Escape Rooms in Melbourne

Exitus Picture: Martin Reddy

There is a new gaming trend sweeping the world and Melbourne is leading the craze in Australia once again. Escape Rooms are real life puzzles, where two or more players are locked in a room to work together, solve brainteasers and escape before time runs out. With new Rooms constantly popping up across the city here are some of the best places to take on the challenge:

Escape Room opened in Flemington earlier this year and demand soon led to a second location in South Melbourne. The first room resembles a vintage study and the second one is meticulously decorated with a mine theme. The puzzles in these rooms test visual, mathematical, spatial and physical skills and require lots of lateral thinking and patience. There is help at hand, with an observer monitoring via webcam to offer hints if needed. Flemington and South Melbourne (address is provided in booking confirmation).

Escapism at Strike QV has three rooms to choose from with different scenarios including Forensic, The Garden and Butcher’s Burrow. Solve riddles, find hidden objects and crack clues to escape in under 50 minutes. If the escape room experience proves too much of a challenge, there is always bowling and karaoke next door as part of the Strike complex. 245 Lt Lonsdale Street, Melbourne 1300 787 453

Orz Escape was created by a couple of fun friends who have a great love for board games, problem solving and puzzles. Situated in the heart of the city, Orz has two well designed rooms to choose from Slaughter House, and the eerie Endless Dream (with room #3 in the pipeline)- both of which require participants to unravel a series of two and three layered clues, in order to escape before time runs out. Level 3 (above Hungry Jacks), 180 Bourke Street, Melbourne +613 9650 5023

Escape Room Australia is a slick, fully immersive experience right in the centre of the city. Participants can choose from the Safari Jungle, Vampire Chronicles, Art Thief, Slaughter House or the Mummy scenarios, with new themed rooms taking over every few months. 108 Bourke Street (Paramount Mall), Melbourne +61 3 9636 9993

Escape Hunt Melbourne offers visitors the chance to act as detectives to solve a tram bomb heist, a murder at the brewery or a kidnapping in the graveyard – along with an assortment of costumes to help participants really get in mood for solving crimes. Shop 3, 190 Queen Street, Melbourne +613 9600 1086

Trapt is located in the basement of the historic Keep & Co Building in Melbourne’s CBD and with four different themed rooms that include Biohazard, Prisonbreak, Transylvania and Wonderland. The venue boasts a sophisticated yet relaxed speakeasy bar with locally brewed beers and ciders on tap, along with an elaborate cocktail menu to assist escapee’s celebrate.  377 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne +613 9077 7941

Rush Escape Room offers three clever, tricky and mind-challenging rooms that are inspired by much-loved fictional stories. Participants can choose to escape from three themed rooms – Da Vinci Down Under, Lost In Paradise and Mission: Possible – where critical thinking, pattern recognition and fast decision making are required to solve the unusual puzzles, clues and codes to escape.  Suite 4 – 230 Toorak Road, South Yarra +613 8395 4309

EscapeXperience is located in Oakleigh just near Chadstone Shopping Centre and offers players two exciting new escape rooms. A fully immpersive experience, ‘Amnesia’ takes players back in time while the glitz and glamour of ‘Burlesque’ has players uncovering a dark secret. Level 1, 38-40 Eaton Mall, Oakleigh, Melbourne +61 3 9912 8162