What are games called where you search for objects?
Games where you search a scene for listed items are called hidden object games (HOGs). They're also known as seek-and-find, find-the-difference or I Spy games. When the searching is part of a story with puzzles and locations to explore, the genre is usually called a hidden object puzzle adventure (HOPA).
How hidden object games work
You get a cluttered illustrated scene and a list of items, silhouettes or riddles. Tapping the right objects clears the list. Typical extras:
- Hints that recharge over time
- Timers or penalties for random clicking
- Mini-games such as jigsaws, matching or lock puzzles
- Story chapters in HOPAs, where found items are used to solve puzzles
Well-known examples
- Mystery Case Files and other HOPA series that helped define the genre on PC
- June's Journey and similar mobile story games
- Hidden Folks and Hidden Through Time, hand-drawn search games without lists of random junk
- Print classics like Where's Waldo? (Where's Wally? outside North America) and I Spy books, which inspired the format
Related genres
If you like searching, you may also enjoy point-and-click adventures, escape room games and spot-the-difference puzzles, which use the same careful looking but add logic or inventory puzzles.
FAQ
What are pictures where you have to find objects called?
Hidden object pictures or seek-and-find puzzles. In books they're often called I Spy or "look and find."
What's the name of a game where you collect items?
That's a broader idea. Collect-a-thons, such as many 3D platformers, are built around gathering items across levels.
Are hidden object games good for the brain?
They exercise visual attention and patience. Like other puzzles, they're a pleasant mental workout rather than a proven brain booster.