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Metal detecting simulator · in your browserEvery find tells a story.

Take your metal detector across the hill country: read signals, dig, identify your finds.

Play now in your browserDiscover the game
Right in your browser · No download
Search & discover
Identify finds
Make connections

Seven places. Countless stories.

This is where your search begins – seven find spots around the village, each with its own story in the ground. And the village is only the beginning.

Cattle pasture on a slope with an old oak and a wooden fence
PastureOld farm track from 1890
Fair meadow at the edge of the village with a church tower
Fair meadowLost things since 1952
Freshly ploughed field
FieldThe plough turns up finds
Mill brook with a watermill and an old ford
Mill brookWhere the carters rested
Deeply cut sunken lane in the woods
Sunken laneMedieval old road
Winding village lane between pastures, fences and half-timbered houses
Village laneOn foot, straight from the village
Castle ruin with keep, curtain wall and gateway on a wooded hill
Castle ruinWalls from the Middle Ages
This is only the beginning.

Beyond the village, two more worlds are waiting. Gather reputation, experience and the right contacts, and you will find out where the trail leads.

Chapter 2 · still lockedThe Town on the RiverA fort the Romans left behind. A ferry that has been crossing for centuries. And a place nobody in town likes to talk about …
Chapter 3 · still lockedThe Sea Gives BackAt low tide the mudflats reveal what the sea has taken. An engraved ring, a harbour stamp – and far out, where only the brave go, a wreck …
More areas in development
What lies in the ground

Bottle cap or gold gulden?

More than 160 types of find are waiting in the ground – in the hill country, by the river and on the coast, from bent tin to the piece that exists only once. What you have really found often only becomes clear in the workshop.

The players’ best finds →
CommonBottle cap

Bottle cap

The classic among meadow rubbish – sometimes it sounds suspiciously good.

Everywhere
CommonHorseshoe fragment

Horseshoe fragment

Bad luck for the farmer back then, good luck for collectors today.

Field · Pasture
UncommonBrass uniform button

Uniform button

From a soldier’s tunic – the shank is often still attached.

Sunken lane · Field
RareTin soldier

Tin soldier

Somewhere around here a child lost their favourite soldier.

Pasture · Fair meadow
RareGold ring

Gold ring

Sounds like foil. Ignore every mid-range tone and you will never find it.

Fair meadow · Pasture
SetShooting club badge 1898

Shooting club badge 1898

Only found in two halves – complete once you put it together.

Fair meadow
ChestRusty cash boxContents unknown

Rusty cash box

A large, square signal. What’s inside only shows when you open it.

Sunken lane
StoryHistoric pistol, heavily corroded

Historic pistol

Is it linked to the robbery of 1923? Only an examination can tell.

Part of a find story
LegendaryRhenish gold gulden

Rhenish gold gulden

15th century. Gold doesn’t rust – as if it had been lost yesterday.

Sunken lane
One-offThe bailiff’s seal stamponly 1× on the server

The bailiff’s seal stamp

There is exactly one – for all players together.

somewhere in the hill country

Never found yet

Something lies by the mill brook that nobody has dug up yet.

Mill brook · at low water
160+Types of find
21Find areas
4Types of chest
9Find stories
Start searching yourself

From the first signal
to your own collection

  1. 1
    Find a signalThe detector only gives clues – foil or gold ring?
  2. 2
    Dig carefullyCut the turf, use the pinpointer, fill the hole again.
  3. 3
    Identify the findClean it, keep the patina, discover varieties.
  4. 4
    Collect or sellDealer, find report or a place of honour in the showcase.

A village full of encounters

Portrait of Farmer Hennecke in a flat cap
Farmer Henneckegives you your first pasture
Portrait of Dr. Anja Kessler with glasses
Dr. Anja Kesslerarchaeological heritage office
Portrait of Gerda, the landlady
Gerdaknows every rumour
Unknown detectorist as a dark silhouette in the morning mist
???You will meet him.

Ten people who grant permissions, have jobs for you – or snatch the best spots from under your nose.

Coming soon to Steam

Finder’s Chronicle is coming to Steam.

The Steam version is in the works. The plan: a free demo and the full game as a one-time purchase – no subscription and no in-game purchases.

Store page coming soon

  • Buy once, play anywhereSign in with Steam and keep playing in your browser and on your phone.
  • Free demoThe first three in-game days and two search areas to try out.
  • English and GermanIn German the game is called “Bodenchronik”.
About the game

Metal detecting in your browser – this is Finder’s Chronicle

Finder’s Chronicle is a metal detecting simulator that you play right in your browser. With metal detector, spade and pinpointer you roam a small village in the hill country and search the cattle pasture, the freshly ploughed field, the fair meadow, the ford on the mill brook, the old sunken lane and the village lane for what people have lost over the centuries.

Realistic, not a treasure map

The detector only gives clues: conductivity, depth and signal strength. A bottle cap sometimes sounds like silver, a gold ring almost like foil. Soil type, weather, ploughing times and low water change what you find. You cut the turf, pinpoint the target, recover the find – and fill the hole again. Just like real metal detecting.

From find to your own collection

In the workshop you clean coins and finds without destroying the patina, determine the year and variety and piece fragments back together. Then you decide: sell to a dealer, report to the heritage office, display in your own museum or show off in the Hall of Fame.

A village full of stories

Landowners grant permissions, neighbours ask for help with lost rings, and old maps and newspaper cuttings are waiting at the local history society. Find stories lead through the whole village, hidden places want to be found, and sometimes a big signal turns out to be a chest whose contents only come to light in the workshop.

For beginners and detectorists

If you have never been detecting, you learn through play how signals, digging technique and identifying finds work – and why you ask for permission and report finds. Experienced detectorists will recognise familiar routines. Background on the law, finds and equipment is in our magazine Field Notes (in German).

No download, on every device

Finder’s Chronicle runs on PC, Mac, tablet and smartphone. Your progress is saved automatically and can be stored in the cloud with an e-mail code. Inside the game you only pay with play money – there are no real-money purchases. Play now in your browser.

Frequently asked questions

Questions and answers about Finder’s Chronicle

What is Finder’s Chronicle?

Finder’s Chronicle is a metal detecting simulator for the browser. With your metal detector you search pastures, fields, the mill brook, the sunken lane and the village lane for lost things, dig them up carefully, clean and identify them in the workshop and build up your own collection.

Are there real-money purchases in the game?

No. Inside the game you only pay with play money – there are no real-money purchases.

Do I need to download or install anything?

No. The game runs right in your browser, for example in Chrome, Edge, Firefox or Safari. Just open the page and start playing.

Can I play Finder’s Chronicle on my phone?

Yes. Finder’s Chronicle works on PC, Mac, tablet and smartphone – with mouse and keyboard or by touch. On older devices, the “fast” graphics setting helps.

Is my progress saved?

Yes. Your progress is saved automatically. If you link it to your e-mail address (with a code, no password), it is stored in the cloud and you can carry on playing on any device.

How realistic is the metal detecting in the game?

Very close to the real hobby: the detector shows conductivity, depth and signal strength, iron and rubbish get in the way, and soil and weather change the search. You need permission from the landowners, fill in your holes again, charge batteries and look after your tools.

What finds are there?

More than 160 types of find – from bottle caps, uniform buttons, kreuzers and silver coins to the gold gulden, from Roman brooches by the river to the gold ducat on the mudflats. On top of that there are fragments to piece together, chests with unknown contents and one-offs that exist only once.

Can I play with other players?

You search on your own, but you are not alone: in the player market you trade finds with other players, in the Hall of Fame you show off your best pieces, and everyone works together on the shared research project.

Who is Finder’s Chronicle for?

For anyone who likes history, treasure hunting and calm exploration games – whether you already go out with a metal detector or just want to give detecting a try. There is no fighting and no violence.

The people behind the game

Two minds. One passion.

A gamer with an idea and a designer with an eye for detail – together we are building the game we always wanted to play ourselves.

Meet the team
Portrait of Cai with a metal detector in an autumn forest
Idea & game concept

Cai

Cai came up with the idea for Finder’s Chronicle. As a passionate gamer, he brings in the players’ point of view: What sparks curiosity? What makes a find special?

Portrait of Dominik with a metal detector on an autumn farm track at the edge of the village
Creative design & attention to detail

Dominik

Dominik gives the game its visual identity – from atmospheric landscapes and individual characters to finds that look authentic.

Ready for your first trip?
  • Play in your browser – straight away, no download
  • Desktop and smartphone – with mouse or touch
  • Progress in the cloud – carry on playing on any device
  • More than 160 types of find – from bottle cap to gold ducat

What lies beneath your feet?

Head out now