For many enthusiasts, escape rooms are an escape from every day, this is why many escape room players enjoy entering the escape room universe on a regular basis. For those looking to increase their escape room skills, this article is geared towards helping you get better at solving escape rooms.

Advice from an Escape Room Veteran:

“If you are new to escape rooms, get ready for an exciting experience. The first thing you should keep in mind is that escape rooms are not just about speed. Yes, there is normally a time element incorporated within your challenge, so you do need to use your time wisely, but escape rooms are more about the puzzles and the logic than overall speed. Once you are in this mindset, you are able to slow down and see the puzzles for what they are.”

Many challenges you face in an escape room have one or two solutions that are usually simple to solve if you just slow down and think about the puzzle. Some of the more challenging escape rooms will require more energy and attention to solve the challenges, but even these escape rooms are manageable if you have paid enough attention to your surroundings.

Below are a few tips from some of our escape room regulars to help you build on your skills:

1. Pay attention to the escape room environment

You need to know where you are, what’s going on around you at all times. Most escape rooms follow a story or a narrative that explains who you are and why you are in this situation. You should take the time to read over any notes or signs in the escape room. If there is no writing in the escape room, find items and make your own notes. Everything about the room has meaning, you just need to understand the purpose.

2. Investigate every nook and cranny

The escape room contains many hidden mysteries, and you must uncover all of these mysteries to successfully escape. Look around the escape room floor for clues, on any surfaces for more clues, on the walls and doors for even more potential clues, and don’t forget to examine furniture, containers, and props for additional clues. Investigate everything.

3. Talk out loud about what you’re doing

Escape rooms are a team event and at times it is easy to get caught up in what you are doing, you simply forget to communicate with your team. If you are not sharing your strategies or talking about clues throughout your escape attempt, you are putting yourself and your team at a disadvantage. Collaborating with your team members not only helps build team cohesiveness, it allows you to harness the power of the collective to solve challenges.

4. Think outside the box

In escape rooms, everything around you usually plays a purpose, but many players often get stuck because their strategy is to focus on what’s in front of them. This can become a problem, as many puzzles require you and your team to think differently and look through a new lens to solve the problem.

With any activity, practice makes perfect, and escape rooms are no different. Continue honing your skills in different types of escape rooms and keep the above tips in mind to help you become better at solving escape rooms.