FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
We’ve outlined the most frequent questions we get below. If you have a question or concern not covered below, please open a ticket with our support team.
GENERAL QUESTIONS
It’s both! THE OUTBREAK is a team-based health and fitness challenge that unfolds via THE OUTBREAK app. You control your character through your real-world steps and exercise, which are synced into the game via Apple Healthkit, Google Fit, Fitbit, Apple Watch etc.
THE OUTBREAK costs $24.95 per individual for a 6-week challenge, with discounts available if you purchase multiple registrations at a time. The app to access the challenge is free.
If you are part of a group running a private challenge, please see your group’s signup URL for pricing information.
Our Open challenges are just that… open to any and all participants!
Private challenges are held by companies, schools, gyms, or other organizations specifically for their group. These groups register via personalized URLs.
(Looking to get a private challenge for your group? Start here.)
If you believe you are supposed to register for a private challenge, please visit the Find a Challenge page and enter your organization’s name in the search bar.
No. THE OUTBREAK can pull activity directly from Apple Healthkit on iPhones with a motion coprocessor (iPhone 5S and newer), and via Google Fit on Android smartphones with motion tracking (most modern devices), so while we recommend a fitness tracker for the best experience, you can absolutely play THE OUTBREAK using just your smartphone.
THE OUTBREAK syncs activity from Apple Healthkit (iOS) and Google Fit (Android) which in turn accept steps and workout data from a wide range of fitness trackers and apps, like Fitbit, Apple Watch, Garmin and others. Please consult your individual fitness tracker or app to ensure it syncs to Apple Healthkit or Google Fit.
We maintain a list of compatible fitness trackers and apps on our COMPATIBLE TRACKERS AND APPS page.
iPhone: iPhone 5S or newer with iOS 10.3.X or higher.
Android: Android version 5.1.1 or higher. Device needs to have at least 2GB of ram, higher with some devices.
Challenge Entry Codes are sent out along with instructions for downloading the iOS and Android app approximately 1 week prior to Challenge kickoff.
Yes. Feel free to purchase entry codes for teammates! There are discounts available when you purchase codes in bundles of 6 or 10.
If you choose not to participate in a Challenge you have purchased, prior to the challenge’s start date you may transfer your Challenge purchase to another individual or receive a credit for a future challenge. All device sales are final.
TEAMS
Team creation/registration opens up in THE OUTBREAK app approximately 1 week prior to the challenge kickoff. You may coordinate with your team outside of the app or via your challenge’s Facebook group page to make sure all of your players join the correct team.
Anyone who creates a team becomes that team’s “captain” in the app, and can choose to leave the team open to anyone or lock the team with a passcode.
Visit THE OUTBREAK Facebook Group to connect with teams looking for single players.
If you are participating in a private challenge, consult your group’s private registration URL for a link to your group’s Private Facebook Page
Visit THE OUTBREAK Facebook Group to connect with single players looking for teams.
If you are participating in a private challenge, consult your group’s private registration URL for a link to your group’s Private Facebook Page
Teams must be between 3-10 players.
Teams that don’t meet the minimum team size are automatically combined with other teams and/or individuals that don’t have enough players to participate prior to the challenge start.
GAMEPLAY
No. THE OUTBREAK features some very mild cartoon violence (i.e. you want to see your character smash the zombies, right?). The art style and overall tone are lighthearted and appropriate for all ages.
When you start THE OUTBREAK for the first time, you’ll be prompted to connect a fitness tracker. Simply follow the on-screen prompts to select the option that works best for you and grant permission for THE OUTBREAK to import your activity data from the source you select.
Once connected, THE OUTBREAK will sync to your device every 30 seconds or so that you have THE OUTBREAK app open on the gameboard.
We maintain a list of compatible fitness trackers and apps on our COMPATIBLE TRACKERS AND APPS page.
You and your team are competing against other teams in a 6-week challenge where all teams are being chased by a zombie horde. Each week starts and ends in a safehouse, with point bonuses being awarded to the teams who make it to each safehouse the fastest.
Your team’s steps move it across the game board. If your team doesn’t get enough steps to stay ahead of the zombie horde, your team members will take health damage. If any team member’s health is reduced to zero, he or she may be turned into a zombie.
Players who have converted into zombies can either earn their way back to their former human team through activity, or remain a part of the zombie horde, where their steps and exercise help make the horde faster and more ferocious.
Along the way, teams will run into obstacles, which can impede progress until beaten using some combination of steps and exercise.
Points are earned at the team level for reaching safehouses, conquering obstacles, maintaining a human team, and for reaching the daily team step goal. The team with the most points at the conclusion of the challenge wins.
THE OUTBREAK eases you in and scales up over the course of each of the challenge’s 6 weeks. You’ll need a minimal amount of steps and exercise to survive week one, but get ready for more of a challenge as the weeks progress. In later weeks, you’ll want your team to be averaging 7,000+ steps per team member, per day, with members banking enough power (through exercise) to pass frequent obstacles.
Team progress is based upon the average of the team’s steps allowing for teams to be made up of athletes and novices, alike.
Yes! You can access an interactive tutorial in THE OUTBREAK app by tapping on TUTORIAL on the login screen or in the main menu.
Or, if you like, we’ve placed a screen capture of the tutorial below…
Have a question that’s not answered here? Visit THE OUTBREAK Support.