Virtual escape rooms are online games where players have to free themselves from a situation by decoding hints and unraveling mysteries within the required time. Players engage in these games virtually using video conferencing apps like Zoom. Usually, a gamemaster joins the session to guide the team through the rooms and the challenges and ensure that the remote players have a fulfilling experience. These games aim to test participants’ collaboration, logical thinking, and problem-solving skills.c
These experiences are similar to digital escape rooms, escape games in VR, and escape room games on Steam.
This article covers:
- multiplayer virtual escape rooms
- free virtual escape rooms
- virtual escape rooms for adults
- virtual escape rooms for kids
- team building virtual escape rooms
- virtual escape rooms for large groups
Let’s begin.
List of 17 best virtual escape rooms
Here are our picks for virtual escape rooms to play with colleagues, friends, family, or alone.
1. Hellgate Escape
Hellgate Escape is one of the free virtual escape rooms on Microsoft. This escape game is a good choice for players who love mysteries.
The fictional setting is about life after death. The players’ mission is to escape the Hellgate, a demons’ realm, and find a peaceful world to rest their mortal souls. The players will witness rooms of doom such as the torture chamber, bone cemetery, and hell kid’s room. Some of those scary rooms lead to the secret items that will help the players be the first to escape Hellgate.
Learn more about Hellgate Escape.
2. Hogwarts Digital Escape Room
Hogwarts Digital Escape Room is one of the most fun free virtual escape rooms for kids. Players can attempt this escape solo or compete with friends.
The quest bases its theme on the Harry Potter story. The players represent freshmen in the wizardry school. Swept into the world of dark magic, players aim to build up their adventure by solving puzzles.
This virtual exit game takes around 15 minutes. Nonetheless, players find the challenge fun because they can retry wrong puzzles multiple times.
Learn more about Hogwarts Digital Escape Room.
3. School’s Out
School’s Out is among the best virtual escape rooms for teens. This quest helps players to build critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
The game takes place in a school. The players are students having a reunion. Unfortunately, there is an accidental lockdown, and the players cannot come out of the school. Students must work together to solve the puzzles and break free to leave the party.
Learn more about School’s Out.
4. The Hunt
The Hunt is an interesting scenario to escape. With a medium difficulty level, this quest takes 90 minutes. The Hunt can accommodate any number of participants and, therefore, suitable for large groups.
An new virus outbreak attacks humanity and brings normal life to a stop. The pandemic causes governments to set new rules for containing the virus. The players have a challenging assignment to help solve the issue before the virus wipes out all humans.
Learn more about The Hunt.
5. Mr. X
Mr. X is one of the most engaging virtual escape rooms for adults. This escape has mystery elements that players can solve by accessing internet sites like Google, YouTube, and Twitter to search for clues and find the answers.
Mr. X keeps challenging the players’ wits with cryptic puzzles. The players are determined to track down their tormentor, but first, the players must discover the real identity of Mr. X.
This game is of medium difficulty, and teens can play with some guidance from the adults.
Learn more about Mr. X.
6. Escape from Ice Age Park
Escape from Ice Age Park is an intriguing escape for big challenge lovers. This escape has many mysteries to solve and will set players on an adrenaline rush. This challenge is an escape-room-in-a-box, and you will receive codes to play parts of the game virtually.
The story starts with the Grand Opening of the Ice Age Park, the most exciting theme park in history. The players visit the park to spy on their arch rival and realize that he went back in time and nabbed some extinct creatures for the zoo. The park’s security notices the spies and goes after them. The players must navigate through the security, the dangerous zoo animals, and the chilling snow. Solving the puzzles and cracking the codes will help players unveil the secrets to safely return home.
Since this theme revolves around prehistoric animals, Ice Age Park is one of the most interesting virtual escape rooms for kids. Be aware, however, that the game may be scary for very young children and is more suitable for older elementary and middle school kids.
Learn more about Escape from Ice Age Park.
7. Rogue Agent
Rogue Agent is an online escape room with all the adventure of a spy thriller. In this challenge, the team works as new recruits to M15 tasked with hunting down a rogue agent and stopping his string of art thefts. Players must decode clues, solve puzzles, and gather evidence to figure out the traitor’s identity and whereabouts. This escape room challenge comes with the fun of reading people as well as cracking riddles. The game is suitable for one to six players and teams can play from one central location or multiple locations. Upon booking, players will receive a code to log into the “secret Government portal” to play the game.
Learn more about Rogue Agent.
8. Pirate Plunder
Pirate Plunder is a virtual escape room suitable for solo paying for multiple players of up to six participants.
In this mission, a ship wrecks into the pier, and its crew members go missing. Players discover that the ship’s captain is a notorious pirate, Sharkbait Sully. The players are eager to unveil Sully’s secrets by exploring the ship. However, players must hurry before the drifting vessel sinks and lead the players to the sharks.
Learn more about Pirate Plunder.
9. The Disappearing Diamond
The Disappearing Diamond is a detective-based escape designed for adults. However, the game’s puzzles and content are interesting enough for younger players and families to enjoy.
In this gameplay, Private Investigator Larry handles a theft case regarding the NYC Museum. The player’s pursuit is to help the PI recover the stolen diamond and unmask the thief. Players need to tackle the interactive sets online and printed puzzles to succeed.
The Disappearing Diamond has a print’ print and play’ option, meaning players may not need a gamemaster’s guidance. Players may play this game individually or as a team.
Learn more about The Disappearing Diamond.
10. Escape Room the Game
Escape Room The Game is one of the thrilling team building virtual escape rooms for remote workers. This game helps in nurturing logical thinking, communication skills, and creativity.
In this quest, the players get trapped in a room with four different Escape Room adventures. The players aim to find the codes for the four special keys. Players must solve the riddles and puzzles to enable them to enter into the Chrono Decoder within minutes. The clues in the envelope and those hidden in the rooms are handy and help players escape.
Learn more about Escape Room The Game.
11. The Vanishing Act
The Vanishing Act is a fascinating game for adult players who like eerie themes and occult references. The game contains mature content and, thus, is inappropriate for younger audiences.
The Great Noximillian, a renowned magician, appears to hide dark magic that causes the mysterious disappearance of his assistants. Casey, the current assistant, notices that each previous five assistants went missing after their 13th performance. Casey calls the player to assist in investigating the magician’s private dressing room for clues about the mysterious vanishing. The player has 70 minutes to unravel the mystery to save Casey while the Noximillian performs on stage.
Learn more about The Vanishing Act.
12. Wonderland: Going Down
Wonderland Going Down is among the leading virtual escape rooms for improving kids’ imagination. The game’s themes are built on fantasies making it super fun for the younger players.
The wonderland is a world where all imaginations become a reality. The land is full of fantasy creatures and fairies that interact with players. Players soon fall into a rabbit hole and have to work their way out.
Learn more about Wonderland: Going Down.
13. Escape From The Lockdown: The Strange Village
Escape From The Lockdown: The Strange Village is a mystery escape game that tests players’ attention to detail. The players need to use their listening and observation skills to find answers in this quest.
In this fictional operation, villagers suffer several wolf attacks. Players, acting as villagers, undertake a village lockdown to surveil each other. However, a new unveiling mystery indicates that a werewolf lives among the villagers. Players need to unearth who the werewolf is. Players have only a few days to save the village before the monster kills them.
Learn more about Escape From The Lockdown: The Strange Village.
14. Magic School
The Magic School is an engaging escape game to play with friends or colleagues. The storyline contains magic and mystery themes.
In this quest, the players are students at Nyx Mystica Magic School. The Professor, Hieronymus Hexfoot, requires that the students use the powers he has vested upon them to cast out mischief-causing spirits around the school. Players need to work out the professor’s assignment to be able to graduate from the wizardry school.
Learn more about Magic School.
15. Nancy Drew
Nancy Drew escape game is among the best multiplayer virtual escape rooms for small teams of up to eight members. This quest borrows its storyline from the Nancy Drew Novel series and has a medium difficulty level, making it suitable for players of ten years and above.
The players are detectives and expect to join Miss Drew at the Forsyth Mansion to investigate the mansion’s secrets. However, the sleuths cannot find Nancy at the agreed meeting place. Players need to decipher the clues that Nancy left behind to know her whereabouts and why she is missing.
Learn more about Nancy Drew.
16. Opus Luminum
Opus Luminum is among the best escape games to play with colleagues. This game has a fascinating secret society theme and a low scary level.
Members of the Opus Luminum organization are out to destroy humanity using Miss Apelcen’s scared idol. Players must find and escape with the supernatural idol to save the world. Players have 60 minutes to get the artifact out of Miss Apelcens office before the final destruction rituals commence.
Learn more about Opus Luminum.
17. Escape: The Midnight Express
Escape: The Midnight Express is an online mini-escape room from Escape the Crate. Because the quest is self-guided, this story is one of the better virtual escape rooms for large groups. There is no limit on players, and you can split the team into breakout rooms to solve puzzles in smaller groups. This challenge revolves around solving a murder on a locomotive in US Civil War times. The mystery contains logic and number puzzles with history mixed in. The game is meant to be quick, and you can solve the escape as a meeting icebreaker or as part of an online team event.
Learn more about Escape: The Midnight Express.
Conclusion
Virtual escape games are fun online activities for remote teams, families, or friends. These games challenge players to find solutions to the problems at hand. Players add fun to the game by dressing as per the game’s themes. In addition, to achieve an immersive experience, players need to choose the rooms that resonate with them. For instance, by considering the difficulty level, game theme, and content type against the characteristics of the players.
Next, check out this list of the best iPad escape games.
FAQ: Virtual escape rooms
Here are common questions about virtual escape rooms.
What are virtual escape rooms?
Virtual escape games are online games that require players to complete assignments, solve riddles or unravel mysteries within a given time. These games occur online, where players log into apps like Microsoft teams to interact with other players and the online game guide.
How do you play escape rooms virtually?
A gamemaster guides the team of virtual players from inside a physical escape room. The guide uses recording devices, such as microphones and cameras, to communicate with the team and display the rooms as the game progresses. The recorded images update the players on the room they are in, and helps to identify clues and puzzles. It is up to players to provide solutions to those problems and puzzles, and instruct the gamemaster what to do and where to go. These instructions include entering or exiting different rooms.
What are good free virtual escape rooms?
Here are some interesting free escape rooms to try.
- Hellgate Escape
- Hogwarts Digital Escape Room
- Mr. X
These rooms are free of charge. However, some websites suggest optional donations from the players.
What are the best virtual escape rooms for teams?
The best virtual escape rooms to play with teams include:
- La Misión Del Profesor
- Armageddon
- Escape Room the Game
- The Interrogation Room
These rooms have puzzles that require teams to collaborate to solve faster.