There are tons of escape room games for kids available! And you've got options depending on your budget, time commitment, and how much you want to use the internet: there are printable escape rooms, virtual escape rooms for kids, and tabletop escape games for kids.
Finding the right difficulty level is always tricky, because if they are too hard or too mature, then nobody has fun. We've gathered all these options for escape rooms for children - from printable options, premade board games, to online and virtual options.
Printable Escape Room for Kids
Printable escape rooms are particularly good for kids, who work well with tactile items to manipulate and move around as they figure out the puzzles. They also have the unique option to be customized or extended with physical objects to make the game more immersive.
You can also print them multiple times to use with a larger group, and race them against each other, making printable escape games for kids an excellent cheap activity or birthday party.
We love these two brands, which both have excellent set-up guides and puzzles for kids.
Escape Room Geeks
- Type: printable kit to set up an escape room at home for kids
- Recommend age or group size: Ages 9-13, 2-6 players
- Time to solve: 45-60 minutes
- Pricing: $29
These escape room games are mainly geared toward kids 9-13 years old, but the whole family can join in!
They started with only two options (Houdini's Secret Room was one of their original games), but they've added several games to their lineup!
The game kit you receive contains all of the puzzles you'll need for a fun escape room experience, as well as posters and invitations to make it more even immersive. It takes about an hour or less to finish, so it's nice and quick. It's a great idea for a birthday party or some family holiday fun!
Houdini Secret Room is available here.
Other kits are available here.
Lock Paper Scissors Kits
- Type: printable kit to set up an escape room at home for kids
- Recommend age or group size: 10-12 year old for the family versions, 2+ people
- Time to solve: 1 hour
- Pricing: $19 plus printing for one game, or $39 for 4 games with the kids pack deal
Want to set up an escape room at home? Lock Paper Scissors kits are a fun and easy option - just print and party!
They have four family-oriented games, all with quick setups. They even include a Spotify playlist to add some themed music!
- Escape Quest - 7-9-year-old
- Frost - 9-12 year old
- Lost Mummy - 10-12 year old
- Rebel Revolt - teenagers
One of the things I love about Lock Paper Scissors kits is that the clue cards are meant to be printed as 4x6 photos, just like family photos. That makes it super easy to send to your printer of choice. If you'd rather print at home, they also include a standard-size PDF to print on your home computer.
They also come with editable posters for decorating and party invitations. There is a very detailed setup guide with tons of ideas of how to make it a fun puzzling experience for kids. You can choose to do the spoiler-free setup if you want to play along!
Basically, Lock Paper Scissors has thought of everything to make an escape room birthday party really easy!
Lock, Paper, Scissors is available here.
I chose to get this 4-pack of their kid games because it was a sweet deal.
Escape Room Board Game For Kids
While virtual games need to be scheduled in advance, sometimes you just need a board game to have available to play when the moment is right. We've enjoyed many tabletop escape games on a lazy Saturday and during quarantine.
If you're looking for escape room games for kids, these are our three favorite brands to try.
You may also want to look into an escape room subscription box - we have several on this post!
EXIT: The Game
- Type: stand-alone card game, available on Amazon
- Recommend age or group size: Age 10, 12, or 16+, 1-4 players
- Time to solve: 1-2 hours
- Pricing: about $15/box
EXIT: The Game is a brand of ready-made puzzling adventures. Everything is card-based, meaning that you're not using the internet to solve anything.
For a family, we definitely recommend downloading the optional app so that the instructions get read aloud to the group. Plus there is themed music and ambient sounds to add to the experience!
We highly recommend checking the details on any Exit The Game you consider: there is a skill level (novice, intermediate, advanced, expert), an age ranking (10+, 12+, 16+), and a Family Friendly designation (versus some labeled Mature Content).
For us, the best family-friendly options from EXIT have been:
- The House of Riddles (Novice, 10+)
- The Sunken Treasure (Novice, 10+)
- The Stormy Flight (Novice, 10+)
- The Haunted Rollercoaster (Novice, 10+)
- The Enchanted Forest (Novice, 10+)
- The Mysterious Museum (Intermediate, 10+)
For age 12+
- The Secret Lab (Intermediate, 12+)
- The Abandoned Cabin (Intermediate, 12+)
- The Forgotten Island (Intermediate, 12+)
Don't be ashamed to use the hints!
Some of the hard puzzles require huge jumps in logic or using your brain in a totally different way. When I played with my 8-year-old daughter, we used the clue cards liberally and enjoyed the experience way more than when I tried to soldier through without help.
EXIT: The Game is available here.
Note that Exit games are a one-time use game. Meaning, the game can't be reboxed for another group of players to try out, because many of the pieces need to be cut, folded, or marked in some way.
Escape The Room
- Type: stand-alone board game, available on Amazon
- Recommend age or group size: Age 10+, 3-8 players
- Time to solve: 90 minutes
- Pricing: $22/game
Want an escape room game in a box? Escape The Room has tons of options, all ready to go! Check the reviews to find one for 10+.
Escape the Room is available here.
There are 3 different Escape the Room options, all with different skill and age levels. We recommend starting with:
- Mystery at the Stargazer's Manor - it's beginner-difficult and meant for ages 10+. My kids enjoyed it and they could figure everything out with help.
After you've done that one, you can move up to their harder games:
- Secret of Dr. Gravely's Retreat is age 13+ and intermediate difficulty (note: if you have sensitive kids, I'd skip this one- it's more obvious that adults can do evil things)
- Cursed Dollhouse is spookier and has a more advanced difficulty. Age 13+.
Escape Room the Game
- Type: board game with multiple challenges in the box
- Recommend age or group size: Age 16+, 3-8 players
- Time to solve: 1 hour per challenge
- Pricing: $35-40/game
These Escape Room games give you 60 minutes to find codes and solve riddles to "escape" the game you're locked inside. This brand of tabletop escape games for kids contains multiple adventures, so it will last you a little while. There are three 1 hour games inside, and they get more difficult as you go.
There are two different family editions that we recommend for ages 10 and up; it's meant to provide escape room games for kids.
You can also download the Chrono Decoder app, which goes along with the game. It features sound effects and a soundtrack while you play!
Escape Room the Game is available here.
Finders Seekers Junior Explorers
- Type: monthly subscription box
- Recommend age or group size: Recommended for kids ages 5-10+
- Time to solve: 2-4 days of activities
- Pricing: $25/month
This one is a bit different from the others because it's not specifically an escape or mystery box, but some of the activities are along those lines. Each box is set in a new location around the world where your kids will get to learn about the culture. The box comes with a 4-day itinerary with exciting activities, toys, art supplies, decoders, and puzzles. They are focused on STEAM subjects, so your kids will learn a lot with each box!
Finders Seekers Junior Explorers is available here.
Unsolved Case Files: Honey the Bunny
- Type: stand-alone board game
- Recommend age or group size: Age 8+, 2-8 players (more than 8 can play, they would just need to split into teams)
- Time to solve: 2-6 hours
- Pricing: $27/game
In this game, you are pretending to be a student who was asked by the principal to solve the case of the missing bunny - the 6th-grade class pet. To solve the mystery, you need to complete 3 other objectives: proving your own innocence, figuring out who the thief is, and finding the bunny. So you're basically solving 3 cases in one!
The game includes everything you need to solve the crime with physical clues, but there is also an online component. Visit an online page and prove you cracked each objective. If you have it wrong, it won't give you the answer, you'll just have to keep investigating.
There are tons of Unsolved Case Files - some are meant for the whole family while some are geared for teens and adults. Check out the other Unsolved Case Files on Amazon here.
Unsolved Case Files: Honey the Bunny is available here.
Star Wars Unlock Escape Game
- Type: stand-alone board game
- Recommend age or group size: Age 10+, 1-6 players
- Time to solve: 1 hour
- Pricing: $40/game
This is geared towards older kids and tweens (or adults). You have one hour to work through a deck of 60 cards to solve puzzles. You search the scenes included in the game and combine objects to solve puzzles with your team.
There are three separate adventures included in this box. You'll act as rebels, smugglers, or imperial agents to solve the mysteries. Use the free companion app to input codes, interact with droids and machines, and receive hints!
Star Wars Unlock Escape Game is available here.
Scooby-Doo: Escape from The Haunted Mansion
- Type: stand-alone board game
- Recommend age or group size: Age 8+, 1-6 players
- Time to solve: 1-2 hours
- Pricing: $30/game
Any Scooby-Doo fans out there? This game is a callback to our childhood, and while it says it works for age 8, it's probably better suited for tweens and teens, or any nostalgic parents out there.
You can take on the roles of Fred, Daphne, Velma, Shaggy, and (of course) Scooby-Doo to solve the mystery of Lady Fairmont's ghost. You'll decode puzzles to escape the haunted mansion and the box has all of the clues you need. You'll get several narrative books, map tiles, clue cards, and more, so it really is an escape room experience at home!
Scooby-Doo: Escape from The Haunted Mansion is available here.
Virtual Escape Rooms For Kids
We did a lot of research to find a kid-friendly escape room that would be a live experience. Not just something in a box, but a company that had a virtual escape room option, mimicking the in-person fun.
These brands all make escape room games for kids!
Note: there are more options on our Virtual Escape Rooms post, many of which may be better suited for older kids and teens.
Looking Glass Adventures
Type: remote escape room with a host
Recommended age or group size: 4-6 players, 8+ to adult
Time to solve: 1 hour mystery
Pricing: $25 per person, minimum of 4 players needed
We have completed two virtual parties with Looking Glass Adventures over the while social distancing this year, and they were AWESOME!
The company has three kid-friendly escape room options: A Harry Potter-themed room, a spy-themed thriller, and a mansion adventure featuring elements of archeology and Egypt.
They've perfected the experience of completing those puzzles remotely. An employee acts as your hands in the room, and you can see and hear everything over Zoom.
My 9-year-old and several friends completed "Walden's Wizarding Shop." I was super impressed with the intricacy of the props and puzzles in this one. It also has a fun animatronic element with talking mice and bubbling potions. If you like Harry Potter, you'll love this room!
It was clever to see the breadth of different ways the puzzles were presented, and how working with an avatar added another layer of communication to the experience. For instance, the kids didn't realize at first that the picture frames opened. But if you had been in person, you might have touched them and realized it sooner.
Both avatar employees we met were fantastic! They were energetic and had the perfect balance of letting the kids take the lead while still steering them in the right direction. For example, they honored random requests by the kids to try different things, and then asked the group "Hey, I still have this key we found, what should I do with it?"
Looking Glass Adventures is available here.
You'll need to plan in advance to be able to schedule since there are limited slots. Also, it's a Canadian company in the Eastern timezone, so keep that in mind.
I am not sponsored by this company - we paid full price for both escape rooms.
The Grimm Escape
Type: web-based puzzle game with a host
Recommended age or group size: Age 8+,
Time to solve: 60-minute puzzle, 90-minute slot
Pricing: $25 per player
Ready to work with your family and friends to free an enchanted forest from a witch's curse?
The Grimm Escape is a kid-friendly escape room experience operated by Puzzle Break in Long Island. It's actually a completely virtual experience; there isn't a room, it's a series of puzzles in a magical PDF book.
With Zoom and the help of a host who will ensure the difficulty level suits your group, you can solve this virtual game room with friends from across the country!
The Grimm Escape is available here.
Paruzal Games
Type: hosted virtual escape room for kids
Recommended age or group size: 1-20 people
Time to solve: 1 hour
Pricing: $15 per person
Paruzal Games has fun and family-friendly topics, very different than the usual crime topics. Their experiences are more quirky, like about pizza and pirates!
The escape room is hosted over Zoom with the help of a "game master" host. You get to view several different objects and then tell them how you want to interact with those items.
Paruzal says that all their games are family-friendly - without any scary elements or adult content. They especially recommend Trapped Under Water and Get Your Motor Running as a kid-friendly escape room option.
Paruzal Games is available here.
The games we didn't include.
One of the reasons we put together this list is to help you decide which experiences are most worthwhile. Puzzles aren't fun for kids when they don't make sense, and not all escape rooms are right for children.
Here are some of the games that didn't make our "best" list, for the following reasons:
- The Break-In Game: Alcatraz - A cool concept, but needs some more playtesting. The reviews abound with the discussion of unsolvable riddles that don't make sense even with the included hints.
- Mail Order Mystery - While we LOVE the premise of a personalized mystery, we think the price point is a bit high unless you're sure your kids will like them. So try some of these other escape rooms at home for kids first.
- Certain EXIT: The Game versions - All of these are written by different people, and there are a few duds. Check the reviews - it's pretty obvious which ones are poorly written and have unsolvable puzzles.
- Many games are just too mature for kids. For example, many of the games listed in this blog post are along the "murder mystery" line or have elements of zombies, etc. that we personally didn't feel met a family-friendly standard. Of course, you know your kids best and can explore those ideas if you'd like!
- Curious Correspondence and Mysterious Package Society - These experiences are incredibly advanced and too obscure for children. They aren't escape room games for kids.
- School-specific games like those found on Teachers Pay Teachers. We don't feel qualified to review those without a classroom setting, but we've heard that the two printable options on this list are easy to print multiple times in a classroom.
Overall, our family has fond memories of playing a monthly escape room game for kids during the pandemic, and it's a tradition we'll keep up!
If you're looking for more options, especially for older children and teens, you might like these posts:
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