17 Best Virtual Escape Rooms for Online Teams in 2023

Virtual escape rooms are online team games where players search for clues and solve puzzles to escape a scene within the set time. These games use technology to create visuals that mimic real scenarios like a jail or dungeon. Virtual escape rooms are among the best online team building games as players gain collaborative, communication, and critical thinking skills to accomplish tasks and escape a room.

This article includes:

  • team building virtual escape rooms
  • virtual escape rooms on Zoom
  • virtual escape rooms for adults

So, here is the list of ideas!

The 17 Best Virtual Escape Rooms

#1. Mothership Over Manhattan

Mothership Over Manhattan is a fictional mission about an alien invasion in New York City. The players assume the role of a team of warriors who must save the city under the direction of an exceptional scientist. The scenes include underground spaces and secret tunnels in NYC. The team of warriors needs to obtain and use clues from bystanders to find solutions to the puzzles and save the city.

This virtual escape room is recommended for building PR skills as players interact with strangers.

Learn more about Mothership Over Manhattan.

#2. Escaping Magic Kingdom

This Disney-themed game is one of the best escape rooms for adults. All the clues are within the game, and players do not have to search elsewhere.

The players are in the Magic Kingdom, stranded on Tom Sawyer’s Island. Players must find a way out of the island to the Frontierland to escape. Once the players get to the mainland, they must complete a series of tasks to get to the Park, solve a few more puzzles leading to the secret box with the gate keys, and finally get the right combination to access the key and escape.

The Disney themes make this escape game appealing to teens and preteens. However, younger teams may need a little assistance from adults.

Learn more about Escaping Magic Kingdom.

#3. The Heist

The Heist is among the leading escape gameplays for team fun, connection, and motivation.

This escape mission is to possess the precious Qianlong Vase, a Chinese masterpiece that has stood the test of time. The players are the world’s master thieves. However, a tycoon just bought the 43 million pounds vase, which makes the heist riskier, and the thieves need your help. This game is best played on Zoom and is perfect for small, remote teams.

Learn more about The Heist.

#4. Grand Theft Escape

The Grand Theft Escape is among the best team building virtual escape rooms for mental stimulation. Each player needs to think critically to find and solve the puzzles to win.

Mr. Gautheri of the National Bank poses a challenge and promises a big payout in this escape room. The players take up the challenge to travel the world within 80 days. The players could easily use an airship to travel and be the first to claim the prize. However, players compete with an inventor whose gadget is much more efficient. A grand theft could be the players’ chance to outdo the inventor.

This game is a good choice for a small to medium-sized team of up to 30 members.

Learn more about Grand Theft Escape.

#5. Secret Agent

This escape room is one of the best gameplay for Zoom. However, the game requires good analytical skills to solve the challenges.

In a secret operation, the players need to disarm a bomb set by the rival, Mr. X. The team’s Intelligence gets info that can help disable Mr. X’s bomb and plans. However, the files with the secret codes are in Mr. X’s tower. The team, therefore, needs to penetrate to the top of the skyscraper to uncover Mr. X’s plans and stop the bomb before it detonates. The building is well secured, and team members must avoid the guards. The higher the team gets, the better the chances of disarming the bomb in time.

Secret Agent is a family-friendly spy adventure suitable for school and work teams.

Learn more about Secret Agent.

#6. The Bunker

The Bunker is a great escape game for nurturing analytical skills, teamwork, and time management.

The players get into a new military post. Then suddenly, the control system seems to malfunction. The strange event triggers all doors, controls, and communication channels to lock and activates a missile countdown. The players are trapped in the control room, with neither a security pass nor an idea of operating the control system. With no means to get external help, the players must flee to the safest bunker to escape the increased radiation levels.

This escape is suitable for players who enjoy cold wars and thrilling experiences.

Learn more about The Bunker.

#7. Wizard Hunt

Wizard Hunt is among the most fun virtual escape rooms for adults.

This escape story is about two rival magic schools, Wickham’s Wizarding Workshop and Emeric’s Enchantment Academy. The schools have a history of kidnapping each other’s headmaster. The players represent Wickham’s students on a mission to abduct Emeric’s headmaster and win “The Trophy of Champions.” The team must use different forms of magic to invade the Emeric castle and kidnap the headmaster.

The game has a medium difficulty and hence, is suitable for the majority of teams.

Learn more about Wizard Hunt.

#8. Murder At The Manor

Because this escape game contains murder themes, it is suitable for adults and older teens.

The players assume the character of a paranormal investigator in this gameplay. After patiently waiting for close to a month with no clients and bills piling, the investigator gets a voicemail from the prominent Zanox family. The family needs the investigator’s help. The investigator needs money and is obliged to take up the task and secure the premium deal. The job requires the investigator to take care of three bodies undetected. The players must become paranormal to complete the task and escape.

The game plays best on Windows and Android. The medium difficulty level helps players to enjoy this escape.

Learn more about Murder At The Manor and check out more virtual murder mysteries.

#9. Return To Camp Nightmare

Return To Camp Nightmare is among the best problem-solving virtual escape games on Zoom. This game is fun for adults and players who enjoy crime investigation themes.

The fictional scene begins with a series of crimes at Camp Nightmare. The events give the players an excellent chance to make vast sums of money. First, the players need to investigate the crime, then create and air a crime-solving podcast series at the campsite. In the process, the team uncovers darker secrets than anticipated. The findings jeopardize the airing of the podcasts and risk the players’ lives.

This escape game accommodates up to 400 players and is recommendable for all team sizes.

Learn more about Return To Camp Nightmare.

#10. Timeline

Timeline is a popular virtual escape room for lovers of the ’80s music and fashion.

An inventor’s father began a project that backfired, releasing fatal toxins into the atmosphere. The inventor has developed the time-reversing machine to fix the project and save the planet. The inventor locks his son and his friends in a basement to survive the toxins. However, the scientist succumbs to the poisonous gas.

The players are characters locked in the basement who stumble upon the details of the backfired project. If the players can operate the time-reversing machine, then the players can go back in time and fix the project, preventing the attack. Players have only 60 minutes to work out the solution or risk their lives to the toxins.

Learn more about Timeline.

#11. The Shipwreck

An old ship sinks, and the waves sweep it ashore. The players, a cruise ship crew, discover that it is a pirate ship, and it seems to hide many secrets and treasures. The team targets to possess a treasure chest with precious coins but does not know where the chest is hidden. Players need to find the treasure and escape with the coins before the dead pirate crew’s ghosts return for their vengeance. The crew has an hour to complete the mission before their cruise ship leaves the dock.

Learn more about The Shipwreck.

#12. Containment Breach

A researcher, Doctor Henry, creates a machine that instantly displaces matter. The unique device attracts attention, and in one of the recorded demos of the machine, a bad accident occurs, injuring Doctor Henry. The doctor returns to his lab after a period of medication, but abnormally high radiation emanates from the lab, causing a partial lockdown and sealing the containment doors.

The team of players now discovers that the radiation levels have drastically dropped to normal, and the containment doors are unlocked. The group sets on a mission to find out what happened to the Doctor and his device.

Learn more about Containment Breach.

#13. Escape the Queen Anne’s Revenge

Escape the Queen Anne’s Revenge is a swashbuckling, time-traveling online escape adventure where players represent time-traveling agents. The mission to rescue their colleague starts when the team discovers that Edward Teach, alias Blackbeard, has captured one of their agents.

The team must infiltrate the Blockade of Charles Town to rescue the agent and escape before Blackbeard compromises them. The first task is to break free from the ship’s cargo compartment, then rescue the agent and escape the ship. Working quickly could save the players, who have only 60 minutes to complete the rescue mission.

Learn more about Escape the Queen Anne’s Revenge.

#14.The Scarab’s Curse

The Scarab’s Curse tasks the players with standard digital puzzles that need tact and discretion.

Tragedy occurs in Hollywood Studios. Veronica, the lead actress in “The Scarab’s Curse” dies on the stage during the shoot. The tragedy stops the new film production, and immediately the studios are closed for investigations. There are about 30 crew and actors within the studio, and the culprit could be any one of them. The players explore the studio to investigate and capture the culprit before striking again. The game has no time limit, but players have to be tactical because the killer could cause a tear in space-time.

The game fits any team size, and the host can provide 3D rooms and music links on request.

Learn more about The Scarab’s Curse.

#15. The Whispering Halls

The Whispering Halls is one of the top virtual escape rooms on Zoom. This game uses team cooperation and communication to escape the scenes.

A prominent clockmaker builds a mansion in the old Victorian manor. Immediately after the house’s completion, the owners die of a plague. The villa soon gains a bad reputation of owners becoming mad or mysteriously disappearing.

The caretaker summons the players, a group of paranormal investigators, to an old library to detect ghosts. As the caretaker shuts the door and leaves, your team realizes the gravity of his final words-that no investigator ever survived beyond midnight. As whispers and creaks begin sounding, the clock strikes Eleven PM. The team must escape before the next chime at midnight.

This game has simple rules and is best for players who want a mix of scare and fun.

Learn more about The Whispering Halls.

#16. The Mardi Gras Murders

The Mardi Gras Murders is a thriller that requires players to have a good judgment to escape the risk.

The guests at the Mardi Gras are awaiting the host. But a murderer among the attendees intends to kill the guests one after another. The players are among the invitees and have to solve some brain-boggling puzzles to unlock the way out. The team needs to terminate the killer or else get killed. But first, there is a case to solve to identify the assassin.

Players can play this virtual escape room as a competition among each other, where the hero is the player who identifies the killer first.

Learn more about the Mardi Gras Murders.

#17. Romeo And Juliet Escape Room

This romance-themed escape room is fun and simple yet challenging enough to engage teams.

In this escape, Romeo needs to convince Juliet’s parents that he is the perfect suitor for their daughter. However, Juliet’s parents make Romeo’s mission challenging. This romance-based virtual escape room will keep the players’ minds racing as they help the lovebirds, Romeo and Juliet, to be together. Players need to complete patterns and solve the codes and tasks to help Romeo.

Romeo and Juliet’s escape theme is intriguing and suitable for teens.

Learn more about Romeo And Juliet Escape room.

Conclusion

Virtual escape rooms are among the best team-building games to play with a virtual team. Some of the best ideas include the Bunker and Escaping the Magic Kingdom. These games help strengthen teamwork and camaraderie and nurture essential work-related skills such as listening, problem-solving, decision-making, observation, and creative skills.

Next, check out these lists of Zoom games and virtual games for large groups.

FAQ: Virtual escape rooms

Here are common questions regarding virtual escape rooms.

What are virtual escape rooms?

Virtual escape rooms are online games where players have a fictional problem to solve within a set time. The games involve finding clues and solving puzzles to escape one room and access the next until the player accomplishes their mission and escapes the scene.

How do you play virtual escape rooms with teams?

Different websites have different procedures for playing virtual escape rooms. The following steps are common with most service providers.

  1. Select the game you wish to play. Most providers have a variety to choose from. A player can select as many as needed and add them to the shopping cart.
  2. Fill in your details. Whether the game is free or paid, providing your details enables the website to send the game instructions to you. You might have to provide details such as your name and email address.
  3. Pay for the game. This step applies to paid virtual escape room versions. Players get guidance and information about the payments on their respective websites.
  4. Get the link. Once the provider receives your payment transaction, they share the game’s access code to your inbox. Next, share the code with the players.
  5. Gather your team In a meeting app. Create a video conferencing link on platforms such as zoom or Google Meets, and share the link with your team members.
  6. Start playing. Begin the game by solving the first puzzle and have fun accomplishing the tasks.

Most virtual escape rooms are hosted, meaning that the players need not worry about being stuck in the game. The host’s duty is to enhance the players’ experience by guiding the play, providing additional hints, and any other assistance a team might need.