The Legend of the Gastown Gold

The Legend of the Gastown Gold is a detective, almost escape room-style game with Vancouver Mysteries. It’s played at a hotel in downtown Vancouver.

With the game you have to uncover clues, decipher codes, open locked boxes and solve the mystery of some hidden gold from the 1880s. It’s very much like an escape room, except you don’t have to escape from anything. You experience the adventure from the comfort of a hotel lobby, at a table, with a drink in your hand.

Note: Vancouver Mysteries has a number of other great games to check out. If you use the promo code BESTPLACES you can save 10% on all of the outdoor games. The indoor ones (like The Legend of the Gastown Gold), however, don’t have the same discount.

The Legend of the Gastown Gold and Vancouver Mysteries

Vancouver Mysteries is a game company. Some of their games are played outdoors in the streets of downtown Vancouver. They include games like Heroes & Villains, Crime in Downtown, Secret Mission and Ghost Patrol. The first of these is the easiest (in our opinion) and the last is the hardest. All of them are challenging, but also lots of fun.

Vancouver Mysteries also hosts a number of indoor adventures which require just as much thinking, but none of the walking. They include Murder is a Drag, The Case of the Hotel Detective and The Legend of the Gastown Gold.

Murder is a Drag is a murder-mystery game that’s also a dinner theatre show with drag and wedding themes. It takes place at a restaurant and it’s both fun and entertaining. The food is really good too. The Case of the Hotel Detective, meanwhile, is a murder-mystery game. With it there are public games that are played at a hotel in downtown Vancouver. You can also play a private game with friends at a place of your choosing, including in your home if it’s in or near the City of Vancouver.

Launched in early 2025, The Legend of the Gastown Gold is Vancouver Mysteries’ newest game. To learn about the game, click The Legend of the Gastown Gold or continue reading. To learn about the company in general and its other games, see our article about Vancouver Mysteries or visit the vancouvermysteries.com website.

Where and When

The Legend of the Gastown Gold experience takes place at the Delta Hotels Vancouver Downtown Suites. The hotel is located at 550 West Hastings Street in downtown Vancouver. It’s also the same hotel that hosts The Case of the Hotel Detective mystery game.

The Legend of the Gastown Gold was originally created as part of the 2025 Dine Out Vancouver Festival. It was a success and now runs year-round.

As of early 2025, the game runs on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. On Fridays the only time to play is at 4:00 pm and on the other two days of the week it runs at both 4:00 and 7:00 pm.

The experience costs $70 per person, with all taxes, fees and tips included in that price. You pay the first portion of that amount (about $32) on the Vancouver Mysteries website when you make your booking. The rest of the fee is paid at Stock & Supply, the hotel’s restaurant where the game (and dining) takes place.

The game’s cost includes one drink per person from Stock & Supply as well as a Stock Board (their version of a charcuterie board) for every two people. Additional food and drinks can be purchased which are added to the final bill.

About the Game

The Legend of the Gastown Gold is a very collaborative experience. Everyone solves the mystery together, and that potentially includes working with strangers! There are 10 spots available for each game slot, and everyone sits at the same long table. If multiple small groups book the same time, then they all work on solving the clues together. If you book the full 10 spots all together then you guarantee a private game.

The experience is similar to an escape room, except you solve everything while remaining seated at the table. The game is set in 1886 during the gold rush. Players must use the clues they’re given to find out where a valuable trove of treasure is buried.

The game begins with a couple of actors playing old-timey characters arriving at the table with the supplies you need to solve the case. They explain how everything works and what you need to do.

There’s a 90-minute time limit to solve the mystery. It consists of a series of puzzles, riddles and codes that must be cracked to advance to the next stage. After the game ends is when the Stock Boards are served. To take a look at what else is on the menu see the Stock & Supply website.

Vancouver Mysteries recommends budgeting around two or three hours for the entire experience, including the introductions, solving the case and enjoying the food afterwards.