33 Escape Room Tips to Enhance Your Next Escape Game

You’re gearing up for your next escape room adventure, but where should you start?
Don’t worry — we’ve condensed the best of our blogs into 33 essential escape room tips to get you ready for success. Whether it’s choosing the perfect team or cracking the codes like a seasoned pro, these tips are designed to make your escape adventure smoother and more enjoyable. If it's your first escape room and you're looking for a beginner's guide, our Ultimate Escape Room Guide is your go-to resource for everything you need to know about escape games, for all experience levels.

Escape Room Tips and Strategies: Start with the Right Team

1. Choose Your Escape Team Wisely

Assembling a team is the foundation of a successful escape room experience. Whether you’re playing with family, friends, or colleagues, knowing each other’s strengths is key.

2. Communicate and Collaborate

During the game, communication is key. Avoid confusion and share every clue and discovery with your team. If you find a hidden object or solve part of a puzzle, don’t hesitate to say it out loud! You must work together to solve puzzles and escape.

3. Assign Roles

Everyone has their own strengths, so assign roles based on each member’s abilities. Some might be great at finding clues, while others excel at solving riddles. Assigning tasks will help you solve challenges faster. Don’t know what role to choose? We got you, check out this article we made about escape room player types and stick to what feels true to you.

4. Play to Your Team's Strengths

Leverage everyone’s unique problem-solving skills. Whether you're great at spotting hidden clues or connecting abstract ideas, a diverse set of abilities will boost your chances of success.

5. This is No Horror Movie, Split Up!

Trust us — splitting up is not dangerous! Searching in different areas can save time and let everyone work on their own piece of the puzzle. Just remember to regroup and share your findings. Escape rooms are designed to challenge you, so staying organized is vital.

Want to know how to assemble the perfect team? Explore our ultimate Amsterdam escape room guide for all experience levels.

Tips for Solving an Escape Game: Strategies to Follow

6. Take a Good Look Around

As soon as the door closes, search the room like your life depends on it. Leave no corner unchecked, check inside of all the drawers, look behind doors, inspect every object… Looking for hidden clues is the first step to piecing together the mystery. You don’t want to miss anything, and sometimes the most obvious aspects of the room are the most important. It's no secret that in an escape room, you're allowed to channel your inner child and approach the room with curiosity. In fact, this is the perfect moment to do so.

7. Think and Act

Escape rooms are meant to balance thinking and action. Taking time to reflect on what is in front of you in the room is great. Analyse, investigate, connect the dots… but don’t forget to act. Be confident to touch things, to try things, being wrong and making mistakes is part of the game! So try a mix of thinking and acting and your method should be perfect.

8. Not Everything is a Clue…

Sometimes, when looking for clues, light bulbs are just… light bulbs. Be careful while touching wires as well and if you receive a call from your game master telling you to keep your fingers out of the electricity socket, do it. If you’ve spent time examining something ordinary, discard it and move on. Feeling stuck? It’s time to try another approach.

9. Work Systematically in an Escape Room

If an escape room puzzle seems too big for one person or if it is taking too much time, break it down into smaller tasks and tackle them one by one with your team. Work together! Collaboration is the key to unlocking the mysteries of the room and ensuring your team's success.

10. Ask for Help, You’re Not Alone

If you’re completely stuck, don’t forget that your host is here to help. If you have spent more than 15 minutes on the same puzzle, it may be time to ask for hints so you can move on. Sometimes, only a few words can enlighten you. But try to only ask when necessary, so that you still have the satisfaction of solving the escape room riddles yourself.

11. Keep an Eye on the Clock

It is very easy to lose track of time in an escape room so make sure to check the clock from time to time, especially if you feel like you have been stuck on a puzzle for a long time. Time management will enable you to have clearer ideas and avoid a rush towards the end of the time span.

Make sure you're fully prepared for your next adventure by diving into our in-depth blog on escape room strategies.

What to Wear to an Escape Room Game

12. Dress Comfortably

Comfort and ease of movement is essential for playing in an escape room. Wear clothing that allows you to move freely, you never know the challenges that await you… Avoid anything too tight, too heavy, or too bulky, especially in the summer.

Trust us, the right outfit makes a big difference in the escape room world.

13. Avoid Bulky Accessories

Minimise distractions and the risk of getting caught on objects, so leave your rings, bracelets and necklaces at home if possible. There might also be a risk of losing them in the room, so better be safe than sorry!

14. Wear Comfortable Shoes

You may be on your feet for a long period of time, so choose footwear that won't cause discomfort. Shoes that allow easy movement are essential for an exciting experience. We don’t recommend open shoes either as it is very easy to drop something in the escape room and hurt yourself. Another good thing to keep in mind is that you might have to run to escape… so choose shoes according to all of these situations.

15. Dress the Part

Some rooms might ask their players to dress a certain way to fit the theme of the game, whether it is very fancy or silly, try and play the part! Our room The Vault actually invites people to dress as art collectors, so make sure to bring your best outfits to match with the room.

For outfit inspiration and advice, take a look at our detailed blog on what to wear to an escape room.

Collaborate, Don’t Compete

16. Set Up a Clear Communication Method

To make sure that you understand each other during the game, agree on signals or codes to share information efficiently. You might want to yell every time you find something new or clap your hands to draw attention to a particular element of the room, the details are up to you as long as you communicate well!

17. Actively Listen to Each Other

Pay attention to what your team is saying and don’t speak all at the same time. Everything you have to say will probably prove itself worthy of attention and everybody sees things differently, so make sure to listen to what everyone has to say or you might miss important details. Listening actively to everyone is a skill that all successful teams share.

18. Ask Your Game Master for Help

Escape rooms are meant to be challenging, but if you’re stuck, don’t hesitate to ask your game master for a hint. Escape room enthusiasts know that hints can make all the difference when you're aiming to beat an escape room.

19. Take Time to Read and Share

There might be a few things to read in a room. Remember to read things out loud so that everyone can have the same information in real-time. If you ever get separated and read things for yourself, you should always find a way to communicate what you found out to the rest of your team, to stay on the same page.

20. Use Concise Language

Clearly articulate your thoughts and avoid unnecessary complexity. Try to use simple words to describe what you are doing and seeing to your team this will save you a lot of time and energy as well.

Work Together to Solve Puzzles

21. Be Patient

Stay calm and composed, even when faced with escape room challenges. Yes, the clock is ticking but you will need to remain calm and cool when solving a number of clues and enigmas. Stressing and acting restless will only make you lose time and could also make you miss important things!

22. Share the Workload

Distribute tasks evenly to prevent one person from becoming overwhelmed. You should also not all be focusing on the same thing, every clue needs several brains to see the end of it, some elements of the room might be too much for one person.

23. If You’re Stuck, Pass It On

You’ve been working on a clue for what it seems like forever and you can’t see the end of it? Switch roles with your escape room teammates, pass it on! Being stuck on the same thing for too long will only make you feel frustrated, better to let someone else have a fresh look at it so you can try something else in the meantime.

24. Celebrate Successes Together

Share what you did with your team, acknowledge achievements as a team and enjoy the victories! Some of the elements of the escape room might not include all players so make sure to keep everyone updated when you resolve or find out something. This is teamwork!

25. Maintain a Positive Attitude

Encourage optimism and avoid negativity or blame. After all, this is a game and you are here to have fun! Whether you are playing with friends or family, escape rooms should remain a fun moment to spend together, supporting each other throughout the game.

26. Losing is also Part of the Game

If you don’t make it, it’s perfectly fine. This is also part of the experience and it actually makes you learn a lot about yourself and your team. What could have been faster? Why did the clock go so fast? You only get better by trying and you might ace your next escape room thanks to the mistakes you’ve done before.

Problem-Solving Ideas to Beat an Escape Room

27. Pay Attention to Details

Examine everything closely for potential clues, search every corner of the escape room thoroughly, and make sure you don’t miss anything. If you notice several repetitive patterns, they probably mean something, if you keep hearing the same sound over and over, dig into it!

28. Listen to the Sounds Around You

Certain clues and solving puzzles might require audio cues. Keep an open mind. Listen closely to your environment, what can you hear? Is there music? Repetitive sounds? Puzzles can be heard, so be prepared for anything.

29. Ignoring Things is also an Option

Don’t lose too much time on details, if you see a stain… it might just be a stain. Don’t overthink everything and ignore what doesn’t feel puzzly or mysterious in some way, you might just unnecessarily lose time.

30. Don’t Be Afraid to Make Mistakes

Just go for it! There is no good or bad way to solve a puzzle (unless your host tells you so). You won’t be able to tell how to solve something unless you try it and mistakes make you go further. Try as hard as you can until you get the final result!

31. Organise Your Findings

Keep track of clues and objects, try to place them in a centralised area, in the middle of the room for example.This will save you a lot of time and effort as well, as some escape rooms will ask you to use the same objects numerous times. This way, you won’t have to run around and try to remember where you put your keys and trinkets.

32. Try Different Combinations

Don't be afraid to experiment and explore various possibilities. Some enigmas might be more challenging than others and require more than just intellectual capacities. Push and pull, speak out loud, turn things around, get physical! The solutions are almost never what you thought they would be, so get creative.

33. Stay Focused on the Game

Avoid distractions and stay immersed in the game, even when you think you’ve come to a dead end. There is always something to do, something to look at or someone to help. If you’re in doubt, call your host and ask for some advice.

Time to Try: You are Now Ready to Ace Your Next Escape Room

With these tips, you’re ready to book your next adventure! Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned escape room enthusiast, remember to have fun and enjoy the exhilarating experience of working with your team.

Remember to stay spontaneous and have fun! These are the two last pieces of advice that we can give to make sure that your games will be a fantastic experience for everyone.

For a deeper dive into strategies, team selection, and what to expect, check out our ultimate escape room guide.

Ready to book your escape room in Amsterdam? Read all about it.