One of the most convenient ways to enjoy a virtual escape room is through Zoom, making it easy for participants to connect, collaborate, and tackle exciting challenges together. But how exactly does it work? In this post, learn how virtual escape rooms work on Zoom and how to make sure everyone has a smooth and enjoyable experience. Whether it’s for a team-building event or just a fun night in, a virtual escape room on Zoom is a great way to get everyone involved.
What Happens in a Virtual Escape Room Team-Building Activity?
In a virtual escape room team-building activity, participants join a shared online platform, typically through a video call, where they are introduced to the theme and objective of the game by a game master. Each player navigates through the virtual environment, clicking on different areas to uncover clues, solve puzzles, and complete various tasks. Communication is key—players have to talk through what they’re seeing, share their observations, and work together to make sense of the information they find. Whether it’s deciphering codes, arranging objects in the right sequence, or solving riddles, each challenge requires input and cooperation from everyone involved.
Throughout the game, the game master is there to provide hints and keep the team on track if they get stuck. This helps maintain engagement and ensures that everyone is participating. Since the entire experience is virtual, it allows for creativity that goes beyond physical limitations. Teams might have to solve interactive puzzles using digital tools or search for hidden clues within images or videos. The shared excitement of making breakthroughs and progressing through the game builds camaraderie, making the activity not just about escaping, but also about learning how to collaborate and communicate effectively in a fun and unique way.
How Do Virtual Escape Rooms Work?
Virtual escape rooms work by bringing the classic escape room experience online, so teams can participate from anywhere. Everyone joins through a video call platform like Zoom or Microsoft Teams, where a game master sets the scene and guides the group through the adventure. The game itself is hosted on a separate platform that players can click through to explore different rooms, examine virtual objects, and uncover hidden clues. Just like in a traditional escape room, communication is key. Participants need to share what they’re seeing and work together to piece together the puzzles. This could mean entering codes, solving riddles, or even combining items to unlock new parts of the game.
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.
What makes virtual escape rooms unique is that they can incorporate interactive digital elements like audio cues, clickable images, and hidden links. This adds an extra layer of creativity and challenge that wouldn’t be possible in a physical room. While players might miss the hands-on experience of being physically locked in a themed environment, virtual escape rooms still capture that same sense of excitement and urgency. Plus, they’re perfect for remote teams, allowing people from different locations to team up and enjoy a fun, collaborative experience without the hassle of travel or scheduling conflicts.
Are Virtual Escape Rooms a Good Team-Building Activity?
Virtual escape rooms can be a fantastic option for team-building, especially when in-person activities aren’t feasible. They provide a unique and engaging way for remote or hybrid teams to connect outside of their usual work routine. By working together to solve puzzles and unlock clues, team members get to practice collaboration and communication in a fun, low-pressure environment. It’s also a great way to get everyone talking and sharing ideas since each person’s perspective and input can be crucial for solving the game’s challenges. Plus, the shared experience of cracking tough puzzles or making last-minute breakthroughs helps to build camaraderie and boost team morale.
However, virtual escape rooms might not be everyone’s cup of tea. Some participants may find it challenging to stay engaged through a screen or may prefer the hands-on feel of a physical escape room. There can also be technical hiccups, like slow internet connections or difficulty coordinating over video calls, which can disrupt the flow of the game. But overall, virtual escape rooms offer a creative and accessible team-building solution that can still deliver the same excitement and sense of accomplishment as being in a real room. They’re a fun way to encourage teamwork and bring remote teams closer together, no matter where they are.
Do You Need Any Special Equipment to Do a Virtual Escape Room?
The good news is that you don’t need any fancy equipment to participate in a virtual escape room. All that’s usually required is a reliable internet connection, a computer or tablet, and a video conferencing platform like Zoom or Microsoft Teams. Most virtual escape rooms are designed to be accessible and easy to join, so you don’t need any specialized software or gear. Some platforms might recommend using a mouse instead of a trackpad for easier navigation, but beyond that, it’s pretty straightforward. Just make sure you’ve got a decent webcam and microphone, so you can communicate clearly with your teammates, and you’re good to go.
In some cases, the escape room provider might send out a few optional materials beforehand, like printable puzzles or clue sheets to enhance the experience, but these aren’t usually necessary. The entire game is usually played through a web browser, where you can click on items, enter codes, and solve puzzles just like you would in an in-person escape room. It’s designed to be simple and user-friendly, so there’s no need to worry about setting up complicated equipment. So, as long as everyone can join the video call and access the internet, the team is ready to dive into the virtual adventure!
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?