Escape rooms have become one of the more unique yet popular forms of entertainment in recent years - and the best escape rooms in NYC are some of the very best. The concept involves locking a group of people in a room who must then work together to figure out the puzzle or discover clues necessary to escape in a set time. It is fun due to the nature of spending time with people you enjoy while also stimulating the mind in the form of a challenge.

New York City has many impressive escape room options for those in the area or visiting to experience. We will look at the different themes or appeals that make the better ones stand out above the rest. Find out which escape rooms are worth checking out as we name the top fifteen best escape rooms in New York City. Another fun group activity to enjoy is corn mazes like the Great Vermont Corn Maze.

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UPDATE: 2023/04/20 15:44 EST BY AARON SPRAY

Even More Of The Best Escape Rooms In NYC

NYC is the largest city in the United States and is home to some of the country's best escape rooms. NYC has a wide range of great escape rooms to choose from that offer a fun and exciting experience for groups to enjoy. This list was updated and expanded with even more of the best escape rooms to NYC worth paying for.

15 Brooklyn Escape Room - Medieval Dungeon

Escape the room game concept
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Escape the room game concept

The Medieval Dungeon is the best escape room provided by the Brooklyn Escape Room. Each person is blindfolded and placed into a different room to start the adventure. The spooky rooms will have everyone from the group trying to find their way out. It is, without a doubt, one of the best escape rooms in NYC.

Dark hallways add a fun atmosphere each step of the way. The Medieval Dungeon has some old-school decorative items that add to the overall environment. This escape room is located on Pacific Street in the Brooklyn region of New York City. If one is traveling to London - explore the spookier side of London at the London Dungeon.

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14 Shipwrecked - Mission: Reactor

The shipwreck Peter Iredale in Fort Stevens State Park
Nadia Yong / Shutterstock
The shipwreck Peter Iredale in Fort Stevens State Park

Shipwrecked is one of the more entertaining places in New York to have a fun time. The venue is mostly known for its mini-golf course with pirate ship themes, but they have extended to have a few escape rooms available to choose from if you’re into that experience.

Brooklyn is home to the Mission: Reactor, which is the best of the escape rooms. Shipwrecked created an escape room where everyone must work together to get out before the time limit expires. You get the best of all worlds with the escape room, mini-golf course, and arcade games. Fun (but unrelated) fact: an old Spanish treasure galleon with billions of dollars of gold on it has been recently discovered).

13 Komnata Quest - The Impossible Murder Mystery

A shot of NYC's dramatic skyline with many of the city's iconic buildings in the distance
Photo by Patrick Tomasso on Unsplash
A shot of NYC's dramatic skyline with many of the city's iconic buildings in the distance

Komnata Quest has a few great escape room options to choose from in New York's Brooklyn area. One of the more interesting ones is the Impossible Murder Mystery. The participants must solve clues to try and escape the room.

Murder is the main theme. as you are tasked with figuring out who did it. The Impossible Murder Mystery provides a great scenario similar to movie and television show storylines. This is a standout experience from Komnata Quest, one that should provide an entertaining evening.

12 OMEscape - The Penitentiary

Escape Game Clues
Photo by Clockedindk on Pixabay
Escape Game Clues

The Manhattan area of New York City is the home of the OMEscape escape rooms. Fans of escape rooms will likely enjoy The Penitentiary the most out of all the options. The group is placed in a prison after a serial killer escapes.

OMEscape leaves you a few clues from his escape as the group attempts to figure out how to get out as well. The time limit gives enough opportunity to look over the scene, but the clues must be figured out at a fast-enough rate to escape The Penitentiary before it is too late.

11 Clue Chase - The Ultimate Heist

View from the water of New York City, NY
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Night lights from New York City's skyscrapers reflect on the river in New York. 

Clue Chase offers a few impressive escape rooms in the Midtown Manhattan area of New York City. The Ultimate Heist stands out as arguably the most popular. A group spends an hour trying to figure out the puzzles, riddles, and clues to pull off a heist.

The story features a legendary thief stealing a fabulous artifact. Everyone must work together to not only stop the thief but pull off a heist to get it back. Anyone with an interest in heist movies should try to visit this Clue Chase room.

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10 Escape The Room NYC - The Clock Tower

Escape Room Keys
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Escape Room Keys

The Escape the Room NYC brand offers The Clock Tower as its standout escape room. This is one of the harder escape rooms and requires a lot of critical thinking and teamwork to pull off the victory before the time expires.

The puzzles are quite imaginative, combining elements of time travel, repairs, and escapes all within the story. Many people have failed this escape room, so make sure you’re up to the task before visiting. The Clock Tower is usually not the first escape room one tries out, but it does become the favorite once you get used to the game.

9 Mission Escape Games - Escape the Nemesis

Group of young adults inspecting wooden rosary in Escape Room
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Group of young adults inspecting wooden rosary in Escape Room

Mission Escape Games delivers a fun story for its Escape the Nemesis room. You’re aboard the USS Nemesis, trying to stop humanity from being destroyed. Puzzles, clues, and riddles are all provided to make the right moves to continue progressing in the story.

Each step adds another layer to the game as the participants seek to save the day. Escape the Nemesis is quite tough, and there is a chance the group will lose the game by (figuratively) dying. Luckily, that just makes the overall experience all that more fun!

8 Komnata Quest - 7 Sinful Pleasures

Escape room stylized under laboratory
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Escape room stylized under a laboratory

Another Komnata Quest makes the list with a bit more of a risqué escape room. 7 Sinful Pleasures is a room made for adults with the inclusion of adult toys and concepts as part of the story. Agents have disappeared in this red-light room, which acts as the setup for the story's central mystery.

The task is to figure out just what’s going on in this wild place. 7 Sinful Pleasure combines various forms of entertainment to provide a unique experience. If the bolder nature of this Komnata Quest concept appeals to you, it is one of a kind and worth finding in Brooklyn.

7 BrainXcape - Haunted Hotel

Brooklyn, NYC
Photo by Kyler Boone on Unsplash
Brooklyn, NYC

The Haunted Hotel name should be more than enough to capture someone's curiosity. Various movies and books have shown just how fascinating the story of a haunted hotel can be. The visual of a bloody hand on the wall starts the game on a high note.

BrainXcape delivers a great story and sense of atmosphere with The Haunted Hotel. The location in Manhattan makes it quite popular as people are tempted to give the escape room a try. If you’ve ever watched a haunted hotel movie, this is the BrainXcape option for you.

6 Exit Escape Room - High-Speed NYC

Escape room during corporate event
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Escape room during corporate event

The New York theme is perfectly adapted in this Exit Escape Room option called High-Speed NYC. Your group is trapped in a speeding subway car, much like the actual trains you’ll likely ride to get to this Manhattan location. The goal of the game is to save yourself and everyone else on board.

Various unique puzzles should give you a way out if you and your friends are able to figure it out before time runs out. High-Speed NYC is the perfect escape for any New Yorker, given the ties to the MTA. The annoying train rides come to life with a bold escape room based on something slightly realistic.

A taxi driving across the Brooklyn Bridge, NYC
Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash
A taxi driving across the Brooklyn Bridge, NYC

Beat The Bomb is one of the most popular escape rooms in NYC, and it offers the next generation of immersive group entertainment. Guests can choose from a range of 1-hour missions. Suit up in hazmat gear, dodge lasers, and crack codes to Beat The Bomb. Add this piece of entertainment to one's list of things to do in NYC!

  • Tickets: $44.95 to $69.95 (Per Player)

Beat The Bomb was founded in 2017 and blends an immersive theater, 80s movies, and, of course, an escape room. The games are for small groups of four to six people who need to work together. At the end of the game, they need to confront a paint or foam bomb (don't wear the best clothes).

4 Escape Room Madness (5th Floor)

Brooklyn Bridge at night, New York City
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Brooklyn Bridge at night, New York City

Escape Room Madness boasts the largest escape room in New York City and provides one of the most entertaining, thrilling, and adrenaline-inducing experiences. All their experiences have been creatively designed (by engineers, designers, and mathematicians). These challenges have been made to challenge one's intellect and problem-solving abilities.

All of the rooms are private experiences, and pricing is based on the total number of people in the group. The rooms are designed for adults and teenagers (each room has a different age limit). No matter if it's for corporate bonding, a family activity, or a group of friends, Escape Room Madness will be mountains of fun.

3 Hour To Exit - Great For Dates

New York City's beautiful skyline
Photo by Florian Wehde on Unsplash
New York City's beautiful skyline

Another of the best escape rooms in NYC is Hour To Exit. Hour To Exit is located in downtown New Rochelle and is a great option for all players aged 10 and up. Hour To Exit costs $37.50 per player and includes puzzles, clues, and hints that players need to find, decipher, and solve. The escape room was created by escape game enthusiasts and is ideal for family bonding and corporate team bonding - and even for dates.

2 Epic Escape Rooms Long Island - Tailored For Every Group

A night view of Times Square, NYC
Photo by Andreas Niendorf on Unsplash
A night view of Times Square, NYC

Long Island has some of the best escape rooms in NYC, and one of them is Epic Escape Rooms Long Island. These escape rooms offer an atmosphere that's fun and immersive. Players need to exercise teamwork, critical thinking, and good communication. The games are tailored for every group depending on its size as well as the age of the participants. Come for a birthday party, work function, date, or anything and enjoy the thrill of solving imaginative puzzles.

1 Puzzle Out - A Great Option On The Other Side Of The Hudson

Aerial panorama of Jersey City skyline at sunset.
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A photo of an Aerial panorama of Jersey City skyline at sunset.

Some of the best escape rooms in NYC are just across the river in New Jersey (so technically not NYC - but more the Tri-State area). Puzzle Out is a great option for those on the other side of the Hudson River. They have escape rooms in both Jersey City and Hoboken. Every team has 60 minutes to find the clues, solve the puzzles and escape from the room!