The 12 best escape rooms in San Francisco

“What a wonderful room! We really enjoyed this one and were able to complete it with just the two of us and our 5 year old with over 10 minutes left! They were accommodating for a few of the puzzles that really needed more players but they made it work for our group of 3. There’s a lot to do and you stay busy thinking through some interesting puzzles. Highly recommend!”

AmesEscapes

205 escape rooms

“This is the biggest game, in terms of both physical size and amount of puzzles, that I’ve ever played. Palace Games loves to pack more content into their games than you would ever expect. This game has a LOT to do. You don’t play this game for story, and you don’t really play it for immersion either. This is a puzzle focused game and a puzzle heavy game. Some of the puzzles will explain themselves to you and how they work. Some won’t. They are all reasonably fair, save for a few. You will have to divide and conquer if you want to escape, but be careful. One group’s puzzles seem significantly less fun than the other group’s. Make sure you switch off team members or see whatever you want to see in order to not miss anything really fun. This is a game absolutely worth playing, but if you want anything other than a boatload of meaty puzzles, look elsewhere. That is the driving factor for this game. That is what it is all about.”

CaptainN3mo

99 escape rooms

“This was truly one of the most immersive experiences of my life. The puzzles were fun and engaging, characters were unforgettable, and interactive and immersive elements second to none. Wonderful “room” and experience, delightful throughout.”

escapereb

31 escape rooms

“We loved this room! Completed with three fairly experienced team members. I was worried it would be hard with three, but it was fine as long as you keep up a good pace. Fun puzzles, not too much reading. Very immersive, with excellent school theme (includes a playground, but there’s more). Helpful and attentive game master.”

“Palace Games has excellent rooms based on the Palace of Fine Arts’ opening year in 1915 and historical people and events around it. This is their earliest room, and while still great, does show its age. It’s not as tech savvy and advanced as other rooms here. And a lot of puzzles are completed on paper or laminated sheets. There is a certain magic to the theme, which is ironically less about Houdini than it is about 8 of the greatest minds of the time including Thomas Edison and Alexander Graham Bell. There are fun reveals and moments, but they admittedly don’t have the spectacle of actual Houdini themed magic rooms. And they don’t reach the heights of their other excellent games either. But there is a charm to this room, especially if you have a larger group to tackle the 8 people’s puzzles and pay the hefty $400+ entry fee. Smaller teams will still need to pay the same price, and while a great room, the price is quite high for this specific room. So it barely ekes out a love for me for the game’s history and interesting puzzles. But I would highly recommend Edison or Attraction over this for most escape artists.”

Panda

656 escape rooms

“I did three games with this company while I was in SF and this was my favorite of them. All three were great rooms but, in this one, the story takes a dramatic twist halfway through which is SO fun, and the second act puzzles are INCREDIBLY fun, involving some high-tech stuff that felt really snappy and well-designed. Did this with two people, and we're pretty sure we went a few minutes over time, haha—the GM very kindly snuck some extra minutes on the clock so we could finish solving the (very cool) last puzzle. Had a blast!”

motmot

51 escape rooms

“So far, my favorite game at The Escape Game besides Ruins. Split start is utilized well, set looks fantastic, and clever puzzles that make you feel smart. Above all, it’s a very immersive experience, from lighting to sound design to the set and puzzles themselves.”

CaptainN3mo

99 escape rooms

“With the most unique puzzle lineup of any game I've played, this room just might also have the best puzzles out of any room I've played - Timeliner's theme just barely keeps it from being my favorite room of all time. The room itself was incredibly immersive as well, and with production value you can only find from The Escape Game. Out of 22 escape rooms I’ve played at the time of writing, this one ranks a very close 2nd.”

“Of course it’s going to be a solid experience! I’d expect nothing less from this chain. There is one puzzle that helps if you have skinny arms (or someone with some flexibility… Otherwise we had a great time!”

chrislunde

75 escape rooms

“Now here’s a real Alcatraz escape room! Don’t get thrown into prison in the fake ones (and I guess, also not the real non-escape room one). This is mostly similar to the regular prison break room, which we had done before. It’s about 40% different, though we still had to ask the GM which parts exactly differed. Overall, still fun, a classic split start prison break with interesting puzzles and tasks. It’s a public room so be sure warned you may have prison mates. We got a private room thankfully, but when we did the original, we were cramped with a group of 6. This game is well-themed for Fisherman’s Wharf, and this specific version is exclusive to SF!”

Panda

656 escape rooms