Deciding between over a dozen different escape room companies can be daunting. Does a pricier ticket mean a better experience? Do the Google star ratings or TripAdvisor recommendations mean anything? Does a chain with multiple locations across the nation mean they are tried and true, or does it mean safe and boring? How important is the location for the overall experience?
Read on for the real, in-depth, mostly unbiased guide to the Twin Cities escape rooms, written by local enthusiasts who have personally done (and escaped from) every room in the area. Although this list is tailored to the area surrounding Minneapolis and St Paul, the principles in this guide can be applied to virtually any city in the country.
There are at least 2,300 escape rooms in the US as of 2018, compared to only 22 in the nation just four years earlier. There aren't any 'official' lists of escape rooms, so it's difficult to say exactly how many are in any location. In the Twin Cities metro area, there are currently 16 different escape room companies, each with multiple rooms and sometimes multiple locations.
List of Twin Cities Escape Rooms
In roughly chronological order from when they opened, here is a list of escape room companies in the Twin Cities metro area, with a note if they are on the outskirts rather than more centrally located, as most are.
Riddle Room
Escape MSP
Trapped Puzzle Rooms
Mission Manor Escape Rooms
Breakout Games (Minnetonka)
Missing Pieces Escape Games
Escape Frenzy
PuzzleWorks Escape Co.
Zero Hour Escape Rooms (Plymouth)
Twin Cities Escape Rooms (Burnsville)
Lock and Key Escape
Escape the Room Minneapolis
The Escape Game
Hidden Puzzle Rooms
Enigma Adventures (Maple Grove)
Escapology (Burnsville)
So how to decide? At first glance, nearly all the rooms mentioned in the list above have excellent Google reviews, almost identical website layouts, and often even similar room themes. Many people conclude they must all be the same and opt for whichever has a Groupon, or is the closest in proximity, or has the particular room theme that sounds appealing.
If you're a very casual, mass appeal sort of escape room goer, that may work out fine, but most likely if you're reading this list you've noticed a difference in quality of experience between escape rooms, and are wondering how best to use either limited time or money for the best overall puzzle experience.
What Can Impact Your Escape Room Experience?
Cost
At least in the Twin Cities, the price per person in an escape room is generally around $30, which can seem high if you're new to escape rooms or are from the suburbs. A cheaper ticket doesn't necessarily mean a lesser experience, but there may be some instances where you get what you pay for.
There are a few rooms that use Groupon to bring in customers. This can bring the overall price down, but also increases the likelihood that you will be playing with strangers unless you book all the spots. Saving cash is nice, but be advised: If you only go with Groupon, you may miss out on some of the best escape rooms in the area. Groupon pushes volume over profit (e.g., a business using Groupon usually gets ¼ of the regular listed price on its product!), which is a sacrifice many escape rooms aren't willing to make.
Chains & Franchises
Less than half of all the escape rooms currently in the Twin Cities are chains, meaning multiple locations within the same company, and of those only, a handful are franchises that come from somewhere else in the nation.
Multiple locations generally indicate some degree of success, and because many of the franchises use the same rooms from city to city, you can be pretty confident that any room you choose will have been tried and tested — and will be at least decent to great in quality.
However, local and independently owned escape rooms usually have the upper hand in customer service, quality of staff, and creativity and uniqueness in puzzles, particularly since they don't have as much pressure to try to appeal to the masses. While local, independent rooms are often more hit-or-miss, they're where you can find the best rooms – if you know where to look.
Google or TripAdvisor Reviews
Escape rooms are still a relatively new phenomenon, which means that many escapees are first-timers. The excitement and novelty of a first escape experience are strong, and it's generally difficult to give anything less than stellar reviews when there's no similar life experience to compare it to. What this means is that five-star reviews on Google don't necessarily mean it's the best escape room around, although a case could be made that less than four stars are a sign of pretty serious issues.
The best option is to read through a few reviews, looking specifically for those that mention having been to multiple escape rooms from different companies. This is a good way to cut through the "honeymoon phase" of new escapes and differentiate between decent and extraordinary.
Here at PuzzleWorks, we are not only puzzle builders, but also puzzle doers. We're enthusiasts who have visited most of the locations in the Twin Cities area. While we haven't done every room, we've got a pretty good perspective on the best rooms in town.
Our Favorite Rooms in the Twin Cities
The Dig - Escape The Room
Great transitions between rooms and high-quality puzzles are just a few reasons why we loved this room.
Dr. K's Lethal Injection - Escape MSP
With a realistic lab design and the high-tech finale, this room is great. We played the Saint Paul location, but assume the Golden Valley is just as good.
The Vault — PuzzleWorks
We'd be lying if we didn't pick one of our own escape rooms as a favorite in the Twin Cities. With twists, turns, and surprises that leave our customers speechless — the ultimate heist is just around the corner.
Inheritance - Mission Manor
Set design and overall ambiance can't be beaten, Mission Manor is a great choice for beginners and experienced players alike.
The Istanbul Gambit - Enigma Adventures
This one honestly blew us away. Attention to detail was through the roof. Every aspect of the aesthetic was carefully measured, and the tech was some of the most impressive we've seen. You should definitely make the trip out to Maple Grove for this one.
Professor Jones' Office - Lock and Key
Clever puzzles, convincing props, and fun folks. This is the only room we've managed to play at Lock and Key, but we keep hearing great things about their newest room.
Prison Break - The Escape Game
Top-notch set design. You can tell this was made by professionals. Great puzzles that force you to work together to escape first the cells, then the room.
Ruin Raiders - Missing Pieces
This room has a great contrast between stages- you really feel like you've moved to a completely different place. Excellent props and set design give it a cool vibe.
Utopia - Riddle Room
Loads of surprises and unique puzzles make this room one of the best. Lots of unexpected things happen, and everything revolves around a high-tech central puzzle.
A Very Potter Escape Room - Trapped Puzzle Rooms
Fans of the boy wizard will fall over themselves with clever references to Hogwarts and Quidditch. Awesome surprises, great puzzles, and a couple of nice secrets mean that you don't have to read the books to enjoy this room.
There You Have It
Whether it's your first time trying an escape room or you're a seasoned veteran, these rooms are sure to entertain escapers at both ends of the spectrum. However, escape rooms are kind of like wine - the "best" one is whichever