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It’s hard to have missed the increasingly popular rise of escape rooms which have seemed to have popped up in every city and town across the UK. However, one slightly lesser-known concept is the tabletop escape room in a box, which allows you the convenience and comfort of playing from home whilst putting your brains to the test with entertaining gameplay.
To help you decide, we've ranked the best escape room board games to buy from Amazon and Argos with picks from Mattel as well as the ever-popular Exit: The Game and Unlock! series. Moreover, we have partnered with video game blogger Benjamin Titmus for reviewing and fact-checking the article so that we can deliver you the best information.
Benjamin is a writer of fiction and occasional video-game reviewer. He gained his MA in English Literature from Birmingham City University, where he was the editor for The Student Anthology. Though his main enjoyments are reading, writing, music and gaming, he has time for anything that tickles his fancy.
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Benjamin is a writer of fiction and occasional video-game reviewer. He gained his MA in English Literature from Birmingham City University, where he was the editor for The Student Anthology. Though his main enjoyments are reading, writing, music and gaming, he has time for anything that tickles his fancy. Learn more about him and his blogs from here.
To understand the themes, we first need to get to grips with the genres of board games as it can be easy to confuse the two. Essentially, the genre refers to the type of game you are playing, whether it's cooperative, RPG, or in this case, an escape room game. Genre is the overarching identity of the board game.
The themes set the tone and overall atmosphere of the journey you will undertake, and within the genre of escape room games, there is a plethora of choices available. Some popular themes you'll be able to choose from include heists, murder mysteries, science fiction and horror.
It is easy to find a game that will match an interest you already have, as well as something that is appropriate for younger audiences if planning a family game night. You can also try something new if it takes your fancy! There’s nothing better than finding a new favourite board game, especially if it’s one you never thought of playing before.
Lastly, think about mood and its importance on game night. Horror wouldn’t be appropriate for the family but it would go down a treat with your mates. Don’t spoil game night with a poor choice. Choose a game with everyone in mind, not only yourself.
Fans of detective thrillers should check out some of the best murder mystery games around!
If you fancy yourself a seasoned puzzle solver and are on the hunt for the next challenge, you're sure to find something within this genre. On the other hand, if you’ve just started your adventure in the world of escape rooms, there are plenty of simpler challenges tailored toward new players that won't leave you stumped at each new card.
Designers will include the difficulty of each escape room on the box or in the instructions to help you find a game that will suit the challenge that you are looking for. The 'Exit: The Game' series, for example, has a handy dot scale on the front of each of their boxes, whereby one dot is for novices and five-dot games are designed for expert escapees.
Other games may simply be listed as 'medium', 'beginner' or 'intermediate', but this should be easy enough to make a judgement on too. Either way, there's a torrent of tasks out there for you or your group to delve into – just take note of the difficulty rankings and pick the perfect score for you.
Take a look at some social deduction games if you're a fan of thinking on your feet!
Much like a standard board game, escape room games are designed to be played in a group. Trying to plan a social event can be a difficult task, but with one of these puzzles, you will never be at a loss for a fun-filled moment. Group limits typically allow up to 6 players, which gives you great scope to build a team and go on an epic escapade.
That being said, if you struggle to get a group together regularly, you don't have to miss out on escape room games. There are sets out there for the solo adventurer which will allow you to play and solve the mysteries all by yourself. This may come as a bigger challenge, but the final result can feel all the more satisfying!
Look out for single-player icons on boxes, you might be surprised by the selection of games on offer. This is becoming a hugely popular board game format. Many people are realising the potential of single-player games and the enjoyment derived from them.
If you enjoy working together with others, consider picking up a cooperative board game!
In escape rooms themselves, you are under pressure to complete the challenge in sixty minutes before automatic failure, and that can often be the case with board game alternatives too. However, rather than failing outright, you will typically be able to carry on at home after the time limit has run out if you want. Though this can detract from the excitement.
Not all games will be restricted to an hour-long experience though. Those with deeper stories and harder challenges can come with a recommended playtime of up to two to three hours. With that in mind, we recommend that you plan ahead and make sure you have enough time with your team to complete the task at hand.
The overall feat of completing an escape room game can be rewarding, but you will soon discover that lots of games in the genre are only playable once. This is often because completing the quests may require some unorthodox techniques that make replaying impossible, such as damaging and tearing components of the game.
Luckily for you hardcore daredevils, there are boxes that comprise multiple stories to give you more bang for your buck. Whilst having solo releases, however, the Unlock series, for example, have compiled up to three different narratives in each set to keep your options open for future game nights.
Otherwise, you'll find that developers create unique one-box games and comprise future releases into a series, like Escape Tales, who have created separate escape rooms under the same name. This can be a great thing to look out for if your group has particularly enjoyed a certain game in the past.
The best thing to do is to buy both types of games. You can reserve the solo adventures for those special nights, and the ones containing multiple adventures can be played on a more casual basis. Or even, at the beginning or end of a board game session, so the focus isn’t solely on the escape room game.
Products | Image | Click to purchase | Price | Key features | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Space Cowboys Unlock! 5: Heroic Adventures|SCUNL05EN | £24.23 Mid | The Best Escape Room Board Game on the Market | ||
2 | Thames & Kosmos Exit: The Game – The Dead Man on the Orient Express | £13.50 Low Mid | A Thrilling Agatha Christie Inspired Adventure | ||
3 | Goliath Games Escape Room: The Game 2 | £30.99 High Mid | The 3-in-1 Box With a Spectacular Decoder | ||
4 | Board & Dice Escape Tales: The Awakening | £23.99 Mid | An Addictive Story With Distinctive Game Mechanics | ||
5 | Space Cowboys Unlock! 1: Escape Adventures|ASMSCUNLOCK01EN | £20.39 Mid | A Multi-Scenario Box That Utilises a Unique App | ||
6 | Thames & Kosmos Exit: The Game – The Catacombs of Horror | £19.99 Mid | Plunge Deep Into the Crypt on a Difficult Pursuit | ||
7 | Mattel Games Escape Room in a Box: The Werewolf Experiment | £51.31 High | A Light-Hearted Option Perfect for Beginners | ||
8 | iDventure Detective Stories: Antarctic Fatale | £14.99 Low Mid | Now Think Deep In a Fun Way | ||
9 | Thames & Kosmos Exit: The Game – The Sunken Treasure | £12.85 Low Mid | An Ample Test With an Engaging Story Line | ||
10 | Trapped The Art Heist|AH0001 | £9.00 Low | Turn Your Lounge Into an Escape Room With Fun Props |
Looking for a thrilling all-encompassing evening of escape room exploits? The Heroic Adventure bundle is it! Put yourself in the famous shoes of Sherlock Holmes to solve a crime, follow the story of Alice in Wonderland and go on a retro arcade journey with Insert Coin. The three card-based stories have wonderful artwork and bonus items that keep you gripped throughout.
It doesn’t matter if this will be your first purchase in the Unlock! series, you will be blown away by its clever app-based game mechanic and its three exciting games. You have to keep an eye on the timer to ensure your solve the riddles within its hour limit, but fear not, as gameplay continues after 60 minutes to ensure total completion.
In one of the best instalments in the Exit series, you will find yourself riding the famous Orient Express to help solve the mysteries of a murdered man. With your detective hats on, you are put to the test of working out which of the 8 suspects committed the murder, all before the train arrives at its final destination.
Following suit with the rest of the series, you will use the unique decoder to work your way through cards to help you solve the murder. With a comfortable scale of difficulty, you are able to ensure a challenging evening ahead that won’t leave you agitated. And don't worry, there are handy clue cards to give you a push in the right direction if you're stumped!
The first and main thing you will notice when opening this mega boxset is the impressive decoder, which plays a huge role in answering the clues and applying pressure on you and your team. It also doubles up as your timer and will make noises to alert you of errors, as well as requiring insertable keys that will help you complete your trials.
The challenges place you onboard the famously doomed vessel the RMS Titanic, joining Alice in Wonderland and gripping the edge of your seats in a zombie apocalypse. The three scenarios give you a great blend of stories to have you engaged and excited from the get-go, as well as offering enough challenge to please veteran escapees.
The Awakening has one of the most in-depth and engaging stories in this genre available on the market today. You have the not-so-simple task of performing a ritual to attempt to bring your daughter out from a coma and with multiple endings, you are certain to have an exceptional experience.
Time doesn't need to be thought about too much as there is no timer looming over you putting that extra pressure on your evening. An interesting development in this game is the use of action tokens, which restrict the amount of exploring you can do in each turn to make you and your team think hard about each of your movements.
Another Unlock! game featuring on our list is the original release of the series, which includes three of the most engaging trials available. Ranging in difficulty levels, you will find yourselves working together to escape a secret laboratory, stop the evil plans of Professor Noside and overcome traps on the island of an eccentric billionaire.
Each adventure requires a smart device to use the purpose-designed app to input answers to a range of clues, as well as to keep an eye on the time left for each story. The card-based adventure is perfect for regular escapees looking for a mix of challenges with engaging game mechanics and storylines.
Perfect for all those thrill seekers and horror lovers out there, The Catacombs of Horror forces you deep into the Parisian crypts on the hunt for a missing friend. The jumbo escape room is a two-part adventure that grips you with its thought-provoking puzzles and enthralling story.
Like many Exit: The Game options on the market, this one bodes well for someone with experience due to the game mechanics being more in-depth than previous releases. It's also only suitable for players over 16. If you're looking to push your mind to the limits and earn a great sense of accomplishment, give this one a go.
If you are looking for a game that will pack your family game night with excitement, then this is an ideal option for you. Brought to us by toy giants Mattel, the box includes fun props and unique lockboxes that you need to make use of to escape the laboratory and save yourself from being turned into a werewolf.
The challenges as a whole are fairly straightforward, making this game better suited to those new to the genre, or perhaps for teens. The overall tone and story will keep you, your family and friends completely engaged with its laid-back narrative and painless puzzles.
This game was designed by a company called iDventure. They have a series of escape rooms and their attention to detail is impeccable. The games even require you to use the internet to complete the adventure, which is quite an interesting mechanic.
In detective stories, you'll be playing to uncover the truth. You'll be acting as a real detective - these games are even used at universities when training policing students - on a cold case file. The game begins the moment you take it out of the box, there's no setup and no instructions.
Take your time enjoying this sensational tale as you dive deep into the ocean in the search of some treasure. While this is definitely one of the easier games on our list, you will find yourself engaged from the start whilst still having to search your minds for the correct answers.
This Exit series game revolves around turning over cards and working out the puzzle, following a linear path so each time one is solved a new card is revealed. If you’re looking to fill your evening with a great story and a not-too-difficult challenge, this is a good introduction to the genre.
Turn your lounge into an escape room with Trapped: Art Heist, a fun-filled box that takes you deep into the art exhibition of the affluent Harrington family. You'll need to team up with friends and family to steal a painting following limited clues left behind by the curator’s son.
The game comes with a selection of props to make you feel even more immersed, kitting you out with ID badges and art pieces to hang on your walls. Of course, this won't be suitable for everyone, especially if you're looking for a tabletop game. If you have the space, however, this is a great starting place for your adventures that's inexpensive and enjoyable.
Written and researched by Kieran Davies
No. 1: Space Cowboys|Unlock! 5: Heroic Adventures|SCUNL05EN
No. 2: Thames & Kosmos|Exit: The Game – The Dead Man on the Orient Express
No. 3: Goliath Games|Escape Room: The Game 2
No. 4: Board & Dice|Escape Tales: The Awakening
No. 5: Space Cowboys|Unlock! 1: Escape Adventures|ASMSCUNLOCK01EN
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