View this original article on the Sun Escape website HEREFor Sun Escape 2026, Shadow Jumpers and the United Porphyrias Association took the games that help photosensitive children pass the daylight hours and transformed them into 34 personalized adventures, each inspired by the experiences, imaginations, and personalities of the campers themselves.
A special thank you to Disc Medicine for generously sponsoring the creation of our 2026 Sun Escape games, helping us transform our campers’ unique personalities, imaginations, and experiences with photosensitivity into one-of-a-kind adventures they can treasure for years to come.
We leaned into the games, imagination, and creativity that help our photosensitive campers make the most of their time indoors while waiting for the sun to go down. Inspired by everything from video games and board games to card games and fantasy adventures, the theme embraced the idea that life's challenges are simply new levels waiting to be conquered.
Our team created one-of-a-kind games each inspired by the child at the center of it. Some reimagined familiar board games around the realities of living with photosensitivity, while others transported campers into imaginative worlds filled with adventure, mystery, and competition. No two games were alike, because no two campers are alike. Together, they transformed the everyday challenges of photosensitivity into opportunities for imagination, adventure, and play.
The SPF Crystal
For 12 of our photosensitive campers, we created Sun Escape Heroes: The SPF Crystal, an original retro-inspired video game featuring 11 unique worlds and 35 levels. The adventure begins in Nimbus City, a floating sanctuary protecting the photosensitive community, where the villainous Doctor Daybreak shatters the powerful SPF Crystal, scattering its fragments across different worlds. Inspired by each camper's personality, interests, and experiences with photosensitivity, players become the heroes of their own personalized adventures, battling imaginative villains, overcoming sun-related obstacles, and unlocking special abilities to recover the missing fragments.
Joining them on their journey is Dr. Amy Yeung, a Sun Escape volunteer, our camp's medical representative, and a leading porphyria expert who also lives with EPP herself, bringing her real-world expertise and personal understanding of photosensitivity into the game's adventure. Featuring unique characters, environments, and storylines, the game brings 12 individual camper adventures together into one epic mission to restore the crystal, save Nimbus City, and prove that even the sun is no match for the power of teamwork.
Embark on a solo quest to defeat Dr. Daybreaker and recover the missing shards of the SPF Crystal by playing our game HERE
The Rest of our 2026 Games
The Library Beyond the Sun - A mystery game that transports players into an enchanting world of magical books, mysterious characters, and surreal visions. Inspired by camper Simone's love of reading, imaginative storytelling, boba tea, and her beloved dog Fuji, players must work together to interpret cryptic illustrated clues and unravel the secrets hidden within a mysterious library.
Photosensitive Peeps - A Battleship-inspired game with an entirely different objective. Rather than locating and destroying an opponent's fleet, players like camper Lucy and others work to find people who need protection from the sun and provide them with shade. With the tagline "Find them fast. Shade them first," the game replaces traditional battleships with protective resources such as umbrellas, canopies, and pop-up tents.
How Did the Sun Get Bella? - A Clue-inspired mystery board game that transforms an unfortunate reaction to sunlight into a hilarious family investigation. Inspired by camper Bella's love of theater, cheerleading, and her close-knit family, players must solve the mystery of how Bella was exposed to the sun, where it happened, and who was responsible.
Hurry Home Holguins - A cooperative board game that transforms the race to get home before sunrise into a playful adventure centered around family, teamwork, and sun safety. Inspired by camper Celi's experiences with photosensitivity and the importance of family support, players must work together to guide the Holguin family safely home before the rising sun puts them at risk
Photosensitive Pandas - A mystery board game that transports players into a colorful world of panda detectives, hidden clues, and sun-safe adventures. Inspired by camper Hailey's love of pandas and imaginative play, players must work together to investigate a mystery, gather evidence, and identify the correct panda suspect before time runs out.
Sun Umbrella Sound-Off - A karaoke party game that transforms a traditional singing competition into a sun-safe music festival filled with laughter, creativity, and friendly competition. Inspired by Hannah's love of music and performing, players take turns flipping cards featuring different words and racing to sing a recognizable song lyric containing that word before their opponents can steal the spotlight
A Shadowbound Adventure - Inspired by the fantasy storytelling games Dunegons & Dragons, players build a hero's journey through a series of challenges, traits, and important decisions, earning rewards for overcoming obstacles while managing the consequences of sun exposure. The game introduces abilities that transforming the everyday skills developed through photosensitivity into the qualities of a fantasy hero in the spirit of our camper Molly.
One Sunny Day at the Rink - A social deduction game that transforms the familiar setting of a hockey rink into a mystery filled with hidden identities, suspicious players, and the dangers of unexpected sunlight. Inspired by camper Addison's love of hockey and experiences with photosensitivity, players must work together to uncover who is secretly putting their fellow players at risk before the sun catches them off guard.
Overexposed - A drawing and guessing party game that transforms the everyday challenges of photosensitivity into a hilarious game of artistic interpretation and miscommunication. Inspired by camper Claire's creativity, sense of humor, and experiences navigating life with the sun, players take turns sketching secret words or phrases before passing their drawings along for the next player to interpret.
Charlie's Big Shade Fort - This stacking and balancing game transforms building a towering structure into a playful mission to construct the ultimate sun-safe hideout. Inspired by camper Charlie's imagination and experiences with photosensitivity, players take turns carefully stacking walls and floors to build an increasingly tall and unpredictable shade fort while keeping the entire structure from collapsing
The Island of Burn - An adventure centered on navigating a dangerous environment where sunlight presents a constant threat. The concept combined exploration, survival, and strategy, transforming the challenge of avoiding exposure into an adventure fit for the wacky imagination of our camper Theo.
Insecto-Land - Escape the Sun Forest, a colorful, Candy Land-inspired board game that transports players into a whimsical world of insects, mysterious landscapes, and unexpected challenges. Inspired by camper Adeline's love of bugs and imagination, players journey through fantastical destinations like Bug Meadow, Candy Crossing, and Venom Valley, collecting helpful insect companions and special tokens while avoiding venomous creatures and dangerous sunlight.
Guardians vs. Rebels - This strategy board game (and a new take on chess) transforms a traditional martial arts showdown into an epic battle between the forces of sun protection and those who dare to defy it. Inspired by camper Robert's love of strategy and competitive gameplay, players command opposing teams of Guardians and Rebels, each with unique movement abilities determined by a rotating selection of custom action cards.
Daybreaker - Our Labyrinth-inspired board game that challenges players to navigate an ever-changing maze filled with shifting pathways, dangerous sunlight, and imaginative surprises. Inspired by Lila's love of art, creativity, and puzzles, players must strategically rearrange the maze to discover safe routes, collect powerful items, and avoid the sinister Ultraviolet Reaper.
Defend the Shade - A cooperative board game that transforms defending a medieval castle into an exciting mission to protect a sun-safe fortress from an approaching army of sunlight-loving monsters. Inspired by camper Adelinde's imagination and experiences with photosensitivity, players must work together to stop colorful creatures from exposing everyone inside to the dangerous sun.
Agathe in Wonderwood - This whimsical fantasy adventure transports players into an enchanted forest filled with mysterious creatures, magical discoveries, and unexpected dangers lurking beneath the sunlight. Inspired by camper Agathe's imagination and experiences with photosensitivity, the game reimagines the challenges of navigating the sun as an extraordinary journey through a fantastical woodland where shade offers safety and every new path presents an opportunity for adventure.
Got You Covered - A Twister-inspired party game that transforms the classic challenge of twisting, stretching, and balancing into a hilarious test of flexibility, coordination, and sun protection. Inspired by camper Julianna's personality and experiences with photosensitivity, players must maneuver their hands and feet across a colorful game mat while following increasingly tricky instructions, all without losing their balance.
The Fall of Nimbus City - An action-packed, video game-inspired adventure that transports players into a once-thriving city threatened by the dangerous forces of sunlight. Inspired by camper Hattie's imagination, adventurous spirit, and experiences with photosensitivity, the game challenges players to navigate a world where protective clouds and shadows are disappearing, leaving the city vulnerable to harmful UV rays.
UV Escape - A personalized Monopoly-inspired adventure that transformed the traditional world of buying properties and collecting rent into a game about navigating sunlight, gathering protective resources, and finding safe places. Players travel through a world inspired by Gia's interests, visiting destinations such as dance studios, puppy playrooms, shaded beaches, shopping destinations, and nighttime attractions.
The Solar Classic - Our foosball-inspired tabletop hockey game that transforms the excitement of competitive sports into a fast-paced showdown between sunlight and shade. Inspired by camper Camden's love of hockey and experiences with photosensitivity, players face off in an action-packed championship where quick reflexes, precise shots, and clever strategies are the keys to victory.
SPF: Sketch, Predict, Fun - This Pictionary-inspired drawing and guessing game that transforms the everyday experiences of photosensitivity into a hilarious competition of creativity, quick thinking, and artistic imagination. Inspired by camper Myleigh's personality and experiences navigating life with the sun, players take turns sketching words and phrases while their teammates race against the clock to correctly guess what they're drawing.
Guess Who? - For our entire Sun Escape community, we created a personalized reimagining of the classic Guess Who? board game, featuring every photosensitive camper and volunteer who attended Sun Escape Weekend 2026. Rather than the familiar faces from the original game, players were greeted by their fellow campers, friends, and volunteers, each illustrated wearing their own unique UV-protective clothing and gear
SPF-it - This fast-paced, Spit-inspired card game transforms the classic battle of speed and quick reflexes into a sun-safety showdown. Featuring a custom deck of cards inspired by the UV Index, players race to get rid of their cards by rapidly matching and playing numbers in sequence, all while competing to outpace their opponent.
Shadow Jumpin' - A SORRY!-inspired board game that transforms the classic race to get home into a playful adventure through the challenges of living with photosensitivity. Players race to move their pieces around the board and reach the safety of their home base, navigating unexpected setbacks, strategic moves, and plenty of opportunities to send their opponents back to the start.
