The best virtual escape rooms and immersive experiences

Les Enfants Terribles presents Sherlock Holmes: An Online Adventure

Immersive theatre connoisseurs Les Enfants Terribles have wrung their innovative streak once more, adapting to the current digital-first climate to present Sherlock Holmes: An Online Adventure. The Case of the Hung Parliament.

Inspired by the world of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s great detective, this latest experience from the creators of the Olivier Award-nominated Alice’s Adventures Underground sees them join forces with virtual reality company LIVR to transport audiences from their homes back in time to Victorian London. A gripping and imaginative online ‘whodunnit’, the resulting 80-minute experience fuses the charms of theatre, escape rooms and virtual board games, using 360 technology to bring the spectacle to life.

The Mermaid’s Tongue by Swamp Motel

Part escape-room game, part immersive experience, The Mermaid's Tongue requires at-home audiences to work in teams to find a missing artefact before a society of faceless villains gets their hands on it. The 90-minute experience is the brainchild of immersive theatre connoisseurs Swamp Motel, the company that previously wowed us with their acclaimed production Plymouth Point (April and May 2020).

Players: Two to six

Cost: £15pp

Murder on the 28th Floor

Young theatre company District Theatre has made the leap online to launch Murder on the 28th Floor, a 40-minute interactive whodunnit, held over Zoom, that’s set in an your very own, currently abandoned office (if your boss is willing to hand over the keys). Roaming the empty corridors are wig-and-mask-clad actors who will set, then hopefully help you solve, a murder mystery. Participants will interrogate potential suspects, solve crimes and play silly games, all while keeping their eyes peeled for bodies…

Players: minimum 10, maximum 200

Cost: £20pp

Double by Darkfield Radio

The team behind British theatre company Darkfield are dab hands at creating immersive experiences that transport their audience out of their comfort zone and into thrilling new worlds and situations. Unperturbed by this year’s live performance restrictions, the company has launched a new series under the umbrella name Darkfield Radio, which can be experienced at home. The first in the series, Double, is a 20-minute game mysteriously described as a troubling exercise in familiarity for two people sitting opposite each other on either side of a kitchen table. You’ll each need a set of headphones, a smartphone and, as the show is live, to be available to play at specific performance times.

Players: Two

Cost: £10 for two

Visitors by Darkfield Radio

Launched in autumn 2020, Darkfield Radio’s latest experience, Visitors, is a 20-minute immersive audio experience for two. Further details of the experience remain shrouded in mystery, but judging by its nominations for two awards from Raindance Film Festival 2020 – Outstanding Achievement in Audio and Best Narrative Experience – we can expect to be impressed. All you need is a smartphone (to download the Darkfield Radio app), headphones, and availability to tune in at the exact time the show is taking place – for this is still live theatre after all.

Players: Two

Cost: £10 for two

Hogwarts Digital Escape Room

Still secretly hoping for a letter to arrive by owl, admitting you to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry? This digital escape-room game, played on Google Forms (yes, really), is perhaps the next best thing. Created by a librarian at Peters Township Public Library in McMurray, Pennsylvania, the experience includes team-building challenges, quizzes, puzzles, and a chance to explore the world of Harry Potter from home.

Players: One or in a team on one screen

Cost: Free

Escape Live

Book a virtual session with Escape Live and your team can take on one of 15 rooms, deciphering Shakespeare’s scripts, fighting pirates or escaping the jungle. Experiences last 60 minutes and are played over Zoom.

Players: Two to six

Cost: £20 - £85 per group of six

Trapped in The Web

Trapped In The Web offers five themed rooms, each with its own storyline, clues to crack and puzzles to complete. Taking one to three hours to complete, the experiences are a little longer than other escape-room games, but for the chance to immerse ourselves in a form of sorely missed entertainment (one experience is set in a theatre, another at a summer music festival), we’ll happily take our time. It’s also a great option for large groups; the games are played over Zoom and one adventure can hold up to 100 players.

Players: Two to eight players recommended

Cost: £8.99pp

The Panic Room

The Panic Room offers a host of family-friendly online escape-room games, set in gothic castles, the world of Sherlock Holmes, and even in a crime scene heavily decked out for Christmas. A great option for those who need a little longer to crack clues, The Panic Room’s adventures have no time limit (though it's advisable to set aside a minimum of two hours).

Players: One to six

Cost: £15pp