You know the drill: a locked room, a series of challenging puzzles, and you, desperately running around with a group of friends trying to unlock the riddle and escape to victory before the clock hits zero. Whether it be solving murder mysteries, escaping psycho-killers or unearthing clues on a scavenger hunt, there’s an immersive game for everyone in our guide to the best escape rooms and scavenger hunts London has to offer.
1. AIM, Whitechapel
AIM Escape offers players a truly immersive escape room experience, right in the heart of London. ‘Patient Zero 2150‘ will see tasked with saving the world from destruction (this one admittedly might be a tad scarier on the other side of a global pandemic…).
Meanwhile ‘Psychopath’s Den‘ pits you against an evil psychopath, so just hope you don’t become another one of his grisly victims! We understand this may all sound a bit too terrifying (no judgements here) but don’t worry, ‘Hangover Deja Brew‘ will provide a more light-hearted story, leaving you laughing your socks off in this strictly 18+ comedy escape room.
If you’re looking for a day out for the whole family – little humans included – ‘Spy Heroes‘ will ensure everybody has a great time, living out their spy fantasies in an escape room complete with a laser maze.
Book tickets here:
⭐️ Patient Zero 2150
⭐️ Spy Heroes: A Game For The Whole Family
⭐️ Hangover Déjà Brew
⭐️ Psychopath’s Den
You’ll find AIM Escape at Goodman’s Fields, 8 Canter Way, Whitechapel, E1 8PS
2. CityDays, multiple locations
An outdoor escape room if you will; CityDays brings together mates, dates, and all group types in between to explore some of London’s most riveting neighbourhoods on walking tours with a fun, competitive twist. Kensington, The City, and Covent Garden are just three of the eight areas that become the setting of spirited scavenger hunts.
Stretching up to three and a half hours, you and your group will head to the designated starting point before ominously texting start to kickoff a series of mind boggling clues. As you head from one location to the next, you will be able to take in the city round you, with stops at recommended pubs and cafes, whilst also playing the game. Some hunts have a storyline, like the witchy Rift In Time tour, while the others let your location tell the story itself.
You’ll find CityDays tours available at multiple locations in London; head to the CityDays website to book your experience.
3. The Crystal Maze Live Experience, Piccadilly
Not technically an escape room (and yet also maybe the OG escape room), but still bags of fun. This is the perfect blend of entertainment and 90s nostalgia. We’ve done it, and had a rollicking good time to boot, although success varied wildly throughout the team. If the thought of taking part in challenges from everyone’s favourite old-school game show still hasn’t convinced you to go, you can read all about it here.
You’ll find the Crystal Maze Live Experience at 22-32 Shaftesbury Avenue, W1D 7EU.
4. Moriarty’s Game, Marylebone
Unusually for escape rooms in London, this one – run by the fiendishly fun HiddenCity team – doesn’t exactly take place inside a room. Instead, your quest will take you to the streets of Marylebone, where the cunning Professor James Moriarty has devised a series of perplexing clues which will lead you in search of his safe house.
You’ll need to race the clock, make split-second decisions, and solve physical challenges, whilst utilising a series of clues sent directly to your phone – there are even puzzles for you to complete whilst at the pub! If your team can outwit this criminal mastermind, he’ll present you with an offer you can’t refuse… Book your tickets here.
It’s not the only mind-bending game HiddenCity runs; if taking on a master-criminal isn’t challenge enough, you can also outsmart an evil queen in ‘The Enchanted Mirror’ or join ‘The Hunt for the Cheshire Cat’. Find out more about them here.
You’ll find Moriaty’s Game at The Marylebone Pub, 93 Marylebone High Street, London, W1U 4RE.
5. Sherlock: The Official Live Game, Shepherd’s Bush
The first ever Sherlock-themed immersive game takes place in west London, giving budding detectives a chance to get a proper brain workout. Facing a crime wave, London needs the help of a certain ‘high-functioning sociopath.’ The only problem is, he’s gone missing, and the task of finding him has fallen to the heroes no-one asked for: you lot.
Across the course of a 90-minute game, you’ll hunt high and low for clues and solve puzzles in a custom-built venue in Shepherd’s Bush, filled with many of the familiar Sherlock settings. The BBC ‘Sherlock’ show creators, Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss, have written the script, while the puzzles have been dreamt up by Time Run, who operate one of the most devious escape rooms London has to offer. Tickets are available here.
Enhance your investigative adventures by tackling ‘The Case of the Poisoned Chalice’: an immersive Sherlock-inspired cocktail experience that’s attached to the escape room, for the ultimate Sherlock-themed day. Tickets here.
Book tickets here:
⭐️ Sherlock: The Official Live Game
⭐️ The Case of the Poisoned Chalice
You’ll find Sherlock: The Official Live Game at W12 Shopping Centre, Shepherd’s Bush, W12 8PP.
6. Streethunt Outdoor Adventure Game, Central London
Take part in an exciting blend of scavenger hunt and murder mystery as you explore London’s hidden gems in a unique outdoor game experience. Armed with just your smartphone and a sense of adventure, become a private investigator racing against the clock to decipher clues and solve the case. It’s perfect for friends, colleagues, or families with children over 13.
It’s time to play detective and explore the city’s hidden treasures! Find out more here.
You’ll find a Streethunt Outdoor Adventure Game at Gunpowder Square, London, EC4A 3DG.
7. Breakin’ Escape Rooms, Islington
“The rules are simple, escaping is hard“, they said, and we believe them. Whether you’re helping find a lost artefact in ‘Wizarding School: Fang Of The Serpent’, or avenging Sherlock Holmes and stopping his great nemesis Moriarty in ‘Sherlock’s Despair’, you’ll find a story to thrill you while Breakin’ out of these lightly film-themed escape rooms. There are numerous different options here, and you can find out more here.
You’ll find Break-in’ Escape Rooms at 89 Holloway Road, N7 8LT.
8. Mission: Breakout, Kentish Town
Located in the abandoned tube station of South Kentish Town, choose between three escape rooms to breakout of using your brains. ‘Codebreakers’ uses a mind-blowing script based on the extraordinary true story of the very confidential masterminds, while ‘The Lost Passenger’ is based on the true story of the passenger who disappeared in South Kentish Town Tube Station in 1924.
The final escape room is billed as ‘Underground 2099’ and sees players trying to thwart the plans of ‘King Rat’ and his minions, who have take over London as the dominant species… Have fun with friends, solve some puzzles and complete your mission to breakout out of this historic ghost tube station! Book tickets here.
You’ll find Mission:Breakhout at 141-145 Kentish Town Road, NW1 8PB.
9. Modern Fables, Bermondsey
Based right in the heart of Bermondsey near the famous Bermondsey Beer Mile, Modern Fables have come up with an incredible London escape room which sees you try and deal with the occult. The premise is as follows: you’ll work together (and sometimes compete!) in teams to piece together the secrets of the titular Guild, an eccentric Edwardian secret society whose ‘now-deceased members were rumoured to be more than met the eye‘.
You’ll solve various escape room-style puzzles in your group as the 90-minute-long story progresses, and will be able to buy drinks, nibbles and snacks throughout the Saturday experience. See more and book tickets here.
You’ll find Modern Fables at Gaff Bermondsey, 100 Drummond Road, London, SE16 4DG.
10. Escape Rooms, London Bridge
The name isn’t the most imaginative at this London Bridge escape room, but the stories are wonderfully inventive. At Escape Rooms, you’re either breaking into a pharaoh’s cursed tomb, or travelling through time from 17th century China to steal back a vase from the modern-day British Museum. Book your visit here.
You’ll find Escape Rooms at the rear of 134 Tooley Street, SE1 2TU.
11. No Escape, Oxford Street, Holloway, Brixton, and Aldgate East
Here, we have some of London’s creepiest escape plots, all of which look pretty goddamned terrifying. In Aldgate, you may find yourself locked in the workshop of ‘The Butcher’, or solving the mysteries of ‘The Haunted Toy Store’. Alternatively, book yourself in at Oxford Street for a trip to ‘The Dentist’, or perhaps you’re long overdue a cut with ‘The Demon Barber of Oxford Street’?
It’s ‘Darkest Hour’ down in Brixton (in a location actually once frequented by Winston Churchill), whilst over in Holloway, you’ll face ‘The Killer’ or ‘Prison Breakout’. Only a visit to these rooms will tell if there really is no escape… More info here.
Oxford Street: You’ll find No Escape through the Londis shop, 3rd Floor, 51 Oxford Street, W1D 2EF
Aldgate East: You’ll find No Escape at 59 Wentworth Street, E1 7TD
Holloway: You’ll find No Escape at Unit 38, 10 Hornsey Street, N7 8EL
Brixton: You’ll find No Escape at Effra Social, 89 Effra Road, SW2 1DF
12. Escape Land, Oxford Street
There are currently two games to choose from at this centrally-located escape room, both equally puzzling. Head ‘Right To The Throne’, where the rightful heir to the throne has disappeared with no trace, and it’s on you to find out what happened. Alternatively, try ‘Da Vinci’s Explorations’, in which evil forces are working on finding the Holy Grail and are only 60 minutes away from both it, and presumably world domination.
Again, it’s your quest to stop them! There’s also an outdoor escape game called ‘Outbreak London’, where you’ll have to find the source of a terrible plague. You can find out more info here.
You’ll find Escape Land at 37-39 Oxford Street, W1D 2DU.
13. ClueQuest, King’s Cross
There are four escape game experiences on offer here – not counting the three VR experiences also on offer – each continuing the story of Mr Q (the yellow mouse dude above) and his arch-nemesis Professor BlackSheep. If you’ve got what it takes to join this mysterious mouse’s spy universe, sign up for a 60 minute mission and unlock your secret agent potential. More info available here.
You’ll find ClueQuest at 169-171 Caledonian Road, N1 0SL.
14. Escape Plan, Shoreditch
Set in the days of World War II, you can choose to be prisoners mounting a daring escape from a POW camp, soldiers trying to save Britain (and yourselves) at the Battle of Britain, or squadron members plotting to steal a barrel of beer from the Victory Day celebrations (as you may have guessed, the latter is a fair bit more light-hearted). Gather your comrades for an immersive journey through a huge part of history. Find out more here.
You’ll find Escape Plan at Rich Mix, 35-47 Bethnal Green Road, E1 6LA
15. Omescape, King’s Cross and Aldgate
One winning thing about Omescape is that it gets cheaper as your team gets bigger. Of course, other winning aspects include their fiendishly difficult escape rooms, of which there are some brilliantly terrifying options. ‘The Joker’s Asylum’, ‘The Penitentiary’ and ‘Biohazard Laboratory’ at King’s Cross will all get your heart racing, while a ‘Kingdom of Cats’ experience in Aldgate will have you feline fine. Check out their website for more.
King’s Cross: You’ll find Omescape at All Saints Church, Carnegie Street, N1 9QW.
Aldgate: You’ll find Omescape at 75 Greenfield Road, Whitechapel, E1 1EJ.
16. Escape London, Shadwell and Shepherd’s Bush
A whopping ten escape rooms across two locations here. Whichever you choose – you’ve only got 60 minutes. In Shadwell, you can battle a sadistic madman in ‘Taken II – The Last Chance’, flee your evil professor in ‘School of Magic’, ‘Escape The Seven Seas’ with your imprisoned crew, or tackle three other games dedicated to the Mayans, Las Vegas, and a scientific experiment gone wrong.
Over in Shepherd’s Bush, escape rooms feature Area 51, Leonardo Da Vinci, a battle for the throne of England, and a mysterious cabin in the woods… See more here.
Shadwell: You’ll find Escape London at 6 Devonport Street, E1 0DQ.
Shepherd’s Bush: You’ll find Escape London at 117 Uxbridge Road, W12 8NL.
17. Enigma Quests, Liverpool Street
It’s the battle of the magical escape games, as Enigma Quests also bring their own magic-themed room. ‘School of Witchcraft and Wizardry’ is one of the most popular escape rooms London has to offer, in which you’ll solve puzzles to graduate from magic school. Alternatively, save the world and diffuse the atomic bomb in ‘Submarine: Mission Wavebreak’, or take part in ‘The Million Pound Heist’ – the biggest in history, featuring lots and lots of lasers. Discover them all here.
You’ll find Enigma Quests at 2-12 Wilson Street, EC2M 7LS.
18. Prison Van Escape Room, Greenwich
Big fan of the film The Shawshank Redemption or TV series like Prison Break? Then this escape room is for you. You and your pals have been found guilty and arrested. Given a life sentence at HM Prison Pentonville – you are now trapped in a prison van, you and your fellow inmates have to apply yourself to escape the van and avoid prison, all of that in 60 minutes! Book your tickets to this Greenwich escape-roomhere.
You’ll find Trapped In A Room at Bunker 51, 3 Herringham Road, SE7 8NJ.
19. Escape The Power Cut, Battersea Power Station
Find yourself in the midst of the historic dials of Control Room B in Battersea Power Station, yes really, and embark on a thrilling escape-room adventure. This ones for all your engineers. Step behind the Control Room’s original control desks and solve puzzles and decipher cryptic clues. All of this while also sipping on some cocktails! Get your tickets now!
So there you have it – a rundown of the best escape rooms in London. Best get your thinking cap on and see if you can actually escape. Good luck!