Learn how to keep your head, pull together as a team, and win at escape rooms in Orlando (7 Deadly Sins at Escapology pictured).
Updated April 30, 2024
Longing for the perfect escape? Come to Orlando, where some of the world’s most challenging and imaginatively themed escape room attractions await. Packed with secret passageways, hidden clues and mind-boggling puzzles, escape rooms are great for family outings, date nights and friendly get-togethers … but escaping before time runs out is easier said than done.
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Visit Orlando’s social media & content team recently visited Escapology on International Drive, aka I-Drive — and yes, we escaped. To help you even the odds before your next escape room run, here are our tips for making your own great escape, plus a rundown of some of the top escape rooms in the area. Good luck!
Additional reporting by Adeta Gayah, Ian Suarez, Michelle DeMasi and Michael Delgado.
How to Get Out of Orlando’s Escape Rooms
Use our tips the next time you tackle an escape room.
1. Come Prepared
Phones and other electronic devices aren’t permitted in escape rooms, so unless you have an infallible internal clock, you might want to make sure someone in your group has a non-smart watch. (Many escape rooms have timers, but you won’t know for sure until you get there.) You’ll have to keep track of a lot of information, too, so bringing paper and something to write with can also help. Speaking of which…
2. Pay Attention to Everything
Before you try to escape, staff will give you useful information via the room’s introduction, including what to expect and the kinds of puzzles you’ll encounter. Make a note of it — literally. Once you’re in the room, clues and props can also provide a lot of details, some of which might not be immediately useful but could be later on. Keep track of it.
3. Designate Roles…
You know the old saw about too many cooks spoiling the pot? In escape rooms, if everyone in your group is doing the same thing, you might as well have come alone. Before you start, decide who will be searching for clues, who will be taking notes, who will be working on puzzles, etc.
4. …But Work Together
Just because everyone in your group has an assigned task, it doesn’t mean there’s suddenly an “I” in “team.” Keep each other informed about your progress, including any clues (or potential clues) you find. If you need help with something, give the others a shout. And if someone else is already examining one part of the room, your time is better served by exploring a different area altogether.
5. Getting Started Is the Hardest Part
Where to start once you’ve entered the room? Doesn’t matter — just get started. Time is running out from the second you walk in, so move to the first potential clue you see and go from there. While we’re on the subject…
6. No Time to Waste
Most escape rooms have a 60-minute time limit. Once time is up, it’s up, and no amount of begging with staff with get more added to the clock. Every second you’re in the room should be spent figuring out how to escape. Save small talk, daydreams and other diversions for later.
7. Avoid Red Herrings
Imaginatively themed escape rooms like the ones you’ll find in Orlando feature a wide range of decor and props that help tell the room’s story and create suitable ambiance, but not every detail is a clue. If furniture or props don’t move on your first try, don’t try to force anything. And definitely stay away from ceiling tiles, light fixtures and electrical outlets. If something seems like it might be a clue but you can’t figure it out quickly, set it aside (after making a note) and come back to it if needed. Again, the clock never stops ticking.
8. If You’re Stuck, Ask for a Clue
Escape room staff aren’t there to make sure you stay stuck — they want you to succeed! What’s more, most escape rooms have a hint system you can tap into if you stop making forward progress. For instance, Escapology offers three hints per session, and additional hints are available in exchange for a loss of time. Check with your escape room attraction of choice to confirm their policy.
9. Don’t Panic!
Ever wonder what happens to people who don’t escape from escape rooms? Spoiler alert: They go home just like everyone else. In fact, at Escapology and other options in the Orlando area, the door is never actually locked — you can leave for emergencies or any other reason, whenever you like. Just know that you won’t get credit for a successful escape if you leave early.
Orlando’s Top Escape Rooms
Now that you’re armed with some surefire tips for escaping, here’s a look at some of the best escape room attractions waiting for you in the Orlando area. Be sure to tell them we sent you.
The Bureau Adventure Games & The Underground Game Show
Presenting the next generation of escape rooms, The Bureau offers six immersive escape adventure games. What makes them different? No locks, no keys and no crossword puzzles — just fun. The Bureau also hosts a speakeasy-style option, The Underground Game Show, where you and your group becomes the stars of a TV-style competition. You’ll find them on I-Drive.
The Escape Game Orlando
Rated as Orlando’s No. 1 escape room on TripAdvisor, The Escape Game Orlando on I-Drive gives you 60 minutes to complete one of six imaginative scenarios. Become an astronaut in Mission: Mars, escape jail in Prison Break, search for treasure in Gold Rush, or become an art thief in The Heist. You can also try The Escape Game’s newest challenges: Playground and Special Ops: Mysterious Market. Each scenario can be played with as few as two participants and most with up to eight, with Playground having capacity for 12 players.
Save on discount tickets: The Escape Game Orlando
Escapology
No matter the size of your group, you’re always guaranteed a private room at Escapology, which offers seven challenges for two to eight players on I-Drive. Solve the most famous crime in history in Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express, free yourself from a deadly curse in 7 Deadly Sins, escape a cartel in Narco, crack a killer virus in Antidote, solve a family crime in Mansion Murder, and save a submarine in Under Pressure. You can even team up with everyone’s favorite teen detectives and their pooch in Scooby-Doo and the Spooky Castle, and two new rooms — Star Trek: Quantum Filament and Lost City — are coming soon.
LockBusters Escape Game
It’s out with traditional locks and keys and in with the new at LockBusters Escape Game on I-Drive. Presenting unique and immersive adventures, the rooms include The Collector, Bank Heist, Pirate Adventure, Mission Unstoppable: Chopper Down, Cremlocke Manor. All but one of can be tackled with as few as three players, and they’re all solvable in an hour or less.
Universal’s Great Movie Escape
If you’re longing for a great escape, the newest way to play at Universal Orlando Resort has you covered. Now open at Universal CityWalk, Universal’s Great Movie Escape delivers never-before-seen escape room experiences as created by the same masterminds behind some of Orlando’s most exciting, innovative entertainment. Inspired by Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment’s Jurassic World and Back to the Future films, the new attraction features two distinct, cinematic escape adventures, each boasting eight immersive environments with state-of-the-art challenges, detailed sets and captivating storylines that invite you to step into blockbuster films like never before.
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America’s Escape Game
An average escape rate of 16% makes for an intense and thrilling adventure at America’s Escape Game, located on International Drive. Rooms range in capacity from five to 10 players with increasing levels of difficulty. Navigate the madness in Asylum, stop a deadly pathogen in Pandemic, find the red ruby in Revenge of the Tomb, prevent a missile attack in Crisis at 1600, or steal mob money in The Contract. For the ultimate challenge, try tackling The Caretaker — billed as the hardest escape room in the U.S.
Breakout Escape Rooms
Located just off International Drive, Breakout Escape Rooms is unique in that its rooms feature non-linear challenges and can accommodate larger groups, with up to 12 players able to join in the fun. You’ll have 60 minutes to conquer each of the venue’s rooms, which challenge you to help a friendly spirit in Orlando Ghost Zone, escape the circus in Ringmaster’s Den, survive the undead in Zombie Roadhouse, become part of a magic act in Chamber of Illusions, and hit the high seas in Heart of a Pirate.
The Great Escape Room
Put your deductive skills to the test at The Great Escape Room, part of downtown Orlando’s City District. Save the world from nuclear annihilation in Poker Night at the President’s Bunker, or travel to the 1920s in Escape Artist: The Final Séance. Teams of up to 10 people will discover hidden compartments and devilishly clever clues ... but no apparent way out.
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