The answer is a resounding yes! Virtual escape rooms have become a popular way to bring people together, no matter where they are located. While the experience differs slightly from traditional in-person versions, virtual escape rooms still offer the same thrill of solving puzzles, uncovering clues, and working together as a team. Explore how virtual escape rooms work, what makes them unique, and why they’re a great option for anyone looking to enjoy an escape room experience from the comfort of home.
What Happens in an Escape Room Team-Building Activity?
In an escape room team-building activity, a group of people is locked in a themed room and must work together to solve puzzles and find clues to "escape" before time runs out. The setting could be anything from a mysterious laboratory to a haunted mansion, and each puzzle is designed to test the team’s communication and problem-solving skills. Everyone has to pitch in, whether it’s deciphering codes, finding hidden keys, or connecting seemingly unrelated clues to figure out the next step. It’s a great way to see how people interact under pressure and find out who’s naturally inclined to take on leadership roles or offer creative solutions.
But it’s not just about escaping the room. The activity encourages participants to think outside the box and share their unique perspectives to overcome challenges together. The shared thrill of solving a difficult puzzle or making a last-minute breakthrough creates a sense of camaraderie that carries over to the workplace. Teams leave the room with a better understanding of each other’s strengths and communication styles, making it a memorable experience that goes beyond typical team-building exercises.
How Do Virtual Escape Rooms Work?
Virtual escape rooms work by bringing the classic escape room experience to an online setting. Teams join through a video call platform like Zoom, where a game master guides them through the activity. Each participant gets to explore the virtual space, clicking on different areas to find clues, solve puzzles, and progress through the game’s story. Just like in a real escape room, players need to communicate well and share information since every piece of the puzzle could be the key to advancing. Teams might find themselves typing in codes, moving objects around the screen, or even solving riddles that require everyone to pitch in their ideas.
Discover Escape Rooms
- Up to $20 off your first class
- 10% Reward Points
- Price lock guaranteed
- No added fees
Thousands of classes & experiences. As featured in Time Out.
The experience is interactive and often includes a mix of audio, visual, and even timed elements to keep players on their toes. The game master is there to keep things lively and offer hints if the team gets stuck, making sure everyone stays engaged. One of the cool things about virtual escape rooms is that they’re accessible to everyone, no matter where they are. It’s a great way to connect remote teams that don’t usually get to collaborate outside of meetings, all while providing a fun challenge that encourages teamwork and creative thinking.
What is the Difference Between Virtual and In-Person Escape Rooms?
The main difference between virtual and in-person escape rooms is how players interact with the game and each other. In a physical escape room, teams are physically present in a themed room, solving puzzles, searching for hidden objects, and moving around to unlock new areas. There’s a tactile experience involved—you can touch, feel, and see everything around you. It’s more immersive because you’re actually inside the environment, working closely with your team. Communication tends to be more immediate and spontaneous, and there’s a certain thrill to being physically locked in a room with a ticking clock.
On the other hand, virtual escape rooms take place entirely online, so all the interactions happen through a screen. Participants log in from different locations and navigate through the game using a shared interface, clicking on virtual objects and solving digital puzzles. This setup can sometimes make communication trickier, as it relies on people talking over video calls. However, virtual escape rooms have their own perks—they’re super convenient for remote teams, eliminate travel logistics, and can include digital elements like interactive visuals or clickable clues that wouldn’t be possible in a physical room. Both types require teamwork and problem-solving, but the overall experience and atmosphere can feel quite different.
Are Virtual Escape Rooms a Good Team-Building Activity?
Virtual escape rooms can be a fantastic team-building activity, especially for remote teams looking for a way to connect beyond their usual work meetings. These online adventures challenge participants to collaborate, solve puzzles, and communicate effectively—all from the comfort of their own homes. Since everyone has to work together to unravel clues and unlock new levels, virtual escape rooms help break down communication barriers and give team members a chance to interact in a fun and relaxed setting. It’s a great way for coworkers to see each other’s strengths and problem-solving approaches, which can strengthen bonds and improve teamwork.
However, virtual escape rooms may not be ideal for everyone. Some people find it harder to engage through a screen and miss the hands-on experience of a physical escape room. Plus, tech issues or lag can make it tough to communicate clearly, which can lead to a bit of frustration. But overall, virtual escape rooms offer an accessible and entertaining way to bring teams together, especially when in-person activities aren’t an option. The experience can still be just as rewarding as being in a real room—teams get to share laughs, overcome challenges, and celebrate their victories together, no matter where they’re located.
Best Virtual Escape Rooms for Team Building
Join your mini team and try to escape the room in just one hour while taking a nostalgic trip back to the '90s. In this escape game experience, you'll become campers at a throwback camp that celebrates the era of Nickelodeon, Blockbuster nights, and the unmistakable sound of a dial-up modem. Perfect for anyone who remembers rewinding VHS tapes or who loved the jingle of Teen Spirit, this escape room captures the essence of the decade. Upon arrival, campers will get a taste of camp history and practice using beeper codes before settling in for a classic VHS movie night. But beware—the TVs in your bunks might just transport you back to the '90s, giving you only a limited time to escape. Work together to solve puzzles that capture the spirit of a pre-Google world, crack the codes, and make it back before the '90s are over once again!
Virtual Escape Room: Murder Mystery
Gather your team to solve a crime by completing puzzles and riddles in this exciting murder mystery experience. As trainees at the CHPD (CourseHorse Puzzle Detectives), you and your team will tackle the kinds of cases that only the most cunning criminals concoct to challenge solution-oriented enforcers. Are you ready to outsmart a murderer who taunts investigators with cleverly hidden clues? Your training begins with a series of tests to assess your skills, but with the CHPD busier than ever, you’ll soon be thrown into the deep end. A murder at a high school reunion—where the star quarterback is discovered dead in the gymnasium—calls for immediate action. Among the frightened attendees lurks the culprit, leaving a trail of puzzles and clues as a challenge. Your team must decipher these riddles and crack the codes before the killer strikes again. Can you rise to the occasion and bring the criminal to justice?
Virtual Escape Room: Pirate Hunt
Your group will be divided into mini-teams, with 45 minutes to work together to find the treasure. While working in smaller teams, you'll still have the chance to interact with the entire group throughout the event. As you and your crew relax with a pint at the island's tavern, a sudden gust of wind throws the doors open, flooding the room with light. In the doorway stands the silhouette of Captain William Kidd, who strides in and slams a parchment down on the bar. He challenges anyone brave enough to a friendly wager: race the notorious captain to solve the riddle on the parchment and find the buried treasure. You exchange a grin with your crew, ready to embark on another thrilling day of sailing the high seas. Throughout the adventure, groups will encounter clues, puzzles, and activities, presented through character descriptions, virtual maps, audio clips, and video clips, as well as mini-games that will reveal additional hints to help you achieve your goal.
Virtual Escape Room: Marvel Avengers
In this exciting escape room challenge, mini-teams have 1.15 hours to work together and escape while exploring the vibrant comic book realm. After rushing out of the midnight premiere of your favorite superhero movie, you can’t help but imagine yourself as part of that cinematic universe. As a lifelong comic book fan, the idea of donning a superhero costume and fighting villains is a dream come true. As you drift off to sleep, you picture yourself as a superhero, complete with a costume, powers, and a catchy nickname. But when you wake up, you find yourself transformed, with monsters outside your window and a cape on your shoulders! It's time to embrace your new identity and save the world. Your group will be divided into mini-teams of 4-6 people, each with an hour to escape the room. While working in smaller teams, you'll still have the chance to interact with the whole group throughout the event. You'll encounter clues, puzzles, and activities through character descriptions, virtual maps, audio clips, and video clips, playing mini-games to uncover the secrets needed to achieve your heroic goal.
Virtual Escape Room: The Upside Down
Work with your team to escape the eerie Upside Down, or risk being trapped forever. It’s 1983, and you’re playing Dungeons and Dragons with your friends in the basement when your friend rolls a natural 1. “The Demogorgon sniffs the air and looks straight at your party. You are caught.” As the session ends and you head home, you notice a swirling essence at the end of the road. As you get closer, you feel an irresistible pull drawing you in. Suddenly, everything becomes cold and dark. The familiar buildings around you are overshadowed by sprawling mountains, floating rocks, and cosmic horrors looming in the distance. Welcome to the Upside Down dimension—can you find your way back to safety?
Virtual Escape Room: Monsters & Ghouls
In this virtual escape room challenge, compete in mini-teams to see who can outsmart monsters and ghouls the fastest! Every year, Madame Grim hosts her annual monster ball on the night before Halloween, attracting mischievous spirits from all around to celebrate in her castle. However, the festivities take a dark turn when she hears noises in the attic and discovers that the Crimson Crystal, which holds the Spirit of Halloween, has been stolen despite being protected by a powerful guarding spell. Without the crystal, Halloween will be lost. Although clues are scattered around the attic, Madame Grim can't determine which ghost, ghoul, or villain is responsible for this mischief. It's up to you to solve the mystery, catch the culprit, and recover the Crimson Crystal before Halloween is ruined forever.
Virtual Escape Room: The Arctic Circle
Work with a small team of explorers to solve a mystery by completing puzzles and riddles in this chilly escape game experience. Your adventure begins with a Groupon trip to the majestic North Pole, but when your private plane encounters unavoidable turbulence, you and your team are forced to navigate the unforgiving tundra to reach your destination. In this wintry world, where playful penguins, majestic reindeer, and polar bears roam, your group of vacationers-turned-adventurers must navigate through a blistering blizzard and unexpected obstacles. Will you find a cozy haven where you can toast marshmallows and roast chestnuts, or will your glamping dreams succumb to the harsh winter? It’s a test of survival and wits, perfect for only the most determined teams.
Virtual Escape Room: Halloween Haunted House
In this Halloween escape room, mini teams have 75 minutes to work together to escape the haunted mansion, or they will be forever trapped. Your team has been invited to a celebratory dinner at a prestigious estate in the Louisiana countryside. After the long journey to this mansion, you and your team are shown to your rooms. After a beautiful tour of the old, extravagant chateau, you sat down in the grand ballroom at a vintage dining table with your host. The host smiled at all of the team as you feasted on the banquet in front of you.
"Now that you have had your fill, I have a confession to make. The food in front of you is poisoned. It takes over in an hour, and it's already been 15 minutes…I suppose you'll have to find the antidote…good luck." In a flash, the host smiled and vanished. Engage in immersive puzzles, clues, and mini-games while fostering teamwork and communication skills in a thrilling and unforgettable experience.
Virtual Escape Room: Expedition to the North Pole
Can you and your team escape the Arctic in this holiday-themed virtual escape room adventure? The premise is that your group has booked a Groupon to the North Pole, but your plane crash lands, and you must figure out how to get to your destination with what survived the accident. The group will split into smaller teams in breakout rooms and has one hour to work with the clues provided to get out of danger!
Virtual Escape Room: The Office Holiday Party
In this thrilling escape room challenge, mini-teams have 75 minutes to escape the office party or risk missing their much-anticipated holiday break. You’ve noticed the non-denominational decorations going up, received the calendar invite from HR, and now it’s time for some mandatory corporate togetherness. As the DJ spins sanitized tunes and you nibble on a narrow slice of pizza, you and a few colleagues decide it’s time to leave—only to find the door locked and your ID badges deactivated. The only thing standing between you and five days of PTO (with the usual caveat of limited interruptions for client needs) is a skeptical C-suite that doubts your ability to escape the holiday party. Can you prove them wrong and break free in time?