The guide to escape rooms in London

This is technically not an escape room, but it certainly follows the same premises as one. There are three quests to choose from, all run by the Hidden City team, which take you to the streets of London to solve challenges, puzzles and clues for each plot. You'll receive phone calls, texts and prompts to your phone, then it’s up to you and your team to decipher them and solve all the puzzles until you crack the story. There will even be a pub pit stop along the way where you’ll have time to get stuck into puzzles alongside your team.

Choose from a range of immersive games at AIM Escape: save the world from destruction with Patient Zero or go for something a little more lighthearted with Hangover Déjà Brew, which sees you step into the shoes of a detective. Alternatively, escape impending doom in the Psychopaths Den or go undercover and save your super spy friend in the Spy Heroes mission. Which room will you step into?

Get your detective hat on and prepare for 90 minutes of clue-searching and puzzle-solving in this Sherlock-themed escape room. The venue in Shepherd’s Bush has been purpose-built, especially for the game, and the coolest part? The script has even been written by the BBC Sherlock show creators Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss.

Deep inside the abandoned tube station of South Kensington, you’ll find Mission Breakout, an escape room with a harrowing truth behind the plots. The escape rooms are inside a disused tube station that was used as an air-raid shelter for Londoners to take refuge from WWII bombings. You can pick from three missions, two of which are true stories, one about confidential masterminds escaping Churchill’s secret war room and one based on the mysterious passenger who disappeared in South Kensington Tube Station in the ‘20s and was never found. Creepy.

The Modern Fables escape room is right around the corner from the Bermondsey Beer Mile, so both can be paired up for an exciting day out with pals, although we recommend starting with the escape room first if you want to have a clear head. The independently-run team at Modern Fables has an original approach to their games, working with talented artists to create every plot and game in-house. Their stories are vivid and imaginative and feel like real adventures. Although there are plenty of puzzles, you’ll come away feeling like you’ve been on an epic adventure alongside your characters.

The two games at Escape Rooms follow a traditional lock, key and code format. You can opt for an ancient Egyptian-themed game or head back in time to China in 1675; both are equally thrilling and will have you scratching your head and most likely panicking to solve all of the puzzles before your time is up. Will you escape in time?

The Crystal Maze Live Experience is the ultimate team challenge. It started as a wildly popular TV show in the 90s and has since become an immersive phenomenon in the heart of the city. Grab your team and soak up the nostalgia with the old-school game show-style games until you’ve successfully solved all the tricksy challenges.

Lose yourself for 70 minutes at Archimedes Escape Rooms, where you are the protagonist venturing through a well-thought-out plot. As the story you choose unfolds, you’ll be able to unravel secrets, solve challenges and puzzles and successfully complete the escape room before your time is up. Choose from a hospital-themed room where many strange happenings will be sure to keep your hairs on end, or fast-forward to 2025, where you will join a team of astronauts on a quest to achieve space colonisation.

clueQuest escape rooms in King’s Cross is the UK’s longest-running escape room. You can choose from four games offering totally different playing experiences. Unlock your secret agent potential in 60 minutes, from destroying mind-controlling satellites to sabotaging plans to leak secret identities and classified information. They also have various VR missions for those who prefer to hide away in the world of virtual reality.

This escape room is for people who like the creepier things in life, like Halloween and horror movies. The thematic rooms here are carefully crafted with spooky stories, like sealing the gates of hell to prevent demons from descending upon Earth and solving the mysteries of the haunted toy store. These aren’t for the faint-hearted, but they’re certainly memorable.

Escape Land on buzzy Oxford Street is home to two thrilling escape rooms, Da Vinci’s Explorations, where you work against evil forces to find the Holy Grail and the Right to the Throne, where the rightful heir to the throne has disappeared and it’s up to you to find out what has happened to her. You’ll have 60 minutes to solve all the puzzles and challenges and ultimately escape.

Travel back to the 1940s at these escape rooms in Shoreditch. You’re given 60 minutes to solve puzzles and clues, using your team’s varying skill sets to eventually escape. You’ll have the choice of three missions; Roll Out The Barrel, where you’re tasked with the unruly challenge of stealing beer; The Battle for Britain, where you have to stop an imminent attack; and The Adventure Begins, which is all about escaping a P.O.W camp.

It’s all about cats at this escape room, where cats have taken over and are ruling what is known as The Kingdom of Cats. Humans are nowhere to be seen, and it's now up to you to go up against the clock, solve the clues and puzzles, and escape the Cat Kingdom without a scratch. The challenges are accessible for all experience levels, and a games master is on hand should you have any questions along the way.

Choose from nine immersive missions at Escape London, in Whitechapel and Shepherds Bush, from time travelling and witchcraft to Medieval Britain and secluded forest cabins. Find clues, break the codes and solve challenging puzzles alongside your team until you have figured out how to get out. Do you have what it takes to escape within the allocated time frame?

Discover London's hidden gems with the CityDays treasure hunts – a unique and entertaining experience that combines exploration with fun. Upon booking your desired tour, embark on an adventure and receive a series of mysterious clues via mobile phone to guide you along the way. Each puzzle you solve will lead you to distinctive locations and reveal captivating insights about the city. Enjoy an engaging journey filled with excitement and intrigue.