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10 Best Escape Room Board Games

10 Best Escape Room Board Games

Escape room board games are having a big moment, and you’ll see a wide variety of approaches in each of the best escape room board games we dive into below!

The concept of escape room board games is simple. You try to escape a certain scenario by solving a series of puzzles that range in difficulty from easy to crazy-hard! Although the premise is simple, there are so many different twists to escape room board games that make them different!

Our discussion of each escape room game focuses on key factors that we look for when shopping for an escape the room game: best player counts, difficulty level, target audience, use of technology, time constraints, the game’s hint system and whether they can be reset– or not!

Here are a couple of tips:

  1. All escape room games, whether they can be reset or not, can only be played once. After that, the secrets and “aha” moments that make this gaming experience so special are lost. 
  2. Escape room games can be frustrating and brain-busting. If you are new to the escape room genre, want to play with newbies or are easily frustrated, don’t despair! There are some ultra easy escape room games you can use to ease yourself into the genre.

If you want to learn more about what an escape room game is all about, check out our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) below. There are a number of escape room board game series and brands, each with their strengths and weaknesses! Check out our zoomed-out overview for a detailed comparison of escape room board game lines like Unlock!, Exit: The Game, Escape Room in a Box, Deckscape and more.

Our Top Picks – Best Escape Room Board Games

 

Escape Room Game With the Most Immersive Story: Scooby Doo: Escape From the Haunted Mansion

Scooby Doo: Escape From the Haunted Mansion is perfect for nostalgic fans of the Scooby Doo series, and the extensive narrative components and special character abilities make this a fun escape room experience for everyone who loves an immersive storyline (kids and adults alike)!

 

Best Escape Room Board Games: Deckscape

Best Escape Room Game On the Go: Deckscape: Test Time

The Deckscape series features a small box and a deck of just 60 cards, making this perfect for escape room fun on the go! Whether you have a long layover, an international flight, are on an epic train ride or just need something that will fit in your carry on bag, Deckscape: Test Time is a great pick.

 

Best Escape Room Board Games: Unlock Epic Adventures

Most Innovative Escape Room Game: Unlock! Epic Adventures

Each of the three games in Unlock! Epic Adventures introduces a really cool mechanic that makes each game a unique experience. Like all Unlock! Games, the games in this pack have great artwork, a fun theme and storyline and utilize the required companion app in creative ways. 

 

Best Escape Room Board Games: Exit The Game Dead Man on the Orient Express

Best “Whodunit” Escape Room Game: Exit: the Game: Dead Man on the Orient Express

In Dead Man on the Orient Express, the “whodunit” approach brings an extra layer to the gameplay, as you are both solving puzzles and trying to discover the murderer. You can even question suspects as you work to crack the case.The Exit series of escape room games specializes in hands-on, one-time experiences where you will permanently alter game components on your quest to find the murderer on the Orient Express.

Our Top 10 Escape Room Board Games

Escape Room in a Box: Flashback

Try and escape the 80's in this totally rad escape room!

Players: 1-8 // Game time: 30-90 minutes // Age: 12+ // Difficulty: Easy

Publisher: Mattel Games

There’s a mad scientist slash werewolf on the loose! Dr. Gnaw is a powerful nemesis, but not invincible! You and your team need to construct a powerful amulet in order to escape safely. The catch? You need to solve a number of puzzles in order to get the complete combination to four locks. Flashbacks are the name of the game, quite literally in this case! The game components feature an 80’s inspired palette full of electric blues and cool plum purples and some retro italicized writing to round out the theme. 

Escape Room in a Box: Flashback is advertised as a three-path escape room game that can be played up to three times. We found that it was more fun for us to work through all three paths simultaneously, which ups the difficulty level a little bit and increases the amount of time you spend working on the game. If you want to play one path at a time, that would work. Just keep in mind that it will likely take you a very short amount of time to get through each path.

What makes Escape Room in a Box: Flashback (and the series as a whole) unique is that they include more physical components than most games in the escape room genre. They also include some pretty creative and unique puzzles that are a lot of fun to solve.

Escape Room in a Box: Flashback at a Glance

Game Length Thirty to ninety minutes.
Best Player Counts We recommend a maximum of six players. Since there are three different paths, you can sic two players on each path. This will likely cut down on total game time. For maximum difficulty and to stretch this game out longer, we recommend playing with 1-3 players.
Difficulty Level – Who Should Play? Very easy. There are some interesting puzzles and fun components, which makes this a fun experience for players of all levels, including kids.
Use of Technology None required. There’s an option to use Amazon Alexa to keep track of time, provide hints and play a soundtrack.
Time Constraints None.
What If We Get Stuck? There is a hint system that provides bonus puzzles to solve.
Game Reset Although you will need to destroy components to solve clues, you can print out replacements on the publisher website to reset the game. The game specifically says that it’s possible to reset the game, and there are detailed instructions online.

Why This is Fun

Escape Room in a Box: Flashback is a fun 80’s-esque werewolf escape room game that features that just-right difficulty level for a chill game session, with some pretty fun and innovative puzzles to boot.

Who This Game is For 

Escape Room in a Box: Flashback is for folks looking for a laidback escape room experience without any extreme frustration or hair pulling. This is also a great game to introduce yourself (or your favorite people/ kids) into the escape room genre.

Buy Escape Room in a Box: Flashback on Amazon

Escape Room in a Box: Flashback is the entry-level escape room game in the Escape Room in a Box Series. The original, Escape Room in a Box: The Werewolf Experiment, is a higher difficulty escape room game that we discuss in more detail above. If you love the Escape Room in a Box series and you’re a fan of the Walking Dead,  Escape Room in a Box: The Walking Dead is perfect for you!

Escape: the Game Version 2

Work your way through four escape room experiences while keeping your wits around you!

Players: 1-4 // Game time: 60 minutes // Age: 12+ // Difficulty: Easy

Publisher: Identity Games

Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick.

That’s the sound of your chrono decoder counting down the minutes before things become… Well, real!

Escape: The Game Version 2 includes a chrono decoder and four scenarios, each with a slightly different level of difficulty. 

In Prison Break, you have been wrongfully imprisoned and you see your opportunity to escape – can you do it in 60 minutes? 

In the Virus escape room, you are locked in a sketchy lab as the time ticks by – if you don’t get out in time, the virus will kill you! 

The Nuclear Countdown escape room features a bomb threat, and the Temple of Aztec escape room gives you the opportunity to brave dangers to get the ultimate treasure – the Eye of the Aztec!

Escape: The Game Version 2 is a series of escape room games. The Escape: The Game series has a few standalone base games (each includes a nifty chrono decoder) and a ton of expansions you can buy that are compatible with the series. What makes this series unique is the chrono decoder. The chrono decoder is a slick battery operated device that counts down the time, and is also where you insert your answers via keys. The device communicates correct or incorrect answers via sounds, which may be difficult if your gaming group includes deaf or hard of hearing players- keep that in mind!

Escape Room: The Game at a Glance

Game Length An hour, give or take, depending on how many players are in your group!
Best Player Counts Plays well with full participation at 1-4 players. Difficulty level is higher with solo and 2 player games.
Difficulty Level – Who Should Play? Light to medium-light. Most folks should be able to enjoy this game, as you can work your way from easier to more difficult rooms.
Use of Technology Uses a fun battery operated chrono decoder. The decoder has a timer and needs to be opened via physical keys in order to solve puzzles.
Time Constraints You have an hour to find the code and escape. If you run out of time, the chrono decoder will start counting up, tallying the minutes you’ve spent over the time limit.
What If We Get Stuck? The chrono decoder will instruct you to take a hint card every few minutes. You can enter your answer on their website if you need to double-check your answer.
Game Reset Although you will need to destroy components to solve the clues, you can print them out on the publisher’s website to reset the game. There are a lot of pieces and game components to keep track of, so it will take some effort (and time) to reset the game.

Why This is Fun

In Escape Room: The Game, the chrono decoder is a fun physical component that helps center the group (versus using someone’s phone). For the most part, the puzzles are fun and interesting, and there is nothing like the feeling you’ll get when you pick the right key and get the affirmative from the decoder!

Who This Game is For

Escape Room: The Game is an escape room game that works well with adults of all levels. The slight uptick in difficulty between the four rooms included in this version makes it easy for inexperienced players to pick it up. Depending on the theme, certain rooms may be okay to play with your favorite teen(s).

Buy Escape Room: The Game on Amazon

This version of Escape Room: The Game is a standalone version of the game that includes a chrono decoder and three different escapes.

There are a lot of expansions for Escape Room: The Game, so we’ve highlighted just a few. Just note that they require one of the base games, which include the decoder. 

If you’re looking for a creepy carnival vibe, the Welcome to Funland expansion pack is a more fun than a barrel of caramel corn.

Love pirates? The Legend of Redbeard’s Gold expansion pack is perfect for you and your parrot pal!

Want something set on a train? The Wild Wild Express expansion pack is ready to giddy-up!

Unlock 6! Timeless Adventures

Use an app to solve imaginative challenges across time- but don't run out of it!

Players: 1-6 // Game time: 60-90 minutes // Age: 10+ // Difficulty: Easy

Publisher: Space Cowboys

The Unlock! series of escape room games specializes in good-looking and immersive experiences that are enhanced through innovative use of their special companion app!

Unlock 6! Timeless Adventures comes with a trilogy of Unlock! Adventures- the sheer variety of games included makes this collection one of the best escape room games, dollar for dollar! We’ll run through the included Timeless Adventures quickly: 

  • “The Noside Show”‒ Prevent Professor Noside from sabotaging an illustrious circus.
  • “Arsene Lupin and the Great White Diamond”‒ Transport yourselves to early 20th century Paris for a jewel race! 
  • “Lost in the Timewarp!”‒ Can you restore the timeline after Professor Tempus’ time machine wreaks havoc in Lost in the ChronoWarp? Each game has a genuinely fun theme and storyline, with interesting challenges. 

Unlock! Timeless Adventures at a Glance

Game Length An hour, give or take, depending on how many players are in your group!
Best Player Counts Plays well with full participation at 1-4 players. Difficulty level is higher with solo and 2 player games.
Difficulty Level – Who Should Play? Escape! games are fairly straightforward and linear, and are typically great for players of all skill levels. In addition, each of the three included games has a different difficulty level, as rated by the publisher:

Easy

The Noside Show

Medium

Arsene Lupin and the Great White Diamond

Hard

Lost in the ChronoWarp
Use of Technology Uses a fun battery operated chrono decoder. The decoder has a timer and needs to be opened via physical keys in order to solve puzzles.
Time Constraints You have an hour to find the code and escape. If you run out of time, the chrono decoder will start counting up, tallying the minutes you’ve spent over the time limit.
What If We Get Stuck? The chrono decoder will instruct you to take a hint card every few minutes. You can enter your answer on their website if you need to double-check your answer.
Game Reset Although you will need to destroy components to solve the clues, you can print them out on the publisher’s website to reset the game. There are a lot of pieces and game components to keep track of, so it will take some effort (and time) to reset the game.

Why This is Fun

Each of the three games in Unlock! Timeless Adventures has great artwork, a fun theme and storyline and innovative challenges via the required companion app. There are no duds in this pack. All of these things together make this pack a great buy and a whole lotta fun!

Who This Game is For

Unlock! Games are fairly linear, which makes it easier to bring to the table. In addition, the difficulty scales across the three games. This makes the Unlock! Timeless Adventures trilogy a great game for players of all skill levels.

Buy Unlock! Timeless Adventures on Amazon

The Unlock! series features over 20 standalone escape room games, all of which are packaged into bigger box value packs with 3 games. If you really like your first Unlock! experience, we recommend going back and starting with the very first and working through the packs in the order they were released, from Unlock! Escape Adventures, Unlock! Mystery Adventures and Unlock! Secret Adventures, and so on. 

With every game they’ve released, the Unlock! series game developers keep adding innovative gameplay and ways to integrate the companion app. Playing the games in the order they were released in will allow you to follow the designers’ progression with each release! Starting at the beginning will also allow you to enjoy the earlier, simpler Unlock! games before progressing to the more complex and fancier Unlock! versions.

Exit: The Game - The Enchanted Forest

Wander through the Enchanted Forest and look for the way home!

Players: 1-4 // Game time: 45-90 minutes // Age: 10+ // Difficulty: Easy

Publisher: Thames & Kosmos

In The Enchanted Forest, you are on a relaxing walk when everything takes a very strange turn. Can you find your way out, or will you be trapped forever? The enchanting fairy tale theme intertwines with a quirky and entertaining journey as you seek help from a range of animals and creatures you encounter in the forest. The story is fun and enjoyable, and comes accompanied with bite-sized descriptive text that helps you immerse yourself in the game!

The Exit series of escape room games specializes in hands-on, one-time experiences. You will be instructed to permanently alter game components on your quest to find your way out of The Enchanted Forest, so it’s a one-time-and-done thing! 

Exit: The Game – The Enchanted Forest at a Glance

Game Length 1-2 hours
Best Player Counts Plays well with 1-4 players. With adults, 2 players is ideal. With both adults and kids, 2-4 players is the sweet spot.
Difficulty Level – Who Should Play? Easy. This is a good game for folks who are new to the escape room genre. The theme and activities (more things to cut out) make this a great game for kids as well.
Use of Technology None. Everything you need is in the game box.
Time Constraints None.
What If We Get Stuck? The game provides hint cards for puzzles.
Game Reset Exit games are interactive, and you will destroy components. It’s possible to ignore these commands in order to fully reset the game. However, we recommend against doing so if it’s your first time playing an Exit game, or if you’re playing with kids.

Why This is Fun

The fun in The Enchanted Forest lies in the characters, entertaining little storyline and hands-on approach. You’ll meet a variety of fairy tale creatures and animals on your puzzle-solving journey.

Who This Game is For

The Enchanted Forest is laid-back and features a lower difficulty level than many escape room games. Younger kids can participate to some level as well! It’s the perfect introductory escape room game for newbies and a great game to play with kids.

Buy Exit: The Game - The Enchanted Forest on Amazon

Sunken Treasure is another game in the Exit series of great escape room games, perfect for folks new to the escape room genre. This one is rated at a beginner difficulty level and has a fun shipwreck setting. If you’re not into the Enchanted Forest theme, try this one instead!

Scooby Doo Escape from the Haunted Mansion

Jump into the Mystery Van- don't forget the dog treats!

Players: 1-99 // Game time: 60-120 minutes // Age: 8+ // Difficulty: Easy

Publisher: The Op / USAOPOLY

Ooooo—ooooooooooooo!

Break out your favorite Scooby Doo soundtrack, because Scooby Doo: Escape from the Haunted Mansion is here, complete with the Mystery Machine Van! Join Velma, Scooby-Doo, Shaggy, Fred and Daphne on their next spooky adventure as these teen sleuths (and canines!) set out to solve the mystery of the resident ghost in Lady Fairmont’s mansion.

The theme and story of Scooby Doo: Escape is what makes the whole experience playing this game so gosh darned special. One of the best escape room board games, this one comes with five narrative booklets that players will read as you move through the story. You may even find yourself trying to act out the various characters in the story, with their mannerisms and quirks, as you read the narrative! Players work together to control all of the characters and their movements. 

Each character has a special ability that you can use to your advantage, and integrates well into the storyline. Note: Be careful not to assign a character permanently to each player, and rather work together to control them. The game is designed so that everyone gets to play as all of the characters, as opposed to sticking with one character. That way when characters are not in play, all players are still participating- and you get to switch from Fred to Scooby-Doo in less than two shakes of a floppy tail!

Scooby Doo: Escape from the Haunted Mansion at a Glance

Game Length About two hours. Can be paused between Chapters 1 and 2.
Best Player Counts Plays well with 1-5 players. With adults: 1-3 players. With adults and kids: 2-5 players.
Difficulty Level – Who Should Play? Medium, but on the lighter side. Interesting for kids, but simple enough to play with a mix of kids and adults. We recommend starting with an easier escape room game if you are entirely new to the genre.
Use of Technology The game does not use an app or website, providing an opportunity to get everyone off their screens.
Time Constraints There is no timer in this game. You get to go through Scooby Doo at your own pace.
What If We Get Stuck? The game’s hint system is useful. Initial hints don’t come with too much information, so you don’t feel like you’re cheating.
Game Reset Components are not destroyed. There are no reset instructions, but it is possible (with some effort) to reset the game.

Why This is Fun

The fun in Scooby Doo: Escape from the Haunted Mansion is multifaceted, but it lies in embracing these well-loved characters, reading through the storyline and opening envelopes and components as you solve puzzles. The game really makes it feel as if you’re playing through an episode of Scooby Doo. Even if you are not familiar with Scooby Doo, the strong theme and narrative approach create a fun immersive experience.

Who This Game is For

Scooby Doo: Escape from the Haunted Mansion is, first and foremost, for those of us who grew up watching Scooby Doo! This is the game you didn’t know you always wanted to play! It’s a lot of fun to share this nostalgia, whether it’s with your favorite octogenarians or your kids. Bonus points for those who love both Scooby Doo and escape room games – this was made for you! Fans of escape room games in general will also enjoy this, if you’re okay with reading through a lot of narrative text.

Buy Scooby Doo: Escape from the Haunted Mansion on Amazon

Escape the Room: Secret of Dr. Gravely's Retreat

Lucky you! It’s 1913, and you’ve won a free stay at the ground-breaking Foxcrest Retreat, an ultra-luxe resort. Dr. Gravely is renowned for providing top-of-the-line luxurious treatments and ultimate relaxation for the upper echelon of society. 

After a long train ride, you’re so ready to wipe off the grime of travel and luxuriate. Only it’s clear right from the get-go that Foxcrest Retreat is not what it seems. The doors have closed behind you, and time is a-ticking! Can you escape before it’s too late?

Escape the Room brands itself as a family friendly series of escape room board games. While spooky, their game themes aren’t intended to be too scary for kids- phew! One of the unique features of this series is their use of hands-on, physical puzzles, which is a great way to experience the escape room genre with kids!

Escape the Room: Secret of Dr. Gravely’s Retreat at a Glance

Game Length An hour to an hour-and-a-half, give or take.
Best Player Counts We recommend playing with 1-3 players, since only one player can solve a tactile puzzle at once while everyone else watches.
Difficulty Level – Who Should Play? Medium, but on the lighter side. Good for beginners and kids and still fun for intermediate level escape room aficionados.
Use of Technology None, other than the clue system (see below).
Time Constraints None.
What If We Get Stuck? There is an online clue system with three levels of clues you can select from: general, specific and the full solution.
Game Reset The Escape the Room game website provides clear reset instructions.

Why This is Fun

Escape the Room: Secret of Dr. Gravely’s Retreat is fun because it brings a different approach to the escape room game experience. The types of puzzles you find are different than in many escape room games. They are less narrative based, and revolve more around actual physical components. The decoder wheel is another fun tactile component, and it is a lot of fun to hear/ feel that satisfying “click” when you get the answer right.

Who This Game is For

Escape the Room: Secret of Dr. Gravely’s Retreat is a great game for folks looking for a mellow escape room experience with tactile puzzles. While most of the puzzles are not mind-boggling, they’re challenging enough to make it worth your time. This is a good game for kids (as long as they take turns solving puzzles), newbies to the escape room genre and folks looking for that just-right level of difficulty.

Buy Escape the Room: Secret of Dr. Gravely’s Retreat on Amazon

Escape the Room: Mystery at the Stargazer’s Manor is a very low difficulty escape room game, which can be a lot of fun for kids or newbies to escape room games that want to ease their way into escape room games.


Escape the Room: The Cursed Dollhouse takes the tactile escape room experience to a whole new level with a dollhouse that you will physically construct with components in the box. This is the hardest game in the series, for those looking for a tactile escape room game with some oomph.

Escape Room in a Box: The Werewolf Experiment

Stop yourself from turning into a werewolf... before it's too late!

Players: 2-8 // Game time: 30-90 minutes // Age: 12+ // Difficulty: Easy

Publisher: Mattel Games

There’s a mad scientist slash werewolf on the loose in Escape Room in a Box: The Werewolf Experiment.

Dr. Gnaw is a powerful nemesis, but he’s not invincible! But just how can you beat him? He’s crafty… he’s a doctor… and he’s something else. 

He’s also a puzzle master. Puzzles are the name of the game! You need to solve a number of puzzles to get the combination to separate locks. All the locks prevent you from opening certain strange but crucial components! You’ll also uncover tons of seemingly unrelated items! 

You’ll also interact with mysterious notes telling you to stop what you’re doing… before you befall a terrible fate!  

The question remains… can you escape in time?

Escape Room in a Box: The Werewolf Experiment at a Glance

Game Length Anywhere from thirty minutes to an hour-and-a-half.
Best Player Counts The game publisher recommends playing the game with two to eight players. That’s fairly accurate, though it is possible to play at higher player counts. We played this one with two players, and would recommend keeping the player count to 2-6 players to make sure everyone has something to do!
Difficulty Level – Who Should Play? Medium. It’s possible for newbies to enjoy this, but for a frustration-proof experience we recommend starting with an easier escape room board game experience first. Escape room fans with some experience should have no problem enjoying this, although the puzzles themselves aren’t brain-burning.
Use of Technology None required. There’s a nifty option to use Amazon Alexa’s voice skills to keep track of time, provide hints and play a thematically spooky soundtrack.
Time Constraints You’ll start the included countdown timer when you’re ready to start!
What If We Get Stuck? No worries, there’s a hint system that’s got your back.
Game Reset Although you’ll need to destroy components to solve clues, you can print them out on the Escape Room in a Box website to reset the game.

Why This is Fun

Escape Room in a Box: The Werewolf Experiment is an interactive escape room game (and honestly one of the best escape room board games out there) with a fun werewolf theme. What makes this game fun (and different) than most escape room games is the inclusion of more physical components – boxes you will unlock, surprises you’ll find, and so on.

Who This Game is For

Escape Room in a Box: The Werewolf Experiment is for folks looking for an interactive escape room experience with tangible items that works well at a larger player count. While many escape room games work best at smaller player counts, multiple players can solve different puzzles at the same time in The Werewolf Experiment. This is a great escape room game for both experienced and newbie escape room players to play together.

Buy Escape Room in a Box: The Werewolf Experiment on Amazon

Escape Room in a Box: Flashback is the entry-level escape room game in the Escape Room in a Box series. This is a great option if you’re looking for an ultra easy option to get into the escape room genre in a fun, frustration-free way or don’t like werewolves.

If you love the Escape Room in a Box series and you’re a fan of the Walking Dead, Escape Room in a Box: The Walking Dead is perfect for you!

Deckscape: Test Time

Escape a room full of puzzles and odd items!

Players: 1-6 // Game time: 30-90 minutes // Age: 10+ // Difficulty: Easy

Publisher: dV Giochi

In Deckscape: Test Time, you represent Doctor Thyme’s most brilliant students. Believe us when we say it’s an honor that he selected you for this special project. Getting selected was the easy part. Now you have to pass a crucial test before the Doctor will trust you enough to work on his greatest invention yet! Easy-peasy, right?

Only Doctor Thyme is… well.. A typical distracted professor. While he is getting you up to speed, he accidentally presses a button. All of a sudden, the lab is locked, the lights are out and Doctor Thyme just fell through a trapdoor. You’ll be trapped in this eccentric lab unless you pass his test and successfully escape. 

Deckscape: Test Time is the minimalist’s version of an escape room game. So much fun is packed into this tiny box with just sixty cards. This is why the publisher refers to this game as “a pocket escape room game.”

Deckscape: Test Time at a Glance

Game Length About an hour, give or take.
Best Player Counts Plays well with 1-4 players. Sometimes multiple puzzles are in play simultaneously, which makes this game a better candidate for larger player groups than most escape room games.
Difficulty Level – Who Should Play? Medium-light. The puzzles make you think, but aren’t super hard. If you are new to solving puzzles, we recommend picking an escape room game with a lower difficulty level to ease yourself into the genre.
Use of Technology None. You read the rules and play the entire game via cards.
Time Constraints None.
What If We Get Stuck? The game provides hint cards for the most difficult puzzles.
Game Reset There’s no permanent destruction, and the game can be easily reset.

Why This is Fun

Deckscape: Test Time is streamlined, simple, features that just-right difficulty level for a chill game session, has a decent story, takes just an hour of your time and is also ultra compact. This makes this a fun escape room game for anyone, and a whole lot of settings, whether you are going on an epic train ride, a long flight, a two hour layover or are looking for a fun date night experience.

Who This Game is For

Deckscape: Test Time is for folks looking for a laidback experience (not boring- it’s one of the best escape room board games available today), while still feeling the satisfaction of solving puzzles. None of that frustration or pulling your hair out. It’s also tiny, making it the perfect game to throw into your carry-on or play on a small side table.

Buy Deckscape: Test Time on Amazon

Deckscape: Test Time is the first game in this series. A ton of new games have been released, each with a different theme and story. The designers have added new challenges and mechanisms, so we encourage you to check them out if you enjoyed Deckscape: Test Time or would like to bring a few for that epic train ride.

Deckscape: the Fate of London, Deckscape: Heist in Venice, Deckscape: The Mystery of Eldorado, Deckscape: Behind the Curtain, Deckscape: The Curse of the Sphinx and Deckscape: Escape from Alcatraz are all worth checking out!

Exit: The Game - Dead Man on the Orient Express

Just like in the Agatha Christie novel, solve a murder mystery aboard the Orient Express!

Players: 1-4 // Game time: 45-90 minutes // Age: 12+ // Difficulty: Medium

Publisher: Thames & Kosmos

 

You are on an epic train ride, enjoying your glass of Prosecco when things run foul. 

Someone has been murdered! In cold blood, no less. Can you solve this grisly crime before the train reaches its destination and the culprit escapes?

In Dead Man on the Orient Express, the “whodunit” approach brings an extra layer to the gameplay. As with any escape room board game, the majority of your energy is spent solving puzzles. What this game adds is the element of discovering the murderer. As befits a master detective, you have the opportunity to question suspects as you work to crack the case.

The Exit series of escape room games specializes in hands-on, one-time experiences. This means that you will be instructed to permanently alter game components on your quest to find the murderer on the Orient Express.

Exit: The Game – Dead Man on the Orient Express at a Glance

Game Length 1-2 hours.
Best Player Counts Plays well with 1 to 4 players, but our favorite experience is playing it with two players.
Difficulty Level – Who Should Play? High. Best for folks with some experience with escape room games, especially other Exit games.
Use of Technology None. Everything you need is in the game box.
Time Constraints None.
What If We Get Stuck? The game provides hint cards for the included puzzles.
Game Reset Exit games are interactive, and you will destroy components. It’s possible to ignore these commands in order to fully reset the box. However, we recommend against doing so if this is your first experience with an Exit game- lean in and enjoy the experience!

Why This is Fun

Solving a murder mystery via a series of puzzles is a fun twist to the murder mystery game genre and a LOT of fun! This game is well-designed, well-thought out and sure to bring the fun for any game night.

Who This Game is For

Folks looking to scratch your escape room and murder mystery itch all in one go will love Dead Man on the Orient Express. As this is one of the harder Exit games, we recommend that you at least have some experience with escape room games, especially in the Exit series, to make this experience less frustrating and more fun.

Buy Exit: The Game - Dead Man on the Orient Express on Amazon

Theft in the Mississippi is another fun whodunit Exit game for fans of this genre. Folks looking for another high-difficulty Exit game will enjoy The Cemetery of the Knight.

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Unlock! Epic Adventures

Unlock! Epic Adventures

Set out on your own epic adventure- and solve epic challenges along the way

Players: 1-6 // Game time: 60 minutes // Age: 12+ // Difficulty: Easy

Publisher: Space Cowboys

Unlock! Epic Adventures comes with a trilogy of Unlock! adventure games. In general, the Unlock! series of escape room games specializes in good-looking and immersive experiences that are enhanced through innovative use of the companion app.

Unlock! Epic Adventures has a fantastic suite of games, some of the best in the entire series. This is one of the best escape room games your money can buy- and we enjoyed this one the most! With every Unlock! game, the game developers continue to innovate and explore new ways to keep the escape room genre exciting. The innovation and truly unique and immersive gameplay elements are what make this particular series so fun and special.

“The Seventh Screening” takes on a haunted house/ black and white film noir vibe where you are attending the screening of the long-awaited premiere of “The Werewolf’s Final Night.” It’s the easiest game in this box, and more scary than spooky, making it a fun game to play with your kids. 

In “The Dragon’s Seven Tests,” you are a prospective new disciple of the Gold Dragon’s temple. Are you worthy of Master Li’s teachings? This is the medium-difficulty level game in the pack. The highest difficulty game, “Mission 07” is all about espionage – can you find the mole before it’s too late? “Mission 07” is a fun immersive game where players take on roles with special abilities.

Unlock! Epic Adventures at a Glance

Game Length One to two hours.
Best Player Counts Plays well with 1-4 players, as many escape room games do. Again, our ideal player count is two, as too many players can translate into too many cooks in the kitchen.
Difficulty Level – Who Should Play? Unlock! games are fairly straightforward and linear. They’re typically great for players of all skill levels. A plus: each of the three included games has a different difficulty level, as rated by the publisher:

Easy

The Seventh Screening

Medium

The Dragon’s Seven Tests

Hard

Mission 07
Use of Technology The vast majority of Unlock! games require the use of a companion app. The app, used in clever and innovative ways, is often integral to each game.
Time Constraints The companion app will do the countdown- can you finish in 60 minutes?! You can complete an adventure in more time, if you need it.
What If We Get Stuck? No components are destroyed, so the game can be fully reset and passed along.
Game Reset Although you’ll need to destroy components to solve clues, you can print them out on the Escape Room in a Box website to reset the game.

Why This is Fun

Each of the three games in Unlock! Epic Adventures introduces a really cool mechanic that makes each game an out-of-the-ordinary experience. Like all games in the Unlock! series, the games in this pack have great artwork, a fun theme and storyline and utilize the required companion app in creative ways.

Who This Game is For

Unlock! games are pretty linear, which makes this series easier to bring to the table with players of all skill levels. In addition, the difficulty level scales across the three games, allowing even newbies to build up to the hardest game with just a little bit of practice.

Buy Unlock! Epic Adventures on Amazon

The Unlock! series features over 20 standalone escape room games, all of which are packaged into bigger box value packs with 3 games. If you really like your first Unlock! experience, we recommend going back and starting with the very first and working through the packs in the order they were released, from Unlock! Escape Adventures, Unlock! Mystery Adventures and Unlock! Secret Adventures, and so on. 

With every game they’ve released, the Unlock! series game developers keep adding innovative gameplay and ways to integrate the companion app. Playing the games in the order they were released in will allow you to follow the designers’ progression with each release! Starting at the beginning will also allow you to enjoy the earlier, simpler Unlock! games before progressing to the more complex and fancier Unlock! versions.

That’s a Wrap!

As with books and movies, everyone will experience escape room board games differently. It’s extremely important to think about your group’s preferences in all aspects of the experience, including your preferred difficulty level, whether you are playing with kids, what your player count will be, your preferred duration of gameplay, the importance of the story and whether you want to be completely offline or are okay with using an app.

There is something for everyone in our top 10 escape room board games. Whether you want a funny, nostalgic game with lots of story elements (Looking at you, Scooby Doo!), a fun hands-on escape the room game to play with kids (Exit: The Game – The Enchanted Forest), an escape room game you can take and play practically anywhere (Deckscape: Test Time) or to be impressed by innovative puzzles (Unlock! Epic Adventures).

Comparison of Escape Room Board Game Series

Escape Room BrandThe SellThe GoodThe Bad
Exit: The GameA legacy-inspired escape room game with a deck of cards, a booklet and a few other objects. The game will call on the use of household items like scissors and glue.
  • Some games specifically designed for kids and newbies

  • Creative, challenging puzzles

  • Tactile puzzling with a variety of tools
  • Destroying game elements = one time use
  • Can seem too open ended and hard to solve puzzles
  • Linear, so if you get stuck on one puzzle you can’t move forward
Unlock! An escape room board game that revolves around a deck of cards, an innovative companion app and a few additional objects (the latter especially in newer games).
  • Excellent artwork and theme
  • Imaginative and unique challenges via the app
  • Continues to innovate and do something new and interesting with newly published games
  • Perusing cards for clues can seem tedious
  • Not a lot of physical components beyond cards
  • The stress of time limits isn’t for everyone
DeckscapeA minimalist escape room experience using just sixty cards.
  • Play this anywhere
  • Fun puzzles with a light narrative arc
  • Moderate but not brain-burning difficulty level
  • No other physical components
  • Puzzles aren’t super clever
  • Not a high difficulty level
Escape Room in a BoxSolve puzzles using tons of physical items for an immersive escape room board game experience.
  • Fun physical puzzles
  • Enough things for multiple people to do at the same time
  • Tangible and interactive puzzles
  • Quality issues with locks and misprints
  • Puzzles aren’t as clever as other games
  • Issues with locks can affect gameplay
Escape the RoomA tactile escape room experience using physical components.
  • Components are a decent quality
  • Fun physical puzzle solving
  • The decoder wheel is fun
  • Only one person can solve a puzzle at a time
  • Puzzles aren’t as clever as other games
  • A lot of similar puzzles
Escape Room: The GameAn escape the room game that revolves around solving puzzles in order to insert the right keys in the nifty chrono decoder.
  • Immersive experience centered on the chrono decoder
  • Games are a range of difficulty levels
  • Plenty of expansions
  • Quality issues with the chrono decoder
  • Quality of puzzles is not consistent from game to game
  • Game intricacy is not consistent from game to game

Escape Room Board Game Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

The concept of escape room board games is simple. You are trying to escape a certain scenario by solving a series of puzzles. Although the premise is simple, there are so many different approaches to escape room board games. Some games are legacy-like, and involve cutting or destroying components as you solve the puzzles. Others use a companion app to create innovative puzzles, and some focus on more physical tactile puzzling. These are a few examples of the variety available in escape room board games.

Player Count and Downtime – Think about how many players you will be playing an escape room game with, and whether you are okay with some downtime (i.e. one person solves a puzzle at a time) or prefer to have enough for everyone to do. Some games play better at smaller player counts, while others work well at larger player counts.

Experience and Difficulty Level – Think about the personalities and experience level of the folks you will be playing with. If any player is new to escape room games, doesn’t do a lot of puzzling or problem solving, and/or is easily frustrated, it’s best to start with one of the escape room board games we’ve identified as easy/ entry level and to ease your way into the escape room game genre.

Quality – Some escape room board games are well-established and usually don’t have production quality issues. Others are created by larger game companies and can have some quality issues (i.e. broken pieces, misprints, etc.) that can affect gameplay or cause confusion. Think about whether you are willing to overlook any production quality issues for a more hands-on escape room experience, or if this is a no-go for you. 

All escape room games can only be played through once. After that, the secrets and “aha” moments that make this gaming experience so special are lost. It is possible to hang onto a game long enough for you to forget everything, but that takes valuable room on your shelf. If the game can be reset, it’s fun to share the experience by loaning out or giving the game away. 

Although it may seem uneconomical to purchase a game for $10-$40 and use it only once, think about it as an experience (like a concert or a movie) rather than a game. 

For instance, we bought Unlock! Epic Adventures for $30. We played each game with two players, for an average of 1 ½ hours each. This adds up to $5 per game per player, which is far cheaper per person than a physical escape room game or even going to the movies.

Even if you can’t play a game again, it’s nice to know if it can be replayed again by someone else. Some escape room games make it easier to reset than others.

The Exit the Game series is the only escape room game on our list that can’t be reset. Technically, it is possible to reset a game if you ignore a ton of prompts, but we don’t recommend this if you are playing with kids or if this is your first Exit game. If the ability (and ease of) to reset a game and share with your favorite people is important, then the Exit series may not be for you.

Photo credit: Thanks, The Op! cc

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