If you’ve never been to an escape room before, you might be imagining a dark and dingy box room where customers can’t leave until they’ve solved all the puzzles which will lead to their escape. Simply not true! Escape rooms are accessible, fun games which are suitable for friends, family, and even colleagues. Whether or not you make it out, each slot only runs for a specified amount of time.
In this blog, we’ll give you the answers to the question ‘how long does an escape room take’ as well as provide some interesting statistics, and some handy tips to boost your chances of getting out before you run out of time!
Table of Contents
- Average Duration of Escape Rooms
- Factors Influencing Escape Room Duration
- What Happens If The Time Runs Out In An Escape Room?
- Can You Leave An Escape Room Early?
- How Long Does An Escape Room Take? It Depends!
Average Duration of Escape Rooms
So, how long does an escape room take? Typically, these immersive game experiences last between 45 and 60 minutes. On average, most game sessions are an hour long but can extend up to two hours, with a few even lasting three!
Before you enter the room and your time officially starts, your gamemaster will run you through what to expect when you begin the game and any essential do’s and don’ts. Your belongings will be kept in a locker – most of the time, you aren’t allowed to take anything except yourselves into an escape room. When you’ve finished, you’ll likely have an opportunity to take photos. Therefore, you should allow at least half an hour for pre and post-game procedures as well as your allotted game time.
If you’re wondering, our escape rooms here in Melbourne all last for 70 minutes – giving you a precious extra ten minutes to spend cracking codes and deciphering puzzles (or arguing with your teammates; it’s completely up to you!).
Factors Influencing Escape Room Duration
Whether you have forty minutes to escape a room or one hundred, how long you actually spend inside it will depend on how successfully you solve the tasks at hand.
Difficulty Level
The obvious factor that will impact completion time is the difficulty level and complexity of a room. When choosing your game, pay attention to the difficulty rating. Some are designed to be intentionally more challenging, such as our newest game, Fractured.
Team Dynamics
One crucial factor that will make or break your chances of escape is your team dynamics. Communication and collaborative problem-solving are key. If you’re stuck on something, don’t be afraid to ask for a hint to keep the momentum going.
What Happens If The Time Runs Out In An Escape Room?
If time runs out and you’re still in the escape room, don’t worry – you won’t be trapped there forever! Your gamemaster will let you know your time is over. Normally you’ll have a timer counting down visible from inside the room, or interval reminders such as ‘half your time gone’ or ‘10 minutes left’ to keep you on track.
Can You Leave An Escape Room Early?
The important thing to note about escape rooms is that they are rarely ever actually locked. Generally, if your group decides to leave the room early, you will forfeit your slot, marking the end of your escape room experience.
If someone in your group suffers from claustrophobia or anxiety, most game operators are happy to make allowances. Similarly, for pregnant players, there will usually be an opportunity to temporarily leave the room if needed.
How Long Does An Escape Room Take? It Depends!
As you can see, many factors affect how long it will take you to solve an escape room, from your familiarity with the concept to your teamwork abilities to the complexity of the game layout itself.
Did you know the world record for the most escape rooms completed in 24 hours stands at 25?
If you fancy your chances, what better place to practice than the home of the oldest escape room in Australia? You’ll be guaranteed 70 minutes to put your puzzle-solving skills to the test.
Book your slot today in one of our four exciting rooms, or reach out to the friendly team for any further questions. We can’t wait to host you soon!
