Highlights

• Virtual escape games offer affordability and accessibility, making them a great option for those looking for a fun "escape the room" adventure.
• The escape room genre offers a variety of unique subgenres and gameplay styles, keeping the genre fresh and unpredictable.
• There are many great virtual escape games available on different platforms, offering challenging puzzles and immersive experiences.

While real-life escape rooms are always going to be the most immersive experience, when it comes to affordability and accessibility, virtual escape games always take the cake. No matter what console, computer, or mobile device, there are a variety of great options for those who are itching for a fun, new "escape the room" adventure.

One may think that all the games within the genre of the escape room style may be too similar due to their gameplay but the variety the genre has to offer is much vaster than one would think. Many games keep the genre feeling fresh, interesting, and most importantly, challenging.

Updated January 14, 2024 by Christine Mendoza: The genre of escape rooms has always been (and remains to be) a beloved one, and despite it being a bit of a trend a few years ago, it doesn't seem like the demand for them is slowing down any time soon.

The genre has been around for a while and, over the years, has evolved into many different variations of itself, spawning unique subgenres and offering gamers even more variety to keep the niche feeling fresh, clever, and unpredictable. For any longtime fans of the escape room genre of video games, a few new entries have been added to feed everyone's relentless puzzle-solving addiction.

1 The Exit 8

Steam Reviews: Very Positive

• Platforms: Steam
• Release Date: November 29, 2023
• Developer: KOTAKE CREATE

While the entirety of The Exit 8 technically takes place in the same singular hallway, it still manages to operate just like an escape room. The Exit 8 puts players in a seemingly never-ending time loop that only keen observation can end.

The player must make their way from exit one to exit eight to finish the game; the only thing stopping them from this are sneaky anomalies. Each time the player makes their way through one level, they must carefully observe their surroundings. If all is consistent, then the player may proceed to the next floor normally. However, if there is even one single detail that is out of place, the player must head back to the previous floor, otherwise, progress will reset, and the player will be sent back to floor one to start all over again.

2 The Witness

Steam Reviews: Very Positive

The Witness is first and foremost a puzzle game, but is often considered a game that falls under the broad umbrella of escape room games. At the core of The Witness is a sense of non-verbal communication, allowing players to understand that there is a problem that needs to be solved in a specific way to move forward. Each of The Witness's iconic maze puzzles will involve certain parts of its environment, making each region's puzzles unique to its specific location.

As the player finishes one area, they can advance to the next puzzle, and then to the next region, all to unlock the final puzzle inside the island's mysterious mountain.

3 The Turing Test

Steam Reviews: Very Positive

The Turing Test is a sci-fi puzzle game that takes players into the distant future as Ava, the only crew member accounted for on her team's expedition to one of Jupiter's moons, known as Europa. Ava is prematurely awakened from her cryogenic sleep by T.O.M. (Technical Operations Machine), an A.I. that warns Ava that her fellow crew members are in danger and must be rescued.

The puzzles revolve around the use of the E.M.T. (Energy Manipulation Tool), used to control power sources to open each locked door on the way to Ava's many destinations. Much like a real Turing test, Ava must solve each room with the help of her A.I. pal, T.O.M. to reach the surviving members of her team to find out what kind of dangers Europa has ahead of them.

4 Palindrome Syndrome: Escape Room

Steam Reviews: Very Positive

• Platforms: PlayStation 5, Steam, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Microsoft Windows
• Release Date: October 14, 2020
• Developer: mc2games

Palindrome Syndrome begins with a faceless protagonist who suddenly awakens on a futuristic spaceship with no recollection of where they are or how they got there. With little to no clues about the mysterious protagonist, the player is then allowed to roam their surroundings and begin to solve the various puzzles around them to find answers.

Guided by an unknown and distorted voice over the spaceship's intercom, the player can find diary entries and notes around the ship that not only help them understand how each puzzle works but also slowly uncover the mystery of how the protagonist ended up in the situation they found themselves in.

5 MOTAS (Mystery Of Time And Space)

Google Users Score: 89%

• Platforms: Adobe Flash Player (PC)
• Release Date: November 2001
• Developer: Jan Albartus

Don't be fooled by the simplistic art of MOTAS. Adobe Flash hosted some of the best free-to-play point-and-click puzzle games during its prime. What it lacks in graphics and aesthetic, it makes up for in story and challenging puzzles.

MOTAS begins with the player awakening in an unfamiliar room as they learn they are there as a part of an experiment to access a hidden parallel universe firsthand. However, to access this parallel universe, a person must first erase their memories. While the player character supposedly agreed to the experiment, it seems as if this vague agreement may hold important secrets.

6 Crimson Room Decade

Steam Reviews: Mixed

• Platforms: Microsoft Windows, macOS
• Release Date: June 10, 2016
• Developer: Dream Holdings, TAKAGISM Inc.

Crimson Room Decade is based on the original Flash game Crimson Room, continuing the mysterious story that began ten years prior and serves as the classic's long-awaited sequel.

Inspector Jean-Jacques Gordot investigates the ship called "La Crimson" that his grandfather was confined in and later passed away on ninety years ago. Gordot begins to search the wreckage of the ship and finds the "crimson brainwashing room" that his grandfather had been locked in.

However, as he continues his investigation, he begins feeling a sense of uncanny familiarity, as if he had been there before. The player must solve the puzzles on La Crimson's wreckage and solve the mystery of Gordot's family's past.

7 ROOMS: The Toymaker's Mansion

Steam Reviews: Very Positive

• Platforms: Nintendo Switch, Steam, PlayStation 4, Android, Microsoft Windows, macOS, Linux
• Release Date: May 1, 2015
• Developer: HandMade Game

ROOMS follows the story of a legendary toymaker who kept a mysterious secret from the world and eventually secluded himself in his intricate mansion. One day, the toymaker's mansion suddenly disappears without a trace. That is until the unnamed protagonist (a young girl) awakens one night to the toymaker's infamous mansion right in front of her eyes!

ROOMS doesn't follow the typical escape room formula where players must search each room for clues to finally open an exit. Instead, ROOMS is a sliding puzzle game, tasking the player with sliding and rearranging the rooms and interacting with items to navigate the player's character through the ever-changing mansion rooms, trying to get from point A to point B.

8 Forgiveness: Escape Room

Steam Reviews: Mixed

• Platforms: Microsoft Windows, macOS, Linux
• Release Date: February 28, 2019
• Developer: Chaos Minds

Forgiveness is a set of escape rooms that revolve around the theme of the seven deadly sins. Each room the player must solve their way through is symbolic of each of the deadly sins: lust, gluttony, pride, sloth, wrath, greed, and envy. The player is trapped by the elusive Dr. Benjamin Smith, as the self-proclaimed "god" decides that it is up to him to deliver judgment.

Aside from the game's unique theme, it also offers two levels of difficulty: "normal" and "extreme." While the "normal" difficulty is rather standard, the "extreme" difficulty is better suited for diehard puzzle lovers, as it offers fewer hints and a tight time limit to work with.

9 Rooms Of Realities

Steam Reviews: Positive

• Platforms: Microsoft Windows, Meta Quest
• Release Date: April 24, 2023
• Developer: Bluekey

This VR escape room is best enjoyed with a buddy for a fun co-op experience but is still a great game for solo play as well. Rooms Of Realities is very straightforward and doesn't waste any time with long-winded lore or a heavy story-based setup. Instead, it starts with a simple tutorial before throwing players into the very first room of puzzles.

Rooms Of Realities offers a huge variety of VR puzzles, not only allowing players to feel like clever detectives but also resourceful adventurers, and sneaky spies! The game features tons of puzzles that are sure to make players feel as if they've stepped into the shoes of their favorite adventure video game protagonist.

10 Saw: The Video Game

Metacritic Score: 59/100

• Platforms: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Windows
• Release Date: October 6, 2009
• Developer: Zombie Studios

The release of the original Saw movie seemed way ahead of its time. Well before the wave of escape rooms popping up around every street corner, the original Saw film was scaring audiences with Jigsaw and his terrifying traps back in 2004. Saw: The Video Game is a rendition of the misadventures of the movie's Detective Tapp and his run-in with Jigsaw and other victims of his games.

This game may play a bit differently from the average escape room video game that one may have in mind. Much like the films, the game is gritty and violent; with every dangerous new room posing new threats that make the possibility of failure a fatal one.

11 Rime - Room Escape Game

Google Play Score: 4.5/5

• Platform: Android, Windows, iOS
• Release Date: June 11, 2018
• Developer: izumiArtisan

This escape game is a great option for those who want a simple puzzle title with a bit of an eerie twist in the environment. Rime is a puzzle game that centers around the straightforward story of the player getting lost in the world of a magical book, trying to find their way out. There are a total of three different endings the player can achieve, making multiple runs worthwhile.

Rime's clean interface makes for an easy-to-digest story and gameplay experience.

12 Rooms & Exits

Google Play Score: 4.1/5

• Platform: iOS, Android
• Release Date: August 17, 2020
• Developer: Webelinx Games

Rooms & Exits is a fantastic mobile game for those who find themselves itching for a good puzzle every now and then. Rooms & Exits is a point-and-click style escape room video game where the player must search for clues and key items to find their escape. While some mobile games can be a bit too simplistic, Rooms & Exits utilizes the player's inventory in a more complex fashion; allowing them to look through their inventory to find certain items that may work together or combine to solve certain puzzles.

The game also features many different rooms to keep players busy and offers tons of variation to keep things fresh.

13 Escape F1rst

Steam Reviews: Mixed

• Platform: Steam, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4
• Release Date: May 10, 2018
• Developer: OnSkull Games, OnSkull Game Development Studio

More often than not, two brains are better than one! Escape F1rst is a great escape game to play with friends as it is a multiplayer escape game that tests a friendship's ability to work well together. Escape F1rst isn't just about bonding with friends while solving puzzles, it's about challenging them as well!

Not only can puzzles be solved in a co-op setting, but they can also be completed in a competitive mode if players want a challenge. However, for the times when a buddy isn't ready to play, the Escape F1rst can also be played in a solo one-player mode as well.

14 The Birdcage

Google Play Score: 4.5/5

• Platform: Android, iOS
• Release Date: October 8, 2018
• Developer: MobiGrow, Pine Studio

For those puzzle game fans who can't seem to find time in their busy day to sit down and relax with some video games, The Birdcage is a great alternative. This mobile game is a quick escape game that's great for being able to pick up throughout the day. The simplistic (yet still fun and challenging) puzzle designs are perfect for picking up on the go, when waiting for friends, or just as a little break from everyday chores.

This escape game is a unique one as it doesn't focus on the player finding an escape route for themselves but rather a means of escape for the beautiful trapped bird inside each intricately unique cage.

15 Escape Simulator

Steam Reviews: Very Positive

While the name of this game may be simple, Escape Simulator itself is anything but that. This game features small, clean environments to help keep the spotlight on its true star: the puzzles. This title is yet another escape room-style game that can be enjoyed alone or in a co-op mode with friends.

As for those hardcore fans who want to have a try at building a level themselves, there is also a workshop mode that allows players to make their custom level. In addition to that, there is a community map section that allows players to play custom maps that other people have made.

16 OK Bob

Steam Reviews: Positive

• Platform: Steam
• Release Date: March 31, 2017
• Developer: Lumen Labs

For those who wish for a more immersive escape room experience, look no further than OK Bob. This game is described as an eerie VR escape room experience that easily sets the tone right from the beginning. The game begins with the player swallowing a mysterious pill that suddenly takes them to their first location to begin their strange journey.

It's clear that the player (the elusive Bob), is being coerced by cryptic notes left around his environment to solve the puzzles around him and escape. However, the mystery of the notes slowly unfolds as the game goes on and does a fantastic job of keeping the player on their toes at all times.

17 Tiny Room Stories: Town Mystery

Steam Reviews: Very Positive

• Platform: Steam, Nintendo Switch, iOS, Android
• Release Date: June 19, 2019
• Developer: Kiary Games

In this unique point-and-click style escape room video game, the player finds themselves traveling through a remote town to unlock the puzzles within each new room and building. Tiny Room Stories is unique within its genre as although the main character has the freedom to roam throughout the town in search of his father, each room/building holds its secrets that must be solved to move on.

The suspense of entering each new room and the eerie ghost town as a whole, all add to the feeling of being trapped in a mystery. While one could view each room as a level to escape from, another interpretation could be that the entirety of the town and its secrets are the true concealment that the player must escape from.

18 The House Of Da Vinci (Series)

Steam Reviews: Very Positive

• Platform: Nintendo Switch, Android, Windows, iOS, macOS
• Release Date: June 22, 2017
• Developer: Blue Brain Games

The House Of Da Vinci is set in Florence, Italy, and features beautiful architecture as the centerpiece of each intricate puzzle. The player takes the role of the famous Leonardo Da Vinci's top apprentice, in search of their mentor amid his mysterious disappearance.

The player then ventures into Da Vinci's workshop to find any hidden clues or messages their mentor had left behind for them. Each room features a new puzzle that brings the player one step closer to finding out the truth behind their elusive mentor's disappearance.

19 Escape Academy

Steam Reviews: Very Positive

When it comes to training in the art of escapism and puzzle solving, Escape Academy has got players covered. Escape Academy follows the players as they take on the role of a young student who is undergoing rigorous training to become a true escape room master. To keep with the academic theme, many of the escape rooms are themed as subjects commonly taught in schools and even begin the game with a room labeled "The Entrance Exam".

Escape Academy is great for players who want a game that heavily focuses on both puzzles and story as the cast of the game is half of what makes the game so charming!

20 The Room (Series)

Steam Reviews: Overwhelmingly Positive

• Platform: iOS, Android, Windows, Steam, Nintendo Switch
• Release Date: September 12, 2012
• Developer: Fireproof Studios, Fireproof Games

The Room series is one of the most prolific series that always comes to mind when players are itching for a fun escape room experience. The Room is all about intricate machinery and gadgets; every clock or music box isn't as simple as it first seems as these everyday household items can hold the solution to an entire puzzle.

The Room ironically focuses less on the entirety of the room the player is trapped in and rather focuses on fidgeting with the small intricate tinkerings of special items found within each room. Using optical illusions and ornate puzzles built into seemingly ordinary items, The Room series is one of the most detail-oriented escape room video games with a great eerie vintage feel to top it all off.