Texas

If you like puzzle games, you should try a live room escape! Generally speaking, you have one hour to solve puzzles and escape (or achieve some other goal) in a themed room with a backstory. They generally cost around $30 per person for the hour, but the good ones are really worth it! Find a few people to go with you, as you can't do them alone.

Austin, TX Room Escape Reviews Alphabetically

Blue Meth Breakout at Lockout Austin, 1700 S. Lamar Blvd #330, 78704
Cost: $25/person
Mood: Funny, scary, sciency
Recommended # of people: 3-4
Did we escape? No
Rating: 95/100
Story: 10
Room Design/Art Direction: 10
Scope: 8
Puzzle awesomeness: 10
Fun factor: 10
Intuitiveness: 9
Guide/Hint System quality: 10
Mechanics: 9
Challenge Level: 9
Lingering wow: 10

Take-away message: A first-class escape experience made even better by the excellent staff. Highly recommended. For parents: this is somewhat R-rated, with drugs, blood, and death threats involved.

Classified at Escape Game Austin
1700 S. Lamar Blvd #330, 78704
Cost: $31.99/person
Mood: Exotic spy
Recommended # of people: 3-4
Did we escape? No
Rating: 70%
Story: 7
Room Design/Art Direction: 8
Scope: 7
Puzzle awesomeness: 6
Fun factor: 6
Intuitiveness: 6
Guide/Hint System quality: 8
Mechanics: 8
Challenge Level: 7
Lingering wow: 7

Take-away message: Classified has some fun puzzles and a great ambience, but has some issues that ruined the experience for us.

Cursed Ship at Lockout Austin
1700 S. Lamar Blvd #330, 78704
Cost: $25/person
Mood: Eerie, fun
Recommended # of people: 3-4
Did we escape? Yes
Rating: 87.5%
Story: 8
Room Design/Art Direction: 8
Scope: 7
Puzzle awesomeness: 9
Fun factor: 9.5
Intuitiveness: 9
Guide/Hint System quality: 10
Mechanics: 9
Challenge Level: 9
Lingering wow: 9

Take-away message: Cursed ship is a solid escape experience with many varied puzzles and a good ambience, albeit in a small space.

Fallout Shelter at 11th Hour Escape
2600 McHale Court, Suite 151 Austin, TX 78758
Cost: $25/person
Mood: Underground, dank
Recommended # of people: 2-4
Did we escape? No
Rating: 71%
Story: 7
Room Design/Art Direction: 7
Scope: 6
Puzzle awesomeness: 7
Fun factor: 7
Intuitiveness: 6
Guide/Hint System quality: 8
Mechanics: 7
Challenge Level: 10
Lingering wow: 6

Take-away message: Fallout shelter is a somewhat lackluster escape room with fewer puzzles than most- our group of 4 lacked things to do. One puzzle was so difficult that I don't think any of us would ever have gotten it.

Gold Rush at Escape Game Austin
405 Red River Street Austin, TX 78701
Cost: $31.99/person
Mood: Dark, old-fashioned
Recommended # of people: 2-3
Did we escape? Yes
Rating: 75%
Story: 7
Room Design/Art Direction: 8
Scope: 8
Puzzle awesomeness: 8
Fun factor: 8
Intuitiveness: 8
Guide/Hint System quality: 7
Mechanics: 6
Challenge Level: 8
Lingering wow: 7

Take-away message: This was a solid escape room experience, although there were some frustrating elements in it, and a technical problem that interfered with our enjoyment. Good scope, standard puzzles.

The Heist at Escape Game Austin
405 Red River Street Austin, TX 78701
Cost: $31.99/person
Mood: Recovering stolen art
Recommended # of people: 3-4
Did we escape? Yes
Rating: 93%
Story: 9
Room Design/Art Direction: 10
Scope:10
Puzzle awesomeness: 10
Fun factor: 9
Intuitiveness: 9
Guide/Hint System quality: 8
Mechanics: 10
Challenge Level: 9
Lingering wow: 9

Take-away message: A really fun escape game with a large scope and many inventive puzzles, plus some cool special effects!

Pharaoh's Tomb at Maze Rooms Austin
5555 N Lamar Blvd Suite K110,Austin, TX 78751
Cost: $45/person (this is high)
Mood: Indiana Jones
Recommended # of people: 4
Did we escape? Yes
Rating: 87.5%
Story: 9
Room Design/Art Direction: 10
Scope: 9
Puzzle awesomeness: 8
Fun factor: 10
Intuitiveness: 8
Guide/Hint System quality: 7.5
Mechanics: 9
Challenge Level: 8
Lingering wow: 9

Take-away message: Pharaoh's tomb is a great escape room with a surprise twist in the plot. If offers great special effects and lots of good and varied puzzles. Its price is higher than most escape rooms, but it is a high-quality game. Parents: we took two young teens and they both had a blast.

Prison Break at Escape Game Austin
405 Red River Street Austin, TX 78701
Cost: $31.99/person
Mood: Dark, dingy
Recommended # of people: 4-6
Did we escape? No
Rating: 87.5%
Story: 8
Room Design/Art Direction: 9
Scope: 9.5
Puzzle awesomeness: 9
Fun factor: 9
Intuitiveness: 8
Guide/Hint System quality: 8.5
Mechanics: 9
Challenge Level: 9
Lingering wow: 8.5

Take-away message: A first-rate escape game with a great ambience, lots of puzzles, and a very large scope with many rooms.

Prison Break at Austin Panic Room
1205 Rio Grande St. Austin, Texas 78701
Cost: $25/person
Mood: Dark, dingy
Recommended # of people: 4-6
Did we escape? No
Rating: 81%
Story: 7
Room Design/Art Direction: 7
Scope: 9
Puzzle awesomeness: 9
Fun factor: 8
Intuitiveness: 7
Guide/Hint System quality: 7
Mechanics: 9
Challenge Level: 10
Lingering wow: 8

Take-away message: Prison Break is a difficult escape experience with MANY puzzles that take time, so bring a large group. Good scope with multiple rooms, although the ambience is lacking. A very good price for the experience.

Houston, TX Escape Room Reviews Alphabetically

The Dig at Escape the Room Houston
3303 Louisiana St #220, Houston, TX 77006
Cost: from $28/person
Mood: Indiana Jones
Recommended # of people: 3-4
Did we escape? Yes
Rating: 67%
Story: 6
Room Design/Art Direction: 8
Scope: 8
Puzzle awesomeness: 6
Fun factor: 7
Intuitiveness: 7
Guide/Hint System quality: 5
Mechanics: 7
Challenge Level: 7
Lingering wow: 6

Take-away message: The Dig is a beautiful room with some good puzzles, and some puzzles that are tedious and wonky. This combined with bad customer service means we can't recommend it.

Escape the Titanic at Escape It Houston
11501 N Sam Houston PKWY E. Suite B
Humble, TX 77396
Cost: $29.99/person
Mood: Historical
Recommended # of people: 2-3
Did we escape? Yes
Rating:82%
Story: 8
Room Design/Art Direction: 8
Scope: 9
Puzzle awesomeness: 8
Fun factor: 9
Intuitiveness: 8
Guide/Hint System quality: 8
Mechanics: 8
Challenge Level: 8
Lingering wow: 8

Take-away message: The Titanic is a solid escape experience with good puzzles and sets. It's probably better for fewer people, as there aren't many puzzles.

Rameses Revenge at Escape it Houston
11501 N Sam Houston PKWY E. Suite B
Humble, TX 77396
Cost: $29.99/person
Mood:Indiana Jones
Recommended # of people: 2-4
Did we escape? Yes
Rating: 83.5%
Story: 8
Room Design/Art Direction: 10
Scope: 9.5
Puzzle awesomeness: 8
Fun factor: 8
Intuitiveness:8
Guide/Hint System quality: 7
Mechanics: 9
Challenge Level: 8
Lingering wow: 8

Take-away message: Rameses Revenge is a solid escape room experience, with good puzzles, gorgeous sets, and some great special effects.

The Theater at Escape the Room Houston
3303 Louisiana St #220, Houston, TX 77006
Cost: from $28/person
Mood: Fun
Recommended # of people: 2-4
Did we escape? Yes
Rating: 64.5%
Story: 5 (to be fair, we were never told what the story was)
Room Design/Art Direction: 7.5
Scope: 7
Puzzle awesomeness: 7
Fun factor: 7
Intuitiveness: 7
Guide/Hint System quality: 3
Mechanics: 8
Challenge Level: 7
Lingering wow: 6

Take-away message: The Theater has great sets and varied puzzles, but was plagued by technical problems and bad customer service.

San Antonio, TX Room Escape Reviews Alphabetically

Master of Illusion at Extreme Escape Colonnade
9995 I-H 10 W San Antonio, TX 78230
Cost: from $30.99/person
Mood: Spooky
Recommended # of people: 3-5
Did we escape? Yes
Rating: 82.5%
Story: 8
Room Design/Art Direction: 8
Scope: 6.5
Puzzle awesomeness: 8.5
Fun factor: 10
Intuitiveness: 9
Guide/Hint System quality: 8
Mechanics: 8.5
Challenge Level: 8
Lingering wow: 8

Take-away message: Master of Illusion is a solid escape experience with good puzzles and ambience and some nice special effects.

Mutiny at Extreme Escape Colonnade
9995 I-H 10 W San Antonio, TX 78230
Cost: from $30.99/person
Mood: Dark, 19th century
Recommended # of people: 3-4
Did we escape? Yes
Rating: 69%
Story: 6.5
Room Design/Art Direction: 7
Scope: 6
Puzzle awesomeness: 7
Fun factor: 7
Intuitiveness: 7
Guide/Hint System quality: 7.5
Mechanics: 8
Challenge Level: 7
Lingering wow: 6

Take-away message: Mutiny is a below-average escape experience with a very dark, small space and basic puzzles. There were odd anachronisms here that interfered with the ambience.

Trapped Below at Extreme Escape Colonnade
9995 I-H 10 W San Antonio, TX 78230
Cost: from $30.99/person
Mood: Dark, underground
Recommended # of people: 3-4
Did we escape? No
Rating: 78%
Story: 8
Room Design/Art Direction: 8
Scope: 7.5
Puzzle awesomeness: 7.5
Fun factor: 8
Intuitiveness: 8
Guide/Hint System quality: 8
Mechanics: 8
Challenge Level: 8
Lingering wow: 7