That’s right. There’s another way to enjoy the thrill of an escape room, and that is to build your own!

Sounds far-fetched? Pioneer Takao Kato was largely responsible for the popularity and spread of the first ever real escape games, initially in Japan, and then around the world. How did he start? In his own words:

“I wondered why interesting things didn’t happen in my life, like they did in books … I thought I could create my own adventure, a story, and then invite people to be a part of it.”

Escape rooms might seem elaborate, but anything man-made started as someone’s idea. You really can do it yourself, just as Takao Kato did.

 

Is Making an Escape Room Expensive?

Making a pro escape room can cost anything from several hundred dollars to around $7000. Creating an escape room at home, for fun, doesn’t have to be expensive, though. You can create an atmospheric, satisfying experience for your guests, using props that you find in your own home.

Download an escape kit to speed things up if you like. It won’t cost much to print out pre-made clue and puzzle cards.

Alternatively, if you prefer to start from scratch, remember to use your imagination and enjoy the process.

Think about using props that delight all the senses, not only visual elements. You can create a fantastic story and atmosphere by incorporating details, such as scents, sound effects, and mood lighting.

Think not only of puzzles, but create a scenario or story. And a few simple investments, such as Halloween props from a store, candles, or atmospheric music can help bring your game to life.

Is Your Escape Room For Kids or Adults?

Remember to keep your room appropriate for the age group of your visitors. For example, if it’s for kids, don’t make your zombie escape too scary! They might have a better time with math puzzles than the adults though!


The 3 Keys to a Great Escape Room

There are thousands of escape venues around the world. More appear every week. The best ones share 3 key features. They emphasize imagination, satisfying puzzles, and fun.

  1. Use Your Imagination to Create a Great Escape Room

Focus on your story or scenario and add touches that make it come to life.

Tantalize the senses. Don’t forget smells, textures, sounds, and even taste. They can be used to enhance the realism of your story as well as being integral to puzzles. For example, you may have various objects that look the same, but only the scented one leads to the next task.

As well as providing atmosphere, sound can used for puzzles. You could try including Morse code, pattern recognition, and songs with titles or lyrics that are clues. Sounds that occur on certain actions are also fun, and can even be used to distract or frighten players!

 

  1. Satisfying Puzzles Make Satisfying Escape Rooms

You should not only have puzzles for your escape room, but a variety of them. A series of ten padlocks does not lead to a satisfying escape room experience.

Think about dividing up the room, so that you can restrict access to at least one critical area until an associated puzzle is solved.

Having an object that looks like decoration, but is actually a tool for solving a puzzle can be a fun revelation. Examples include a calculator on an office worker’s desk, a credit card that can be used to open a lock, or an object that contains a magnet, which can be used to retrieve an essential item.

Check out some of the puzzle ideas below. Each puzzle can provide a clue that leads to the next puzzle and/or contributes to opening the door.

  • A ‘Locked’ Door

If you’re having an escape room, you need a locked door. The lock can be symbolic. You don’t have to install a vault door in your home. You could hang a bike lock over the door handle, for example, and everyone will understand. Alternatively, a padlock with a short chain could work well with sliding doors. Any device that requires a pin code can create a powerful effect too. Be careful not to get locked out of your device after too many incorrect tries!

  • Hidden Objects

Be especially creative when hiding objects so they don’t disappoint the seekers. It is very satisfying when someone discovers an object that was hidden in plain sight! To achieve this, you could try hiding objects on backgrounds of the same color, or hide a clear object in a glass of water!

Hiding documents in a book is a classic move. For added difficulty, you could hide an object that glows in the dark or that is only visible using black light.

  • Teamwork

Consider designing at least one puzzle that requires more than one person to solve it. For example, one player can see a code and must provide directions to another player who is elsewhere.

Another way to tie players to each other is to do so physically! Chain players to one another and have them search for a key in order to release themselves. Note that you should obtain the players’ consent before chaining anybody to anything. This should be fun for everyone, not just you!

  • Mathematical Puzzles

Don’t go crazy with equations. Some kind of counting puzzle is fun though. Most people will have the mental tools for it, and it adds variety.

You could require players to find all the objects of a certain sort. The number of these objects in the room is the number needed to proceed to the next puzzle.

  • Clues and Codes

To write a coded message, consider a substitution cipher. This is where the alphabet and numbers 0-9 are represented by symbols, images, or alternative letters and numbers.

You might design a logical code that people can work out once they have a clue. Or you might require people to find the cipher to decode every letter.

Don’t forget Braille, hieroglyphics, Morse, and even mirror writing.

  • Riddles

These are classic puzzles that test logic. Playing with words and their connections can be a fun group activity. It might be perfect for your escape room. BrainDen is a source of riddles that you might include in your escape scenario.

Other types of puzzles might include elements of strategy – such as chess moves – skill, and agility. Whatever the puzzle, make sure they are safe. Try to find a difficulty level that makes them achievable, but not too easy. Consider providing subtle hints or extra clues as a reward for good teamwork!

  1. Fun

Above all, the goal of an escape room isn’t to break the visitors, but to create a fun experience. If you have fun making it, the chances are that people are going to have fun unraveling the clues. Keep this in mind, and you won’t go far wrong.

So that’s how to create an at home escape room. It’s not always easy, but it’s a very rewarding process.

You’ll need a location, a story, and one puzzle at a time. A good sense of humor will help, too.