These Virtual Escape Rooms Are a Blast to Play With Friends and Family
It was May of 2018, and Dave Murphy was supposed to be celebrating his girlfriend's birthday in Amsterdam. Instead, like much of the rest of the world, Murphy was stuck at home—and stumped over how to throw a genuinely fun party in lockdown.
Thinking creatively, the 28-year-old Kent, England native built an experience that worked around this era's restrictions: A virtual escape room, which his girlfriend's family and friends completed together via Google Forms. "Watching them take on the rooms and having a proper laugh at a point where we had written off large social events was utterly joyous," Murphy, a radio producer by trade, tells OprahMag.com.
Since then, Murphy has launched an entire company around that one successful party. Trapped in the Web offers a series of themed escape rooms that can be completed online as a group or solo. "It's been so great to see this silly little project I did for fun turn into a successful and popular business," Murphy tells OprahMag.com. "It's been overwhelmingly positive."
Murphy's success speaks to the escape room industry's growing popularity. According to a 2020 report from Room Escape Artist, there were only two dozen facilities in the U.S. in 2014. As of last year, there were 2,250. The pandemic has forced in-person facilities to adapt their experience to an online landscape. The New York Times estimates that hundreds of virtual escape rooms have launched since last March, including Murphy's Trapped in the Web series and Omescape's award-winning Pursuit of the Assassin Artist, held over Zoom.
While Murphy ultimately hopes people can return to in-person escape rooms, he believes virtual experiences like his own will persist among separated loved ones or WFH colleagues looking for team-building opportunities. "These are still going to be great for remote working social events and friends and families that are spread across the world," he says.
Here are a few of the best virtual escape rooms online, including multiplayer games to play with large groups and free options you can enjoy solo.
Night Terrors by Mystery Mansion Regina
Alex, the "main character" of Night Terrors, is plagued with nightmares of a figure called the Sleepyman. In this immersive experience, you and your group take on the role of Alex's subconscious, guiding him through an escape room—and trying to stop the nightmares.
Choose it if: You want to be spooked but not too spooked.
How much does it cost? $26.25 CAD per person, or about $20 USD
Team Size: Between two and 10 players.
Club Drosselmeyer 1943
Club Drosselmeyer is an annual interactive holiday show that's typically hosted out of Boston. Thanks to these unprecedented times, though, the show has gone virtual—meaning any of us can participate in the intricate WWII-era mystery through the end of 2021. The mystery unfolds via an old-fashioned radio broadcast. For a preview, check out the characters involved in the script.
Choose it if: You're tired of looking at a screen. Gameplay includes telephone calls and pen-and-paper puzzles—but no Zoom, unless you're conferencing with faraway friends.
How much does it cost? Starting at $35.00
Team Size: Between two and six players.
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A Night at the Theater by Trapped in the Web
Trapped in the Web's A Night at the Theater is perfect for far-flung friend groups that used to enjoy trips to the movies or live theater. Unlike other options, which are held over Zoom and have timed slots, Trapped in the Web's games are conducted through Google Forms.
Choose it if: You'd like a more flexible escape room experience. Trapped in the Web's rooms have no time limits, nor do they expire. "It makes for a more casual, fun and personal experience than you'd perhaps get in a physical room or with other virtual companies," Murphy says.
How much does it cost? Starts at £8.99, or about $12
Team Size: There's no limit, but the company recommends teams comprised of up to eight players.
The Pursuit of the Assassin Artist by Omescape
Named the best escape room of 2020 by the Top Escape Rooms Project, The Pursuit of the Assassin Artist is a seriously great time. Reviewers call it the "future" of escape rooms because of the way it intermingles in-person and online elements. When embarking on this innovative escape room, you'll meet two artists. Beware: One of the two is an assassin, and he's out to get you.
Choose it if: You never miss an art heist movie.
How much does it cost? $179.00 per team
Team Size: The Pursuit of the Assassin Artist supports up to eight connections on Zoom.
The Strange Secret of Mr. Adrian Rook by Strange Bird Immersive
This 90-minute experience combines live performance, elements of an escape game, and the period costumes of any good Roaring Twenties-themed party. Speaking to the New York Times, the creator of The Strange Secret of Mr. Adrian Rook called the project "a new artistic frontier," adding that "this show couldn’t happen in person."
Choose it if: You miss the thrill of live theater. Reviewers praised the six participating actors' ability to bring the story to life.
How much does it cost? $30
Team Size: Between two and eight players.
The Lost Temple by CU Adventures in Time and Space
The plot of this escape room is straight out of Indiana Jones: "Your professor is missing and there are rumors of an ancient temple hidden beneath campus. Can you find the Lost Temple and save the world?" Cue: Theme music.
Choose it if: You're looking for a reasonably priced but ingenious escape room.
How much does it cost? Prices start at $10 for a digital version with printable materials, or more for a box of handcrafted materials that ships in the mail and accompanies the puzzle.
Team Size: Between one to six players.
Hogwarts Digital Escape Room
Here's one that you can play right now. Like, right now. Created by a youth services librarian at a Pennsylvania library, Hogwarts Digital Escape Room lives on a Google doc, and offers a clever, low-tech adventure through the Wizarding World.
Choose it if: You're a Harry Potter fan or seeking a family-friendly evening.
How much does it cost? It's free!
Team Size: Hogwarts Digital Escape Room is designed for individual gameplay. However, you can play alongside friends and compete to see who can solve the puzzle fastest.
Virtual X-Caper by Agent November
A secret agent wakes up in handcuffs—and you have to help him escape. This live show unfolds over Zoom, with players controlling an on-screen avatar's movements. Agent November is known for writing pun-filled dialogue, so expect laughs to punctuate this 90-minute heart-thumper of an escape game.
Choose it if: You've already binge-watched every James Bond movie.
How much does it cost? £14 per device, or about $19
Team Size: Up to six players.
Miss Jezebel by 60 Out
Let's get this out of the way: Miss Jezebel is guilty of murder. She knows it. You know it. She knows you know it. Still, when she invites you to her house for a tea party, you accept—only so you can stop the notorious black widow in her tracks. Come for the mystery, stay for the whip-smart improv.
Choose it if: You appreciate raunchy, adult-themed humor.
How much does it cost? $45 per person.
Team Size: Up to five players.
Secret Library
What happens when you cross improv comedy, interactive theater, and a bookworm's dream? Secret Library. This escape room is distinguished by its interactive 2D map of a mansion, which you navigate as you solve the mystery. In each room, you'll interact with an actor via a live chat function. Due to its "choose-your-own-adventure" format, no two shows are the same.
Choose it if: Libraries are your happy place.
How much does it cost? $35 per device.
Team Size: You'll join a large group during scheduled shows on Saturday nights at 8 p.m. Or, you can schedule a private event with 25 or more participants.
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