The complete guide to 11 Charlotte game rooms

Want even more detailed looks into escape rooms? Check out:

• Charlotte escape room rankings (well, superlatives)
• I’ve played 8 escape rooms and have only failed once. Here are my difficulty rankings.

This page is constantly refreshed, so all information is up-to-date. Have an addition? Let us know: [email protected].

Black Out

Number of rooms: 3
Rooms:

• Cell Block 704: You and your secret agent teammates have been arrested and your life sentence will be served in a maximum security prison known for its dangerous inmates and abusive guards. Nobody’s ever escaped, but you’ve got to.
• South End Psycho: Everybody’s favorite neighborhood has a manipulative serial killer on the loose, and it’s up to you to break into his house and figure out who his next victim is before he comes back. Players 16+ only.
• Trade Street Epidemic: A scientist is gearing up to release a virus that turns the living into zombies while another is creating a cure to stop it. Find the cure and save Charlotte.

Price: $28-30 per player
Things to know: 

• Rooms take 60 minutes to complete.
• There are two versions of every room: A full character experience and a subtle version (only available if you reserve the entire room).
• Reservations are required and often booked 1-3 weeks in advance. Rooms can be booked online (details). No refunds are available for any reason, but dates can be rescheduled for a fee with 24 hours’ notice.
• Rooms are capped at 8 participants to ensure that everyone can play.
• Yes, you can play privately, but you’ll need to buy every slot for the room in order to do so.
• Players under 13 must be accompanied by an adult and be playing in a group that has reserved the entire room.

Find it: 8107 Arrowridge Road, Suite Q
Connect: Web  | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

The Box

Number of rooms: 2
Rooms:

• Cold Case Killer: Sift through journal entries made during Vincent and Margaret Harden’s time in their home and figure out exactly what’s happening under the surface. 30% success rate. 7 players maximum. Players 13+ only.
• The Ventriloquist: An abandoned theater, home to a child abductor known as The Puppet Master, has caught fire with a young boy named Timmy inside. Get in, retrieve the boy and get out before he comes back. 40% success rate. 7 players maximum. Players 15+ only.

Price: $27 per player
Things to know:

• Each room takes an hour to complete.
• Reservations are required and rooms are booked online (details). Reservations can be changed or cancelled up to 24 hours before the scheduled start time for a full refund.
• Rooms can be played privately (all slots must be bought to guarantee this), but it’s recommended you play with strangers.
• Players 16 and under must be accompanied by an adult.

Find it: 6604 E. W.T. Harris Boulevard
Connect: Web  | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Breakout

Number of rooms: 5 (with 1 opening soon)
Rooms: 

• Do Not Disturb: You’ve followed a serial kidnapper to a run-down motel only to find out he knew you were coming. Try to save his next victims while you beat his games and try not to become one.
• Hostage: Your flight has been hijacked and you come to to find yourself handcuffed to your friends in the hijacker’s headquarters. Get out of the cuffs and figure out what exactly is going on in this room.

• The Kidnapping: Players wake up handcuffed and blindfolded in a room with nothing but hidden clues. Get out before your kidnapper returns.
• Museum Heist: A group of once-art thieves, it’s up to you to figure out where a thief has hidden a collection of rare artworks the night of a gallery opening.
• Operation: Casino: Figure out where a missing agent has gone and bring the guy who sent him missing down by solving codes and puzzles.

Price: $26.99 per player
Things to know:

• Players 14 and under must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.
• Rooms can be played privately, just book all of the spots. Otherwise, you’ll be playing with another group.
• Reservations are highly recommended and you can book online (details). No cancellations are allowed, but dates can be rescheduled on a case-by-case basis.

Find it: 11025 Carolina Place Parkway, Suite D-19
Connect: Web  | Facebook 

Codescape

Number of rooms: 4 (with 1 opening this summer)
Rooms:

• Deep Space: Working as a team of exobiologists, you’ll travel into deep space to make first contact with whatever has been sending radio signals from a distant part of the universe. 19% success rate. Best for 4-8 players.
• The Experiment: You’ve been admitted into the Central State Asylum – known for performing procedures like frontal lobotomies and electroshock therapy – after being found in distress and delusional. Good luck getting out. 26% success rate. Best for 2-9 players.
• The Residents: Each family that moves into the house at the end of Winding Hollow Road (built 1881) quickly moves out, with five residents having been put in a psychiatric institution nearby and all of them terrified of the house’s attic. Good luck figuring out what’s hiding up there. 21% success rate. Best for 2-8 players.
• Shipwrecked: The Asi Sword, created to keep peace in the universe, was stolen by pirates who were later shipwrecked on the coast of India, and as a team of archaeologists, it’s up to you to find the sword before treasure hunters do. 32% success rate. Best for 4-10 players.
• Lucidity (opening this summer): You’ve agreed to being the test subject for a new sleep pharmaceutical, but like other subjects’ experiences, the lines of your reality begin to blur and you’ve got to figure out how to get back to sanity before you’re lost in a dream world forever. Best for 2-8 players.

Price: $28 per player. Discounts are available if you check in on Facebook or present your Bike Benefits sticker.
Things to know:

• The group behind Codescape has worked on immersive projects like Universal’s Wizarding World of Harry Potter and Halloween Horror nights, so they know what they’re doing.
• You’ve got 60 minutes to finish.
• Yes, you can play alone (just book every slot for your room), but they recommend being open to playing with strangers.
• Rooms are booked online and paid for later (details). Modifications to reservations can be made up to 48 hours before the scheduled start time without fees.
• Players 16 and under must be accompanied by an adult, and any group with players 12 and under must book the entire room.

Find it: 933 Louise Avenue (in the same strip as Catawba Brewing and Lumberjaxe)
Connect: Web  | Facebook | Twitter

The Door

Number of rooms: 3 (with 1 opening soon)
Rooms:

• Alpha-Omega Virus: An evil scientist has synthesized the deadliest virus on the planet. It’s up to you and your team to find the necessary ingredients and create the anti-virus, saving all of humanity in the process. 23% success rate. Best for 2-10 players.
• Pharaoh’s Tomb: While exploring King Ramesses’ tomb, you and other archaeologists have somehow taken a few wrong turns and stumbled into a previously undiscovered part of the pyramid and have to get out before you lose your oxygen with the help of an assistant at base camp. 41% success rate. Best for 2-8 players.
• Stewie’s Bedroom: Yes, the same TV toddler with plans to take over the world. Figure out what exactly he’s up to, down to where and when it’ll happen, while he’s at daycare. 33% success rate. Best for 2-8 players.
• Murder: On the Dance Floor (opening soon): Details to come.

Price: $25 per player
Things to know:

• Each room takes an hour to complete.
• Each team is allowed 3 clues during their session.
• Rooms are booked online but can be booked privately by calling.
• iPads can be found in each room to help with making notes and remembering clues.

Find it: 204 West Woodlawn Road
Connect: Web | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Escape Hour

Number of rooms: 3
Rooms: 

• The Detective’s Office: Herlock Holmes (yes, a descendent of Sherlock) is convinced you’re guilty and it’s time to prove you’re not, in fact, behind a series of robberies.
• The Dollhouse: You and your friends have chosen to venture into what you think is an abandoned house but is actually home to a serial killer, and now you’ve got to find your way out and to safety. Best for 2-8 players.
• Granny’s House: A former Russian spy that never had time to have a family of her own has trapped you in her home to experience what it’s like to be a grandmother. Best for 2-8 players.

Price: $25 per player
Things to know:

• Each room takes 60 minutes to complete.
• Each game is designed for 8-10 players.
• Reservations are required and can be booked online (details). Refunds are available if cancellations are made more than 24 hours before the start time.

Find it: 9301-A Monroe Road
Connect: Web | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Escape Kings

Number of rooms: 4 (with another opening in February)
Rooms: 

• Aztec Ruins: Find the clues and solve the puzzles scattered throughout this complex ruins site in order to get out. 4.6/5 difficulty. 4 or more players required.
• Ghost Hunters: Get into Queens Hospital and free the ghosts trapped inside before the clock strikes midnight. 4.9/5 difficulty. Best for 4-8 players. Note: Players must be 16+.
• Outbreak: It’s up to you and your team to find the cure to a deadly virus spreading like wildfire through Charlotte. 4.8/5 difficulty. 4 or more players required. Note: Players must be 12+.
• Santa’s Workshop: Santa’s elves and reindeers have gone missing in this family-friendly room, and young children have 45 minutes to save the holiday. 4.3/5 difficulty. 4 or more players recommended.

• Kings Quest (opening 2/15/2018): Complete King Arthur’s final quest in his royal planning chamber. 4.4/5 difficulty. 3 or more players required.

Price: $23 per player. Discounts available for AAA and AARP members, along with Carowinds employees and guests.
Things to know:

• Rooms are designed to be completed in 45-60 minutes.
• Reservations are required and rooms can be booked online (details). Refunds and reschedules aren’t available if reservations are cancelled under 24 hours from the start time.
• 1- or 2-person bookings are not accepted. Bookings must be for 3-4+ players.
• Rooms can be played privately and it’s highly recommended that you do not play with strangers.
• There’s a large multi-player video game area with games like Halo, Call of Duty and more on-site.

Find it: 11333 Granite Street, Suite B
Connect: Web | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Escape Risk

Number of rooms: 3
Rooms: 

• Captain’s Quarters: On night one of your 7-day, 6-night cruise, things go haywire and you’re left to solve puzzles and find the emergency key card in order to keep yourself from being buried at sea when the ship sinks.
• Disorder in the Court: When you, an elite member of a bomb disposal team, are sent to a courthouse to handle a bomb threat, you activate the trip wire and have just an hour to defuse the bomb and escape.
• The Human Experiment: You’ve been referred to an “out-of-the-box” specialist and, after hearing screaming from the waiting room, have an hour to escape.

Price: $18-20 per player
Things to know:

• Rooms are designed for a maximum of 8 players.
• Each room is private, which means that no, you won’t be playing with strangers.
• Reservations are recommended and can be made online (details). No refunds are available, but rescheduling is a possibility.

Find it: 648-F Matthews-Mint Hill Road
Connect: Web | Facebook

Exit Strategy (University)

Number of rooms: 4
Rooms:

• The Mansion: Participate in an an experiment design to “test the fabric of the human condition” in this 108-room mansion owned by a world-renowned philanthropist. 4.6/5 difficulty. Best for 2-8 players.
• The Ruins: As archeologists, you’ve found The Temple of Arciris, built to please the God of Wrath and promised to make any human that goes inside suffer an endless death. Find out if it’s a myth or not. 4.5/5 difficulty. Best for 2-6 players.
• Spy Trainer: Train to be part of a new, elite spy unit that needs to be deployed ASAP. 4.7/5 difficulty. Best for 2-6 players.
• Subject Zero: Not only do you need to capture the scientist responsible for creating the most dangerous weapon of all time, but it’s also up to you to shut down the prototype. 4.8/5 difficulty. Best for 2-8 players.

Price: $25 per player. Discounts are available. Details.
Things to know: 

• Each room takes an hour to complete.
• Rooms are booked online (details), and no refunds are available.
• Players 16 and under must be accompanied by an adult.
• You can play a room alone (just book every slot).

Find it: 9539 Pinnacle Drive, Suite 300
Connect: Web  | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Exit Strategy (South Tryon)

Number of rooms: 6
Rooms:

• Cabin in the Woods: While the room isn’t designed to scare you, it is designed to get you a little creeped out. Exit Strategy calls the abandoned cabin the “room to beat,” and that’s all we get to know. 4.8/5 difficulty. Best for 2-10 players.
• Gone.: People began to disappear in the mid-80’s, and despite staying in their home to keep safe, a family’s young daughter went missing and both parents were presumed dead. It’s up to you to figure out what actually happened here. Difficulty TBD. Best for 2-6 players. Note: This room will scare you with jump-style scares, static electricity and more. Players under 16 not allowed.
• Lost in Space: Your space mission has gone wrong and your team needs to repair the ship and get through the escape hatch before your oxygen expires. 4.2/5 difficulty. Note: Players 18 and over only unless pre-approved.
• Murder Mystery: Check into Sleepy Haven Motel… and try to check back out. Good for newcomers. 4.6/5 difficulty. Best for 2-8 players.
• Queen City Bank Heist: This Ocean’s Eleven-style room will have players scrambling to steal the Zela Heart Diamond, currently housed in the world’s most secure vault. 4.8/5 difficulty. Best for 2-10 players.
• Quest of Honor: Defeat a fire-breathing, gold hungry dragon and take what it’s protecting back in this medieval-style room. 4.8/5 difficulty. Best for 2-8 players.

Price: $25 per player. Discounts are available. Details.
Things to know: 

• Each room takes an hour to complete.
• Rooms are booked online (details), and no refunds are available.
• Players 16 and under must be accompanied by an adult.
• You can play a room alone (just book every slot).

Find it: 4215 Stuart Andrew Boulevard, Suite B
Connect: Web  | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Coming soon: Escape Tactic

Number of rooms: 5
Rooms: 

• Amazon Survival: A tribe of head hunting natives has put you and your team into a make-shift prison and, to make matters worse, you’ve been infected with the poison from the poisonous dart frog. Find the antidote.
• Flight 282: Your flight to D.C. has been hijacked by your own pilot, and you can only save the day by reaching the cockpit before the bomb goes off.
• King Tut’s Curse: Egyptian god Aten cursed King Tut with a curse that can only be broken by reuniting the king’s crook and fail, but nobody’s ever found it. You’ve got an hour to find it, or the curse will forever with you.
• Mine Trap: You’ve been trapped after the Black Iron coal mine has collapsed and if you can’t get out, you’ll suffocate.
• SEAL Team: Your elite SEAL team has been tasked with eliminating an ISIS terrorist in Kabul by locating his hideout and navigating his security measures and booby traps.

Price: $25 per player
Things to know:

• Escape Tactic opens soon, but they are looking for beta testers. Details.

Find it: 130 Southside Drive
Connect: Web