With summer drawing to a close and spooky season approaching, TikTokers and YouTubers are turning to the world’s scariest adventure app, Randonautica. The app, which went viral on TikTok in 2020 and led some users to a suitcase full of human remains, bills itself as a “quantum-generated” choose-your-own-adventure tool. Users are instructed to set an intention, and then the app generates random coordinates to which they can walk, bike, roll, or drive within a set radius.
The intention behind Randonautica, according to the website filled with jargon from “quantum physics,” is to test the theory that “human consciousness can influence the distribution of random numbers through Mind Matter Interaction (MMI),” the connection between the human mind and technology.
When the app was released in February 2020, it immediately found a user base among those seeking a break from lockdown boredom. At the time of hype, it felt like a mix of Pokemon Go and CreepyPasta and quickly gained popularity online as TikTokers shared videos of their experiences using the app and the strange things they found on their travels. In the summer of 2020, Randonautica made national headlines after the app led teenagers to a dead body in Seattle, Washington.
Now, Randonautica is enjoying a resurgence in popularity, with influencers and fans promising mystical and spooky adventures. YouTuber GroovyGavin recently posted a video with over 520,000 views in which he gives a brief overview of the app’s hype and takes viewers on a Randonauting adventure. “If you go to enough random places, eventually something bad will happen,” he promises in the video.
YouTube creator HannahTheHorrible’s recent in-depth video essay on Randonautica, which has garnered over 500,000 views, covers some of the horror stories and most common conspiracies surrounding the app. While there is no evidence to prove it’s true, one of the main conspiracy theories is that “people on the dark web are setting up traps, hijacking the app, and setting coordinates for people to go to.” However, TikToker @imnotgdub posted a video in June 2024 sharing creepy clips while expressing his belief that “there are people behind the scenes who are actually setting up the locations for people to go to.”
Horror-style randonauting videos often reach millions of views on TikTok. They are usually accompanied by eerie audio and edited in such a way that they both sensationalize the experiences and leave plenty of room for skepticism.
Some of the manifestations users have shared are pretty wild — if they’re to be believed. In a now-deleted video, Mykena Rae chose “death” as her intention and claims she was eventually led to a man who had just been shot. In a recent TikTok, @okiemaribel manifested “money” and was led to a suitcase, but said they ran away when they noticed a couple of men watching them examine it. However, not all manifestations are dangerous; TikToker @brooklynnrobins shared a video setting their intentions to “blue” and “love” and said they were led to a part of a cornfield that was cut into a heart shape and was directly across from a blue barn.
Of course, it’s not uncommon to discover new or strange things when you step out of your normal bubble and go on an adventure. Of course, the app’s randomly generated numbers could actually bring about the desired outcome, or, perhaps even a little more likely, it can be attributed to confirmation bias, sensationalized via TikTok. Whatever the case, if you decide to spice up a stroll around town with Randonautica, be careful and watch out for suitcases.
