What’s the ideal number of players for an escape room? It depends on 3 primary factors:
- How tough the escape room is – that’s a big one
- How many puzzles there are to complete
- The countdown; how long have you got?!
The difficulty of the escape room is the major one here. But also, one of the greatest things about escape rooms is that different puzzles come naturally to different people.
A quality escape room will have puzzles that appeal to all types of thinkers and personalities, e.g. creative thinkers, lateral thinkers, abstract thinkers, and so on and so forth.
This is why escape rooms are so good for teambuilding – they get everyone involved.
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Escape Rooms Are Excellent for Teamwork
Escape rooms are so good for teambuilding that they’re used in everything from education to professional development.
In fact, there’s a superb journal article published about escape rooms on Frontiers. Everyone from teachers to groups of employees, families, friends are enjoying what escape rooms have to give for building connections and teamwork.
But why are escape rooms so good for teamwork and collaboration?
Researchers at Utrecht University in the Netherlands, state that escape rooms develop the four C’s: critical thinking, collaboration, creativity and communication.
One of the most important aspects of this is that different individuals excel at different escape room tasks. Escape rooms place the emphasis on communication and collaboration rather than brute-force leadership. You can’t shout or bully your way through an escape room – you have to work together.
Escape Rooms Tickle the Senses
Escape rooms are much different to videogames or board games, which are probably their nearest neighbours in entertainment terms. In some ways, escape rooms take the immersive aspect of video games and combine it with the tactics and strategy of board games.
Often, there is a specific type of approach that puts you in good stead for beating escape room puzzles, a ‘strategy’ of sorts. But, going into an escape room with a fixed mindset or tactic is a recipe for failure.
Players have to be willing to adapt, to flex, to hear each other’s opinions and to trust their senses.
This is where escape rooms differ from other types of games – they involve both the physical and mental faculties.
Can I Play Escape Rooms with Two or Three People?
There are few rules when it comes to escape rooms. When it comes to escape rooms at home, like the Epic Escapes Escape Room in a Box (3 in 1), you’re pretty much free to play how you like.
We personally recommend 3 to 6 players for our own escape room games. You’ll also need a gamemaster to administer clues if you need them (and to taunt you if they know what to do but you don’t)!
You can play with fewer, though. Some of our players have managed to play solo. But, when it comes to the harder of our 3 escape rooms “Piracy” and “Hijack”, you’re going to need a few brains!
Summary: What’s the Ideal Number of Players for an Escape Room?
If you had to nail it down to a range then we’d have to say between 3 to 6 for most escape rooms. Some advanced escape rooms might require even more brains than 6, but these are probably quite rare!
One of the coolest things about escape rooms is that “Eureka!” moment when someone cracks the code or breaks the puzzle. It’s great that all types of people, old and young, tend to excel at different types of puzzles.
If you’re looking for an awesome and innovative way to bring more escape rooms into your life (and into your home) then check out our Escape Room in a Box (3 in 1).
To test your knowledge of escape rooms, head to the blog, or if you’re feeling clever, read some of our brain-busting brainteasers!