THE QUAKE

San Francisco
SOMA

$49.99

THE QUAKE

San Francisco
SOMA

$49.99

Rated 5.00 out of 5 based on 15 customer ratings

(15 reviews)

STARTING LOCATION: Anywhere near Lotta’s Fountain on Kearny St

You’re just on the verge of completing your revolutionary anti-earthquake device…when you feel a tremor. Fate is in your hands and you must work as quickly as possible. Can you finish your invention in time to save the city? Search for clues, solve puzzles, and explore San Francisco on this unforgettable escape room adventure!

Open your clue box anywhere near Lotta’s Fountain on Kearny Street to start your adventure.
Begin solving using anything you see in the box. Scan the QR code to input your solution and find out where to go.
Search for real-world clues hidden around San Francisco and use them to solve puzzles. When you input the correct code, the app will tell you where to go and what to do!
If you get stuck, the no-download app has as many hints as you need. It also has storyline, videos, and more.
Play at your own pace. There's no penalty for hints and no one gets timed out.

Lockbox with a real lock
Clue envelopes that are locked until you're told otherwise!
Other fun clue items, like magnets and a scanner
QR codes to access the web-based app (no download required)
A pen

PLAYING TIME: 1.5-3 hours depending on experience level and how much you eat, drink, and explore along the way
WALKING DISTANCE: About 2 miles around SOMA, ending at the Embarcadero (mostly downhill route)
PLAYERS PER BOX: We suggest 2-6 so that everyone can share the clues, but it's completely up to you. You can even play alone!
DIFFICULTY LEVEL: Adjustable. There's no penalty for hints, so you can take them frequently or challenge yourself.
WHO CAN PLAY: Fun for all ages. Perfect for date nights, family outings, friend groups, tourists, and anyone looking for a fun outdoor escape room in San Francisco.

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Christopher Kusek

Rated 5 out of 5

THERE’S A LOCK IN THE BOX? OMG ESCAPE ROOM!

I love me an escape room in a box and this set being thematic based on different cities is really cool. I opted for San Francisco and when I saw the lock in the box it immediately floored me!

This kit is pretty cool and something that can make for a really fun game night! Playability can be impacted by opening up the sealed envelopes so that can impact that replay ability, but don’t let that impact you enjoying the moment that you do play with it!
May S

Rated 5 out of 5

Wonderful way to explore a local city!

We are from the area, but enjoyed being able to walk around the areas we normally drive by. It’s great that many of the locations had in-app information about the local landmarks as well. The puzzles in the box were not too difficult and great hints were available if needed. My only disappointment is that I cannot play the box again.

The locations where the box took us to were also great. I think it would be helpful for future if there was a vague start and end location. So situating parking would be easier.
Joey C

Rated 5 out of 5

Fun!

Had a great time
Marcelo C

Rated 5 out of 5

Fun time for a small group of friends or family

I had purchased this game two months ago, looking forward to the time to actually play it. That day finally arrived, and we had a lot of fun!

We live near San Francisco and that is the game we tried. By “we” I mean my wife and I, and a couple of friends. I think four is a great number of people to work collaboratively on solving this game. Two or three would work too. Five or six may be a bit too crowded for effective collaboration, but it should work too. I think anything beyond six would be too much.

The game requires the use of a phone with internet access, the physical clues that come with the game box, and your physical interaction with the city (looking for clues in the real world). I loved how well crafted and clever the clues were. We needed to use a hint for the initial clue, but after that we got the hang of the game and we successfully finished all remaining clues without hints. Working in a group is nice, since one person may have a different perspective on a specific clue and untangle the mystery. And it is not always the same person figuring it out.

Since solving each clue requires that you interact with a specific physical feature of the city, this is a somewhat temporary game, in the sense that in a few months or years one of those physical features will change and the game would not work. I don’t know how the authors are planning to address that issue.

The San Francisco game centers in the financial district/Embarcadero area–roughly the rectangle bounded by Market, Embarcadero, Howard, and 3rd street. I didn’t measure the distance we walked, but it was probably 3 miles total, and it took us close to three hours to finish the game. One of our friends couldn’t quite believe it had been three hours–he thought it was much less time. The time seemed to move quickly as we were having fun and talking while walking in between the different stages of the game.

Since we live near San Francisco, my wife and I have explored the city many times. This game allowed us to focus on some details that we had not quite observed before. So if you know the city, you will still learn new things. Actually, I think this game is better for someone who has already visited a city before. I would not quite recommend it for a first visit to a city, since the game tends to be hyper focused on specific aspects within a small physical area of the city.
Celeste Bean

Rated 5 out of 5

Exceeded all expectations

Completed this with three adult friends, all of whom enjoy escape rooms. Extraordinary attention to detail. Great was to see San Francisco!

The best San Francisco escape room experience

About the escape room game

This escape room adventure around SOMA and the Embarcadero area takes the best parts of an escape room and the best parts of a scavenger hunt and merges them into the most fun thing to do in San Francisco. You get to search for clues hidden in the real world and then use them to solve escape room puzzles. When you solve for a code, the app will tell you where to go look for your next clue! Instead of trying to escape the room, an Escapely adventure takes you to find clues around SOMA and the Embarcadero.

This real world escape room is the most unique escape room in SF. It takes you on a clue-solving adventure around San Francisco to find clues, solve puzzles, and follow an immersive storyline. If you want to keep the experience a surprise, don't read this next bit - it contains some spoilers about where you'll go on our SF escape room adventure and what you'll see along the way.

Escapely's San Francisco escape room begins with a tremor. Your anti-earthquake device is almost finished, but now it looks like you'll need to scramble to complete it in time before the big quake! We recommend starting near Lotta’s Fountain on Kearny Street, which is close to your first clue. You will travel through SOMA to the beautiful Yerba Buena Gardens and walk right by the SOMA bar Local Edition if you want to stop in for a drink.

You will also find clues at Mission Plaza, Urban Park, and Vaillancourt Fountain. San Francisco is known for being hilly, but we made sure the game route flows downhill so that you can save your energy for the escape room. You will finish up at the SF Ferry Building, where we recommend popping in for a bite to eat. It's right on the Embarcadero if you want to head north and see the seals. If you're playing as a family, there are many things to do in SOMA with kids after the escape room, like the Children's Creativity Museum.

San Francisco escape room FAQ

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

SOMA is the perfect place for an outdoor escape room. San Francisco is one of the most walkable cities for an escape room played around town, and we made it travels mostly downhill. SOMA is home to the beautiful Yerba Buena Gardens, which plays a role in the game. In the park is also a Martin Luther King, Jr. memorial, which is definitely worth visiting. The SF MOMA is nearby for art lovers, and the Moscone Center and Oracle Park are both nearby. Escapely's SF escape room ends at the Embarcadero, home to the Ferry Building with its iconic clock tower. If you're playing on a weekend, the farmer's market will be in full swing. But even if you miss it, the food options in the Ferry Building are vast. A little further north, you can catch a ferry to Alcatraz or visit the Exploratorium, San Francisco's science museum.

It's both! In a traditional escape room you must solve puzzles that lead from one to the next to escape the room (or a series of rooms). In Escape the City you must solve puzzles that lead from one to the next, with clues all around the SOMA and Embarcadero neighborhoods.

This SF escape room starts near Lotta's Fountain and ends at the Ferry Building, so you can park at either end. Street parking and parking garages are available, but tend to be expensive. If public transportation is an option, the San Francisco Caltrain stop is less than a 10 minute ride share trip from the start of the game.

There is one location that you will need to enter at the end of the game, but you will not need to make a purchase or interact with any staff (though we recommend grabbing something!). It's a publicly accessible building. All other clues are outside around SOMA.

It's a self-guided adventure around SOMA and ending at the Embarcadero for couples, families, individuals, friend groups, and anyone else looking for a fun thing to do in San Francisco!