As you know, I love testing, finding, and discovering new places, new concepts, and new insider tips, which I then share with you right here. So, it was with childlike excitement that I started exploring a game that has been all the rage in Paris for just over a year: the Escape Game. In this article, I will first explain what an Escape Game is, and then I will offer a selection of my Escape Game tests in Paris.
_
Table of Contents
What is an Escape Game?
The concept is simple: a team of 3 to 6 people generally, locked in a room, has only 60 minutes to escape by solving a series of puzzles. After a briefing of about fifteen minutes, the team is locked in and the game begins.
Average duration: 1h30 (15mn briefing / 60mn game / 15mn debriefing)
Beyond that, every Escape Game is different, due to its atmosphere and theme, and the difficulty of the puzzles, which is why I wanted to write an article with several game experiences.
The little extra: the souvenir photo (accessorized or not) of your team after the mission, whether you succeeded or not.
_
Crack the Egg Escape
This escape game located in the 12th district, a stone’s throw from Gare de Lyon, offers 4 different adventures with the quest for the Primordial Egg which is common to all rooms (you actually need to do several to fully complete this quest).
Room tested: Chinatown
The story: In the heart of the 70s in Little Osaka, the Japanese district of San Francisco, you play the role of Yakuza. A few streets away, in Chinatown, a dignitary of the Chinese Mafia has reportedly gotten his hands on a priceless object during a recent heist. His upcoming departure for China stirs up all sorts of greed. Your mission as a young recruit of the Yakuza Clan: infiltrate the hideout and intercept the cargo before it leaves Chinatown.
This room is the first and oldest of the establishment and it therefore remains very focused on searching and opening padlocks. However, having done an escape game with my parents who have little experience, I found that this room was perfect: immersive, with nice decor, and with classic and accessible puzzles. The game master also gave a very theatrical presentation of the context, which was quite nice.
Practical information: 2 to 6 players
Difficulty level: EASY
Year tested: 2026
Crack the Egg Escape
46 avenue Daumesnil 75012 Paris
_
L’Antichambre
L’Antichambre has built a great reputation in the Parisian Escape Game circle. Well-crafted stories, various levels of difficulty so that every player finds their place, rather realistic sets, and an enthusiastic team! A success that led to the opening of a second temple of puzzles, rue Blondel, where new investigations are offered to the public.
Room tested: Shogun
The story: The Shogun Yoritomo (a real warrior who lived in the 12th century) has left his home in Kamakura, the opportunity to sneak in to find the proof of the murders committed: the Shogun’s sword, the murder weapon. But be careful, you only have one hour before he returns…
You enter a Japanese garden… The atmosphere is relaxed, peaceful. You let yourself be lulled by the pleasant notes of zen music and have fun with the clear sound of the chimes. But let’s not dwell on the refined decor and start our investigation. The first mission: the search. And it is clear that Shogun requires a first big job of gathering clues. Be careful not to let anything slip by you. Once the task is duly accomplished, the Shogun puzzles are not particularly difficult to solve. Manipulation, agility, logic, everything flows smoothly. Beginners will appreciate the accessible nature of the puzzles. Shogun is a perfect appetizer for any novice investigator worth their salt…
The others, experts and escape room buffs, will have fun solving Shogun in record time, without clues. Moreover, the room’s game masters will kindly offer you this challenge if they detect in you that you are regulars of the genre. The interest of Shogun lies in its exotic atmosphere and the pleasant feeling of always being very close to the goal! Be careful, however, not to be fooled by a few useless clues. Because although simple, Shogun has its share of mischief and cleverly plays with the investigator’s credulity. Enjoy this little trip to medieval Japan, but see it as a pleasant training before embarking on more complex scenarios and challenges.
Practical information: 2 to 6 players
Difficulty level: EASY
Year tested: 2018
L’Antichambre
8-10 rue Blondel, 75003 ParisRates: from €14 to €40 per person, depending on the number of players and times
_
The Game – Escape if you can
Room tested: The mystery of the Catacombs
The story: A private access hitherto forbidden to the public and here is my team in search of a treasure locked in the catacombs of Paris…
It was actually my very first escape game experience with 4 other people I absolutely did not know and it went very well. We even managed to get out in 57 minutes, even though we were all newcomers.
Features of the mission: research, skill, cooperation. The immersion here is very successful, because it is truly in the basements of The Game that this adventure takes place and we start the mission in the dark, well, for part of the team at least…
Difficulty level: MEDIUM
Practical information: team of 3 to 5 players
Year tested: 2015
_
Room tested: Casino Heist
The story: Just out of prison, Max, a legendary thug, intends to take revenge on the police inspector responsible for his downfall. The latter reportedly has damning evidence to send the best of burglars back behind bars for many years. These documents are allegedly placed in a highly protected safe. To recover them, Public Enemy No. 1 wants to assemble a team for the riskiest burglary of his history.
Difficulty level: MEDIUM
Practical information: team of 3 to 5 players
Year tested: 2018
The Game, escape if you can
51, Rue du Cardinal Lemoine 75005 Paris
Rates: Prices vary based on team size, starting from €23 per
person
_
HintHunt, the Live Escape Game
Room tested: The James Murdock Mystery
The story: The detective thriller atmosphere of the James Murdock mystery plunges players into the office of a private detective accused of a murder he obviously did not commit… It’s up to us to prove it!
Difficulty level: EASY
For me, this room is perfect for a first-time introduction. It allows for a great discovery of the world of escape games. Well-designed, without being impossible for players without experience, this room is really made for a first experience in my opinion. I actually did it with a group of 4 people, all newcomers besides me; they had a lot of fun and it especially made them want to do others!
Practical information: team of 3 to 5 players
Year tested: 2015
HintHunt the “Live Escape Game”
James Murdock Mystery: 62 rue Beaubourg, 75003 Paris (metro Rambuteau, Arts et Metiers, Reaumur Sebastopol)
Zen Room Mystery: 58 rue Beaubourg, 75003 Paris (metros Rambuteau, Arts et Metiers, Reaumur Sebastopol)
Sessions take place every 2 hours, from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., 7 days a week
Rates: The average price is €25 and varies from €19 to €32 depending on the time and the
number of players
_
Gamescape Paris
This escape room offers 3 different rooms with several levels of difficulty. We tested, in particular, the most difficult room in this escape: Gentleman Burglar. Note that in this escape, you must choose a team name for your team! The welcome is very friendly and the game master was quite helpful to us, I think.
Room tested: Gentleman Burglar
The story: Trying to rob the most talented of French crooks will not be an easy task but the reward from the Countess of Cagliostro is worth the task. If you manage to bring her back a simple letter that Arsène Lupin stole from her, you will receive a share of the treasure of the kings of France.
Difficulty level: MEDIUM/DIFFICULT
We did this room with 4 players, which seems to me to be the right number. It is a room that requires more reasoning than searching and requires a certain team coordination. Which makes it more delicate but not impossible. We succeeded just in time and everyone played their role and unlocked the situation at some point. It was a good game experience. However, I recommend this room rather for non-beginner players.
Practical information: team of 3 to 5 players
Year tested: 2022
Gamescape Paris
17 rue de la pierre levée 75011 Paris
Rates: from €19 per player (for a team of 5 players)
The insider tip: off-peak rates on weekdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
_
Escape Hunt Paris
Room tested: Pursuit in the Metropolitan
The story: You are a detective and must investigate a pickpocket who is operating in the Paris metro. Your goal will be to find his identity by gathering the clues left behind him that will allow you to find his hideout.
This escape room was developed thanks to the BNF archives on the RATP for maximum historical realism. The result is a carefully crafted decor (especially the details brought to the train car) that completely immerses us in the atmosphere of the 30s metro. Moreover, some elements date from that era. The plot of the escape room is particularly well developed, the different steps to reach the hideout obey a real aesthetic and intellectual logic for solving certain puzzles. However, despite all the attention paid to certain elements of the decor, the rooms seem a bit empty for my taste. Especially given the promise imposed by a welcome worthy of a great Sherlock Holmes investigation.
The mechanisms are really the strong point of this mission; indeed, it does not boil down to opening code or key padlocks. The form of certain puzzles (which will appeal to other senses than sight), and the search part, do not lack originality. But for more surprises, I won’t say any more.
Difficulty level: MEDIUM
A funny and effective escape room, but one that does not present great difficulties for regulars.
Practical information: team of 2 to 5 players
Year tested: 2016
Escape Hunt
5 rue d’Hanovre 75002 Paris
Contact: 01 75 50 62 60
Rates: €24 to €33 / per player / a gift box is also on sale for €99 and
valid in all Escape Hunt establishments, for a game of 2 to 5 players
_
X-Dimension
Room tested: The Mansion of Secrets
The story: In the old leather trunk of Grandfather, covered with dust and lying in a corner of the attic for years, you find a letter in which he speaks of an “old mansion”… With your friends, you decide to follow the instructions in the letter and go in search of this mansion abandoned for years. After weeks of research, you finally find it! But when you enter, the door closes behind you…
The haunted house atmosphere of this escape room is very engaging and some mechanisms, especially the one to get out of the room, are very innovative and original.
Difficulty level: MEDIUM
Practical information: team of 3 to 6 players
Off-peak rates (09:45 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday to Friday): Team of 6 players €18 per person / 5 players €19 / 4 players €22 / player 3 players €25
Peak rates (4 p.m.-10 p.m. Monday to Friday, Saturday and Sunday all day): Team of 6 players €24 per person / 5 players €25 / 4 players €27 / player 3 players €30
_
Room tested: The secret of the Black Pearl
Very nice rooms around the theme of piracy. The sets are really very well done and the puzzles are complicated and very original. One of the best rooms I’ve done in Paris I think, but that we obviously couldn’t finish in time.
Difficulty level: DIFFICULT
Practical information: team of 3 to 5 players
Off-peak rates (09:45 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday to Friday): Team of 6 players €18 per person / 5 players €19 / 4 players €22 / player 3 players €25
Peak rates (4 p.m.-10 p.m. Monday to Friday, Saturday and Sunday all day): Team of 6 players €24 per person / 5 players €25 / 4 players €27 / player 3 players €30
Year tested: 2016
X-Dimension
18 avenue Parmentier 75011 Paris
_
Team Break La Défense
Team Break was founded in September 2014 by Pierre-Henri Londner and Elisa Elbaz and it is present in 4 cities: Paris, Lyon, Lille and Puteaux, with a 1,200m2 space also within the CNIT of La Défense (the one we tested).
Room tested: Magic School
This escape room which is obviously inspired by the universe of Harry Potter offers to fight against the dark mage Pedro. The sets are particularly well done and you quickly get into the game.
Difficulty level: DIFFICULT (as you can guess we didn’t manage to finish in time…)
Practical information: team of 3 to 12 players
Entrance price: from €19 per player (depending on the number of participants)
Hours: from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m., 7 days /7
Year tested: 2016
Team Break La Défense
Team Break is located within Cnit Move, Sport and Leisure destination of the CNIT
Garden Level,
2 place de La Défense, 92800 Puteaux
_
Victory Escape Game
This center which has existed since 2015 has two Parisian addresses (Opéra and Marais) and 7 different missions to accomplish.
Room tested: The Lost Ark
Fans of Indiana Jones will have recognized the reference and many details in the room are reminiscent of the film. The sets are once again very well done and they constitute, in my opinion, the very pleasant point of this room.
The story: Brave explorers have gotten their hands on a manuscript claiming that the lost ark of Apocalipto would be located in the jungles of South America. According to the legend, a skull head statuette of the god Apocalipto would grant its owner eternal youth…
Difficulty level: DIFFICULT (we failed to get out in time even though we were quite close to the end)
Practical information: team of 3 to 6 players
Year tested: 2017
_
Room tested: Interstellar
This room with minimalist decor will appeal to science fiction fans and I found that in terms of puzzles it was a bit different from classic rooms, which, on the other hand, can be a bit unsettling for those used to more conventional rooms.
The story: Your team of explorers led by Professor Graham has discovered a portal leading straight to an abandoned military base in the middle of a hostile and unknown galaxy. Will you find a way to return to Earth before running out of oxygen?
Difficulty level: DIFFICULT (we managed to get out just in time though)
Practical information: team of 3 to 6 players
Year tested: 2018
_
Room tested: King Arthur
The atmosphere of this room is very nice if you like the medieval universe. Here again, the decor is very minimalist and there are very few padlocks in the puzzles, which changes from most escapes. There are even some ideas of quite original actions.
The story: King Arthur and his army have been attacked! The Holy Grail, a cult object of the quest of the Knights of the Round Table, has been stolen. The kingdom needs you to find it. Without it, the king will not be able to restore peace and prosperity to his land. Be careful, the road will not be without pitfalls and you will have to be ingenious…
Difficulty level: DIFFICULT (we unfortunately didn’t manage to get out within a few seconds…)
Practical information: team of 3 to 6 players
Year tested: 2018
Victory Escape
37 rue des Gravilliers 75003 Paris
Off-peak rates (12 p.m.-4 p.m. Monday to Friday): Team of 6 players €20 per
person / 5 players €22 / 4 players €24 / player 3 players €27Peak rates (6 p.m.-11 p.m. Monday to Friday, Saturday and Sunday all day): Team of 6 players €24 per person / 5 players €26 / 4 players €28 /
player 3 players €32
_
Captive Live Escape Game
This escape game opened in 2018 is located in Clichy not far from the Mairie Clichy metro station and I believe it is the first one installed in this city.
Room tested: Murder in Harlem
This extremely original room plunges us into a 20s/30s film noir atmosphere where you have to solve a murder.
The story: “One more! Another sordid murder to sink my teeth into. You’re telling me. More than 15 violent deaths in the last 3 months. But what’s not working right in this damn city? We are overwhelmed. I don’t have any guys to investigate this case. Another body. Discovered this morning. in East Harlem. I have the mayor on my back. He wants results. You’re telling me. How can I do my job with so few resources? I’m going to have to put the new recruits to work. A murder. To start their career well. It’s quite a good deal. But well.”
Difficulty level: MEDIUM (we managed to get out of the room on time and solve the murder)
Practical information: team of 3 to 6 players (but I would still say 4 max because the first room is quite small)
Year tested: 2018
Captive Live Escape Game
2 Rue de l’ancienne Mairie, 92110 Clichy
Rates: €32 /person for a team of 3 players; €25 / person for 4 players;
€24 / person for 5 players; €20 / person for 6 players
_
Mystery Escape Paris (Closed)
Room tested: The Mayan Prophecy
The story: For those who have forgotten, December 21, 2012, marked the end of the Mayan calendar, and according to some, the end of the world. Nothing happened, the asteroid supposed to crash into the earth only grazed it, and one could have thought that the legend stopped there. Except that a small calculation error sends us back to today, the day of the end of the world. Indeed, another asteroid is heading straight for Earth. At the same time, strange lights are seen in the Yucatan jungle.
Our team, the WILLIS (in homage to Bruce of course), is therefore sent urgently to Mexico, in order to investigate these strange phenomena. Once on site, we discover a Mayan temple which may be the key to the salvation of humanity. Unfortunately, we only have 60 minutes left to save the world…
Immersion is definitely the strong point of this escape: Well-kept sets, numerous accessories (not all are used), amusing small cinematic nods. And let us note especially, the success of the sound and visual effects that motivate players to get involved in the game, like the fact that everything is written in Mayan (rest assured, it is not penalizing).
The “role play” is the other strong point of this escape, because the clues of the Game Master often take the form of small puzzles, sometimes whispered by a big and mysterious voice. The end is clearly worth the detour, whether you succeed or not.
Difficulty level: DIFFICULT
On the other hand, the difficulty is high and the rhythm is sustained. If you are taking your first steps in this kind of game it is wiser to do a simpler one to familiarize yourself with this concept. To conclude, Maya remains one of the richest and most interesting escapes to do.
Practical information: team of 3 to 5 players
Year tested: 2015
Mystery Escape
2 rue Léon Jost 75017 Paris (Metro Courcelles)
Rates: €22 to €32 per player depending on the number of players and reduced on weekdays from
10 a.m. to 2 p.m.Edit of 04/20/2026: this escape game unfortunately closed its doors
_
La Pièce (Closed)
La Pièce is an escape room that has offered two rooms with two very different themes in the 10th arrondissement of Paris since 2014.
Room tested: Once Upon a Piece
It’s a room in which you enter the mysterious office of Lewis Carroll, in his old English house in 1890, and once the door is closed, you have to find a way to get out! I must say that searching is an important part of this escape and I like escapes of this style!
The story: “You are plunged into the heart of the place that saw the birth of the famous book “Alice in Wonderland”, in 19th-century England: the office of writer Lewis Carroll. What will you find there? How will you get out of it?”
Difficulty level: MEDIUM
Practical information: team of 2 to 5 players
Year tested: 2019
La Pièce
3 rue de Metz Paris 75010Rates: from €25 / person
Edit of 12/25/2022: this escape game is permanently closed
_
Live City Game
Following the lockdown, the escape game company Gamescape (which I already mentioned a bit higher up) decided to offer a new game adapted to the current context. The concept of their Live City Game uses the game mechanics of the escape room in the form of an outdoor scavenger hunt in Paris.
Course tested: The Disappearance of Dr. Watson
For this Live City Game, we are assisted in our journey by a gamemaster (as in a normal escape room) with whom we communicate via our phone and it works very well! In the same way, the stages of the course and the puzzles to solve are transmitted to us via our smartphone.
And as a little bonus, we even meet Sherlock and Watson along the way, but I won’t tell you any more…
The story: “Moriarty has kidnapped Dr. Watson, and he is threatening to kill him! Help Sherlock Holmes find him before it’s too late.”
Difficulty level: EASY
Practical information: team of 2 to 4 players
Duration: 75 to 90 minutes
Year tested: 2020
Live City Game
ParisRates: €60 per game session
available until September 27, 2020
_
The Opéra Garnier
For a few years now, the Opéra Garnier (which can be visited), has offered the public the chance to discover it in the context of an escape game within its walls.
Game tested: Arsène Lupin and the Secret of the Opera
Cultival and the Opéra national de Paris launched a new immersive game at the end of 2022 inspired by the famous character Arsène Lupin, within the mythical Palais Garnier. This game for the general public is based on an investigation as well as the history of the place to better discover it, while creating a shared experience between the participants. Colorful characters, puzzles to solve, and captivating secrets will be the ingredients of this immersive adventure to be lived as a team. Throughout the route, at different moments, you are accompanied and guided by actors. You evolve at your own pace in the iconic spaces of the Opera such as the Grand Foyer, the Grand Staircase, or the Rotonde du Glacier, and in addition at the end of the game you even access floors usually closed to visitors, which is very nice.
The story: Arsène Lupin, the famous gentleman burglar whom no puzzle can resist, has already solved many mysteries. During his intense career as an investigator, his greatest success was managing to solve all the secrets held by the Count of Cagliostro. At least…that’s what everyone thought! What even the biggest fans of Arsène Lupin’s adventures did not know is that at the end of his life, he was on the trail of a last secret – which he never managed to elucidate! He knew that the famous architect Charles Garnier had managed to crack this secret, and had hidden clues in his famous Opera. If Arsène Lupin had therefore started his quest at the Palais Garnier, he felt that something was missing: the last piece that would give the puzzle all its coherence.
Difficulty level: EASY
Practical information: immersive game open to all, to discover alone or in a team (from 7 years old)
Duration: between 1h30 and 2h
Year tested: 2023
Opéra Garnier
Main facade of the Palais Garnier, place de l’Opéra 75009 Paris
Rates: adult €28 / 16-26 years old €25 / 5-15 years old €20
_
ClueZ
ClueZ is a digital and cultural treasure hunt halfway between an escape game, a tourist visit, and a scavenger hunt. The principle is that you set off to discover a district of Paris, by solving an investigation through a series of puzzles and equipped with a geolocated tablet provided by ClueZ. The touch tablet serves as a guide but also as a help (if clues are needed along the way).
Course tested: The Affair of the Poisons (adults)
During this course, we discover the Marais district and it is true that it allows you to discover details or places that you pay less attention to in normal times! In short, another way to rediscover the capital with the fun side as a bonus!
The story: An immersion in the Marais of the 17th century through an investigation to discover its secrets and the underside of the famous “Affair of the Poisons” which shook the whole society of the time…
In the 17th century, the “Affair of the Poisons” scandal broke out in France. Many aristocrats were poisoned in Paris and rumors suggested that people close to King Louis XIV were involved… The detectives see themselves traveling through the Marais district to lift the veil on this affair, inspired by real events.
Difficulty level: MEDIUM
Practical information: team of 2 to 6 players / slots every day from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Duration: 75 to 120 minutes
Year tested: 2020
ClueZ
ParisRates: €90 per game session
_
And you, what are your favorite Escape Games in Paris?
article written by Guillaume, Julie and Melle Bon Plan Photos not royalty-free, photographer authorization mandatory before any use
