Escape rooms have reached an all-time high in Sydney. If you’re unfamiliar, escape rooms are interactive experiences that transport you through situations you would see in movies and sometimes, history. The idea is to solve codes and puzzles to unlock a new level and get closer to solving your way out of a locked room.
So, if you’re ready to dive into post-war rooms and spy espionage, then book one of these escape rooms and bring along a few of your best code-breaking mates. These are the best escape rooms around Sydney.
The Cipher Room
Newtown
The Cipher Room is an escape room in Newtown and St Peters. There’s only one scenario in the St Peters location, but there are three rooms to choose from in Newtown. One room immerses players in a film noir adventure in the 1950s, and the other is an abandoned cabin where you’re a detective investigating a serial killer case. The Espionage room throws you into the year 1945, as a spy, recruited to find another agent who left a secret message. The best part? The owners make their own concepts, narratives, and puzzles, as well as the lighting, and sound design.
Expedition Escape Rooms
Redfern
Since bringing their expeditions to Canberra, the brand moved into Sydney, leading players on a dangerous trek through the Australian outback where every decision could be your last. The room should take around 60 minutes in total to escape, making it a fun way to spend a Saturday night with friends before dinner or drinks nearby. There is another room opening soon, dubbed “Return of the exiled king” although there’s no description of what the scenario is. It’s due to be released in May 2021.
Social Escape Rooms Sydney
Alexandria
At the Social Escape, there are four rooms to escape from. The first one takes you to Paris, where you are on a holiday, staying in a beautiful hotel before things start to turn down a dark path. Each room requires you to solve puzzles, particularly in the Sherlock Holmes room, where you need to pay attention to the riddles and clues. The next room forces you to enter the criminal mind on a bank heist, overcoming security systems and bypassing alarms. The last room involves finding a loved one who’s been taken for ransom. Each room needs a minimum of two to three players, although you can have a maximum of eight.
Paniq Room
The Rocks
For those looking for an extra thrill, the Paniq Room has a psychology twist, such as dealing with a situation where you are in a prison cell, handcuffed, and blindfolded, with stifling smoke. You only have 60 minutes to escape and need to decide between saving yourself or your team. Another room, called Senses, takes you through a magicians house, with each step forward means there’s no going back. The other rooms include a mafia boss and a play on Jumanji. The rooms are for all ages, but it’s more suited to those who don’t get spooked easily because of the situations.
Parapark
Macquarie Park
Parapark is considered Sydney’s original escape room, which makes it old school spooky. Here, your worst nightmares come to life. The paranormal room requires players to save the possessed, by performing seances and navigating through an abandoned building. The crime scene room will have you investigating a cold case to stop a murderer before they get you. Did we mention there is a countdown?
Labyrinth Escape Rooms
Parramatta
Use your senses, work with your team, and solve the puzzle to complete the mission. Labyrinth Escape Rooms puts players into a real-life Narcos situation where you’re a high ranking member of the cartel, and a rival kidnaps you. The Asylum rooms play on your psyche, as you enter an asylum and question whether the voices you hear are real. There are two other rooms where you need to unveil the truth in different scenarios, but each room takes around 60 minutes to complete and are suitable for all ages.
Escape Hunt
CBD
Escape Hunt has escape rooms all over Australia from Melbourne to Perth, and of course, Sydney. Each room here requires you to complete the mission, sometimes like a secret agent, a wizard, or an assassin in the pub. You will be immersed in different situations such as Sydney in the 1920s when the Razor Gang ruled, and a wizard school, where all the magic disappeared. The rooms are all different levels of difficulty but take around the same amount of time to complete.
Escape Room Experience
CBD
This Redballoon escape room experience will have you stepping into a new world and playing one of their brilliantly-themed escape games. Once the door slams shut, work together to solve a series of fiendishly clever clues. You and your team of 2-5 players (ages 7+) have just one hour of pulse-racing excitement to win your freedom. You can then celebrate your escape in a fully licensed lounge and enjoy a complimentary photo shoot. Incredible fun for families, friends, school groups and corporate team building. They also offer outdoor escape games.
Get the latest from Thrillist Australia delivered straight to your inbox, subscribe here.