7 Best Strategies to Win Escape Room Games

When you think about a game, something fun usually comes to mind. However, escape room games can be tough. You come to that room full of puzzles, and you are supposed to find a way of breaking out. At first, when you’re just a beginner, it’s simply next to impossible. You come in and stand there overwhelmed by tons of details that don’t make sense at all. That’s when you need to use escape room strategies.

Generally, having a strategy is good for just about everything in life. Escape games do not use any special rules here, they also need you to concentrate and choose the way you work your way to success. Without a strategy, there is a chance that you will stumble and waste time instead of being fast and efficient. Getting more experience, it will become easier to go with the flow, but in the beginning, it’s better to plan your steps in advance. It’s essential because:

• Eliminates quarrels with teammates

• Makes you more tranquil

• Gives you more control

• Increases chances of winning

• Makes the game even more interesting

Here are 7 possible strategies for winning in escape rooms. You can combine them for better results or come up with new ideas based on our suggestions.  

1. Tune yourself for success

As simple as it sounds, just make sure you have your positive attitude. Don’t leave it home when you are going to the escape room. It is very easy to get overwhelmed when you first get into that locked space and have innumerable tips around that are so hard to actually be read and understood. It doesn’t feel like exploring something outdoor, which is somewhat easier. Here you have a pressure of a closed space and limited time. Make sure you are ready for that. If something doesn’t make sense, move on. Also, if you play with people you’ve never met before, try to set friendly atmosphere to contribute to success in all the possible ways.

2. Get the theme and the rules

Each escape room is different. Choosing the most effective escape room strategy is only possible after you realize what is expected in this particular one, and what is prohibited. Obviously, there will always be tricks, hints and puzzles. But there also can be something that you cannot touch to not interrupt the game. Make sure you understand the format well enough, then start exploring and solving puzzles. Otherwise, there is a risk of starting on a wrong foot and losing momentum. For example, in a zombie apocalypse game you may not be allowed to open some door before finding a vaccine. Open it and zombies will eat your team. Not a good development, right? That’s why it’s essential to get the rules before anything else.

3. Get a good team if possible

Sometimes it happens that you play with random people, which is also great. Actually, many teenagers enjoy this kind of meeting new people. But if you are looking for strategies to use in an escape room, it’s probably better to get people you know and have them as teammates. Thus, you’ll be able to know right away who’s better in what. Somebody works with numbers so they can solve mathematical tasks if there are any, and somebody has impeccable logic and can answer the question “why” in the most appropriate way to win the game. Make you team use strong sides of each member.

4. Be vocal about what you see

There is always more than one person in every escape room. It means that multiple objects are being viewed at all times. These objects might have more connections that it seems from the first sight. Under circumstances, communication is extremely important. When you notice something, don’t keep it to yourself but verbalize it. You never know what your teammates are seeing at the moment. Maybe your words will change the course of the whole game, you never know.

5. Ask for clues when it’s time

The question is when it’s actually time to ask game master to provide your team with a clue. Some teams are just too sure that they can do everything by themselves. Such teams fail a lot more than their more modest competitors. Escape room puzzles can be very tricky, and it’s not shameful to be stuck and ask for a clue.

Actually, if you spend more than 5 minutes on something without moving on at all, it might mean that the time has come. Just go for it, take that clue and use it to go forward. Sometimes master can even recommend a clue. In this case, don’t refuse. Masters don’t usually do that unless necessary.

6. Keep an eye open for the time

Escape games usually last for sixty to ninety minutes. It seems like quite a long time, but not when you’re inside the locked room full of traces and hints leading you who knows where. To solve everything efficiently you’ll have to keep the track of time. Spending more than 5-10 minutes without moving on makes no sense. Time all your efforts and make sure you stay efficient. Otherwise, you might be surprised when the door opens not by your effort, but by master announcing that the game is over.  

7. Enjoy every moment

This strategy might be the best one. Maybe it doesn’t matter that much who is going to unlock that door after all. No need to stress out and yell at your teammates, or be unhappy when something doesn’t go as good and fast as you wish. It’s okay, it’s a game. Practicing makes you a better player, but it never guarantees constant success and total elimination of failure. Accept the fact that you might not win at this time and this location, and just enjoy the atmosphere, company and fun pastime.

Having tried many different escape rooms, you’ll be able to come up with your own strategies for real-life escape room games. They might be the best ones for you and your team, just experiment and try different options. Also, on weekend or weekday, come visit us in Calgary, tell us about your strategies and try to unlock our escape rooms We’ll be glad to hear from you and contribute to your escape room games memories.