Guide to immersive experiences in London

Based at Canada Water, Phantom Peak is a unique immersive experience. Visit an Old West-style town with indoor and outdoor spaces, meet the local characters, play games, uncover mysteries, and enjoy a variety of shops, entertainment, and food and drink options. You're welcome to dress up with a steampunk theme and the experience is suitable for all ages.

Take board games to the next level at Monopoly Lifesized. Get competitive as you play on a life-sized game board, moving around and tackling challenges to win big cash prizes. It's great for all types of players, including team-building exercises. There's a bar and restaurant on-site to relax in after your game.

Transport yourself to 1945 and the end of the war at Cahoots. Housed in a disused tube station that was once an emergency air raid shelter, you'll find 40s-themed cocktails, staff in costume, a playlist of music from the time, and relics from wartime that were found in the space.

Enjoy a four course Greek meal and a spectacular show in a taverna setting at Mamma Mia! The Party. A must for the city's Abba fans, there's live music, a dazzling finale, and an Abba disco after the show. The action isn't confined to the stage here, making the crowd part of the show and really bringing it all to life.

Lose yourself in another world at Immersive Gamebox. With touch screens, surround sound, motion tracking, and projection mapping, you're fully immersed as soon as you step into your private gaming box. There are family-friendly games as well as some more suited to adults and you can play in groups of up to six people.

Avora gives you a completely unique cocktail-drinking experience. At this theatrical experience you'll don a jumpsuit and enter a new utopian world. You'll forage for ingredients and try three inventive botanical cocktails as you make your way through this immersive world and uncover the story of Avora.

Bubble Planet, an international immersive experience now open in London, offers a whimsical escape into a bubble-filled world, encouraging visitors to rediscover their inner child through play. This engaging attraction, aligning with the “Kidulting” trend in Europe, features 11 uniquely themed rooms, each designed with optical illusions, fantastical landscapes, and interactive opportunities.

Prison-themed bar Alcotraz is a novel way to drink cocktails. Here you'll have to smuggle in your own booze – if you can make it past the warden. Put on your orange jumpsuit, go through the metal detector, and give your clandestine booze to the bar staff, who'll mix it up into original cocktails just for you.

Plunge yourself into the storyline at The War of the Worlds: The Immersive Experience. You'll be part of a martian invasion of London across 24 different scenes that use actors, holograms, virtual reality, and iconic music by Jeff Wayne. Make your way through the story and enjoy a drink in the bar at the end, including the signature Red Weed cocktail.

Near Oxford Circus you can discover mind-boggling multi-sensory illusions at Twist Museum. This place twists up reality and challenges your perceptions, and was developed with artists, philosophers, and neuroscientists. The way you understand colour, heat, shape, perspective, and sound are turned on their head with the small- and large-scale illusions here.

Fans of Fawlty Towers will enjoy Faulty Towers The Dining Experience. This theatrical dinner show is a tribute to the popular sitcom and includes a three course meal and two hours of mayhem and laughter. Around 70% of each show is improvised so it's always a new and unique experience. Let the organisers know if you're celebrating something and you'll get an added surprise chucked in.

Secret Cinema offers Londoners an immersive cinema experience, always taking place in a top secret location. Favourite films are brought to life with immersive sets, live characters, and new storylines. You're welcome to dress up for the occasion too. New shows are put on regularly but past films include Dirty Dancing and Blade Runner.

Set into a railway arch, Sensas is a unique place to push your senses to the max. There are a number of themed spaces designed to test you in a fun way and make you lose control. Tackle challenges and overcome your fears to be rewarded with tokens that are converted into a donation to a disability charity. You'll be plunged into total darkness and explore an anti-gravity room whilst you're here.

Explore virtual reality gaming at Meetspace VR. This cutting-edge venue is lively and has a variety of VR games to try out. Play in the arcade, tackle an escape room, or try a free-roaming VR challenge for a unique way to have fun. All ages are welcome here but some activities have their own age restrictions. Private hire for events is also possible.

Step inside your favourite art pieces at Frameless. This immersive experience combines light, sound, animated projections, and mirrors to give you a unique view of paintings by artists like Klimt, Dali, and Bosch. Four different spaces put you right in the centre of the works and there's an on-site café as well.

Step aboard the train at The Murdér Express for an immersive theatre dinner experience. You get a gourmet meal developed by “MasterChef” finalist Louisa Ellis, plus drinks and entertainment as you watch a murder mystery show that's full of surprises. LCD screens and special effects make you feel like the train carriage is in motion.

Try your hand at detective work with Sherlock: The Official Live Game. This themed escape room in West London will see you looking for clues and solving cases over 90 minutes in a purpose-built venue. There are rooms for different group sizes and all types of groups are welcome, including school groups and corporate events.

Discover a number of zones and be part of the classic 90s game show with The Crystal Maze Live Experience. You won't get to hang out with Richard O'Brien but you'll still have fun travelling between different zones and taking on games and challenges. Eventually you'll reach the finale and get your time in the infamous crystal dome.

Recently opened in King's Cross, Lightroom is an innovative immersive art gallery that boasts a massive open space spanning four stories. It features state-of-the-art digital projection and audio technology in order to host magnificent artist-led shows by renowned individuals such as David Hockney. The cutting-edge technology is utilised to enhance viewers' experiences with the displayed art.

The Lost Estate is a highly skilled theatre group renowned for creating captivating, immersive live experiences that weave together theatre, live music, and fine dining. Their performances encompass diverse themes, eras, and beloved tales ranging from Swan Lake to the Jazz Age. Audience members are fully immersed in the narrative as they assume the roles of protagonists and actively participate in the unfolding of the events. To enhance the overall experience, each show is complemented by a delectable meal that aligns with the show's theme.

Step into a purpose-built arena and experience ABBA as you've never seen them before at ABBA Voyage. This groundbreaking immersive concert blends cutting-edge motion capture, visual effects, and live musicians to present the band as digital avatars (“ABBAtars”) performing at the height of their fame. With a dazzling setlist, spectacular lighting, and arena-scale sound, it's a mind-blowing celebration of one of pop music's most beloved groups, and a must for fans.

Outernet London is a free, large-scale immersive experience that surrounds you with floor-to-ceiling digital art, sound, and motion across some of the world's largest high-resolution screens. Located just off Tottenham Court Road, this constantly evolving space showcases everything from experimental visual art to music-led experiences and branded installations. Drop in for a quick sensory hit or linger to watch the entire loop – no two visits are ever quite the same.