Run a Backyard Nether Scavenger Hunt — A Real-World Party Guide for Minecraft Fans

TL;DR: Turn the Nether's most recognizable items and mobs into a real backyard or living-room scavenger hunt. No screens required for the hunt itself — just index cards, a printer or marker, and about 20 minutes to set up. Works for a birthday party, a rainy afternoon, or a family game night.

Why this works

Kids who play Minecraft already know the Nether's landmarks by heart — glowstone, blaze rods, piglins, the works. That knowledge is the whole hunt. You're not teaching new material, you're giving kids a reason to run around the house or yard using stuff they already love.

This is a real-world activity, not something that happens inside the game. Nobody needs a device to play it, which makes it an easy pick for parties where not every kid has access to a Minecraft account.

What you need

10-15 index cards or slips of paper
A marker or printer
A backyard, living room, or any space with a few hiding spots
Optional: a small prize bag or bragging rights for whoever finds the most

Step 1 — Make your clue cards

Write one Nether item, mob, or biome on each card. Keep it to things a mixed-age group of kids will recognize. A solid starter list:

Glowstone
Blaze Rod
Nether Wart
Piglin
Ghast
Ancient Debris
Soul Sand
Crimson Fungus
Magma Cube
Netherite

For younger kids, draw a simple picture on the card instead of writing the name. For older kids who know the Nether well, write a one-line riddle instead — "I'm gold, but piglins like me more than a diamond" (answer: gold ingot or gold armor) works great as a harder version of the same card.

Step 2 — Turn each card into a real object to find

This is the actual hunt. Match each Nether item to something around your house or yard with a similar look or color, and hide that object instead of the card:

Glowstone → a yellow ball, a lightbulb (unplugged, obviously), or a piece of yellow LEGO
Blaze Rod → a yellow pencil or a cinnamon stick
Nether Wart → a small red pom-pom or a strawberry
Piglin → a pink sock or a pig toy if anyone has one
Ghast → a white balloon or a cotton ball
Ancient Debris → a dark red or brown button
Soul Sand → a small bag of coffee grounds (sealed) or a brown sponge
Crimson Fungus → a red mushroom toy or a red pushpin
Magma Cube → an orange bouncy ball
Netherite → a dark gray or black button — make this one the hardest to find since it's the rarest item in the actual game too

Hide the objects around the space, then hand out the clue cards. Each kid matches their card to the object it represents and goes looking for it.

Step 3 — Run the hunt

Set a boundary ("stay on this floor" or "backyard only") before anyone starts.
Give every kid one card at a time so nobody's standing around waiting.
When a kid finds their object, they turn in that card for a new one.
Whoever collects the most matches by the time cutoff wins — or skip the competition entirely and just let everyone finish at their own pace.

Ways to make it harder (or easier)

For a bigger group, split into teams of two so nobody's on their own. For older kids, swap the picture cards for the riddle version described above, or require them to say one true fact about the item before it counts as found. For younger kids, keep the list to five or six items and make the hiding spots obvious.

Closing thought

The best part of this hunt is that it doesn't need a screen, a login, or an internet connection — just a list of things kids already know from playing. If you want a refresher on what each item actually does in the game before you make your cards, the Nether Glossary and the Complete Nether Guide cover all of it. And once the hunt's over, the real Nether is one click away in NetherCon's interactive world.

Nethercon — practical guides for players who want to understand the Nether, not just survive it.

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