Creating a Fun Terminal-Based Treasure Hunt Game Using Simple Linux Commands

Ever wanted to create a fun, interactive game that you can play directly in your terminal? In this blog, I’ll show you how to build a simple, yet exciting treasure hunt game using basic Linux commands.

Why Terminal-Based Games?

Terminal-based games are a great way to practice your Linux command-line skills while having fun. By using simple commands like ls, cat, cd, and base64, you can create a text-based game that runs entirely in your terminal.

What You’ll Need

• Linux-based terminal (you can also use macOS Terminal or Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL)).
• Basic knowledge of the terminal commands like ls, cd, cat, echo, and base64.

📚 Table of Contents

1. 🛠 Step 1: Setting Up the Folder
2. 🧩 Step 2: Creating the Clues
3. 🎮 Step 3: Playing the Game
4. 🏁 Step 4: Conclusion

Step 1: Setting Up the Folders

Let’s start by setting up the folder structure for our game. Open your terminal and run the following commands:

This will create three levels of the game, with one hidden folder inside level2. Now, navigate to the treasure-hunt directory:

Step 2: Creating the Clues

We’ll create a text file with a clue for each level. The first clue will guide the player to level 2. Here's how you can do that:

1. Create the first clue in level1/clue.txt:

2. Create the hidden second clue in the .secret folder inside level2:

3. Create a fake clue in level3/fake.txt:

4. Create the final clue in level3/real_clue.txt:

Step 3: Playing the Game

Now, let's dive into the game! You will navigate through the levels, read the clues, and decode the hidden message.

1. Start at level1 by reading the first clue:

By going with Folder cd ~/treasure-hunt/level1

You should see:

2. Move to level2:

You should see the hidden .secret folder. Now, go into the .secret folder:

Now go, CD .Secret

3. Read the hidden clue in clue2.txt:

4. Decode the base64 message to get the next path:

5. Move to level3:

6. Read the fake clue:

7. Finally, read the real clue:

Step 4: Conclusion

Congrats, you’ve completed the treasure hunt! 🎉. You used basic Linux commands to navigate through directories, read files, and decode hidden messages. The best part? You can easily modify and expand this game with more levels, harder clues, or even new challenges like encrypted passwords.

But this is just the beginning...

You can level up the game by:

🔐 Hiding clues behind encrypted files or password-protected archives

🧠 Adding logic-based riddles that require scripting to solve

🌍 Spanning clues across remote servers using ssh or scp

🎯 Introducing time-based challenges with bash scripts

This kind of hands-on terminal game is a great way to learn while playing — perfect for beginners, workshops, or even team-building exercises for developers.

So what are you waiting for? Create your own quest, share it with friends, and keep hacking your way to victory! 🚀

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