If you binged The Imagineering Story on Disney+ and immediately wondered how to get a job designing theme parks, this news is for you.
Okay, it’s not quite a job. But it might be the next best thing. Walt Disney Imagineering is officially letting Disneyland guests in on the testing process for brand-new digital experiences, while they’re still messy, unfinished, and very much a work in progress.
And yes, there’s a Star Wars game involved. Plus an AI park guide that held its own against some tricky Disneyland questions in early testing.
Here’s everything you need to know.
The Download
- The app: Disney Imagineering Labs, a place to playtest digital experiences that are still in development.
- Where: Disneyland Resort only, for now. No Walt Disney World version yet.
- Who gets it first: Magic Key holders ages 13 and up.
- When everyone else gets it: Early 2027, according to Disney’s plans.
- Experiment #1: Star Wars: Secrets of the Spire, launching November 10 in Galaxy’s Edge.
- Experiment #2: Disneyland Enchanted Guide, an AI-powered park helper, coming soon.
- The catch: Disney wants your feedback, and your answers help decide which experiments survive.
Scott Gustin, who broke down the announcement, summed it up: Magic Key holders get first access, and Disney wants feedback to help shape what comes next.
NEW: Walt Disney Imagineering just launched a new app that lets Disneyland guests playtest digital experiences that are still in development. First up is an AR game in Galaxy’s Edge. An interactive park guide is coming soon, too.
Magic Key holders get first access, and Disney wants feedback to help shape what comes next. The app will launch for all Disneyland guests in early 2027.
More: https://t.co/SC43Xgj7v2
— Scott Gustin (@ScottGustin) November 10, 2026
Your Mission, Should You Choose to Accept It
- Grab your macrobinoculars. In other words, your phone. You’ll hold it up to scan the land through AR.
- Get your orders. Princess Leia explains that encrypted Imperial signals are hidden around the outpost, each holding part of the coordinates to an Imperial starpath unit.
- Follow the buzz. A tracker guides you, and your phone vibrates more as you get closer to a signal.
- Slice it. Star Wars speak for hacking. Move your phone to catch the white data packets and dodge the red ones. Pro tip from early testers: distance matters, so find your sweet spot.
- Watch the land react. Each success sets off sounds or lights around Galaxy’s Edge.
- Take a break if you need it. Your progress saves, even if you come back on another day.
- Pick a side. An Imperial officer offers you payment for the coordinates. Accept, or send them to the Millennium Falcon to help the Rebellion.
Imagineering also hopes to tuck hidden Easter eggs into the AR view to surface some of the land’s lore. Keep in mind this is just the first chapter, and whether the full story ever gets built depends on how guests respond.
Can You Stump the AI?
The second experiment, Disneyland Enchanted Guide, is an AI helper you can talk to or type to. It pulls its answers straight from Disney’s own information, and testers were encouraged to try to break it. Here’s how it held up.
The trick question: “How do I get to California Screamin’ from here?” The answer: It knew the coaster is now the Incredicoaster on Pixar Pier at Disney California Adventure, mentioned you’d need a Park Hopper or eligible Magic Key, and gave walking directions plus the current wait.
The shopping question: “Where can I build a lightsaber?” The answer: Savi’s Workshop at $249.99 plus tax, reservation required, plus a heads-up about the complimentary Youngling saber-building experience, which doesn’t include a saber to take home.
The camera test: Point it at the petrified tree in Frontierland, and it correctly identified it.
The wrong-park question: Ask about a Harry Potter castle, and it politely sticks to Disneyland.
It can also ping you when a wait time drops below your target, remember context from earlier in the conversation, and connect over Bluetooth to wearables like Meta glasses or earbuds.
It’s not flawless yet. It can’t see your account, and questions about parade times or which characters are out sent testers back to the Disneyland app or a cast member.
The Fine Print
This isn’t your typical polished Disney app, and Disney is refreshingly honest about that. Every experiment comes with a status label:
- Early development: Expect rough visuals, temporary voice-over, and possibly bugs or crashes.
- Taking shape: The idea works and is getting polished.
- Nearly complete: Almost ready for a wider release.
After each experiment, you’ll be asked for feedback. Disney wants to hear about glitches, but it really wants to know if the experience is fun and worth building out. Popular experiments may graduate into the Disneyland app or their own app. Others could be reworked or retired.
That means your favorite might not stick around. Disney says the app will notify you when experiments arrive or change.
So, Should You Download It?
If you’re a Magic Key holder who’s in the park all the time: Absolutely. You’re first in line, and your feedback could shape what other guests see down the road.
If you’re a Star Wars fan: Secrets of the Spire alone makes it worth a try. Just know you’re playing chapter one of a story that may or may not continue.
If you visit every few years and just want an easy day: Stick with the regular Disneyland app for now. Labs is about experimenting, and it doesn’t replace the tools you already use.
Okay, Testers, Report Back
We love that Disney is letting fans peek behind the curtain, bugs and all. It’s not every day you get to help Imagineers decide what’s worth building.
Now we want the scoop from you. Magic Key holders, have you tried Secrets of the Spire yet? Did you side with Leia or cash in with the Empire? And would you actually use an AI guide on your next Disneyland trip? Spill it all in the comments. We’re still deciding which side we’d pick ourselves!
