15 Best Escape Room Board Games to Play in 2025
Looking for an escape room challenge at home? These games bring all the tension, puzzles, and teamwork of a real escape room.
15 Best Escape Room Board Games – The Ultimate Guide for New Players
We all love a good escape room, but sometimes we just want to play in our pajamas. That’s where escape room board games come in! We’ve gathered the top 15 escape room games that deliver thrills, teamwork, and a little bit of head-scratching. When picking these games, we looked for puzzles that made us say ‘Aha!’, stories that sucked us in, and replay value that kept game nights fresh. Whether you’re new to escape room board games or just need your next fix, this list has something puzzling for everyone.
On this list:
- Exit: The Game – The Abandoned Cabin
- Unlock! Escape Adventures
- Deckscape: Test Time
- Escape Room: The Game
- EXIT: The Game – The Secret Lab
- Escape Tales: The Awakening
- UNLOCK! Heroic Adventures
- Escape Room In A Box: The Werewolf Experiment
- Deckscape: Heist in Venice
- Escape Room: The Game – Virtual Reality
- Unlock! Mystery Adventures
- EXIT: The Game – The Pharaoh’s Tomb
- Deckscape: Behind the Curtain
- Escape Room: The Game – Murder Mystery
- EXIT: The Game – The Forbidden Castle
15 Exit: The Game – The Abandoned Cabin
We picked this one because it’s a real brain-bender. Our group tried to get out of the creepy cabin and, boy, did we argue over every puzzle. The clues are clever, and some had us staring at the clue wheel for way too long. We like how the game makes you rip and fold things, though it did make us wish we had another copy to play again. This escape room board game is perfect if you want an intense, one-time shot at freedom and a test of your friendship’s strength.
14 Unlock! Escape Adventures
We chose Unlock! for its variety. The app adds sound effects and timers, so we felt the pressure big time. The puzzles come in a card deck, and each game has a different theme. Our favorite was running away from a mad scientist, though someone in our group kept shouting ‘it’s so obvious!’ – spoiler: it never was. If you want your escape room with some digital flair and plenty of puzzling, Unlock! is a blast.
13 Deckscape: Test Time
Deckscape is quick, portable, and we didn’t need to read a huge rulebook. We liked feeling like time-traveling geniuses (or fools – depending on the puzzle). There’s no app, so it feels more old school. Our group laughed a lot at the trickier parts, and the compact box was easy to throw in a bag. This escape room board game is great if you want fun puzzles without much setup.
12 Escape Room: The Game
With a big plastic timer and a stack of keys, Escape Room: The Game made us feel like contestants on a TV show. We loved the beeping countdown (and the panic it caused). This escape room game has four different adventures in the box, so we got a lot of play out of it. Some puzzles felt pretty hard, but nothing beats the rush of sliding in the last key with seconds left on the clock.
11 EXIT: The Game – The Secret Lab
The Secret Lab is a favorite for its science-y story. We were locked in a lab with only our wits and the odd clue strip. Things got heated when half our group thought the solution was ‘obvious.’ Spoiler alert: it was not. We still talk about that one red herring puzzle that led us down a rabbit hole. One of the best escape room board games if you want a strong theme and a good challenge.
10 Escape Tales: The Awakening
This game is more story-focused. We loved making choices, following a creepy story, and trying to solve escape room puzzles with some drama. The story pulled us in – we even forgot about snacks. The puzzles aren’t as fast-paced, so it’s great for players who want to sink into a longer experience. If you want an escape room game with a dark story and lots of puzzles, this is it.
9 UNLOCK! Heroic Adventures
Heroic Adventures gave us three new escape room stories: play inside a video game, help Sherlock Holmes, or survive a crazy cartoon world. The puzzles are creative, and our group laughed out loud at the cartoon adventure. The app is back with music and zany sounds. We loved how each scenario felt so different. A great stepping stone for new escape room board game fans.
8 Escape Room In A Box: The Werewolf Experiment
This one had us racing to stop a mad scientist from turning us into werewolves. We liked the use of real locks and fun props. Things got hairy (pun intended) during the final minutes. It’s one of the only escape room board games we’ve played where we actually used scissors and other odd bits. A wild and wacky experience for parties or family nights.
7 Deckscape: Heist in Venice
We loved pulling off a heist in Venice! This Deckscape box had us feeling like suave thieves, solving escape room puzzles on the go. The plot is full of twists and turns, and the puzzles are just the right difficulty for new players. It’s quick, portable, and doesn’t need an app, so you can play anywhere.
6 Escape Room: The Game – Virtual Reality
This version adds a cardboard VR viewer – so we wore it and tried not to trip over the dog. The app gives a 360-degree look at the room, which is cool. The puzzles blend cards and digital clues. It gave us a new twist on the classic escape room game and plenty of laughs when we got stuck and had to pass around the goggles.
5 Unlock! Mystery Adventures
Mystery Adventures offers three new stories and loads of fresh escape room puzzles. We loved trying to break out of an island prison (and blaming each other for the slow progress). The app adds sound, timers, and some hints – which we definitely needed. The puzzles are logical but never dull, making it a solid and replayable choice.
4 EXIT: The Game – The Pharaoh’s Tomb
This one had us feeling like Indiana Jones. The ancient Egypt theme is strong, and the puzzles are top-notch. Expect to fold, cut, and scribble on cards. We liked the mix of math, logic, and riddles (even when our math skills failed us). The escape room board game to grab if you want a real sense of adventure and don’t mind a challenge.
3 Deckscape: Behind the Curtain
Ever wanted to escape from a magic show gone wrong? That’s what Behind the Curtain offers. The gimmicks are clever, and we enjoyed the mix of logic puzzles and magic tricks. Some of us actually gasped during the big magical reveal (others, well, spilled snacks). It packs the classic escape room vibe in a small box for a low price.
2 Escape Room: The Game – Murder Mystery
We thought we’d be cool detectives, but this game quickly had us second-guessing every clue. The murder mystery theme gives your escape room a classic twist, with deduction mixed in with the usual puzzle solving. We love the tension from the timer and working together to crack the code before time’s up. It’s great for fans of crime stories who want to try an escape room board game.
1 EXIT: The Game – The Forbidden Castle
We picked this as our top escape room board game because it mixes a great story, tricky puzzles, and that exit wheel we both love and hate. Our group felt like real adventurers as we solved riddles, pieced together strange objects, and groaned every time we missed an ‘obvious’ clue. The game is tough but fair, and the ending felt like a real achievement. If you buy just one escape room board game, let it be this one – it gave us the best teamwork (and best arguments).
