How to Prepare for an Escape Room

Posted on August 11, 2023
by Faith Neece

Because every escape room is unique, is there any real way to prepare for them? We say, YES! While every escape room has its own storyline and special elements, the basics remain the same: solve a series of puzzles to make your escape. There are plenty of steps you can take before you enter your escape room to prepare and increase your chance of breaking out!

1. Choose Your Team Wisely

The number one way to prepare for an escape room is to pick the right team. The people you play with can make or break your experience. So we recommend choosing people with whom you know you work well. You’ll be collaborating to solve a common goal, so you want to make sure your personalities mesh.

Keep in mind that great escape room teammates are:

Observant: Great escape room players notice patterns and communicate what they find to their teammates.
Encouraging: In an escape room, you need to feel comfortable suggesting solutions. The best escape room players encourage new ideas and don’t shoot them down.
A little competitive: It’s no fun playing with nonchalant teammates who don’t take the challenge seriously. It’s also no fun playing with overly competitive people who turn the game into way too much pressure. So choose people who have a good balance of healthy competition and relaxed fun.

Choosing the right team for your escape room will set you up for success in solving it together.

2. Discuss group roles.

Knowing each team member’s strengths and weaknesses ahead of time makes playing the game so much easier. We recommend having a quick discussion with your group before your escape room starts to establish what each of you is good at.

Here are some questions we recommend asking:

Who’s the best at number puzzles?
Who’s the best at word puzzles?
Who is the best at noticing patterns?
Who has the best handwriting (make this person the notetaker!)

Picking the right team and knowing each person’s strengths will definitely give you a leg up on escaping.

3. Understand your theme.

Surprisingly, many escape room players don’t know what their room theme is before they play. We can’t tell you how many times we’ve asked guests, “Which game are you here for today?” and they don’t know which one it is!

We’re not judging, but we will say that knowing your escape room theme well ahead of time will help you be more prepared. For whatever theme you’re playing, think about the kinds of props you might see in the room and what kinds of puzzles you might encounter. You’ll still find plenty of surprises hidden inside your escape room, but really understanding the room's storyline will aid in your escape.

4. Arrive early.

A surefire way to hurt your chance of escaping is to arrive late. We cannot guarantee your full 60 minutes if you do not arrive on time. We don’t want you to have to play the room with reduced time because every second counts!

So we recommend arriving 15 minutes early for your escape room experience. This gives you built-in time to use the bathroom, sign waivers, and get settled before your game starts. You won’t feel as stressed, and you’ll be completely ready to take on your adventure.

Ready for your next escape?

We hope these tips will help you feel more prepared for whatever escape room experience you choose next. Click here to explore all of our options at Breakout.