Best Escape Rooms In Spain: 2025 Update

I did a short stop in Barcelona this year and decided to add a few highlights to my favorite rooms in Spain. For some first timer tips on Spanish escape rooms, see my original post here. One thing I did in this post that was unique was that I revised older star ratings based on the latest experiences I played, however, note that my spreadsheet ranking was not changed in order to preserve history.

In general, I tend to prefer games that are expansive and action oriented rather than a puzzlefest.

Barcelona

Golden Pop: Jurasico

If you like Jurassic Park at all, this is a must play game. The environment created for this escape room is insane and you'll just have to play it to see why. It gets down and dirty so be sure to wear clothes that you don't mind getting messy. Highly recommended for any escape room enthusiasts! ★★★★★

Jurassico photo courtesy of Matthew Stein 

The City Escape Room: La Taberna

A little north of Barcelona and well worth the journey, The Taberna started off like a regular ol' escape room and built up to something more impressive. The reveals were great and the action was plentiful. ★★★★★ 

Escape Barcelona: CyberCity 2049 

This game was amazing with its Blade Runner/The Matrix vibe. A wonderfully immersive set with some tense moments that made us feel like we were in our own movie. Also, take your time in exploring the world with side tasks. If you are in Barcelona, this is a must play. ★★★★★ 

Escape Barcelona: K.O.N.G. Protocol

Another movie like experience with more of a horror vibe. You get to play with some things that I didn't think you'd ever see in an escape room and once again the set was large and sprawling. There was an exciting boss battle in this game as well! ★★★★★ 

Enigmik: La Cerveseria [The Brewery] 

What kind of game was The Brewery? At first I wasn't sure what to expect as I am not a beer fan but it was one of the most thematic and unique games I played. You start off in a bar and then head into the world of beer-making with some enjoyable puzzling. ★★★★½

Insomnia Corporation: La Casa [The House]

La Casa had one of the most interesting escape room starts ever. We drove to a "hotel" and explored the premises for a while and were then told to drive to another city. On the way to this city, we received a text with the exact location of a house in the middle of farmland. Then the real game started there. ★★★★★ 

Unreal Room Escape: Distrito 111 

Just like Unreal's La Mina, Distrito 111 was such a fun experience. This post apocalyptic world had some fulfilling physical elements that made the experience top notch. ★★★★½ 

Cubick: Siro 3.0

This game has a crazy fun feature that speeds you around the game play. While the flow somewhat pushes you through different sections, the excitement in this game in undeniable. ★★★★½

Can Bruna: Cellular Odessey

A fun "Honey, I Shrunk The Kids" type of room that is whimsical and doesn't take itself too seriously. I tend to have a soft spot for light hearted fun rooms so I might hae enjoyed this more than most people. It's a bit far away but good to play if you are heading home to the airport. ★★★★½

Elements El Fuego: Exodus

Exodus takes a wild swing in theme throughout the game and while it was unexpected, I thought it was fun. The whole game felt like an adventure like many rooms in Spain, like you were the main character in your own movie. ★★★★½

Northern Spain

Mayto Kingdom: Tú también soñarás [You'll Dream Too] 

The "IT" movie inspired game was the #1 escape room for the 2021 TERPECA's. I played the game without seeing the movie and still appreciated the experience. Another sprawling set that kept us on edge for a good portion of the time.  ★★★★★ 

Blindhouse: The Rebellion (Hybrid Version) 

This game was based on the film series "Underworld" where vampire and werewolves battle each other. We played the 2.5h full version which combined their two games and the midpoint transition was seamless. The set was enormous and the varied puzzles should satisfy a wide variety of players! ★★★★★ 

Distrito Siete: Noche de perros [Dogs Night]  

This game took place in "Texas" which is always funny in terms of seeing how others interpret what life in America is like. The game started off in an American diner and expanded from there but didn't quite end on a high. It was still loads of fun. ★★★★½ 

Madrid

Shock Creations: La Santa 

La Santa took place in a realistic looking church, complete with high ceilings and stained glass. The payment method at the start of the game was hilarious and you spend a good amount of time avoiding scary stuff. There were huge Hollywood like action sequences that took place that unfortunately some of our players didn't see and overall it was quite a memorable experience. ★★★★★ 

Madness Toledo Escape Room (Mad Mansion): The Mystery of Scum Island 

I never played the computer game "Monkey Island" but you could see how this escape room was inspired by a 1990's point-and-click game. I have a soft spot for light hearted themes so I might have enjoyed this game more than most players. ★★★★½ 

Bite The Fly: Bites Motel 

One might notice that many of the games we played were based on pre-existing IP but not officially licensed to do so. I wonder if being able to that do in Spain made for a vastly different experience when compared to the US. As you might have guessed, this game was modeled after the "Bates Motel" from the movie "Psycho". The astounding part was that a HUGE city area was built but not really part of the game. ★★★★½ 

Other Escape Rooms In The Area

Some other rooms that are worth playing or reviewed in a previous post: 

In Barcelona: 

• Abduction: Enterprises and The Exam (Enterprises is based on BATMAN! and one of my favorite escape rooms all time) 
• Catelepsia, a 2-player game in coffins
• Outline Escape Room: Outline
• Virus Escape Room: Tao Japanese Message Center
• Escape Barcelona: Tomb of Akasha 

In Madrid: 

• Colors Escape Room: Yellow Experience, a Goonies inspired game
• Colors Escape Room: Blue Experience, played in 2022 and was a greatly reduced version of Atrincherados (Trenches) in Barcelona, played in 2019
• Clue Hunter: Megachef for large groups interested in puzzle stations with a cooking theme

Northern Spain 

• Way Out: Hello Hotel
• Mayto Kingdom: La Cámara del Espíritu y el Tiempo (Dragon Ball Z)

Rooms that I have not played but have buzz from others:

• Barcelona - Malum (Horror) 
• Barcelona - CruPont Legacy: Nightshift (Horror)
• Barcelona - Arcanum Escape Rooms: La posesión (Horror)
• Northern Spain - Mayto Kingdom: La Cámara del Espíritu y el Tiempo (Dragon Ball Z) and Una Aventura de Leyenda

We hope this post helps out anyone who is hoping to venture off to Spain to play world class escape rooms!

Best Escape Rooms In Athens (Greece)

Odeon of Herodes Atticus (Not an escape room but a beautiful Roman theater you should see)

Athens had the highest amount of world class games in one city. You can play 17 of the top 100 TERPECA games in Athens, which was unparalleled! If you like escape rooms, you need to make a trip out here unless you are unwilling to play horror games, then I would recommend going to Barcelona or The Netherlands/Belgium. We played 20 rooms in Athens which was quite a lot given the average runtime of two hours. 

Here are some general notes and tips for Athens.

Horror Themed Games 

Most of the top games were horror. Locals must love jump scares, loud noises and being chased by monsters in the dark. At least for me, playing multiple horror rooms in a row made it tougher to fully appreciate the genre as it became repetitive with pitch black rooms and jump scares. Also, even in some non-horror games, actors randomly came out and made loud banging sounds which felt forced. However, the top horror games were absolutely amazing as they blended immersive theater with puzzle solving.

Pro Tip: Bring Earplugs

The volume of the music in many rooms, even the non-horror ones, was overwhelmingly loud. Bring a good pair of ear plugs! This made the horror games much more enjoyable. For context, we had a team member quit a top TERPECA winning room because it was too loud, even with ear plugs! When we asked to lower the volume, GM's said they were not able to and didn't seem to think it was an issue. 

English Friendly

English was widely spoken by most locals, except for some of the older folks in retail stores. This was in contrast to Barcelona where many people of all ages do not speak any English. 

Cash Is King?

Bring some cash for escape rooms but many of the rooms also accepted credit cards. Check in advance with the company.

Commuting

Games and taxis were super affordable, probably 30%-50% less than US prices. FreeNow was also significantly quicker than Uber and I recommend using that app. Food was even cheaper and delicious!

Safety

Safety standards were visibly less stringent compared to most countries we've played in. Often times, we were truly locked in handcuffs or in a room with no emergency release. Also, pools of water were changed out maybe monthly (?) so you may want to be careful around that. 

Athens Escape Room Recap  

I gave 11 rooms a 4.5 star ratings or higher which was quite incredible after playing over 600 escape rooms around the world. I am not a horror lover but still loved the top horror games.

Athens

😱 = Horror

Way Out: Ice Tiki

This light hearted escape room was amazing and deserved to be higher on TERPECA. It was a whimsical room so maybe locals or those who love horror disliked that. Ice Tiki was one of my top games overall and a must play! ★★★★★ 

No Exit: El Exorcista 😱 

I am not a horror fan and somehow this room was one of my favorite rooms of all time. This game was about five years old and still had some of the best cinematics and actor performances that I had ever seen. Another must play in my book. ★★★★★ 

Lockhill: Chapel & Catacombs 😱 

A huge sprawling set with actors made for a crazy game. Some fun chase sequences and the mandatory fumbling through the dark was second to none. ★★★★★ 

EscapeClue: Lethal Decision 2 😱

This was a tough one to comment on as we had a teammate tap out about 40% in because of the crazy loud music. The others on my team were also going to tap out and I had to convince them to stay. The second team in our group had someone fall and fracture a bone so yes, safety standards are very different. The game did have some fun parts, if you can bear the loud sound and jump scares. ★★★★½ 

Trapped Chalandri: ExperimentumX 

I thought this game was underrated and perhaps it was due to it being a more physical room which I enjoyed a lot because of the uniqueness. I tend to seek out uniqueness and prefer large physical sets and props. ★★★★★ 

Escape World: Houdini 

We added this new game at the last minute and it had really great cinematics that I hadn't seen anywhere else. I just wished there were more! Note there are some minor jump scares.  ★★★★★ 

Escapolis: Cosmos 5 

This was a nifty starship themed puzzley room and I love good looking starships. I think this was one of the more puzzle focused rooms that I have near the top of my list which was rare because I am not a puzzle lover. ★★★★½ 

No Exit: Wanted: Dead Or Alive

The actor made the game and he was witty and entertaining. If you enjoy signifiant bantering with actors this game is for you. A large footprint along with a ton of silliness made for a fun time. ★★★★½ 

Escapolis: Butcher 😱

An interesting take on a horror room so if you are ok with doing a bunch of rooms in this genre I think you would enjoy it. If you had to choose only a few, El Exorcista and Chapel and Catacombs were a cut above. ★★★★

Paradox Project: The Mansion, The Library, The Music Academy 

This trilogy of games took 9 hours to complete! The puzzles were very chewy so it was normal to spend over 30 minutes on one riddle. The general consensus was that The Library was the best of the three and I would agree with that. Note this game was not flashy compared to others in Athens but will surely satisfy puzzle folks. The Mansion ★★★½, The Library ★★★★½ , The Music Academy ★★★★

No Exit: Death Row 

Death Row was probably the top prison game I had ever played. The theme was cliché but well executed with a lot of physical elements. ★★★★

Verona: Don't Take A Breathe 😱 

This was based on the movie "Don't Breathe" and had a lot of tense moments.  Watch a synopsis of the film to see if it's your type of game. It was also in a town where many locals told us not to go to because it was super dangerous so that added to the tension. ★★★★★

Lockhill: The Sanitarium 😱 

The Sanitarium can be played in three modes: Midnight = Difficult puzzles with monsters, Night = Easy puzzles with monsters, Day = Difficult puzzles with no monsters. We played Midnight mode and it was really scary because of the thick fog that made visibility less than an arm's length. I learned this was what they call "Type 2" fun. ★★★★½ 

We also played the games below that you may consider if you have time (with the exception of Creepy Store and Gustave Eiffel). 

• Dark Matter, Creepy Store, Gustave Eiffel (Escapolis - Galatsi)
• Lilipout, Scooby...Who? (Art Of Escape)

We hope this post helps out anyone who is hoping to venture off to Athens to play world class escape rooms!

Best Rooms In The Netherlands & Belgium: A Traveller's Guide

Beautiful Bruges (Belgium)

I finally made it out to Europe this year to play the top games in The Netherlands and Belgium after the initial trip in 2020 got postponed because of the pandemic. This was part of a larger tour of 39 games played that also included Paris and Geneva (these cities will featured in a separate post). 

The games in this part of the world were outstanding with some great storytelling and smart uses of physical space. We were thrilled to be able to play so many wonderful games and highly recommend a visit to this area for all escape room enthusiasts.

Special thanks to local enthusiasts Helena and Sven for joining us for some of the games we played! It is always great meeting new people and so far every single person we have met over the years has been a blast to hang out with.

Impressions & Observations During The Netherlands & Belgium Escape Room Trip

Getting Around
To play the top games in this region, a car was needed in order to get around. Unfortunately, the games were really spread out in various cities so there were no other feasible transportation options.

English Translations 
All but one of the rooms we wanted to play were available in English. GM's were perfectly fluent, some videos had English subtitles and there were no major language issues at all.

Cash Is King
Many games required payment to be made in cash, so it is wise to prepare for this and not be caught off guard. Be aware of daily limit cash withdrawals from ATM's.

More Action, Less Puzzling
There were more physical elements in the games in this part of the world when compared to the U.S./Canada but less than what we experienced in Barcelona. You should be prepared to crawl and get dirty.

Private Bookings
Like most of Europe, all the games we played had private bookings. You could  get away with two players but for economic reasons you would have to book for three or four players.

The Netherlands & Belgium Escape Room Recap

Mama Bazooka: The Dome
The Dome was the reason why we made it out to The Netherlands. It was voted the #1 escape room in the world for a few years on TERPECA. We have played other former #1 rooms and usually, hype kills. Would The Dome also be cursed with unrealistic expectations? I am happy to say that this game lived up to its reputation. 

The Dome was a technological marvel with great reveals and creative puzzles all blended into a fun theme. The experience was so magical and we really felt immersed into the world they laid out in front of us. It is hard to be impressed after playing almost 500 rooms but The Dome was able to do it! If you are an escape room enthusiast, this is a a must play. 

• Difficulty: Medium
• Price: 169€-189€/team
  
• Number of players: 4-6, private (we recommend 4)
• Duration: 60 minutes
• Overall Rating: ★★★★★

Mama Bazooka also had a massive lobby with tons of games!

Down The Hatch: Molly's Game
Another top room with an expansive set and some physical elements that surprised us. Molly's Game redefines how to create an escape room that delivers on storytelling in a creepy environment with some great moments. I thought I was done with the "creepy house" settings but I was wrong!

• Difficulty: Medium
• Price: 165€/team
  
• # of Players: 2-5 (we recommend 3-4)
• Duration: 60 minutes
• Overall Rating: ★★★★★

Dark Park: Stay In The Dark / The End / The Orphanage
Dark Park was a premier Escape Room company with multiple high quality games. 

Stay In The Dark: This game took place in what is likely one of the largest facilities for an escape room in the world. It spanned over multiple floors with each floor being larger than 95% of the escape rooms I have played. The premise was fun in that we were "looking to purchase real estate" and stumbled upon this old factory and then the shenanigans began. I don't want to spoil this so I will not say more but it was quite an ambitious project that lasted 2.5 hours.

The End: A very interesting story with a twist and a super fun ending that I highly appreciated. There are some fun moments as well that really make this room unique. Sven was also a pleasure to play with!

The Orphanage: This was one of the first rooms that we played in The Netherlands and I was extremely impressed with the lighting effects. The timing and use of effects were great at moving the game along.

• Difficulty: Easy-Medium
• Price: +145€/team
  
• Number of players: 2-6 (we recommend 4)
• Duration: 60-150 minutes
• Overall Rating: Stay In The Dark ★★★★★, The End / Orphanage ★★★★½

Epic Escape: Illusion
There are a lot of magic themed games out there but Illusion was able to make us feel like we were actually in a magician's studio. This game was more puzzle-y than others in the area and I was fine with that. We also had Helena join us and that made it even more fun!

• Difficulty: Medium- Difficult
  
• Price: +135€/team
  
• Number of players: 3-6 (we recommend 3-4)
• Duration: 90 minutes
• Overall Rating: ★★★★½

Kamer 237: Kamer 237 / The Concierge
The original room, Kamer 237, was about 5 years old and it was incredible in terms of physical manipulation and story progression. The mechanic used to progress to different rooms was simple yet so satisfying and we slightly preferred this game over The Concierge which can only be played by two players.

• Difficulty: Difficult
• Price: 80€-125€ 
  
• Number of players: Kamer 237 - 2-6 (we recommend 2-3), The Concierge - exactly 2
• Duration: 70-75 minutes
• Overall Rating: Kamer 237 ★★★★½, The Concierge ★★★★
  

Time Adventures: Inferno
This fireman themed escape room had a feature that I don't think I will ever see again. It was quite crazy and it was worth playing just to see it.

• Difficulty: Easy
• Price: +89€/team
  
• Number of players: 2-6, private (we recommend 2-3)
• Duration: 60 minutes
• Overall Rating: ★★★★½

Escape Room Katwijk: Here I Am
This game was inspired by the Spanish show "Vis-a-Vis" and somehow made us feel like we were in a real prison, despite having played so many games of this theme. Make sure you read the email they send you before playing this game.

• Difficulty: Easy
• Price: 150€/team
  
• Number of players: 2-5 (we recommend 2-3)
• Duration: 70 minutes
• Overall Rating: ★★★★½

 

Rock City Escapes: Soup Du Jour

I loved the start of this game and how the GM role played when introducing the team to the room. The first half started off great with some smooth puzzling and it transitioned into more of a traditional escape room setting towards the end.

• Difficulty: Easy
  
• Price: 140€/team
  
• Number of players: 2-6 (we recommend 4)
• Duration: 75 minutes
• Overall Rating: ★★★★½

De Gouden Kooi: The Secret of Saint-Rumoldus

The game flow of "The Secret of Saint-Rumoldus" was seamless and the unique story line towards the end made us laugh. Definitely a standout in the Belgium market!

• Difficulty: Medium-Difficult
• Price: +120€/team
  
• Number of players: 2-6 (we recommend 3-4)
• Duration: 70 minutes
• Overall Rating: ★★★★★

Escaping Belgium: Le Prince
Le Prince was one of the more puzzle-y games we played on our trip and we were lucky to have Helena for the added brainpower! Overall, it was a clean and polished experience that would satisfy many puzzlers and escape room enthusiasts.

• Difficulty: Difficult
  
• Price: +90€/team
  
• Number of players: 2-6 (we recommend 2)
• Duration: 90 minutes
• Overall Rating: ★★★★½

Other Notable Escape Rooms In The Area

 

 In The Netherlands:

• Escape From Wonderland: A colorful room with a ton of puzzles!
• Escape Room The Cube - Triplicate Institute: Great execution in creating a mind-bending experience
  

In Belgium

• Push Mystery Rooms - The Movies: An ambitious take on the world of blockbuster movies
  

We hope this post helps out anyone who is hoping to venture off to The Netherlands or Belgium to play world class escape rooms!

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!

2019 Achievement unlocked Medalists

We are proud to announce the Escape Rumors Achievement unlocked Medalists for 2019! In 2019, we played rooms in the US, Canada, England, Scotland, Italy, Spain and Germany and have played over 300 games over the years (almost 100 in 2019).

Achievement unlocked medals are awarded every year to the top escape rooms played by Escape Rumors. On top of being solid escape rooms, these rooms also distinguished themselves in the categories below. There is no limit in terms of rooms awarded and they are sorted alphabetically.

The escape rooms with direct links have in-depth reviews. Feel free to contact us at info@escaperumors.com for any inquiries.

Best Immersion

Atrincherados (Trenches) (Connecta Escape, Cerdanyola Del Valles, ESP)
No other game throws you into war like this one.

Enterprises (Abduction, Barcelona, ESP)
Batman and all the greatness that comes along with him.

El viaje continua (Life Continues) (Chronologic, Barcelona, ESP)
A fantastic sci-fi journey with an inspiring cinematic feel to it.

Grand Immersia Hotel (Immersia, Montreal, QC)

You've played hotel games before but you haven't had the fun actor interaction of this game.

Best Storytelling

SWAT (Open Mind, Cornellà de Llobregat, ESP)
Another great Barcelona game, this one thrusts you into the world of a SWAT team.

Whitmore Estate (Breaking Point, Rancho Cucomongo, CA) - Review Coming Soon

One of the best flowing games with a cohesive story.

Wizard Four Rise of Lord Thulsa (Escaparium, Montreal, QC)
A nice reveal and some great Harry Potter like interactions.

Wrath of Poseidon (Sauve Qui Peut, Montreal, QC)

An escape room with a strong message for the world today.

Best Puzzles

The Lab: Lockdown (RevoEscape, Scarborough, ON)
Everything is based on what you would find in real life (so no riddles to open locks).

Project Delta (AI Escape, London, ENG)
The puzzles will stump all enthusiasts, even those with +1,000 games under their belt.

Reflection of Madness (Codex, Laval, QC)
The best, by far, of many "Stranger Things" inspired rooms that we have played with a lot to do.

Best Set Design

Dodge City (Tulleys Escape, London (Crawley), ENG)
An incredibly expansive set that continuously opens up new spaces to discover.

The Grand Parlor (13th Hour, Wharton, NY/NJ)
A beautiful multi-floor game that will likely never be repeated.

Neptune's Curse (Hidden In Hamburg, Hamburg, GER)
Based on an actual boat where you realistically descend into the lower decks in search of the trident.

Ghost Hunter Ernie Hudson and the Wailing Woman (Skurrilum, Hamburg, GER)
Intricately detailed game with some astonishing reveals.

Most Creative

Atlantis (Escape Room LA, Los Angeles, CA) - Review Coming Soon

A solid game that has a great atmosphere and feel to it.

Mad Rapper (Scenario Escape, Brea, CA)
This music themed game is so unique and different from everything else.

Narcos (Unreal Room Escape, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, ESP)
A sprawling house with some great elements that will get your adrenaline pumping.

OriGENES (ClueQuest, London, ENG)
Finally, a "Honey, I Shrunk The Kids" room with a cartoony twist.

Special Ops: Mysterious Market (The Escape Game, Minneapolis, MN)
One of the best spy themed games we have played with a memorable finale.

Congratulations to all the winners and we look forward to a great 2020!

2018 Achievement unlocked Medalists & Year in Review

We are proud to announce the Escape Rumors Achievement unlocked Medalists for 2018 along with our Year in Review Infographic! 

2018 Escape Rumors Achievement unlocked Medalists

Achievement unlocked medals are given to the top escape rooms played by Escape Rumors every year. On top of being solid escape rooms, these rooms also distinguished themselves in the following categories. There is no limit in which we award rooms and they are sorted by alphabetical order.

The escape rooms with direct links in the name were reviewed by us and for some other rooms we provided links to other reviewers (EscapeRoomTips = ERT and RoomEscapeArtist = REA).

If you have any questions, feel free to contact us at info@escaperumors.com.

Best Immersion
Alien : El Origen ("Alien: The Origin", Escape Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain)
Cutthroat Cavern (13th Gate, Baton Rouge, LA)
La Mina ("The Mine", Unreal Room Escape, Barcelona, Spain)

Best Storytelling
Stash House (Stash House, Los Angeles, CA) - ERT review
Steampunk Airship (Portland Escape Rooms, Portland, OR)
Strange Bird (The Man From Beyond, Houston, TX) - ERT review

Best Puzzles
Conundrum Museum (Boxaroo, Boston, MA)
The Laboratory Escape Room (Dystopian Entertainment, Los Angeles, CA) - REA review
X-Child (Dare To Escape, Phoenix, AZ)

Best Set Design
Condemned 2 (Norcal Escapes, Yuba City)
Escape From Alcatraz (North Valley Escape, North Valley, AZ)
Spellbound (Rise/Mindspark, Tikfaw LA / Phoenix AZ)
Tomb Of Anubis (13th Gate, Baton Rouge, LA)

Most Creative
AI (Exit Game, CA) - ERT review
Cartel (60out, CA) - REA review
Clock Tower (Escape The Room, Boston, MA) - REA review
The Experiment (Get the F Out, Los Angeles, CA)
Game Museum (Clue Carré, New Orleans, LA)
Lab Rat (Hatch Escapes, Los Angeles, CA)
Playground (The Escape Game, Houston, TX) - REA review
Super Bomb Squad: Commandos (Doldrick's Escape Room, Orlando, FL)
Vampire Hunter (Springfield's Great Escape, MA)

Funniest Moments
Hyde & Seek (60out, CA)
Cat Lady (Mad Genius Escape Rooms, Portland, OR)
The Morgue (Evil Genius Escape Rooms, Los Angeles, CA)
Party In Vegas (Clockwise Escape, CA)

Most Shocking
The Courtyard (The Basement, CA) - ERT review
Murder Co. (Black Market Escape Rooms) - ERT review
The Ring: Real Movie Experience (Escape Room Roma, Italy)

Congratulations to all the winners and we look forward to a great 2019!

2018 Year In Review

Click on the preview below or this link to see the entire infographic. Some stats include:

• # of enthusiasts met via social media
• # of countries visited for escape rooms
• Distribution of themes of escape rooms played..
• ...and more!

Top Escape Rooms Project: Enthusiasts’ Choice Awards (TERPECA) 2018

Rich Bragg, world record holder and creator of ClueKeeper took it upon himself to create an international ranking of top escape room companies and individual games. The rankings are solely based on the input from 70 escape room enthusiasts (including Escape Rumors, Escape Room Tips, Room Escape Artist), mostly from North America and Western Europe. The methodology used was similar to what is used to rank college football teams. 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".

While I am confident all the nominees are fantastic rooms, this list is perhaps more accurate for the US and the UK given the experience of the participants who provided ranking. There is a lack of Asian rooms which is likely due to the language barrier which favored English speaking participants. I would definitely use the results as a guide of which games to play but this must be complemented with local blog/enthusiast recommendations in order to obtain a good lists of rooms to play in a city.

We have played at five of the top ten companies and six of the top 25 escapes rooms with links to some reviews. Companies and rooms in bold have ratings while links also have a review.

Top Escape Room Companies

Skurrilum (Hamburg, Germany)
Palace Games (San Francisco, CA, USA)
The Room (Berlin, Germany)
13th Gate Escape (Baton Rouge, LA, USA)
Time Run (London, UK)
Escape Challenge (Delft and Zoetermeer, Netherlands)
Sherlocked (Amsterdam, Netherlands)
Cubick (Mataró and Madrid, Spain)
Escape My Room (New Orleans, LA, USA)
Locurio (Seattle, WA, USA)

Top Escape Rooms

Ghost Hunter Ernie Hudson and the Wailing Woman – Skurrilum (Hamburg, Germany)
Cutthroat Cavern – 13th Gate Escape (Baton Rouge, LA, USA)
The Man From Beyond – Strange Bird Immersive (Houston, TX, USA)
The Amsterdam Catacombs – Logic Locks (Amsterdam, Netherlands)
The Lost Treasure of Alexander Humboldt – The Room (Berlin, Germany)
The Edison Escape Room – Palace Games (San Francisco, CA, USA)
The Vault – Sherlocked (Amsterdam, Netherlands)
Lab Rat – Hatch Escapes (Los Angeles, CA, USA)
The Lance of Longinus – Time Run (London, UK)
Ghost Hunter Ernie Hudson and the Zoo of Death – Skurrilum (Hamburg, Germany)
Catacumbas [Catacombs] – Golden Pop (Barcelona, Spain)
An Avalanche of Oblivion – Claustrophobia (Escaldes Engordany, Andorra)
The Secret Lab – Locked In Edinburgh (Edinburgh, UK)
The Storykeeper – Locurio (Seattle, WA, USA)
Stash House – Stash House (Los Angeles, CA, USA)
Girls Room – Escape Room Nederland (Bunschoten, Netherlands)
Atlantis – Teorema Escape Rooms (Sofia, Bulgaria)
Alien: El Orígen [Alien: Origin] – Escape Barcelona (Barcelona, Spain)
Insane Paranoid – Quest-Art (Moscow, Russia)
The Honeymoon Hotel – Escape Challenge (Zoetermeer, Netherlands)
La Entrevista (The Interview) – Cubick (Mataró and Madrid, Spain)
Alice in Nightmareland – Claustrophobia (Moscow, Russia)
Tomb of Anubis – 13th Gate Escape (Baton Rouge, LA, USA)
De Ramkraak [The Ram Raid] – Project Escape (Nijmegen, Netherlands)
Frankenstein: The Awakening – 60 Minute Escape (Murfreesboro, TN, USA)