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Geocaching is a game in which players hide objects that other players use GPS receivers to find. It's simple. Traditionally, the hidden object is a waterproof container with a log book and various inexpensive prizes. Finders are encouraged to take something, leave something, and sign the log.

Over time, many forms of geocaching have emerged. Moving caches, virtual caches, hitchhikers, so-called locationless caches, even event caches, are popular. All are welcome here.

You can locate caches by country, region and city (or by postcode for US and Australia), by most recent caches or logs, or by owner. Choose from the pulldown menus and then click the "Show caches" button. If you register with the site, you can also specify up to three locations and do proximity searches based on those locations. Registration is free. Registration also allows you to customize the filters used to decide which caches are ignored in the search results.

Searches will be performed using the last filled-in search criteria. (For example, if you fill in an owner's name, the country/region will be ignored. This means that if you want to perform a search on country alone, leave all the other fields blank, including the region field.) Search options:

• By Country: Search for caches by country (sorted by date listed or by rating)
  Warning: Be patient. When this field is changed, the form is reloaded with new region values. Wait for it!
• and region: Search for the caches by state, province, bundesland, kantone, etc.
• and city: Search for caches by city name. In the US and Australia, you can alternatively provide a ZIP code or postcode (sorted only by distance).
• Or by time: Search for the most recently listed caches or for the most recent logs.
• Or by owner: Search for caches owned by a specified player (sorted by date listed or by rating).
• Or by waypoint: Search for an individual cache using its waypoint name. Waypoint names are in the format GExxxx, where xxxx is a hexadecimal number
• Or by saved location: If you are registered, you can search by proximity to a specified location. Your saved locations will appear in the pulldown menu (sorted by distance).
• Sort by: Depending on the search criteria used, the results will be listed either by distance from a central point, or by the date a cache was listed or logged, or by the average rating given to the cache by geocachers. Criteria that can be sorted by date or rating are marked with an asterisk. If sorted by rating, caches without enough logs to calculate an average rating are not shown in results.

For basic searches, with results displayed on maps, click on the link in the search form labeled "Go to Basic Search". Basic searches include caches listed on multiple geocache listing sites, not only GPSgames.org.

Depending on whether you are registered and/or logged in, different buttons will be displayed. Buttons:

• Show caches: Click this button to perform a search
• Login: If you are not logged in, click this button. This site uses cookies to remember you from page to page. If your browser settings do not accept cookies, you will not be able to use all the features of this site.
• Hide a cache: Click this button to hide a cache of your own. Until lots of people do this, there will not be many caches for you to find. Please consider being a cache owner yourself.
• GxLeague Play: For friendly competition, sign up for one of our leagues. Players are assigned to teams, who play each other in a season of games. Games are won by placing caches, by finding caches, and by having other players find the caches you place. The team with the best record at the end of the season, wins the GxLeague championship.
   
• Show my profile: If you are registered, this is where you can edit your profile information, such as specifying locations for proximity searches.
• Show my finds: Click this button to see the caches you have found.
• Show my hides: Click this button to see the caches you have hidden.
• Show my watches: Click this button to see your watch list. You will be notified by email whenever a log is entered against one of the caches on your watch list.
• Show my ignores: Click this button to see your ignore list. When viewing a cache description, you can choose to ignore that cache. It will be filtered out of all future searches.

Each page has a "Help" box like this one. Look for it.