34 escape room puzzle ideas, each with a worked example and its solution
DIY puzzles in 8 types, each with what you need, how it works and a solved example. Plus a free cipher maker and a complete office escape room you can run this week.
These escape room puzzle ideas are for people building a room themselves: for a team afternoon, a classroom or a birthday party at home. Every puzzle lists what to gather and comes with one worked example you can copy as it is. After the list you will find how to chain puzzles into a 45-minute room, how to give hints, and a five-puzzle office escape room with every card written out. Still choosing a story? Start with our escape room themes.
34 escape room puzzle ideas by type
The best escape room puzzles are easy to explain and have exactly one answer. Pick one or two from each type so that the reader, the searcher and the number person on the team each get a turn.
Jump to: CiphersHidden objectsNumber locksLogicPaper and jigsawsPropsLight and soundDigital locks
Ciphers and codes (5)
A message nobody can read until they find the key. Cheap to make and easy to theme.
1. Caesar shift note
Shift every letter the same number of places down the alphabet. Hide the shift number somewhere on the note, such as three paper clips on its corner.
You need: Paper, a pen and the cipher maker below.
Example. The note reads ORRN XQGHU WKH UXJ. Three paper clips are clipped to one corner.
Show the solution
Three clips means a shift of 3. Move each letter back 3 places: LOOK UNDER THE RUG.
2. A1Z26 number code
Swap each letter for its place in the alphabet: A is 1, B is 2, Z is 26. Dashes split letters and a slash splits words.
You need: Paper and a pen. An alphabet strip on the wall helps first-time players.
Example. A sticky note on a monitor reads 4-5-19-11 / 20-23-15.
Show the solution
4 is D, 5 is E, 19 is S, 11 is K, then T, W, O: DESK TWO. The next clue is at desk two.
3. Backwards message
Write the clue with its letters in reverse order. It looks like nonsense until someone reads it from right to left.
You need: Paper and a pen.
Example. A card on the windowsill reads REWARD POT EHT NEPO.
Show the solution
Read it from the last letter to the first: OPEN THE TOP DRAWER.
4. Phone keypad code
Each letter is the key it sits on: press once for the first letter on that key, twice for the second, three times for the third.
You need: A printed picture of a phone keypad, or an old desk phone.
Example. A message slip reads 555 / 666 / 222 / 55.
Show the solution
5 three times is L, 6 three times is O, 2 three times is C, 5 twice is K: LOCK.
5. Book cipher
Give pairs of numbers: the line, then the word on that line. Players count their way to each word.
You need: Any book, magazine or printed memo that stays in the room.
Example. A memo on the wall has three lines: "The printer on floor two is fixed", "Please look after it this time", "Paper is kept under the stairs". The code card says 2-2, 3-4, 1-1, 1-2.
Show the solution
Line 2, word 2 is LOOK. Line 3, word 4 is UNDER. Line 1, words 1 and 2 are THE PRINTER. The clue is LOOK UNDER THE PRINTER.
Make your own coded clue
Type the message your players should end up with, pick a code and copy the result onto a card. It runs in your browser, so nothing you type is sent anywhere.
Coded clue
WKH NHB LV XQGHU WKH SODQW
Key: shift 3. A becomes D, so players move each letter back 3.
Hidden objects (4)
Searching is half the fun of a room. Always point to the hiding place with a clue, so finding it is solving, not luck.
6. Riddle to a hiding place
Tape the key where nobody looks by accident, then point to the spot with a riddle instead of a map.
You need: A key or a folded clue, tape and a chair.
Example. The card reads: I have a seat, a back and four legs, but I never walk. Look beneath me.
Show the solution
A chair. The key is taped under the seat.
7. The marked book
Hide a slip inside one book. An earlier clue names the book and the page.
You need: A shelf of books or binders and a paper slip.
Example. The previous lock held a note: the only red book, where chapter 7 begins. A slip at that page reads 4-1-9.
Show the solution
Find the red book, open it at the first page of chapter 7 and read the slip: 419.
8. Balloon pop
Put the slip in one balloon before you inflate it and leave the rest empty. An earlier answer names the right color.
You need: Ten balloons in mixed colors, one paper slip and a pin locked in an earlier box. With children, an adult does the popping.
Example. The last puzzle's answer was GREEN. One green balloon hangs among nine others.
Show the solution
Pop the green balloon. The slip inside reads 2-7-5.
9. Behind the picture
Tape the next clue to the back of one frame. The answer to the previous puzzle is what that picture shows.
You need: Three framed pictures or posters, an envelope and tape.
Example. The previous answer was SAILBOAT. The room has pictures of a lighthouse, a sailboat and a mountain.
Show the solution
Lift the sailboat picture off the wall. The envelope is taped to the back.
Need more clues that point at a place? Borrow from our 85 scavenger hunt clues, or pick a harder one from our riddles for adults.
Number lock puzzles (4)
Each of these ends in three or four digits for a combination lock.
10. Symbol math
Give objects secret values in simple equations. The code is the values in the order shown on the lock's label.
You need: A whiteboard or a printed card, and a three-digit lock.
Example. Stapler + stapler = 10. Stapler + pen = 8. Pen x clip = 12. The label on the lock shows a stapler, a pen and a clip.
Show the solution
The stapler is 5, the pen is 3 and the clip is 4. The code is 534.
11. Calendar code
Circle dates in different months. A note tells players which order to read them in.
You need: A wall calendar and a marker.
Example. March 4, July 19 and December 2 are circled. The note says: earliest to latest, days only.
Show the solution
4, then 19, then 2: the code is 4192.
12. Receipt total
Tear the total off the bottom. Players add the items to get it back.
You need: A handwritten or printed receipt and a three-digit lock.
Example. Coffee 3.50, bagel 2.25, tip 1.25. The total is torn off and the lock's tag says: what did I pay?
Show the solution
3.50 + 2.25 + 1.25 = 7.00. The code is 700.
13. Stopped clocks
Set each clock to an exact hour and label the clocks first, second and third.
You need: Three paper clocks, or three wall clocks with the batteries out.
Example. The first clock shows 2 o'clock, the second 9 o'clock and the third 5 o'clock.
Show the solution
Read the hours in label order: 295.
Logic puzzles (4)
No props at all, only statements that fit one answer. Good for the middle of a room, when the team has warmed up.
14. Locker deduction
Write statements that fit only one arrangement. Check every arrangement yourself before you print.
You need: A printed card with two or three statements.
Example. Ana, Ben and Cy have lockers 1, 2 and 3. Ana is not in locker 1. Ben's locker number is higher than Ana's. The lock wants the lockers of Ana, Ben and Cy, in that order.
Show the solution
Ana is not in 1, and not in 3 because Ben's number is higher. So Ana is 2, Ben is 3 and Cy is 1. The code is 231.
15. One true note
Tell players that exactly one note is true. Opening a wrong box costs a five-minute penalty, so they have to reason first.
You need: Three small boxes or envelopes, each with a note on the lid.
Example. Box A: the key is in this box. Box B: the key is not in this box. Box C: the key is not in box A. Exactly one note is true.
Show the solution
If the key were in A, notes A and B would both be true. In C, notes B and C would both be true. In B, only note C is true. Open box B.
16. Odd one out
Four words share a hidden property. The number behind the fifth is the clue.
You need: Five word cards with a number on the back of each.
Example. The cards read LEVEL, RADAR, CIVIC, ROTOR and RIVER.
Show the solution
Four of them read the same backwards and forwards. RIVER does not, so turn over RIVER.
17. Put them in order
Clues fix the order. The digits, read in that order, are the code.
You need: Four photos or cards with a digit on the back of each.
Example. Four photos have digits on the back: mountain 7, forest 3, beach 8, city 1. The city photo was taken last. The forest was taken right after the mountain. The mountain was taken before the beach.
Show the solution
Mountain, forest, beach, city. The code is 7381.
Paper and jigsaw puzzles (4)
A printer and scissors are enough for these.
18. Two-sided jigsaw
Print a picture on the front and a code on the back, then cut the sheet into eight or nine pieces. Hand out pieces as rewards from other puzzles.
You need: One sheet of card printed on both sides, and scissors.
Example. The front is a floor plan of the office. The back has 6-0-2 written large across the whole sheet.
Show the solution
Build the floor plan, tape it together and flip it over: 602.
19. Fold-to-read page
Extra lines of text hide the message. Folding them out of sight leaves only the lines that matter.
You need: One printed page with two pairs of dotted fold lines.
Example. The page has five lines: THE CODE, then "is not on this page", then IS SEVEN, then "days late again", then ONE NINE. Dotted lines run above and below lines two and four.
Show the solution
Fold lines two and four under. What is left reads THE CODE IS SEVEN ONE NINE: 719.
20. First-letter quiz
The first letters of the answers spell a word. The word names where to look next, or opens a word lock.
You need: A card with four easy questions.
Example. The opposite of night. Not closed. The number after zero. The color of a stop sign.
Show the solution
DAY, OPEN, ONE, RED. The first letters spell DOOR.
21. Maze with numbers
Write digits along the paths. Only the digits on the one route from start to exit count, in the order players pass them.
You need: A printed maze and a pencil.
Example. The correct route passes 4, then 1, then 7. Two dead ends hold a 2 and a 9.
Show the solution
Trace the route from start to exit and write down each digit you cross: 417.
Prop puzzles (4)
Something to hold, pour or measure. These are the puzzles people talk about afterwards.
22. Fishing with a magnet
Players can see the note but cannot reach it. The magnet is locked behind an earlier puzzle.
You need: A tall narrow vase, a note rolled around a paper clip and a magnet on a string.
Example. A rolled note sits at the bottom of a vase taped to the table. The box from puzzle two holds a magnet on a string.
Show the solution
Lower the magnet, catch the paper clip and lift the note out. It reads: the word is HARBOR.
23. Float it up
Write the code on the ball and drop it in the tube. Nobody can tip the tube, but water lifts the ball.
You need: A tall clear tube fixed to the table, a ping-pong ball and bottles of water.
Example. A ball marked 6-0-3 lies at the bottom of the tube. Two bottles of water are in the previous lockbox.
Show the solution
Pour water into the tube until the ball floats to the top, then read it: 603.
24. Playing card order
Pin up four number cards, one of each suit, in a jumble. A note tells players how to sort the suits.
You need: Four playing cards and tape.
Example. On the wall: the 9 of hearts, the 4 of spades, the 7 of clubs and the 2 of diamonds. The note says: sort the suits from A to Z.
Show the solution
Clubs, diamonds, hearts, spades: the code is 7294.
25. Measure it
Cut each ribbon to a whole number of centimeters. The lengths are the digits.
You need: Three ribbons in different colors, and a ruler locked in an earlier box.
Example. The red ribbon is 4 cm long, the white one 9 cm and the blue one 6 cm. The lock's tag says: red, white, blue.
Show the solution
Measure each ribbon and read the lengths in tag order: 496.
Light and sound puzzles (4)
Clues you cannot read until you change the light, or cannot see at all.
26. Invisible ink
Write the code where the page looks blank. Lock the flashlight behind a different puzzle, so players find the tool before they know what it is for.
You need: A UV pen and a small UV flashlight.
Example. The back of a team photo looks empty. The flashlight comes out of the second lockbox.
Show the solution
Shine the UV light on the back of the photo. It shows 3-1-8.
27. Red reveal
Write the clue in light blue, then scribble over it in red until it is hard to read. Seen through red film, the red scribble fades and the blue writing turns dark.
You need: A light blue pen, a red marker and a sheet of red cellophane or a red plastic folder.
Example. A card covered in red scribble sits on the desk. A red plastic folder is on the shelf.
Show the solution
Lay the folder over the card and read the writing that appears: CHECK THE COAT RACK.
28. Morse code flashes
Record the word as short and long flashes, with a clear pause between letters. Leave the chart in plain sight.
You need: A phone video of a flashing light and a printed Morse code chart.
Example. The video flashes: short. Long, short, short, long. Short, short. Long.
Show the solution
E, X, I, T. The word is EXIT.
29. Knock code
Knock a digit, pause, then knock the next. Loop the recording so teams can listen again.
You need: A phone recording of knocks on a table.
Example. Three knocks, a pause, one knock, a pause, four knocks.
Show the solution
Count each group: 314.
Digital locks for remote teams (5)
Everything here runs in a video call with free tools, so nobody needs a padlock.
30. Form that checks the answer
Put each puzzle in its own section. Mark the answer box as required and add a validation rule to it, so the form only moves on when the answer matches.
You need: A free form builder with answer validation, such as Google Forms.
Example. Section one shows a coded word and asks: what is the password? The validation rule accepts only EXIT.
Show the solution
Solve the code, type EXIT and the form opens section two.
31. Password-protected file
The password is the answer to the previous puzzle. Send the locked file to everyone at the start, so they can see what they are working toward.
You need: A PDF or document saved with a password.
Example. Everyone has a file called final-clue.pdf. The riddle in the meeting chat has the answer LANTERN.
Show the solution
Open the file with the password LANTERN.
32. Hidden layer on a slide
Put a text box with the code underneath a large picture. Players only find it if someone thinks to move the picture.
You need: A shared slide deck that everyone can edit.
Example. Slide 3 shows a photo of a closed door. The slide title says: sometimes you have to move things.
Show the solution
Drag the photo aside. The text box underneath reads CODE 5521.
33. Spreadsheet that answers back
Players type answers in column B. A formula in column C shows a letter only when the answer is right. Anyone who clicks a formula cell can read the answer in it, so make that against the rules.
You need: A shared spreadsheet.
Example. Row 2 asks for the first puzzle's answer, and cell C2 holds =IF(LOWER(B2)="desk","K",""). Rows 3 and 4 work the same way and give E and Y.
Show the solution
Type the three correct answers and column C spells KEY.
34. Split information
Give half the team the coded message and the other half the key. Nobody may share a screen, so they have to describe what they see.
You need: Breakout rooms, or two private chat messages.
Example. Room one gets 7-15 / 20-15 / 19-12-9-4-5 / 6-15-21-18. Room two gets: A is 1, B is 2, C is 3 and so on.
Show the solution
Read the numbers aloud and convert them together: GO TO SLIDE FOUR.
Want to see digital locks in action first? Play our free online escape room or the free Christmas escape room. Both run in a browser and check each answer for you.
How to chain escape room puzzles into a 45-minute room
A pile of puzzles is not a room yet. A room is a chain: each answer opens something, and the last one opens the prize. There are three shapes to choose from.
- A line. Each answer opens the next puzzle. Easiest to build and to hint, and right for a first room or a team of three to five.
- A hub. Three puzzles are open at once and each gives one digit of the final lock. Use it for six or more players, so nobody stands and watches.
- A mix. Start with one puzzle everyone solves together, split into two or three in the middle and finish with one lock.
Build the chain in 6 steps
- Start from the last lock. Decide what the final answer opens: a box of treats, the door, a sealed envelope with the winner's certificate.
- Work backwards. Each puzzle's answer must be exactly what the next step needs: three digits for a three-digit lock, a word, or a place in the room.
- Alternate the types. Follow a code with something physical, then logic. Different people get to be the one who cracks it.
- Open with an easy win. The first puzzle should fall in under five minutes. It teaches the team how your room thinks.
- End on a puzzle that reuses earlier answers. It rewards the team that kept notes and makes the finish feel earned.
- Number everything. Label envelopes and locks so a team always knows what an answer opens.
A 45-minute time plan
Five puzzles in a line. Later puzzles get more time because they are harder and the team is tired.
- Briefing and story
- 3 min
- Puzzle 1, the easy win
- 5 min
- Puzzle 2
- 7 min
- Puzzle 3
- 8 min
- Puzzle 4
- 8 min
- Puzzle 5, the final lock
- 9 min
- Buffer for hints and resets
- 5 min
- Total
- 45 min
How to tune difficulty and give hints
Aim for a room most teams finish with a few minutes left. A team that escapes at minute 41 remembers a great game. A team that runs out of time on puzzle three remembers being stuck.
To make a puzzle easier
- Put a worked example on the card.
- Leave the key next to the cipher instead of across the room.
- Shorten the code from four digits to three.
- Mark clues that are used up with a sticker.
- Say out loud how many puzzles are left.
To make it harder
- Move the key to a different part of the room.
- Chain two steps: a cipher that names a place, and a number puzzle waiting there.
- Split the information between two people who cannot show each other their cards.
- Take two minutes off the clock for each hint.
Write three hints for every puzzle
Write them before the game, not during it. Here is the ladder for the Caesar shift note, puzzle 1 in the list.
- A nudge: where to look. "Have you counted the paper clips?"
- The method: what to do. "Every letter has moved three places down the alphabet. Move them back."
- The answer. "It says: look under the rug."
Offer the first hint after five minutes without progress, and let teams ask for one at any time. Nobody should feel bad for asking: a hint is part of the game, not a penalty.
How many puzzles for which group
- Children aged 6 to 8
- 3 puzzles in 20 minutes
- Children aged 9 to 12
- 4 puzzles in 30 minutes
- Teens and first-time adults
- 5 puzzles in 45 minutes
- Adults who have played before
- 6 or 7 puzzles in 60 minutes
How to design an escape room at home, including for a birthday party
A DIY escape room at home needs one room, an hour of preparation and things you already own. For a birthday party, the trick is to make the party itself the prize.
- Pick one room and set the limits. Put tape on anything players should not open or move. Nobody has fun searching a drawer that was never part of the game.
- Make the prize the final lock. At a birthday party that is the cake, the party bags or the first present. The game ends when the party's best moment starts.
- Choose puzzles for the youngest player. Use the table above for how many, then pick from the birthday list below.
- Use envelopes instead of locks. Write the puzzle number on each envelope. An adult plays the lock and hands over the next one when the answer is right.
- Play in teams of three to five. For a bigger party, print two sets and let two teams race in different rooms, or run the teams one after another.
- Do a dry run. Ask someone who is not playing to try every puzzle. Fix the spot where they get stuck.
DIY escape room ideas for a birthday party, by age
All of these are in the list above, with examples you can reuse.
- Ages 6 to 8
- Riddle to a hiding place, Balloon pop, Two-sided jigsaw
- Ages 9 to 12
- A1Z26 number code, Symbol math, First-letter quiz, Red reveal
- Teens and adults
- Caesar shift note, One true note, Invisible ink, Float it up, Put them in order
A ready-to-run office escape room: Operation Cake
5 puzzles · 45 minutes · 3 to 6 players a team · 20 minutes of setup
Everything below is ready to copy onto cards. It uses envelopes instead of padlocks, with the host as the lock, so the only thing you may want to buy is one three-digit lock for the treats.
Read this to the team
The office manager locked the team's celebration cake in the supply cabinet, then left for the airport with the key. She left five puzzles and one promise: solve them all and the last answer opens the cabinet. The party starts in 45 minutes.
What you need
- Five envelopes, numbered 1 to 5
- Paper, a pen and tape
- Four mugs
- A box, a cabinet or a bag with a three-digit lock. No lock? The host keeps the treats and plays the lock.
- Treats to put inside
Puzzle 1: The sticky note
Built on: A1Z26 number code · 5 minutes
Setup. Write the numbers on a card and put it in envelope 1. Hand envelope 1 to the team to start the clock. Tape envelope 2 to the side of the coffee machine.
The card in envelope 1
3-15-6-6-5-5 / 13-1-3-8-9-14-5
A is 1. Z is 26.
Show the solution and hints
Solution. Each number is a letter's place in the alphabet. The card says COFFEE MACHINE, and envelope 2 is taped to it.
First hint. Read the second line again. What would 3 be?
Second hint. 3 is C and 15 is O. Keep going, one number at a time.
Puzzle 2: Mug math
Built on: Symbol math · 7 minutes
Setup. Write the four lines on a card and put it in envelope 2. The team tells the host the code to get envelope 3.
The card in envelope 2
Mug + mug = 12
Mug + spoon = 9
Spoon x sugar = 15
Code: mug, sugar, spoon
Show the solution and hints
Solution. The mug is 6, the spoon is 3 and the sugar is 5. In the order mug, sugar, spoon, the code is 653.
First hint. Start with the line that has only one kind of object.
Second hint. Two mugs make 12, so one mug is 6. Now use the second line.
Puzzle 3: The booking sheet
Built on: Put them in order · 8 minutes
Setup. Write the clues on a card and put it in envelope 3. The team tells the host the hour to get envelope 4.
The card in envelope 3
Design, Finance, Legal and Sales each booked the meeting room for a different hour: 9, 10, 11 or 12.
Finance met in the hour right before Sales.
Legal met at neither 9 nor 12.
Design met later than Sales.
At what hour did Legal meet?
Show the solution and hints
Solution. Finance met at 9, Sales at 10, Legal at 11 and Design at 12. Any other order breaks a clue. The answer is 11.
First hint. Finance and Sales are a pair. Try the pair at 9 and 10, then at 10 and 11, then at 11 and 12.
Second hint. If the pair starts at 10, Legal is left with 9 or 12, which the card forbids. If it starts at 11, Design has no later hour.
Puzzle 4: Four questions
Built on: First-letter quiz · 8 minutes
Setup. Write the questions on a card and put it in envelope 4. Line up four mugs on a table and hide envelope 5 under one of them.
The card in envelope 4
The day after Sunday.
It keeps you dry in the rain.
The color of grass.
The season after spring.
First things first.
Show the solution and hints
Solution. MONDAY, UMBRELLA, GREEN, SUMMER. The first letters spell MUGS, and envelope 5 is under a mug.
First hint. Answer the four questions first, each with one word.
Second hint. Read the last line again, then look at the first letter of each answer.
Puzzle 5: The last card
Built on: Backwards message · 9 minutes
Setup. Write the backwards line on a card and put it in envelope 5. Set the lock on the treats to 664.
The card in envelope 5
EDOC HTAM GUM EHT OT TEM LAGEL RUOH EHT DDA
Show the solution and hints
Solution. Read it from the last letter to the first: ADD THE HOUR LEGAL MET TO THE MUG MATH CODE. 653 + 11 = 664, which opens the lock.
First hint. Try reading the card from right to left.
Second hint. You need two earlier answers: the code from the mug card and the hour from the booking sheet.
Host notes
- No coffee machine? Recode a different place with the cipher maker above and tape envelope 2 there.
- For a bigger group, make one set of envelopes per team and let the teams race. Stagger the hiding places so they do not follow each other.
- Give a free hint when a team has made no progress for five minutes.
- Remote team? Send each card as an image in the chat when the previous answer arrives, and swap the mugs for a private message.
