The 22 best escape rooms in New York City
The vibrant tapestry of New York offers some of the very best escape rooms anywhere in the US. Here are the best in the city.
The Escape Game
Very Positive
1 American Dream Wy, East Rutherford, NJ 07073, USA
- Escape room
- IRL
“A really strong room that does well with the sometimes questionable concept of a sub game. Every type of puzzle you can imagine is represented, and all puzzles flow quickly but also have strong aha! moments of synergy and a finale that was incredibly fun. Nay was an awesome game host as well and gave perfect clues that alleviated the enthusiast blind eye. Absolutely recommended.”
JackTheFlop
31 games played
The Escape Game
Very Positive
1 American Dream Wy, East Rutherford, NJ 07073, USA
- Escape room
- IRL
“Impeccably designed room! Clearly very well thought through and very fun overall. Would be great for a mid-sized group. I'm a sucker for atmosphere and this room delivers well on that. Puzzles were certainly manageable and good for a group of varying experience levels.”
stephie
52 games played
The Escape Game
Very Positive
1 American Dream Wy, East Rutherford, NJ 07073, USA
- Escape room
- IRL
“Love the immersion of starting in separate rooms. Did this as a birthday escape and it was so fun for the whole group even those who don’t normally do escape rooms with us! 10 out of 10 would recommend.”
nst3v3ns11
99 games played
The Escape Game
Overwhelmingly Positive
1 American Dream Wy, East Rutherford, NJ 07073, USA
- Escape room
- IRL
“This game was insanely cool and creative. I played with just my boyfriend and we got out with about 5 min left. We had a challenge and definitely used a few clues! I would recommend a group of 4 adults to do this room to make it a manageable amount of people per puzzles!”
suzannamaryy
41 games played
The Escape Game
Very Positive
Lefcourt Colonial Building, 295 Madison Ave, New York, NY 10017, USA
- Escape room
- IRL
“I loved the atmosphere, loved the puzzles, and there were some great surprises too. I’m curious to see how much more I would’ve liked this at a different branch, because the NYC Escape Game is very compact, but even still it was so fun!!”
tomboytunes
35 games played
The Escape Game
Overwhelmingly Positive
Lefcourt Colonial Building, 295 Madison Ave, New York, NY 10017, USA
- Escape room
- IRL
“Super fun escape room that’s really immersive! While the puzzle isn’t super difficult, there are ALOT of puzzles, so it is challenging. Completed it with a group of 2 and had 6 minutes left, but I feel like 4-6 would be a sweet spot. The gamemasters are also incredible at this company. One of the best escape room companies in NYC!”
zach10003
74 games played
The Escape Game
Very Positive
Lefcourt Colonial Building, 295 Madison Ave, New York, NY 10017, USA
- Escape room
- IRL
“This is the best implementation of a Prison Break style room I’ve seen. Like every The Escape Game room, the theming, narrative and puzzle design is absolutely top notch. It can reasonably be beaten by two people as long as you are comfortable yelling to communicate.”
drayner
71 games played
The Escape Game
Very Positive
Lefcourt Colonial Building, 295 Madison Ave, New York, NY 10017, USA
- Escape room
- IRL
The Escape Game
Very Positive
Lefcourt Colonial Building, 295 Madison Ave, New York, NY 10017, USA
- Escape room
- IRL
“Enjoyed the overall production quality of each room. Even if the puzzles weren’t too hard, I really enjoyed the look and feel of each room. Did feel technologically futuristic as it should be in a Time Machine!”
LexiconPenguino
94 games played
Beat the Bomb
Very Positive
255 Water St, Brooklyn, NY 11201, USA
- Escape room
- IRL
- Other
“I’ve played Beat the Bomb twice, and ended up covered in paint twice. It’s more frantic than a regular escape room, and I definitely recommend stretching beforehand, particularly if you are like me and your limbo game is weak.”
drayner
71 games played
“I really loved this escape room for the nostalgia, interactiveness, and storyline. Compared to other escape rooms I’ve done, this one feels more immersive, and has a child like feel. Since I’ve done 70 escape rooms at this point, every puzzle felt similar to previous puzzles that I’ve done in the past, but for more novice players it will likely feel more unique/challenging. This room is also nice if you want to do it with a larger group. There’s a lot of room to move and it’s non-linear.”
blochros
70 games played
“Loved this room!! Just as good as all other escape game rooms. However there is one particular puzzle in this room that technically can be done with 2 ppl but it’s MUCH harder and will take a lot longer than if playing with 3-4 ppl - I would recommend playing this room with at least 3 ppl because of this.”
nina713
285 games played
MyssTic Rooms
Overwhelmingly Positive
794 Union St, Brooklyn, NY 11215, USA
- Escape room
- IRL
“If you’re a Stranger Things fan, you will definitely enjoy this escape room. The whole set had so many Easter egg moments! There were some props and puzzles that we have never encountered anywhere else and also played a part in the immersive experience. My partner has never watched Stranger Things before, but still enjoyed the storyline of this room. A lot of the puzzle sequences blew our sci-fi nerd brains. I would highly recommend watching at least Season 1 of Stranger Things first to truly appreciate all the little details in Montauk Project. 10/10!”
siapnomf
37 games played
“Successfully escaped with 3, which felt like a pretty good number of people to do this room. Theme and story was really well done and makes you feel part of the narrative, which imparts a sentimental/melancholic atmosphere that I have not experienced in an escape room. Puzzles were straight forward and stayed true to the theme. This is also a bigger room with fantastic set design. Highly recommend the trek out to Brooklyn!”
fozooka
26 games played
“Successfully escaped with 5. 5 was fine but maybe 3 or 4 people would've been slightly better as the puzzles were fairly linear. It's more detail oriented and finicky in a good way than ghost light. It's also a relatively smaller room, but it had some incredible reveals that awed me. Set design is incredible and I also enjoyed the puzzles here more than ghost light because they were a bit more complex (but still definitely doable!). I liked this room more than ghost light!”
fozooka
26 games played
Unreal Escapes
Overwhelmingly Positive
2571 Arthur Kill Rd, Staten Island, NY 10309, USA
- Escape room
- IRL
“This room is AMAZING. the story, special effects, production value, set design, prop design, puzzle creativity, story, and pretty much everything is seriously top notch. This room is definitely my 2nd fav room I've ever done. Also, the staff are amazing. I got engaged here and the owners were absolute amazing humans with helping me make it a super special moment . Do this room, you won't regret it.”
Danielfiorica
43 games played
Unreal Escapes
Very Positive
2571 Arthur Kill Rd, Staten Island, NY 10309, USA
- Escape room
- IRL
“The intro to this room was a little cheesy, but it was still a fun intro overall. The atmosphere inside the room resembles a laid back club you can chill at and have a conversation but get up to dance whenever you're ready. There are lots of references to the original Studio 54, and you can really tell the owner put a lot of attention into the details here. Loved the choice of having actual pictures of celebrities at Studio 54 as well as real records. Gameplay wise, the game stayed on track with the overall objective. Puzzles weren't groundbreaking, but they were all solid. Set design and props are all high quality which made the final room actually a bit jarring because of how plain it was compared to everything before. In general, the final room was underwhelming and probably the only blemish for me in an otherwise excellent room.”
Shadowkira
179 games played
The Depths
The Escape Game
- Escape room
- IRL
“A really strong room that does well with the sometimes questionable concept of a sub game. Every type of puzzle you can imagine is represented, and all puzzles flow quickly but also have strong aha! moments of synergy and a finale that was incredibly fun. Nay was an awesome game host as well and gave perfect clues that alleviated the enthusiast blind eye. Absolutely recommended.”
JackTheFlop
31 games played
Gold Rush
The Escape Game
- Escape room
- IRL
“Impeccably designed room! Clearly very well thought through and very fun overall. Would be great for a mid-sized group. I'm a sucker for atmosphere and this room delivers well on that. Puzzles were certainly manageable and good for a group of varying experience levels.”
stephie
52 games played
Prison Break
The Escape Game
- Escape room
- IRL
“Love the immersion of starting in separate rooms. Did this as a birthday escape and it was so fun for the whole group even those who don’t normally do escape rooms with us! 10 out of 10 would recommend.”
nst3v3ns11
99 games played
Playground
The Escape Game
- Escape room
- IRL
“This game was insanely cool and creative. I played with just my boyfriend and we got out with about 5 min left. We had a challenge and definitely used a few clues! I would recommend a group of 4 adults to do this room to make it a manageable amount of people per puzzles!”
suzannamaryy
41 games played
Gold Rush
The Escape Game
- Escape room
- IRL
“I loved the atmosphere, loved the puzzles, and there were some great surprises too. I’m curious to see how much more I would’ve liked this at a different branch, because the NYC Escape Game is very compact, but even still it was so fun!!”
tomboytunes
35 games played
Playground
The Escape Game
- Escape room
- IRL
“Super fun escape room that’s really immersive! While the puzzle isn’t super difficult, there are ALOT of puzzles, so it is challenging. Completed it with a group of 2 and had 6 minutes left, but I feel like 4-6 would be a sweet spot. The gamemasters are also incredible at this company. One of the best escape room companies in NYC!”
zach10003
74 games played
Prison Break
The Escape Game
- Escape room
- IRL
“This is the best implementation of a Prison Break style room I’ve seen. Like every The Escape Game room, the theming, narrative and puzzle design is absolutely top notch. It can reasonably be beaten by two people as long as you are comfortable yelling to communicate.”
drayner
71 games played
The Depths
The Escape Game
- Escape room
- IRL
Timeliner: Train Through Time
The Escape Game
- Escape room
- IRL
“Enjoyed the overall production quality of each room. Even if the puzzles weren’t too hard, I really enjoyed the look and feel of each room. Did feel technologically futuristic as it should be in a Time Machine!”
LexiconPenguino
94 games played
Paint Bomb Mission
Beat the Bomb
- Escape room
- IRL
- Other
“I’ve played Beat the Bomb twice, and ended up covered in paint twice. It’s more frantic than a regular escape room, and I definitely recommend stretching beforehand, particularly if you are like me and your limbo game is weak.”
drayner
71 games played
Gold Rush
The Escape Game
- Escape room
- IRL
Playground
The Escape Game
- Escape room
- IRL
“I really loved this escape room for the nostalgia, interactiveness, and storyline. Compared to other escape rooms I’ve done, this one feels more immersive, and has a child like feel. Since I’ve done 70 escape rooms at this point, every puzzle felt similar to previous puzzles that I’ve done in the past, but for more novice players it will likely feel more unique/challenging. This room is also nice if you want to do it with a larger group. There’s a lot of room to move and it’s non-linear.”
blochros
70 games played
Cosmic Crisis
The Escape Game
- Escape room
- IRL
“Loved this room!! Just as good as all other escape game rooms. However there is one particular puzzle in this room that technically can be done with 2 ppl but it’s MUCH harder and will take a lot longer than if playing with 3-4 ppl - I would recommend playing this room with at least 3 ppl because of this.”
nina713
285 games played
Montauk Project
MyssTic Rooms
- Escape room
- IRL
“If you’re a Stranger Things fan, you will definitely enjoy this escape room. The whole set had so many Easter egg moments! There were some props and puzzles that we have never encountered anywhere else and also played a part in the immersive experience. My partner has never watched Stranger Things before, but still enjoyed the storyline of this room. A lot of the puzzle sequences blew our sci-fi nerd brains. I would highly recommend watching at least Season 1 of Stranger Things first to truly appreciate all the little details in Montauk Project. 10/10!”
siapnomf
37 games played
Ghost Light
MyssTic Rooms
- Escape room
- IRL
“Successfully escaped with 3, which felt like a pretty good number of people to do this room. Theme and story was really well done and makes you feel part of the narrative, which imparts a sentimental/melancholic atmosphere that I have not experienced in an escape room. Puzzles were straight forward and stayed true to the theme. This is also a bigger room with fantastic set design. Highly recommend the trek out to Brooklyn!”
fozooka
26 games played
The Bird
MyssTic Rooms
- Escape room
- IRL
“Successfully escaped with 5. 5 was fine but maybe 3 or 4 people would've been slightly better as the puzzles were fairly linear. It's more detail oriented and finicky in a good way than ghost light. It's also a relatively smaller room, but it had some incredible reveals that awed me. Set design is incredible and I also enjoyed the puzzles here more than ghost light because they were a bit more complex (but still definitely doable!). I liked this room more than ghost light!”
fozooka
26 games played
Battleship
Unreal Escapes
- Escape room
- IRL
“This room is AMAZING. the story, special effects, production value, set design, prop design, puzzle creativity, story, and pretty much everything is seriously top notch. This room is definitely my 2nd fav room I've ever done. Also, the staff are amazing. I got engaged here and the owners were absolute amazing humans with helping me make it a super special moment . Do this room, you won't regret it.”
Danielfiorica
43 games played
Disco 54 NYC
Unreal Escapes
- Escape room
- IRL
“The intro to this room was a little cheesy, but it was still a fun intro overall. The atmosphere inside the room resembles a laid back club you can chill at and have a conversation but get up to dance whenever you're ready. There are lots of references to the original Studio 54, and you can really tell the owner put a lot of attention into the details here. Loved the choice of having actual pictures of celebrities at Studio 54 as well as real records. Gameplay wise, the game stayed on track with the overall objective. Puzzles weren't groundbreaking, but they were all solid. Set design and props are all high quality which made the final room actually a bit jarring because of how plain it was compared to everything before. In general, the final room was underwhelming and probably the only blemish for me in an otherwise excellent room.”
Shadowkira
179 games played
More Escape Rooms
Learn More About New York City Escape Rooms
Just like with almost everything, the capital of escape rooms is probably New York City. Since the first escape rooms arrived in here in 2016, the culture capital of the World hasn’t stopped crafting these immersive puzzle experiences. In fact, New York City is home to nearly 50 different escape room venues and Manhattan offers a particularly exciting array of escape room experiences that are suitable for all tastes. 60 Out’s Gold Rush has been a fan favorite for years, and was voted the 4th best escape room in Manhattan. Clue Chases’s Houdini’s Workshop is another hit that is known for its beautiful set and immersive story. With over 100 escape games in the entire area, the possibilities are nearly endless — you’ll find games with themes of horror, adventure, crime, espionage, and plenty you may not expect.
How Do Escape Rooms Work?
Remember those point-and-click adventure games where you’re locked in a room and have to solve puzzles to find the key and escape? Those online games were the original inspiration for the live escape rooms you’ll find all across the world today. An escape room is an immersive experience where you (and your team of 2 or more people) are locked in a room with a series of puzzles for 60 minutes. To escape and win the game, you have to look for clues, solve the puzzles, and find the key. While most escape rooms only give you 60 minutes to complete the challenge, others may have shorter or longer time limits. Many venues are private rooms where you and your team are the only players. However, some places may pair you with other groups who booked a slot at the same time. And don’t worry about getting stuck, asking for hints on a difficult puzzle is totally normal. While the original escape room (created by SCRAP in 2007) had a fairly simple aesthetic, today’s escape games often take you into a different world. Artistic set designs, secret doors, and unique interactive elements are all part of the fun. It’s like an adventure game that you can interact with in real life. But if you’re hoping to preview any rooms before you book a game somewhere, detailed images and videos can be hard to find. To keep the puzzles a secret and preserve the experience of seeing the room for the first time, most venues only offer a few photos or a short trailer about the room’s theme or narrative. The only way to know what it’s like is to go and try it for yourself!
Find the Best New York City Escape Rooms with Morty
There are plenty of awesome escape rooms to choose from in New York City. The goal of Morty is to make escape rooms more accessible for everyone to find and play. With Morty, you can: - Browse escape rooms anywhere in the country - Read reviews and ratings from other community members - Book a room together with your friends Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned escape room enthusiast, our aim is to help you play more escape rooms and visit more immersive attractions.
Frequently asked questions
How Do I Book an Escape Room in New York City?
Most escape room venues don’t accept walk-ins, and time slots for popular games may fill up fast. Besides that, not every escape room is the same — some have varying difficulties, and you don’t want to get stuck playing a room that’s beyond your experience level. That’s why the best way to book an escape room in New York City is through the Morty app. You can get updates on new games, read reviews, compare details (including difficulty, theme, runtime) and plan an outing with friends, all on the same platform. You can even coordinate games with your friends collaboratively. Download the Morty app and book your adventure today!