What Are ARGs and How Do You Play Them?

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Slang expert Tobi Nwodo explains alternate reality games

Co-authored by Tobi Nwodo and Amy Bobinger, BA

Last Updated: February 18, 2026 Fact Checked

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ARG Meaning

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How to Play

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ARG Examples

If you’ve ever come across something that claimed to be real but was just too crazy to be true, you might have stumbled on an ARG. It stands for “alternate reality game”—but we don’t blame you if the name just leaves you feeling more confused. We talked to meme, brainrot, and slang expert Tobi Nwodo to help us untangle what an ARG really is, how you play them, and examples of our favorite ARGs.

What is an ARG?

Slang expert Tobi Nwodo explains that “ARG” means “alternate reality game.” These games often blur the line between fiction and reality, leaving players searching for clues in videos, audio files, images, and even real-world locations. Minecraft- and horror-themed ARGs are especially popular online.

Section 1 of 3:

What does ARG mean?

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ARG stands for “Alternate Reality Game.” Nwodo explains that ARGs are “fiction games that require interaction from a player to progress, offering a kind of alternate reality.”^{[1]
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Tobi Nwodo
Meme, Brainrot, and Slang Expert

Expert Interview} These games often incorporate elements from the real world and multiple different types of media, and players often have to work together to solve puzzles.^{[2]
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- ARGs are especially popular in the horror genre, particularly found-footage analog horror.
- Nwodo adds that ARGs are “especially popular in the Minecraft community.” He says that some of these videos have “amassed millions of views on YouTube.”^{[3]
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- In addition to ARGs that are created just for fun, some ARGs are used to market new products, promote upcoming releases, or as engaging educational tools.^{[4]
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- Rewards for completing an ARG might include unlocking exclusive content or virtual items.
- Alternative meanings of ARG: Argentina, arginine (an amino acid), silver (as a shortened form of “argent”), amphibious ready groups (a Marine term), organizations like the Australasian Response Group, or “bad” or “wicked” in older slang.
Meet the wikiHow Expert

Tobi Nwodo is a meme, brainrot, & slang expert with over 600,000 followers across YouTube and TikTok. His videos usually cover topics like internet culture, memes, trends, and slang.
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Many ARGs blur the lines between reality and game. Some ARGs are obviously a game from the start, but others make it a lot harder to tell. For instance, in the popular Minecraft ARG “There Were 2 Kids in the House,” viewers may easily assume they’re actually involved in a campaign to help save a kidnapped child—or two.^{[5]
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- The characters and various elements of the game are often controlled by the game’s developers, giving them the ability to directly interact with the audience.
- Events in an ARG often unfold in real time, adding an even more realistic element to the gameplay.
- By seamlessly incorporating themselves into the real world, ARGs often create a more compelling experience than a traditional game.
- Some ARGs call themselves “unfiction,” meaning they’re not exactly true but not entirely fiction either.

Section 2 of 3:

How do you play an ARG?

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You play an ARG just by taking part in it. The whole key to an ARG is that it’s not a traditional game. If you see something that makes you curious and you dig around for more information, you’re playing the game. Typically, ARGs involve some sort of puzzle. These puzzles can sometimes be obvious, like finding a hidden clue in an image. Other times, they’re more subtle—like a trail of information crumbs leading down a rabbit hole to a story that seems real (at least at first). And these puzzles often use a variety of online and offline elements to build the realistic feel of the game.^{[6]
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- For instance, viewers might spot a coordinate hidden in a video, picture, or audio file.
- If they search for that coordinate, they might find that it’s an abandoned business with a website listed.
- If they pull up that website, they might find that the page is blank except for a phone number.
- If they call the phone number, they might hear a recording with another clue… and so on until the game is completed.

Section 3 of 3:

What are some examples of ARGs?

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Many ARGs are related to horror or crime. These genres lend themselves especially well to the detective-like sleuthing that makes up most of the gameplay in ARGs. These types of games are especially popular in found-footage (or analog) horror stories, as well as stories based on existing computer games like Minecraft. Some of the most popular ARGs include:
- Searching for a World That Doesn’t Exist: This Minecraft ARG by YouTuber Wifies follows a player named Avery who gradually begins to suspect he’s not alone in his single-player world after finding a mysterious note that says, “Whatever you do at the crossroads, don’t turn left.” It’s an example of a popular ARG, according to Nwodo.^{[7]
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- Finding a Player Who Doesn’t Exist: This is another Minecraft ARG from Wifies. This one follows a player named Crafty who reaches out to Wifies for help after his friend Alex goes missing. Videos offer clues into Alex’s strange behavior and disappearance.
- The Decayed: This Minecraft ARG follows the story of a player who discovers he’s stuck in a loop, gradually revealing a conspiracy that’s keeping him trapped in the Minecraft world.
- The Wyoming Incident: This complex ARG starts with a story about a news network in Wyoming that was supposedly hijacked and used to broadcast footage that made viewers go insane. There’s also a side plot about an anonymous serial killer convention.
- There Were 2 Kids in the House: This ARG started with videos of a child livestreaming their Minecraft game. Gradually, the (fortunately fictional) videos reveal hints that the child is being held captive, with a big reveal at the end that it was actually two kids all along.
- I Love Bees: I Love Bees was a cryptic website that led viewers on a journey through hidden messages and audio clues, all in a clever marketing bid to promote Halo 2.^{[8]
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- Year Zero: Year Zero was a complicated ARG to promote the Nine Inch Nails’ album Year Zero. Players followed extraordinarily subtle clues (including USB devices hidden at NIN concerts), all culminating in a NIN concert where a SWAT team showed up.