Escape rooms can offer individuals the chance to play a game unlike any other – and if you like puzzles and adventure, you’re likely to have a great time. With so many options around the world, it’s a popular activity for friends, families and even co-workers to enjoy.

f you’ve never been to one before, it might be worth learning a little more about them and what it’s like to go to your first escape room.

What can you expect from your first time?

You’ll be in a team of 8-10 people, locked in a room with puzzles to solve before the time runs out (typically an hour). Most will have a theme or storyline, helping to make the experience feel more immersive for the players trying to escape. The premise of an escape room is simple enough and will leave plenty of room for creativity from the designers, so you should be able to find one that ticks all of the right boxes – and this is just perfect for anyone who wants to try more than one down the line.

Teams will often have to work together to solve the puzzles, which makes cooperation essential to the experience. This is part of the fun for many people going with friends, and helps it make it a perfect team-building exercise for groups who work together and struggle to find common ground.

In most cases, you don’t need to do anything prior to entering the room, although it can be worth taking a quick bathroom break, drinking some water and having a snack and wearing comfy clothing (unless you want to dress up for the experience of course).

Fun for all experience levels

Some can certainly be quite challenging and if you’re new to it all, you might be wondering if they might be a little too complex for a beginner. Don’t worry though, even if it’s your first time, you’re likely to enjoy yourself if you pick the right one.

Even if you’re not a great puzzle-solver, it can still be worthwhile to go to an escape room for a fun day out (although it does help if you enjoy puzzles, since that’s often the aim of the game).

How do you choose the right one?

A great example of one you should pay a visit to is codetoexit.com, which offers three great escape rooms, each with its own exciting puzzles and authentic atmospheres to give you a thrilling and challenging 60 minutes. Each provider should offer something different to their competitors to keep their escape rooms playable, so if you enjoy your first, you’ll have many more to try out.