12 Best Escape Room Board Games Reviewed 2024

We explore the best escape room board games. Perfect for friends, fun, and a thrilling night without leaving home.
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Exit: The Game – The Abandoned Cabin coverUnlock! Escape Adventures coverEscape Room: The Game cover

Step into the world of escape room board games, where strategy, creativity, and a pinch of humor can lead to victory! We’ve shuffled through puzzles, deciphered clues, and duked it out with mates to curate the 12 best escape room experiences for your tabletop. Our focus? Balancing complexity with fun, ensuring high replay value, and selecting gigs that transform your living room into a brain-teasing extravaganza. Whether you’re a veteran puzzle solver or a curious newbie, these picks are bound to offer something thrilling. Grab your thinking cap; it’s time to escape!

On this list:

12 Exit: The Game – The Abandoned Cabin

Exit: The Game – The Abandoned Cabin cover

  • Age Range: 12+
  • Players: 1-6
  • Play Time: 45-90 minutes

Get your copy on Amazon ↗

We found ourselves frantically tearing through puzzles and yelling at each other in this thrilling ‘escape room’ adventure! It’s great for new players because it provides a real escape room experience right in your living room. You must work together to solve puzzles and find your way out before time runs out. It’s like Sherlock Holmes meets a locked box—that you must unlock! The clues are sometimes tricky, making it a satisfying challenge. Plus, it’s a great bonding experience… or, you know, a reason to laugh at yourself as you fail to solve a clue.

11 Unlock! Escape Adventures

Unlock! Escape Adventures cover

  • Age Range: 10+
  • Players: 1-6
  • Play Time: 60 minutes

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We took on these ‘escape room’ cards with the gusto of a Saturday morning cartoon superhero team. The game comes with a companion app that makes the experience even more interactive and exciting. Players navigate through different scenarios, each with unique themes and puzzles. It’s like entering a different world every time, without even needing to change out of your pajamas! We were amazed by the creativity of the puzzles and the immersive stories that kept us guessing until the very end.

10 Escape Room: The Game

Escape Room: The Game cover

  • Age Range: 16+
  • Players: 3-5
  • Play Time: 60 minutes

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This ‘escape room’ board game turned our living room into a crime scene! With four different scenarios to beat, each more intense than the last, it’s a great choice for those who love a good mystery. The included Chrono Decoder adds an extra layer of excitement. We laughed at our terrible attempts to beat the clock and relied heavily on hints. Every game felt like a mini-movie, except we were the stars, and our acting was terrible, but the experience unforgettable!

9 Deckscape: Test Time

Deckscape: Test Time cover

  • Age Range: 12+
  • Players: 1-6
  • Play Time: 60 minutes

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Imagine going to a lab and having to escape by solving puzzles. That’s what Deckscape is all about! This pocket-sized ‘escape room’ game took us by surprise with its smart puzzles and easy-to-carry box. We attempted to outdo each other’s puzzle-solving skills, and while our egos took a hit, our relationship with the game didn’t. It provided us plenty of ‘aha!’ moments and only a few ‘oh no!’ moments, usually when we realized we’d missed the obvious.

8 Escape Tales: The Awakening

Escape Tales: The Awakening cover

  • Age Range: 16+
  • Players: 1-4
  • Play Time: 180-360 minutes

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This one is for players who love deep, engrossing stories along with their ‘escape room’ puzzles. We found ourselves going through emotional rollercoasters. The game provides a rich narrative experience that we didn’t want to end. It’s heavy on story and heavy on choices, making you feel like you’re part of an epic tale. We had as much fun discussing our decisions as we did playing the game, and let’s be honest, that’s not common with most board games!

7 Unlock! Mystery Adventures

Unlock! Mystery Adventures cover

  • Age Range: 10+
  • Players: 1-6
  • Play Time: 60 minutes

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We stepped into mystery after mystery with this ‘escape room’ game, each scenario more mind-bending than the last. The art and theme are spot on, making us feel like detectives in our own noir film. We got into intense debates, full of laughter, as we worked to solve each puzzle. The app integration is slick and makes the game even more engaging. It’s a game that tests both your puzzle-solving skills and your patience with your fellow players!

6 Deckscape: The Fate of London

Deckscape: The Fate of London cover

  • Age Range: 12+
  • Players: 1-6
  • Play Time: 60 minutes

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A race against time to save London! Our group took on the roles of spies and detectives, each of us convinced we had what it took to save the city. Spoiler: we didn’t—but we had a blast trying. The game is super portable and offers a challenging ‘escape room’ experience without a ton of setup. We loved the mix of teamwork and competition, and the challenge was just right for our group, keeping everyone on their toes.

5 Exit: The Game – The Pharaoh’s Tomb

  • Age Range: 12+
  • Players: 1-6
  • Play Time: 45-90 minutes

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We felt like we were Indiana Jones, minus the snakes and giant rolling boulders, with this ‘escape room’ board game. The Egyptian theme is captivating, and the puzzles are both clever and challenging. Our group found ourselves lost in the desert, or at least, the desert-themed puzzles. The game demands teamwork and quick thinking, making it a fantastic experience. Plus, the laughter that ensued from our missteps only added to the fun.

4 Escape Room: The Game – Welcome to Funland

Escape Room: The Game – Welcome to Funland cover

  • Age Range: 16+
  • Players: 3-5
  • Play Time: 60 minutes

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We faced our fears of creepy clowns and theme park rides in this ‘escape room’ game. The scenario is thrilling and just a bit spooky, making for an exciting game night. The Chrono Decoder keeps the pressure high as we worked against the clock. It’s like walking through a haunted house with puzzles instead of jump scares—perfect for anyone who likes their heart racing a bit. We found ourselves laughing nervously as we scrambled to find clues.

3 Unlock! Secret Adventures

Unlock! Secret Adventures cover

  • Age Range: 10+
  • Players: 1-6
  • Play Time: 60 minutes

Get your copy on Amazon ↗

Each of the three different adventures offered in this ‘escape room’ game brought something unique to our table. From pirates to cybernetic futures, we were all over the map, literally! The app provided hints and added to the immersion. We were blown away by the creativity behind each scenario, which made us feel like adventurers navigating an unknown world. Plus, we loved the challenge of putting our heads together to solve puzzles—some easier than others, of course!

2 Exit: The Game – The Secret Lab

Exit: The Game – The Secret Lab cover

  • Age Range: 12+
  • Players: 1-6
  • Play Time: 45-90 minutes

Get your copy on Amazon ↗

We turned our table into a secret lab, full of mystery and chemical concoctions. The game is as educational as it is fun, and the ‘escape room’ experience is unparalleled. Each puzzle felt like a leap into the unknown, demanding quick thinking and collaboration. There was laughter, sure, but there were also those moments of silence as we all put our brains to work. Definitely a brain-tickler of a game that’s ideal for those who love a good challenge.

1 Escape Room in a Box: The Werewolf Experiment

Escape Room in a Box: The Werewolf Experiment cover

  • Age Range: 13+
  • Players: 2-8
  • Play Time: 60-90 minutes

Get your copy on Amazon ↗

This ‘escape room’ game became an instant favorite with our group. It’s packed with fun and neatly enclosed in a small box, making it perfect for a night in. The story of a mad scientist’s experiment gone wrong is engaging, and the puzzles are challenging yet rewarding. We found ourselves competing against the clock, and the pressure added an extra dose of excitement. It’s a game that demands teamwork, quick thinking, and just a pinch of luck!

0 Unlock! Epic Adventures

Unlock! Epic Adventures cover

  • Age Range: 10+
  • Players: 1-6
  • Play Time: 60 minutes

Get your copy on Amazon ↗

This is the ‘escape room’ game that has consistently blown our minds. With three different scenarios, each more epic than the last, it’s no wonder this one is top of our list. We felt like movie stars! The app integration is top-notch, making the experience super immersive. We laughed, we cried, and we definitely yelled at each other a lot, but most importantly, we had fun. The creativity, challenge, and cinematic feel make this our ultimate ‘escape room’ board game pick.

Jamie in his proper element: With all of his board games
Jamie Hopkins

With years of dice-rolling, card-flipping, and strategic planning under my belt, I've transformed my passion into expertise. I thrive on dissecting the mechanics and social dynamics of board games, sharing insights from countless game nights with friends. I dive deep into gameplay mechanics, while emphasizing the social joys of gaming. While I appreciate themes and visuals, it's the strategy and camaraderie that truly capture my heart.