Updated: December 15, 2022

14 Best Escape Room Boxes to Play in 2023

You found our list of fun escape room boxes.

Escape room boxes allow players to enjoy the challenges of real-life escape rooms in the comfort of their homes. Examples include Dispatch, The Conundrum Box, and Escape the Crate. The purpose of the escape room boxes is for players to try challenging puzzles, engaging storylines, and compelling cases.

These rooms are a subset of virtual escape rooms for team building, and DIY Escape rooms. You can use these boxes as team building games and problem-solving games.

This article includes:

  • escape room boxes for large groups
  • escape room puzzle boxes
  • escape room subscription boxes
  • escape room boxes for the classroom

Here we go!

List of escape room boxes

Escape room boxes are perfect for both individual use and group activities. From correcting time travel errors to solving a gritty murder mystery, you can try plenty of boxed escape room kits

1. Escape the Crate

In Escape the Crate, you play as a member of a time-traveling institute named E.M.I.T., responsible for resolving problems due to time travel. You will take on tasks such as entering the Titanic to rescue an agent or preventing the assassination of Abraham Lincoln.

These escape room subscription boxes come with a special crate of items that allows you to travel to the past to prevent an adverse turn in history. On the other hand, if you do not finish the task in time, you risk causing irreparable paradoxes or time ripples that might lead to the end of the planet.

The box contains the necessary tools, items, letters, and ciphers to decipher the riddles. If you get stuck, then hints and the answer will help you. The crates work for individuals aged ten and above, may accommodate anywhere from two to six players, and take an average of two hours to finish. Additionally, you will need access to a computer or mobile device to input specific puzzle data and access additional puzzle pieces.

Check out Escape the Crate.

2. Finders Seekers

Gameplay in Finders Seekers involves delving into the mysteries of different global civilizations to learn more about popular and historically significant places like Beijing, Tokyo, and Athens. Mainly, you want to find the “Find” in each box’s specific location. Additionally, you can enter the Finder’s Seekers sweepstakes to win rewards after using your investigative abilities.

Each month’s box will include a new city full of riddles, cryptic hints, and objects. If you get stuck, you may check out the hints and answers, and if you want to work with other “Seekers,” then you can join the Finders Seekers User Group on Facebook. One to eight players over age ten can participate in Finder’s Seekers box. The gameplay lasts between two to four hours and can present challenges. To double-check your answers, you will need access to the internet.

Check out Finders Seekers

3. The Conundrum Box

The Conundrum Box is part escape room, part puzzle tale, and part choose-your-own-adventure. Your choices in The Conundrum Box affect the story’s progression and the challenges you will encounter. You can explore many connected narratives. Each box, however, has its own storyline and puzzle to complete. Players travel to incredible locales and interact with renowned literary and historical figures along the way.

The box includes puzzles, ciphers, stories, clues, and physical materials. Likewise, there are drink, food, and music recommendations that fit the theme. Access to the internet is also essential for checking codes and adventurer status. The box recommends the game for one to five participants, ages 12 and above. It takes about an hour to complete the activities in this box. Therefore, it is advisable to keep all the boxes you open since subsequent riddles may reference previous gameplays.

The “Conundrum Box Light” is perfect for individuals who still like puzzles but want less regular deliveries. The package is not part of the more extensive series of boxes spread over many months, but it still has the same stories and puzzles as the regular Conundrum Box. Moreover, these boxes connect with the rest of The Conundrum Box, despite arriving separately.

Check out The Conundrum Box.

4. The Werewolf Experiment

This Werewolf Experiment is an escape room box set with 19 riddles for your party to solve. You may take your time with this at-home game, but remember that players have one hour to complete the box’s riddles before a mad scientist transforms them into werewolves. The kit includes three actual lock boxes that the players must crack to claim victory and hints, paper, and pencils. You may play this game again or lend it to a friend without worrying about destroying any pieces during gameplay.

Also, you can add a layer of immersion by linking this game to an Amazon Alexa device. Finally, the difficulty level is high enough to keep players interested without being too complex or full of red herrings.

Check out The Werewolf Experiment.

5. Isabel and Kira’s Story

Isabel and Kira’s story from the Time Drifters is a two-part escape room boxes. When you complete both games in the Time Drifters series, you will have access to an extra 60-minute challenge playable remotely, making this puzzle-solving pursuit even more exciting. Isabel and Kira were time travelers. Due to a tear in the fabric of space and time, their time machine split in two, leaving them stranded in separate eras.

Players may now work alone or in groups of up to four to decipher the puzzle box’s cryptic hints. Once you have completed Kira’s Story and Isabel’s Story, you will get access to a third game with even more time-travel riddles. You can play the third game remotely utilizing a web-based videoconferencing service. With this thrilling board game, you can enjoy large, fascinating fun on every game night, which is also an excellent present for puzzle-solving fans over the age of 13. Decorations and colors vary. To access the supplementary content, you will need to buy Kira’s and Isabel’s stories separately.

Check out Isabel and Kira’s Story.

6. The Walking Dead

Fun puzzle-solving from escape rooms meets the suspense and horror of The Walking Dead in this innovative new game from the creators of the smash hit AMC series. Fun for groups of four to eight players, this game is ideal for a night of celebration or family or adult gaming. If you want an escape room experience, then you can get this box.

In this game, the ‘walkers’ are out there, and humans look  for a safe place to hide. The story imitates the gripping action and absorbing narrative of AMC’s The Walking Dead. Your band of survivors must unlock the door in time or be silenced permanently. The time limit for each team to discover the clues, complete all the challenges, and enter The Collective is 90 minutes. The box is a fun present for players above the age of 13 who enjoy The Walking Dead, although familiarity with the series is not necessary to play. You can reproduce and repack the puzzle papers for future use.

Check out The Walking Dead.

7. Flashback

You and your pals may play the hottest room escape game ever without leaving your house with Flashback, a game from Escape Room in a Box. You and your team of two to eight players have 90 minutes to escape from the mad scientist werewolf, Doc Gnaw, by finding clues, solving riddles, and cracking codes. You can get the key to your freedom by completing 19 puzzles and opening four genuine combination locks. You can play this one-of-a-kind, three-route escape room game up to three times, with no path overlap, provided you stick to one path while playing. Players may bring in some outside assistance by linking up with Amazon Alexa to make Flashback even more fun. This immersive game is fun for players above the age of 13.

Check out Flashback.

8. Star Wars: Unlock!

Unlock! provides escape-room puzzle kits that employ cards to recreate mysteries and missions for players to solve. Each package has three missions, and the accompanying app adds to the immersion. In the Star Wars set, the app plays droid sounds and music from the franchise. Due to the card-based nature of the game, you can play the mission multiple times. If you like the mental challenges of escape rooms but not the inspection and unlocking of physical objects, this game is for you.

Check out Star Wars: Unlock.

9. Betrayal at House on the Hill

Betrayal at House on the Hill is a must-have horror board game if you seek a more long-term game night solution and prefer story-driven puzzles over physical clues. First, you and up to five friends or foes will visit a haunted home made up of randomly assigned room tiles. Next, you get to choose one of the game’s 50 haunts, each with its unique storyline and means of victory. To succeed, players in certain haunts must coordinate their actions and devise a plan to get out of the haunted home, while in others, they must use their wits to decipher puzzles or defeat the game’s main adversary. The level of complexity in Betrayal is high, and some younger players may find the horror components too unsettling. The game has an expansion pack for dedicated players and one of the escape room boxes for large groups.

Check out Betrayal at House on the Hill.

10. The Cursed Dollhouse

Experienced escape game players and problem solvers will enjoy the Cursed Dollhouse Escape Room set. The set’s novel design consists of a dollhouse loaded with riddles and tangible clues for players to inspect and solve. You can complete the game in a single marathon or split it into many shorter sessions. Since there is no need to alter the pieces in any way to win, you can play this game multiple times. Think Fun’s spoiler-free support website is where players may check for hints and get recommendations on what songs to play to establish the atmosphere for their escape rooms.

Check out The Cursed Dollhouse.

11. Hunt-A-Killer

Hunt-A-murder Killer’s box features many exciting items that players use to determine the killer’s identity, making it ideal for fans of escape rooms who like interacting with and utilizing tangible objects and clues. Although you do not have to “escape” to win, the Hunt A Killer mystery packages have puzzle-solving aspects similar to those in escape room boxes. These items include written papers pertinent to the case and tangible evidence like the matchbox and coasters from the bar. If you are confused, then there is a carefully curated tip and reveal page to help you out without ruining the experience of figuring out the solutions on your own. You may also get the Hunt-A-Killer season package if you want a mystery-solving experience that spans numerous sessions. However, you should know that you can only play this game once since gameplay requires altering the pieces.

Check out Hunt-A-Killer.

12. Escape Room Geeks

This package encourages you to let your mind wander and explore new worlds. You can enjoy the thrill of an escape game whenever and wherever it suits you with Escape Room Geeks. Since all the experience is downloadable, there is no need to pay for delivery. Whether in the living room, bedroom, camp, or on vacation, you can set up all the resources quickly and effortlessly. The game is a great way to bond as a family and teach youngsters the value of teamwork and cooperation. You may choose either “Houdini’s Secret Room” or “Saving the Beauty of Winter,” two of their current offerings, or you can purchase both. The Games Master Version is for when you want to set it up for the kids alone, and the Play Together Version is for when you want to engage in the fun along with your kids.

Check out Escape Room Geeks.

13. Dispatch by Breakout Games

If you want the thrill of an escape game, then you should consider the interactive mystery in a box Dispatch by Breakout Games that puts your intelligence and deductive reasoning to the stand as you follow a trail of clues in search of a perplexing solution. Each boxed set introduces a fresh collection of physical and interactive clues you will need to follow to learn more about the tale and solve its mystery. If you like mysteries, then choose one of the four tales, including On the Run, The Cat’s Eye, The Disappearing Magician, or I, Spy. Then, you can pick your story, unwrap a tangle of hints, and be ready to escape the room before time runs out!

Between one to six players can play the game. Dispatch escape room puzzle boxes come in two to seven installments, typically taking two to three hours to solve each. The Cat’s Eye and On the Run are the shortest. The whole tale would come in two separate cartons. The cost increases proportionally with the length of the series, and you will have to watch them all to get the best value.

Physical clues in each box will lead you to information online and in the real world. Due to the language and research nature of this subscription box, you can use the internet to find answers to the riddles. This game is complex and offers little or no help in solving puzzles. This option is for you if you are an expert puzzle solver or looking for a mystery where you have to do some serious digging online.

Check out Dispatch by Breakout Games.

14. Puzzling Pursuits

Puzzling Pursuits is one of the escape room boxes for the classroom since it allows players to work on the puzzles at the same time. The game is great for players ages 13 and above. Up to six can play, and it takes about two to four hours to complete the parts.

Puzzling Pursuits has enabled you to experience the thrill of an escape room from the comfort of your own home with its games. The story has two parts, and you will find clues and solve riddles in each box to help you. Thanks to their ingenious system, you may safely verify your answer online without getting spoilers if you cannot solve a puzzle. Since the box is split in two, you may enjoy it on two evenings.

Puzzling Pursuits has released two games, each consisting of two distinct episodes. Blackbrim: 1876 is their flagship product and the original. The story is set in the town of Blackbrim, England. You play the role of a private investigator who has received a mysterious parcel from the police commissioner just before the latter’s kidnapping. Blackbrim: 1876 is the first game of the trilogy, followed by Reager’s Return and Origins & Endings. Teams of players enter a sealed space with a common objective and limited time to collect clues, solve puzzles, and perform tasks to “escape.”

Check out Puzzling Pursuits.

Conclusion

Most puzzles in escape rooms are logical or physical. Therefore, problem-solving skills are more important than encyclopedic knowledge. You can manipulate and explore the physical features of an escape room box in the same way as a real-life escape room. While you can only play some games once due to the need to modify the game pieces to “escape permanently,” others may be reset for a second round. Your playtime will depend on how fast your group solves the puzzles. For single-use games, investing in one with a more extended play duration is a good idea so you can get the most out of your investment.

Next, check out our list of tips for solving escape rooms.

FAQ: Escape room boxes

Here are frequently asked questions about escape room boxes.

What are escape room boxes?

Escape room boxes bring the fun and excitement of real-life escape rooms into your home with all the same difficulties of discovering clues, understanding, and solving puzzles. Most escape room boxes are playable by a single person or a small group of players working together.

What are some good escape room boxes for work?

Some good escape room boxes include Dispatch, Betrayal at House on the Hill, and Flashback. Another interesting game to consider is Kira and Isabel’s story. The plot twists will keep you thrilled and engaged from start to finish.

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Author:

People & Culture Director at teambuilding.com.
Grace is the Director of People & Culture at TeamBuilding. She studied Industrial and Labor Relations at Cornell University, Information Science at East China Normal University and earned an MBA at Washington State University.

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