About this Event
IMPORTANT: No meetup is required at this location and the start time is what time the case files to begin the hunt will be available. Friendship Archway is listed as a convenient central reference point for the event and you may start any time or day after November 1st at 6:00am.
The Missing File takes place throughout Washington, D.C., Maryland and Northern Virginia, and teams may begin at any available challenge location and at any time best suited for each mission.
DMV HUNTS: THE MISSING FILE
A Mystery Scavenger Hunt Across the DMV
November 1 – November 30, 2026
FREE TO ENTER • PLAY FOR FUN AND ALSO COMPETE FOR A $500 CASH GRAND PRIZE AS AN EXTRA BONUS
Someone spent years documenting the DMV.
Businesses.
Buildings.
Monuments.
Signs.
Artwork.
Forgotten details.
Numbers most people walk past without noticing.
Then the record stopped.
What remains is scattered across Washington, D.C., Maryland and Northern Virginia.
Some entries appear ordinary.
Others contain codes.
Certain locations hold fragments of something larger.
And somewhere inside the hunt is a file that was never completed.
Welcome to:THE MISSING FILE
DMV Hunts is turning the DMV into one enormous mystery scavenger hunt.
Play solo or build a team.
Find locations.
Solve riddles.
Complete challenges.
Recover information.
Earn points.
There is no single starting point.
There is no required route.
And you do NOT have to complete everything.
In fact, you probably won't.
Expect 100+ challenges involving:
• Hidden details
• Businesses and storefronts
• Historic locations
• Public art
• Landmarks
• Riddles
• Photo and video missions
• Codes and ciphers
• Puzzles
• Special business challenges
• High-value mystery missions
Some challenges are quick.
Others require careful observation.
And some may contain pieces of a much larger mystery.
PLAY FOR FUN — OR PLAY TO WIN
Want something different to do with friends or family?
Come hunt.
Want to explore the DMV and solve a few puzzles?
Come hunt.
Want to build a serious team and compete for the prize?
Come Hunt.
The hunt itself is the experience.
The $500 Cash Grand Prize is an extra bonus for teams that want to compete.
Teams may connect up to 10 devices to one shared hunt profile.
The eligible team with the highest verified point total when the competition closes wins the $500 Grand Prize.
The hunt begins Sunday, November 1.
The file closes Monday, November 30 at 11:59 PM ET.
Registration is FREE.
After registering, visit:
to activate your team, explore the hunt and learn how everything works.
FIND THE CLUES.
RECOVER THE EVIDENCE.
SOLVE WHAT YOU CAN.
DMV Hunts
Event venue & nearby stays
Friendship Archway, 728-730 7th Street Northwest, Washington, United States
Concerts, fests, parties, meetups — all the happenings, one place.