2021 TERPECA: Top Escape Rooms Project Enthusiasts' Choice Award

If you were ever wondering what the top escape rooms in the world were, TERPECA does a pretty good job at aggregating ratings across trusted enthusiasts across the globe. In my opinion, this is vastly superior in comparison to sites like TripAdvisor, Yelp, Google Reviews and even the Facebook Escape Room Enthusiast group. For TERPECA, only enthusiasts who have played +200 escape rooms can nominate rooms and those who have played +50 can stack rank the games they have played. Note that only games that can be played in English are eligible. From TERPECA's site:

"...each stack rank was used to create all possible pairwise comparisons between rooms (or companies) in a given stack rank, and then those were used to create a matrix of scores between rooms using all the direct comparisons from any of the participants".

I have played 10 of the top 50 rooms which are listed below (links for reviews). These are all great games and I would say that there are many other rooms that did not make the list that are just as fun as the below. Anything with a 5 stars in my ratings are all top notch and must play escape rooms.

Top Escape Rooms

11. Strange Bird - The Man From Beyond (Houston, TX, USA)

13. Cutthroat Cavern - 13th Gate (Baton Rouge, LA, USA)

21. Ghost Patrol - Trivium Games (Emeryville, CA, USA)

25. The Lost Island Of The Voodoo Queen - Escaparium (Montreal, Canada)

28. Servant Of Sleight - The Exit Game FL (Clearwater, FL, USA)

31. Evil Robots - The Nemesis Club (Phoenix, AZ, USA)

32. The Edison Room - Palace Games (San Francisco, CA, USA)

35. Mogollon Monster - The Nemesis Club (Phoenix, AZ, USA)

37. The Attraction - Palace Games (San Francisco, CA, USA)

45. Lab Rat - Hatch Escapes (Los Angeles, CA, USA)

2021 was a tough year to travel and play escape rooms so hoping that 2022 will be a better year!

Best Los Angeles Escape Rooms

LA is full of amazing games!

Los Angeles is known for having some of the best escape rooms in the United States in terms of quality and quantity. I've had the opportunity to play about 100 games in the LA area, including nearby Orange County (OC) and have compiled this guide to help you choose which escape rooms best suit your needs. Note that LA is huge and getting from one room to another can take well over an hour so you should plan accordingly. 

Note that I've tried my best to list what I believe to be the best rooms as of July 2021. This means that rooms I played a few years ago might no longer be a top room when compared to newer rooms but I did not retroactively change the ratings in my official ratings list. Also, I prefer rooms that focus on adventure and I typically give bonus points for anything comedic. 

Los Angeles Escape Room Standouts

Hatch Escapes: Lab Rat (Los Angeles)

If you are a fan of escape rooms, you have likely heard of Lab Rat. This whimsical game was extremely creative: you are the "rat" and the rats are conducting experiments on you! The immersion was great and we laughed a lot throughout the experience. The puzzles were on the difficult side so don't expect a walk in the park. I would say that 95% of enthusiasts highly recommend this game for all types of players. See our in-depth review here.  

• Set Design: Excellent
• Difficulty: Difficult
• Price: $40/person 
• Number of players: 2-8, private (we recommend 4)
• Duration: 60 minutes
• Played in 2018
• Overall Rating: ★★★★★

Quest Tavern: The Last Supper (Pomona)

LA games often have actors and I was fortunate enough to have one of the best actors I've ever seen in an escape room in "The Last Supper". He was witty, played off our interactions perfectly, and was the indisputable star of the experience! There were some genuine adrenaline rushing moments with some fine puzzles that made for a fantastic game. I tend to love rooms with actors and always give bonus points if they make me laugh. I would recommend playing this game with a lively group!

• Set Design: Good 
• Difficulty: Easy
• Price: $38/person 
• # of Players: 3-8 (we recommend 3-4)
• Duration: 60 minutes
• Played in 2021
• Overall Rating: ★★★★★

Not Another Escape Room: Time Machine (Brea)

Not another time machine room...or was it? Time Machine was what a proper time traveling game should be and the game mechanics were amazing! It takes a lot to wow a seasoned group of players (the team played between 200-800 rooms each) and this game was a joy to experience. We couldn't stop talking about this game even after we left because it was so clever and unique. 

• Set Design: Good
• Difficulty: Medium
• Price: $40/person
• Number of players: 2-8 (we recommend 2-4)
• Duration: 75 minutes
• Played in 2021
• Overall Rating: ★★★★★

Maze Rooms: Magic Kingdom (Los Angeles)

I played this a while back but it still stands in my memories as a beautiful and magical fairy tale experience. There were a lot of memorable moments that awed us and hopefully the experience remains the same some four years later. . The set was great, that physical element was really cool and the use of tech in that building...you'll have to play it to see what I mean. See our full review here

• Set Design: Great
• Difficulty: Easy
• Price: $33-49/person
• Number of players: Up to 6 (we recommend 2-4)
• Duration: 60 minutes
• Played in 2017
• Overall Rating: ★★★★★

Quest Room: Amnesia (Redondo Beach)

This was an experience driven room that focused on storytelling and tasks with some light puzzling. What I appreciated about this game were the elements of surprise and of course the comedic twist. There aren't many puzzles so going into the game knowing this should help you decide whether this style suits your preferences. Also, it would be more fun with four or more people, which typically isn't the case with normal escape rooms.

• Set Design: Great
• Difficulty: Easy
• Price: $37-$60/person
• Number of players: Up to 6 (we recommend 4)
• Duration: 60 minutes
• Played in 2021
• Overall Rating: ★★★★★

Stash House: A Los Angeles Crime Story (Los Angeles)

This game was pretty different from a storytelling perspective and if you are ok with some of the adult themes you should probably play this game. The set takes place in a relatively large space and the concept of the game was that you are proving your worthiness to some criminal entrepreneurs.  Overall, this game set itself apart with its unique theme and funny ending.

• Set Design: Great
• Difficulty: Difficult
• Price: $30-40/person
• Number of players: 4-11 (we recommend 5-6)
• Duration: 90 minutes
• Played in 2018
• Overall Rating: ★★★★★

Breaking Point: Headcase (Rancho Cucamonga )

Breaking Point had two great rooms with "Headcase" and "The Whitmore Estate". Their Headcase room was a revamped version of their old Patient 17 room and I think if you never played Patient 17, Headcase would be even more fun due to experiencing the physical space for the first time. You should play both of their games if in the area!  

• Set Design: Great
• Difficulty: Medium
• Price: $35/person
• Number of players: 2-10 (we recommend 2-4)
• Duration: 60 minutes
• Played in 2017
• Overall Rating: ★★★★½

Escapade: Zoe (Fullerton)

While I am not the biggest fan of anything horror, I must give props to Zoe for making a memorable experience. The actor interaction was pretty horrifying so if you are into this type of experience, then it's a must play. See our full review here.

• Set Design: Great
• Difficulty: Easy
• Price: $33-49/person
• Number of players: Up to 6 (we recommend 2-4)
• Duration: 60 minutes
• Played in 2017
• Overall Rating: ★★★★½

60out: Houdini (Los Angeles)

There are a million Houdini games out there but there was one moment that made this game really stand out for me. I didn't see it coming and it perfectly fit the magic theme. This game is on the easier side and if you like magical moments, you will enjoy this game.

• Set Design: Great
• Difficulty: Easy
• Price: $38-40/person
• Number of players: 2-5 (we recommend 2-4)
• Duration: 60 minutes
• Played in 2017
• Overall Rating: ★★★★½

The Basement: The Study (Los Angeles)

For the longest time, The Study was my favorite room of all time. I played the version of the game in Las Vegas but I was told the LA game was pretty much the same. This game has actors and overall does an amazing job with immersion. There are some electrifying moments that you will likely never experience in any other rooms. While at "The Basement", you should also hit up "The Courtyard" and "The Elevator Shaft" which are also solid. See the full review here.

• Set Design: Great
• Difficulty: Medium-Difficult
• Price: $30-50/person
• Number of players: Max 10 (we recommend 4-6)
• Duration: 45 minutes
• Played in 2017
• Overall Rating: ★★★★★

Other Escape Rooms In The Area

There are so many other noteworthy games to play in LA and you can see my entire list of LA escape rooms played here. Honestly, you could play +30 games and have a great time in every single one of them. Nonetheless, here are some other honorable mentions:

• Scenario Escape: Mad Rapper (Brea): The creator of this game is an actual rapper so the theme and the custom soundtrack for this game make it very different compared to everything else out there. 
• Black Market Escape: Murder Co. (Los Angeles): I played a version of this game in 2019, and it seems that it might be different now but if you are able to stomach this intense, gory game, then it'll be quite the gruesome experience. 
• Escape Revolution: Escobar (Los Angeles): This game made us do things we would never ever do an an escape room and if you are willing to cough up the steep entry price of $90/person to play and want to see something new, try out "Escobar".

We hope this post helps out anyone who is hoping to venture off to Los Angeles to play escape rooms!

Escape Room LA: Atlantis (Los Angeles, CA)

Escape Room LA is known for having some pretty great puzzle content in a really beautiful space. The first game that we played there a few years back was "The Alchemist" and the parallel puzzle tracks kept the four of us busy until the end. Last year we played "The Pyramid", which had a much more elaborate environment and once again we were busy puzzling right up until the end. I'm glad to say that the progression from their oldest to their newest room has continued to improve as both the immersion and puzzles were fantastic for Atlantis. The one thing that could vary your experience is the fact that these are public rooms. From their website:

"An invitation from an eccentric professor leads you through a secret portal into the fabled lost city of Atlantis. As you search among the ruins, you’ll solve mysterious clues and puzzles, while discovering the long-lost pieces of Poseidon’s fabled trident. Find all of the pieces and escape before your air supply runs out! Set out on the adventure of a lifetime as you explore the spectacular underwater world of Atlantis!"

Set Design, Technology & Puzzles

The game started off in an ordinary study but the escape room is called Atlantis so it's not really a spoiler to say that your journey will become much more exciting. As we delved into Atlantis, it was apparent that the creators had some great ideas on how to create a convincing "underwater" environment in a rather large footprint. Like other Escape Room LA games, there were parallel puzzle tracks so if you play with strangers (we were lucky no one else booked) you might not know what went on for a good chunk of the game. The puzzles consisted of a lot of symbol matching and were thematic with the storyline.

Memorable Moments 

Walking into Atlantis was such a joy!

Room For Improvement

The first act of the room is extremely ordinary. While this can make the latter part of the game much more exiting, it would be nice to have the start of the game to be as impressive as the rest of the game.

Overall Thoughts

Once again Escape Room LA has created a really fun experience with some solid puzzling in a great environment. If you can book an early slot with your own group, you will have a great time with the variety of puzzles and the cool theme.

• Set design: The second half stands out a lot
• Difficulty: Above average
• Price: $29-$39/person, public
• Number of players: 4-8 (recommend 4)
• Duration: 60 minutes
• Overall Rating: ★★★★½

See their website here: https://www.escaperoomla.com/atlantis

Disclosure: Escape Room LA graciously provided complimentary tickets

Hatch Escapes: Lab Rat (Los Angeles, CA)

We were the rats in this lab 

Hatch Escapes was one of the new LA locations that opened up in 2018 and there was lot of hype about their game "Lab Rat". In June, I was in New Orleans on Room Escape Artist's Escape Immerse Explore Tour when Amanda (Queen of Escape Rooms) told me about Lab Rat and how it was one of her all-time favorite rooms out of +700 played. When someone of that stature says a game is good, you take it seriously, so I immediately booked a flight to LA for after the tour. (Actually, I already had it booked in advance but that doesn't the former sound much more exciting?)

Being a "rat" in a lab sounded pretty unique, so right off the bat, I was excited to see the room. From their site:

"Lab Rat takes place in a laboratory where giant rats are doing experiments on human beings, specifically you! The somewhat unhinged Ratkenstein, a doctoral student in the field of human intelligence (or, in his estimation, the lack thereof), has tasked you with completing a series of tests and puzzles. If you succeed, he can finally write his dissertation. If you fail, he’s going to put you and your friends in the old test-subject chipper (like a wood chipper, but for test subjects!). You’ll have one hour to complete the tests and attempt to get out of the laboratory for good, before Ratkenstein turns you into mulch!"

Get The F Out: The Experiment (Los Angeles, CA)

Throw out everything you know about escape rooms...

In May 2018, "Get the F Out" opened their second room room called "The Experiment" and the buzz was that it was pretty different from their first room, "The Virus". We gave "The Virus" a 2017 Achievement Unlocked Medal for "Best Storytelling" and there was also a lot of effort put towards the storyline for "The Experiment" on social media via the fictional character, Dr. Jay Elias. Before going into this game, we really didn't know what to expect, given the brief description from their site:

"Looking for all ages, male & female to participate in a psychological study of escape rooms .  It will take 60 min of your time.  Juice will be served."

LA Dragon Studios: Knights Of The Round Table (Van Nuys, CA)

Written by Matt Neal: As a seasoned veteran of escape rooms, when I see a new room pop up that touts being “family friendly” and “great for all ages” I get a little nervous. I know that experienced enthusiasts do not make up the bulk of the market and targeting newcomers and families makes a lot of financial sense, but in my experience, the rooms that result just don’t scratch my itch for a challenging, exciting experience. Likewise, the rooms that offer a challenging, exciting experience to those that have ran out of fingers and toes to count rooms on can leave those exploring an escape room for the first time with a frustrating experience, never getting to taste success. Rarely does a room offer an experience that is accessible to those that have never heard of an escape room, a playfulness to be within reach of children, and enough fun and excitement to have the experienced walk out with just as big of a smile. LA Dragon Studios offers just that. They have one of the first games from Israel to make its way to the United States and if this is a sign of what’s to come, I can’t wait to see more. From their website:

"In this adventure, you are sent into Camelot on an epic quest. Explore the castle, find the hidden clues and become a Knight! 

We want you to have the fun, there's no limitation on hints, no pressure, it’s about your experience and your story."

This experience is about letting you into their world to play around and that allows for a positive experience for a much broader audience. For someone that’s done a lot of rooms, saving Camelot wasn’t particularly difficult, but it didn’t need to be. There’s so much to see and do, enough to play with and take in, that there is something here for the experienced. I only wish that this was how my first escape room would have been.

Maze Rooms: Magic Kingdom (Los Angeles, CA)

The magic is real

After playing Maze Rooms' "Lunar Mission" at the S. Vermont location, we immediately played a second room at the same location. We jumped into a magical world that took place in a colorful, fairytale like environment that was intricately designed. The Magic Kingdom turned out to be heavy on the immersion side with some great use of tech and fun puzzles. From their site:

"The Magic Kingdom: a place of wonder where all things are possible and magic is real. Join this fairytale adventure and save the Magic Kingdom before time runs out, and the magic is gone forever."

49 Boxes: Evening At The Houdini Estate (San Francisco, Los Angeles, CA)

Evening At The Houdini Estate

After not being able to find any enthusiast reviews for 49 Boxes, I decided to post about my experience at 49 Boxes San Francisco showing in November of 2017. At the time of this writing, there seemed to be limited showings of "Evening At The Houdini Estate" in both San Francisco and Los Angeles with costs ranging from $100 for a normal 90 minute session (my ticket) to $650 for a session and accommodations. From their site:

"The 49 Boxes is an episodic, story-driven experience where audience members play a role in solving mysteries that have been kept secret for more than half a century—all while interacting with artifacts from the Golden Age of Magic. This is not an experience that unfolds around you…it unfolds because of you.

Entry into one of the world's most exclusive and private members only club [The Battery]. An exclusive, intimate performance of the most buzzed about immersive storytelling puzzle experience: 49 Boxes—"The Magic of Thayer."

Reviewing this event was not a simple task as the designers do not see this as an escape room (more as immersive storytelling) but from an enthusiast's perspective, the format and experience is on par with any large format escape rooms games that a company like SCRAP commonly holds. There are 10+ tables with 8 people per table all solving puzzles with an overarching storyline.

Escapade Games: Zoe (Fullerton, CA)

I Ain't Afraid of No Ghost

Being in the Los Angeles area the week before Halloween, Zoe sounded simply too good to pass up, so we went to see if it lived up to all the hype. Escapade Games' Zoe is an epic, satisfying mashup of themes pulled from throughout the pantheon of horror cinema. From their site:

"There is one scene in your mind that is busily following you. It has initially appeared in your dreams, the scene of an abandoned house, but it has started chasing you during the daytime. This house seems to be calling for you, it attracts you with an unknown force...What’s wrong with it? Is there anyone living there?Does he or she need help? You cannot survive it any longer, it’s driving you crazy...You start surfing and accidently [sic] you find the needed location…You reach the place. You open the door and...become trapped. You have only one hour to escape until your personality starts to change."

The Hidden Passage: The Pharaoh's Curse (North Hollywood, CA)

The Pharaoh's Curse

Written by Matt Neal: Southern California has a few things going for it that produce some amazing rooms. A huge population and endless stream of tourists keep the customers coming. The film, theme park, and haunt industries provide an amazing talent pool to pull from and inspiration to dive into. Well established escape room brands keep delivering amazing new experiences, driving competition higher and higher.

The amazing rooms and huge market, however, have brought quite a few “me too” rooms, popping up to try to make a quick buck. So, on a quiet Sunday, when two new unknown rooms popped up having just opened without any buzz or fanfare and a complete lack of reviews to be found, we knew we were taking a gamble with either. A flip of a coin and we were off to visit the Hidden Passage in North Hollywood to face the Pharaoh’s Curse. From their site:

"One morning as the Ancient Nile Breaking news was broadcasting a story about the Kings lost tomb, it was found by a couple of archaeologists! Upon the discovery the Tomb opens and the King awakens, raged, and is trying to escape his tomb to bring darkness onto all of Egypt as he wants to avenge his death.

The only way to shut the tombs door is from the inside. You and your fellow archaeologists did so and now you were stuck inside the tomb and need to find a way out. As you were wandering around, you step on a trap which triggers a countdown of 60 minutes for you to find the kings tomb and escape before you are trapped in the chamber for all of eternity. Will you make it out?"

Make it out we did and we were amazed at the gold we found inside.

Escape Room LA: The Alchemist (Los Angeles, CA)

The Alchemist: A smartly designed room

If you are in the downtown LA area there are two popular escape room companies that are in the vicinity: "The Virus: Get The F Out" and "Escape Room LA". Both these public rooms take upwards of 10 people so it may be a craps shoot in terms of who shows up in your game. Escape Room LA's "The Alchemist" is known to be a puzzle centric and challenging room where you only have only 50 minutes to escape. We were lucky enough to play on a Thursday night with only our group of four. From their site:

"An ancient library leads you through a secret passage into a medieval alchemist’s mysterious lab, where you must find the four lost elements of earth, air, fire and water. Unite the elements and unleash the magical powers of the Philosopher’s Stone before the alchemist returns! Will you escape?"

Maze Rooms: Lunar Mission (Los Angeles, CA)

Floating in a tin can

Written by Brad Melluish. Maze Rooms' "Lunar Mission" is the first escape room I've encountered that is fully committed to a hard science fiction theme in a space setting, so I was excited to give it a spin when I found out it would be part of our recent Los Angeles escape room marathon. The room did not disappoint, and it was refreshing to see this room boldly go into a genre that is so surprisingly unexplored! From their site:

"Try to escape lunar station in disrepair and survive. Far in the outer space. Only team work can return lunar crew home."

Get The F Out: The Virus (Los Angeles, CA)

Get The F Out: Dab Best!

"Get the F Out" states on their website that they offer "Virtual Reality that will blow you away". We decided to try out their game, "The Virus", late on a Thursday night and as a duo, we weren't sure what to expect given it was an eight player room. From their site:

"A deadly virus has ravaged the planet.  Join a team of top scientists and descend hundreds of feet to a military laboratory below.  There you must discover an antidote and save the world. But be careful not to set off the computerized decontamination system or you may be smashed flat by the slowly moving laboratory walls."

While there are a LOT of lab themed escape rooms out there, there are some unique elements at GTFO that were fresh and exciting. There was an Easter egg and I feel all rooms should have this as it makes the game more special for those who have extra time to spare. Given we were only two, when I saw the lab my initial thoughts were "we're toast, there are a LOT of locks in this room"...

Countdown: Pandorus & Krampus (Los Angeles, CA)

Escaped Pandorus and Krampus

Countdown Live Escape Games has great reviews on many sites and its "Krampus" room is a 2016 Golden Key recipient from EscapeRoomArtist and its "Pandorus" room is a Top 15 LA Escape Room for EscapeRoomTips. While I am personally not a horror fan and never frequent haunted houses, we decided to give it a go when one of our team members really wanted to play Krampus. We were also very excited to play Pandorus as for some reason, there aren't that many spaceship themed escape rooms.

Evil Genius: Occam's Apartment & Norcross Art Gallery (Los Angeles, CA)

Chapter One > Chapter Two

Evil Genius created a two chapter adventure that you can book in a single two hour slot. This was the first time we had seen such a scenario and we hoped that there would be a natural transition between the rooms. Chapter One came out a few years ago and they more recently added Chapter Two, so these rooms could also be played separately. When played in one session, teams can bank the extra time from Chapter One and put it toward Chapter Two and that's exactly what we did. The transition between the chapters was fun and the layout of the location also helped make it feel more immersive.

60out: Titanic, Wizards Workshop, Senator Payne (Los Angeles, CA)

60out is often touted as having extremely high quality set designs and “Titanic” in particular is recommended on many escape room blogs. This company actually has a few locations in the LA area after some independent rooms were merged together so expect some variation in style between the different franchisees. "Titanic" and "Wizards Workshop" are at the Marina Del Ray location while "The Mystery of Senator Payne" was at Corinth spot. We also played Grandma's Masterplan at the Melrose location which was one of our favorite escape rooms of all time. We love tangible puzzles and beautiful set designs but we're aware that this alone doesn't make a great room.

60out: Grandma's Masterplan (Los Angeles, CA)

This room is gold!

As we head towards the 80 games played mark, we become more appreciative of new themes. Given that a handful of themes (prison, bunker, lab, serial killer, castle...) seem to make up 90% of the market, it's not easy to find something vastly unique out there. Via word of mouth, we heard some good things about 60out's "Grandma's Masterplan" and the scenario looked different enough for us to put this on our "must-do" list for our LA trip. From their site:

"The story begins when your granny suddenly disappears without notice. No one has a clue where she is, but one day you come across a letter in which your grandmother reveals a secret about her inheritance. All you have to do is to go into her house and find it -- simple, right? We'll see about that."

The Basement: Boiler Room (Los Angeles, CA)

The Basement's "Boiler Room" was a 35 minute escape room and the last of the three scenarios we played at this highly talked about location. "The Study", which is their latest room, is currently one of our all-time favorite escape rooms and since the Las Vegas location didn't have the Boiler room, we ventured off to play it at the Sylmar location near Los Angeles.

The Boiler Room was physically confined. The max of four players would make it really uncomfortable and claustrophobic for a lot of people. Playing in such close quarters with strangers would also be equally awkward but we were lucky enough to only be a party of two.

The Basement: The Study (Las Vegas, NV & Los Angeles, CA)

The Study, Seriously, go play this room right now

"The Study" is the newest room for the much talked about location,"The Basement". The storyline revolves around a cannibalistic killer who captures you and locks you in his basement. After you escape "The Basement", you end up on the first floor of the house and have to find your way out of "The Study". While the continuity of the story is great, we played them in the reverse order and it was perfectly fine.  The BIG difference with this room and others of a similar "Psycho killer" theme is the immersiveness and in-game actors which make for an amazing escape room.

The Basement: The Basement Room (Las Vegas, NV & Los Angeles, CA)

The Basement (room), the original room

For those easily scared - be warned!  This room is not for the faint-hearted ... but this is mainly because it is so very immersive - impressively so.  Our group of half boys - half girls did well to upkeep those gender stereotypes with many a high-pitched scream emanating from the girls while escaping this room.

The Basement is the original room from this chain - rooms such as The Study (see review) and The Boiler Room follow on from this story.  In The Basement, your team is kidnapped, taken to an underground lair, and threatened with death by notorious serial-killer, Edward Tandy.  You have 45 minutes to escape a terrifying and gruesome death.