These days, escape rooms are big business in London. They offer something different from the usual Londoner activities of drinking and brunching (although we’ll always love those) and are a great team activity.
Whether you’re looking to enjoy a day out with friends, celebrate a stag or hen-do, or take your office for a team-building session with a difference, an escape room is a fun and unique way to spend an afternoon. We’ve rounded up some of the best in the capital to help whittle down your choices, ranging from family-friendly adventures to bone-tingling thrillers. As they say in The Hunger Games, may the odds be ever in your favour…
AIM Escape
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What: At AIM Escape, there are five different escape rooms of varying difficulties, all lasting roughly an hour. Choose from Patient Zero 2150, The Psychopath's Den, Hangover Deja Brew, Spy Heroes and Coming Home, each with its own exciting story. Or, for something truly unique, try an AR game. These outdoor adventures across London use augmented reality technology for a city-spanning immersive experience like no other.
Where: 8 Canter Way, Goodmans Fields, London, E1 8PS
Book now: AIM Escape
Lock’d, Bermondsey
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What: Offering four different escape rooms to choose from, Lock’d has something for visitors of all abilities. If you’re a novice, opt for Grandpa’s Last Will, a game which sees a deceased wealthy millionaire having left their fortune to you (if only that was a relatable storyline, hey?). Suitable for all ages, it makes for a great family day out with a difference.
Where: 108 Drummond Road, SE16 4DG
ClueQuest, Islington
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What: Fun for all the family, ClueQuest’s zany storylines and cartoon-splashed walls are great for younger players. Here, visitors are invited to join Mr Q’s spy agency, where they’ll have to stop the evil efforts of Mr Q’s arch-nemesis Professor Blacksheep, using code-breaking and top observational skills – with four different ‘missions’ to choose from.
Where: 169-171 Caledonian Road, N1 0SL
Escape Entertainment, Bank
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What: Welcoming corporate team building groups or gangs of friends looking to try something different, Escape Entertainment offers two separate scenarios to immerse yourself in, both of which fall on the wrong side of the law – either find yourself hiding from the police in a roaring twenties speakeasy, or carry out a major bank heist against the clock.
Where: George Yard, EC3V 9DH
Escape London, Shadwell and Shepherd’s Bush
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What: With two sites in the capital, there are various rooms to choose from at Escape London. We’d recommend the Witchcraft and Wizardry and Area 51 games for younger players, while older (and possibly braver) guests can try to escape the clutches of a mysterious serial killer or deal with what’s inside a creepy abandoned cabin in the woods.
Where: 6 Devonport Street, E1 0DQ; 117 Uxbridge Road, W12 8NL
Secret Studio, City
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What: The retro theme of this escape room will be a trip down memory lane for older players, and a question of “how on earth did they survive back then?” for the younger ones. The premise is that you’re locked inside a movie production office called ‘Secret Studio Films’ and need to find your way out. There areu a few jumpy bits, but it’s suitable for all the family.
Where: Wentworth Street, Spitalfields, E1 7EZ
Enigma Escape, Holloway
What: If you’re a fan of horror films, this eerie escape room adventure is the one for you. Christened ‘The Killer’, the storyline sees you invited to the premiere of a terrifying new film, and it’s no coincidence that you’re the only ones in the cinema. Of a nervous disposition? Try the breakout instead, which sees you help get your boss out of prison.
Where: Unit 38, 10 Hornsey Street, N7 8EL
Escape Land, Marylebone
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What: Reliant on problem-solving and complex riddles, Escape Land offers stimulating escape rooms right below Oxford Street (a rather handy location if you’re looking to go for drinks or food afterwards). There are two journeys to choose from, including rescuing an abducted future monarch and cracking Da Vinci’s code to the secret of eternal life.
Where: 37-39 Oxford Street, W1D 2DU
Escape Rooms, Angel and London Bridge
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What: This two-site group may not win any awards for creative brand names, but Escape Rooms does offer plenty of fun special effects that will keep you entertained during your session, including laser beams, alarms and secret compartments. Storylines range from outer space adventures to travelling back in time, so there’s a little something for everyone.
Where: Unit 2, 3 Lever Street, EC1V 3QU; 134 Tooley Street, SE1 2TU
Enigma Quests, City
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What: Featuring lots of fun details and jazzy tech elements, visitors to Enigma Quests can choose between a wizards and witchcraft themed room which unofficially takes its inspiration from the Harry Potter series, or a million pound bank heist adventure which involves actual lasers, although thankfully not the kind that burn your limbs off.
Where: 2-12 Wilson Street, EC2M 7LS
Houdini Escape Clapham, Hackney and King’s Cross
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What: Strictly for grown-ups, Houdini's Lady Chastity’s Reserve game finds its home at three London pubs – The Four Thieves, People’s Park Tavern and The Depot. You’re technically not trying to escape this one, but as an immersive experience, it’s still plenty of fun and often hilarious. The aim of the game? Getting your hands on Lady Chastity’s fabled aphrodisiac wine.
Where: 51 Lavender Gardens, SW11 1DJ; 360 Victoria Park Road, E9 7BT; 1 Carpenter’s Mews, North Road, N7 9EF
Escape Plan, Kennington and Shoreditch
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What: Themed around World War 2, Escape Plan boasts two London locations. The Shoreditch site positions guests as prisoners of war who need to use their wits to escape a Nazi camp, while over in Kennington you’ll be an RAF officer who has survived a lethal attack on your air base.
Where: 13A Iliffe Yard, Walworth, SE17 3QA; 35-47 Bethnal Green Road, E1 6LA
Archimedes Inspiration, Bermondsey
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What: Setting itself apart from many other escape rooms in the capital, Archimedes Inspiration is full of math’s puzzles and logic-based problems, placing more emphasis on storyline than simply escaping. Paths to choose from include a visit to an abandoned psychiatric hospital and an experience as an astronaut in the year 2052.
Where: 100 Drummond Road, SE16 4DG
Mission: Breakout
What: Accommodating corporate types for teambuilding sessions and regular folk looking to have fun, Mission: Breakout finds its home in the ‘ghost’ train station of South Kentish Town. Choose between a mystery involving a lost train passenger or discover the story of the Nazi codebreakers, which is inspired by real-life events.
Where: 141-145 Kentish Town Road, NW1 8PB
Do Stuff Escape Games, Battersea
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What: Equipped with a bar to help you celebrate your victory (or near-victory), we’re happy to report the games at Do Stuff Escape Games are a lot less clunky than its name. You can choose to help out in a hostage situation or solve the mystery of a missing Pie & Mash shop owner. Whichever path you take, you’re guaranteed a good time.
Where: 279 Battersea Park Road, SW11 4NE
Breakin’ Escape Rooms, Islington
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What: This Islington-based escape room is big on its technical elements, which only serve to help with your immersion into the storylines. The games are all pretty difficult, but they’re also incredibly stimulating (and sometimes unsettling) – you might find yourself fleeing a raging maniac with a butcher’s knife, or you could be poised as a car racing gang member planning a bank heist.
Where: 89 Holloway Road, N7 8LT
Omescape London, Islington
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What: Differing from other escape rooms out there, some of the scenarios at Omescape see your team divided from the outset, which means you have to rely on your own skills before coming together to work as a team. Just take The Penitentiary, which sees you locked into separate prison cells – this one is not for the faint of heart.
Where: All Saints Church, Carnegie Street, N1 9QW
No Escape, Soho
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What: Definitely not the place to go if you’re of a nervous disposition, No Escape features three rather terrifying scenarios for guests to choose from. Arguably the scariest is The Butcher, which sets out from the start that it’s not suitable for under 18s. The story sees you attempt to solve the disappearance of the butcher’s daughter...before you become chopped meat.
Where: 51 Oxford Street, W1D 2EF
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