16 Types of Escape Rooms

You will never get bored hanging out in an escape room. Each is designed to bring you a unique adventure every time you step in to play.

The different types of escape rooms, ranging from linear and non-linear to DIY and technology-driven rooms, served as an amusement to people of varying ages.

Thanks to creative escape room designers and technology, multiple types of escape rooms have come to life over the years—the kind of experiences you can have come a long way since the concept’s inception.

These are appealing not only to kids who love to play but also to adults who find escape room puzzles satisfying. Regardless of group size and age range, you will surely enjoy finding clues and untangling barriers to escape and win.

Given the different formats and themes of exit games, teams can also practice their problem-solving skills — tackling complex or often simpler challenges and solving multiple puzzles simultaneously.

Do you want to experience these fun games with your team? Book a demo with us and explore our exciting themed escape rooms! 

Diversity in escape room games makes them more engaging to participants, pushing them to think outside the box and ensuring there is always a unique escape room adventure to look forward to.

Join us as we discuss the types of escape rooms you can play in, what sets them apart, and how you can find the ideal escape room type for your friend group.

Types of Escape Rooms

There are many types of escape rooms where you can play with your family or friends. A few of those include:

1. Virtual escape room
2. In-person escape room
3. Linear escape room
4. Non-linear escape room
5. Combination of linear and non-linear escape room
6. Scavenger hunt escape room
7. Red herring escape room
8. Visual design room
9. Mental escape room
10. Physical rooms
11. Sensory room
12. Horror escape room
13. Technology-driven escape room
14. Heist/bank robbery escape room
15. Spy/secret agent escape room
16. Movie/TV show-inspired escape room

These 16 types of escape rooms feature varied puzzles and elements. Hence, players must approach each escape game differently. It is vital to think outside the box and add a touch of creativity to your solutions.

Some people do not realize this, which is why they fail to solve puzzles within the specified timeframe. With this in mind, we decided to show you how to distinguish the different types of escape games.

Understanding their differences will help you know how to approach each room. It will also help you find the perfect venue for your group’s skill level and interests.

Are you ready to discover varied escape room types? Keep reading!

1. Virtual Escape Rooms

Virtual escape rooms are the way to go if you are looking for an excellent team-building activity for remote teams. Virtual escape rooms ensure that distance will NOT stop you from having fun with your friends and workmates.

While they do not have the same ambiance as in-person options, virtual escape rooms also offer an exhilarating experience with unique storylines and interactive challenges. A few examples of popular virtual escape games are:

1. Remote Livestream Escape Rooms: Players interact with a game master who directs them via live feed to explore the virtual space and solve puzzles found within.
2. Point and Click Escape Rooms: These are fully digital versions where players click through to interact with the virtual environment, uncover clues, and solve puzzles.
3. Live-hosted Escape Rooms: A host or game master leads the participants through the story live over video conferencing platforms, guiding them through puzzles and challenges that can be solved with input from all participants.

2. In-Person Escape Rooms

The most common type of escape room games are in-person ones. In this format, all players are physically present in the area, making the escape room experience MORE IMMERSIVE.

Players must manually tackle physical puzzles, find messages hidden in plain sight or obscure spots, and work with massive puzzle games that are sometimes life-sized in order to escape.

Excellent communication and problem-solving skills are vital when playing, especially if multiple players are involved.

Aside from your team, you might also need to interact with escape room staff to ask for guidance or hints during the game, depending on its mechanics and the availability of game guides for your specific room type.

Playing in in-person escape rooms is an excellent choice if you want a truly immersive escape room adventure. The real-life props and storyline transport you to a different dimension, and this works perfectly in horror-themed or fantasy-inspired rooms.

PRO TIP: When playing in person, it is highly recommended to wear comfortable clothes. This ensures that you feel at ease, even when playing in a small game area with large groups.

3. Linear Escape Rooms

A linear escape room is the best choice for smaller teams and beginners. It has few intricacies and features a precise sequence for its narrative, clues, and puzzles.

Linear games focus on SIMPLICITY and CLARITY, encouraging team engagement more than accomplishing multiple puzzles and surpassing a number of escape rooms within the time limit.

4. Non-Linear Escape Rooms

A non-linear escape room is the complete opposite of linear games. Instead of featuring one puzzle per challenge, you will have to tackle complex challenges and meta-puzzles that require several clues to solve.

Non-linear games are not sequential. Larger groups will have the most fun compared to smaller teams, especially since they can solve multiple puzzles simultaneously.

PRO TIP: When playing in non-linear escape rooms, splitting your large team into smaller groups is strategically sound so you can all work on different challenges and maximize the time you are given.

5. Combination of Linear and Non-Linear Escape Rooms

Most escape rooms offer a mix of non-linear and linear puzzles, accommodating large groups that can work together in smaller clusters when needed.

Here, team members must solve several puzzle tracks QUICKLY and SIMULTANEOUSLY, leading you to have fewer and fewer puzzles until you reach the final challenge.

Given the amount of mixed non-linear and linear puzzle pieces to be solved in a limited time, it would be wise for teams to split the tasks, ensuring that every member is doing something and reporting their findings back to the main group.

6. Scavengers

Scavenger hunt escape rooms are perfect for adventurous people who love to go on a quest to find hidden objects, such as keys or puzzle pieces.

Besides looking for prominent objects, scavenger hunting involves solving written puzzles to crack codes and open chests and doors that hold the keys to freedom.

In a scavenger hunt, players must be quick thinkers and observant to easily spot objects hidden in obscure spots.

7. Red Herring

Red herring escape rooms often feature distracting objects or clues only meant to UPSET and CONFUSE the players. This makes other puzzles appear difficult to solve.

Red herrings are time-consuming due to their tendency to divert participants from their problem-solving quest.

8. Visual Design Rooms

Escape games heavily leveraging visual design can be the most appealing because of their commitment to creating varied atmospheres. Still, they can be tricky for players at the same time.

Here, you need to focus on the minute details and decorations as these may hold the answers to the mystery you are dying to solve.

9. Mental Escape Rooms

A mental escape room requires LOGICAL THINKING. Aside from the typical linear and non-linear puzzles, you must also decipher codes and solve riddles.

To make the room more appealing, companies sometimes integrate custom codes and ciphers to enhance the thematic relevance of the game to the overall story the room is trying to tell.

10. Physical Rooms

Physical rooms feature physical puzzles that must be manipulated and solved manually, such as mechanical and jigsaw puzzles, numeric locks, and passing through mazes.

These greatly emphasize the need for TEAMWORK and COMMUNICATION so you can easily finish the puzzles within the time limit.

11. Sensory Rooms

Sensory rooms feature sensory puzzles that require players to rely on their hearing, sight, smell, and touch.

They often integrate subtle sounds, colorful UV lights, tactile surfaces, distinct smells, and themed scents, such as salty air, for pirate adventures.

12. Horror Escape Rooms

In dark and eerie rooms, horror-inspired elements are included to evoke fear and suspense among players.

The puzzles and challenges are often aligned with the horror theme, creating a thrilling and adrenaline-pumping experience where the race against time is often a matter of life or death.

13. Technology-Driven Escape Rooms

Technology-driven escape rooms leverage advanced gadgets and electronics to make the gameplay MORE INTERACTIVE.

Puzzles may be integrated with augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), or other high-tech elements, adding a futuristic dimension to the experience. This works best in science-fiction-themed games.

14. Heist/Bank Robbery Escape Rooms

Heist or bank robbery rooms involve participants planning and executing a virtual robbery.

Puzzles likely center around cracking numeric locks, bypassing security and inventory systems, and completing the heist within a set time.

15. Spy/Secret Agent Escape Rooms

In these escape rooms, players act as secret agents or spies. Puzzles integrated in this type of game revolve around espionage and undercover missions.

Some challenges you will encounter in these scenarios involve breaking codes, deciphering secret messages, and engaging in covert operations to accomplish the mission.

16. Movie/TV Show-Inspired Escape Rooms

In these rooms, movie and TV show fans can portray their favorite characters and recreate iconic scenes and storylines.

Players will solve puzzles directly linked to the narrative, allowing them to genuinely relish their personas.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Let us answer some more escape room questions before wrapping up!

How Many Types of Escape Rooms Are There?

In this article, we listed 16 different types of escape rooms, including virtual, linear, non-linear, and physical, among others.

What is the Most Popular Type of Escape Room?

An in-person escape room is the most popular type, offering a more immersive experience to players.

What Makes Escape Rooms Unique?

Escape rooms are enhanced with themes, realistic props, background music, and engaging narratives in addition to engaging games.

Key Takeaways on the Different Types of Escape Rooms

Escape rooms offer diverse adventures that blend entertainment with educational benefits, enhancing problem-solving skills and fostering teamwork among players.

They cater to various interests and skill levels, making them IDEAL for beginners and enthusiasts alike.

This variety ensures that every escape room adventure is a unique opportunity to challenge the mind and strengthen bonds among players.

For those seeking engaging online experiences, Escapely’s virtual escape rooms provide a convenient and immersive option. Contact us at hello@escapely.com or 702.747.3009, and do not miss out on a fun escape room experience!