
Do you have what it takes to survive in Australia?
This challenge will put your knowledge of deadly creatures, iconic foods, Aussie slang, and cultural quirks to the test.
From Drop Bears to Tim Tam Slams, you’ll navigate hilarious trials to prove you’re “Officially Australian Enough.”
🏆 Complete the quest and earn a certificate to convince Aussie border guards you belong! Try now!
Why Story City?
Activate your city and public spaces with interactive adventures!
✅ 24/7 engagement & activation – 30,000+ users
✅ Empower communities – 500+ creators
✅ Fiction, gamification, and play drive 40% repeat visitation & 5x media attention
✅ No financial burden for tech or maintenance
✅ Analytics provide precise visitation metrics
✅ Contact us to see how we can help bring your city to life info (at) storycity (dot) app
How It Works
📍 Head to the start location and explore Austin through immersive, interactive storytelling.
🧩 Solve puzzles, make choices, and uncover hidden surprises.
🚀 Only when you reach the right location will the next chapter unlock.
The only question is: where will your choices take you next?
Play for Free – Only During SXSW!
📅 March 5-15
📍 Various locations across Austin
📲 Download the Story City app & start playing today!
Your next story isn’t on a page—it’s waiting for you to step inside.