Problem
A location-based game has to keep several phones in sync while players move through a real environment. It also has to recover cleanly from reconnects, enforce the play zone, and keep network, map, and battery use under control.
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Solo build · 70,000+ downloads · #10 UK / #25 US App Store · 2025 - present
HideZone: IRL GPS Hide & Seek
A real-time outdoor multiplayer game for iOS and Android, with live GPS, custom play zones, tactical items, and eight game modes. 70,000+ downloads, reaching #10 in the UK and #25 in the US App Store Adventure charts.
- Flutter
- Dart
- Firebase Realtime Database
- Flutter Riverpod
- Flutter Map
- Geolocator
- Git
- 70,000+
- Downloads
- #10 / #25
- UK / US App Store
- 8
- Game Modes
- 2,200+
- Flutter Tests
HideZone turns any park or neighborhood into a multiplayer game board. I built and shipped the Flutter app end to end, from the host-authoritative game loop and Firebase synchronization to geofenced maps, items, subscriptions, ads, and both store releases.
Approach
Built a host-authoritative game engine on top of Firebase Realtime Database. Eight game modes plug into isolated strategy bundles, while shared services handle location updates, zone rules, items, reconnects, maps, billing, ads, and privacy-safe diagnostics.
Outcome
Designed, built, and shipped independently on Google Play and the App Store, reaching more than 70,000 organic downloads and placing #10 in the UK and #25 in the US on the App Store Adventure charts. The current architecture is backed by more than 2,200 Flutter tests, deterministic multiplayer simulations, traffic budgets, and automated checks around network ownership and wire compatibility.
Architecture
Flutter and Riverpod power both mobile clients. A synchronous host engine owns game decisions, while mode-specific strategy bundles keep the rules for Standard, Freeze Tag, Zombie, Chase, Sardines, Murder Mystery, Meteor, and Assassin isolated. Focused Firebase repositories sit behind a compatibility facade, and versioned codecs protect the production wire format.
Highlights
Tactical Items
Scanners reveal locations, Proximity Mines set traps, Ghost Mode grants stealth, and Zone Movers flush out campers.
Eight Game Modes
Standard, Freeze Tag, Zombie, Chase, Sardines, Murder Mystery, Meteor, and Assassin share one engine without mixing their rules.
Live Maps and Replays
Geofenced play areas, cancellable map requests, a bounded tile cache, and local-only match replays.
Privacy-Safe Diagnostics
Anonymous sessions and tightly allowlisted Crashlytics records keep coordinates, names, lobby codes, and match data out of telemetry.
Timeline
Core Architecture
Started mobile development, establishing data schemas and core state structures.
Systems Integration
Integrated game modes, the item system, and geographic boundaries.
Field Testing
Tested with local groups to tune GPS precision, battery use, and latency.
Android Release
Shipped to the Google Play Store and refined systems based on early usage logs.
Network Refactoring
Reworked synchronization and polling to reduce unnecessary Realtime Database traffic.
iOS Release
Shipped to the Apple App Store with cross-platform multiplayer support.
Architecture Rework
Separated the host engine, mode rules, Firebase repositories, and UI ownership, then locked the behavior down with automated tests and traffic budgets.
App Store Milestones
Crossed 70,000 organic downloads, reaching #10 in the UK and #25 in the US App Store Adventure charts.
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