The 12 best escape rooms in San Francisco
Come for the culture but stay for the escape rooms, San Francisco has some amazing ones to play.
“Had a lot of fun with this room! I think that was in part because it was just me and my partner playing - no randoms joined us luckily. The game play was pretty intuitive for the most part, but not too simple where it didn't make you think. This room had similar elements as their other new room "Timeliner" in my opinion, but I found this room more enjoyable. Puzzles were not entirely linear, so you could have multiple people working on different things. The difficulty level for this was noted as 7/10 on their website.”
Leesha
78 games played
“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.”
c
coasterfish
43 games played
The Escape Game
Very Positive
145 Jefferson St, San Francisco, CA 94133, USA
- Escape room
- IRL
“Overall this was a very challenging room for two people ! The puzzles were very cool and they definitely incorporated themes from the actual Alcatraz escape in the 60’s. This room was very fun and we enjoyed doing theme that is exclusive to the Sf area. Be prepared for good communication to escape your cells and then stay diligent, because its much more than just that to escape the whole room.”
ToeBeans333
25 games played
The Escape Game
Very Positive
145 Jefferson St, San Francisco, CA 94133, USA
- Escape room
- IRL
“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
74 games played
Palace Games
Very Positive
3362 Palace Dr, San Francisco, CA 94123, USA
- Escape room
- IRL
“Awesome room, tons of puzzles to sink your teeth into! This might be one of the most parallelizable experiences I’ve ever done to date— very good option for larger groups. Everyone can easily be working on something alone. One note: the company is very open about the fact this is their oldest room and lots of the items in this room are very very old and irreplaceable, so unsurprisingly some of the mechanics were a bit finicky and didn’t work perfectly even when we had the right answer. But this didn’t detract too much from how enjoyable this room was! A don’t miss!”
hopeyffgrbp
25 games played
Palace Games
Overwhelmingly Positive
3362 Palace Dr, San Francisco, CA 94123, USA
- Escape room
- IRL
“This is the best game at Palace Games, an excellent game overall, and great for puzzle enthusiasts. It's not super high tech or flashy like The Attraction but it's got the most number of interesting and challenging puzzles. The game flowed well together too. I'd say Edison is the second best game here, The Attraction was okay but very gimmicky and maybe better for kids, and The Houdini was the worst - confusing and didn't flow well. I was ready to call Palace Games overhyped until I played this one.”
jenwei
83 games played
Palace Games
Overwhelmingly Positive
3362 Palace Dr, San Francisco, CA 94123, USA
- Escape room
- IRL
“Such an amazing set design, tech, and puzzle design! The puzzle quality is so fun and a little finicky but we enjoyed the volume and depth of puzzles! Played with two experienced and two newbies and we all had a blast!”
jasminejuwvipart
248 games played
Palace Games
Overwhelmingly Positive
3362 Palace Dr, San Francisco, CA 94123, USA
- Escape room
- IRL
“We played with a team of 8 and The Attraction handled a team of that size well. Puzzles were designed for parallel solving, but also so you could see what other people were doing. To do that with elegance is not easy, but I was repeatedly impressed with how effortlessly The Attraction accomplished it. As for the puzzles themselves, let me say this: I’m not a puzzle first person. I’m probably not even a puzzle third person (I prefer immersion, set, narrative), but I loved how well these were constructed and how they tied into the story. There was one mapping task, in particular, that used an item unlike anything I’ve encountered and led to everyone in the group needing to be involved. The Attraction also has … how to put it? … a sense of humor and playfulness that is crossed with a little bit of a mind f***. I don’t want to say too much more about it, but let’s just say that the game went in directions I wasn’t expecting. There are pop culture references sprinkled throughout. These are divisive with some people, and some say immersion breaking, but by the end it’s pretty clear they serve a narrative function. All of this with a great set and use of tech, makes it a game well worth traveling for, even considering that it’s expensive if you have a smaller team.”
Busboom
239 games played
“This room was such a fun experience. The difficulty level of 6/10 is if you have a large group. I did this as a team of 2 so this was definitely difficult in terms of time. There was a lot of short/straightforward puzzles to do and my partner and I definitely divided and conquered in order to escape. I loved the flow of the game and the entire experience was immersive.”
sarahismee
25 games played
“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
91 games played
The Escape Game
Very Positive
150 Kearny St, San Francisco, CA 94104, USA
- Escape room
- IRL
“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
43 games played
The Depths
The Escape Game
- Escape room
- IRL
“Had a lot of fun with this room! I think that was in part because it was just me and my partner playing - no randoms joined us luckily. The game play was pretty intuitive for the most part, but not too simple where it didn't make you think. This room had similar elements as their other new room "Timeliner" in my opinion, but I found this room more enjoyable. Puzzles were not entirely linear, so you could have multiple people working on different things. The difficulty level for this was noted as 7/10 on their website.”
Leesha
78 games played
Gold Rush
The Escape Game
- Escape room
- IRL
“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.”
c
coasterfish
43 games played
Prison Break: Alcatraz
The Escape Game
- Escape room
- IRL
“Overall this was a very challenging room for two people ! The puzzles were very cool and they definitely incorporated themes from the actual Alcatraz escape in the 60’s. This room was very fun and we enjoyed doing theme that is exclusive to the Sf area. Be prepared for good communication to escape your cells and then stay diligent, because its much more than just that to escape the whole room.”
ToeBeans333
25 games played
Timeliner: Train Through Time
The Escape Game
- Escape room
- IRL
“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
74 games played
The Great Houdini Escape Room
Palace Games
- Escape room
- IRL
“Awesome room, tons of puzzles to sink your teeth into! This might be one of the most parallelizable experiences I’ve ever done to date— very good option for larger groups. Everyone can easily be working on something alone. One note: the company is very open about the fact this is their oldest room and lots of the items in this room are very very old and irreplaceable, so unsurprisingly some of the mechanics were a bit finicky and didn’t work perfectly even when we had the right answer. But this didn’t detract too much from how enjoyable this room was! A don’t miss!”
hopeyffgrbp
25 games played
The Roosevelt Escape Room
Palace Games
- Escape room
- IRL
“This is the best game at Palace Games, an excellent game overall, and great for puzzle enthusiasts. It's not super high tech or flashy like The Attraction but it's got the most number of interesting and challenging puzzles. The game flowed well together too. I'd say Edison is the second best game here, The Attraction was okay but very gimmicky and maybe better for kids, and The Houdini was the worst - confusing and didn't flow well. I was ready to call Palace Games overhyped until I played this one.”
jenwei
83 games played
The Edison Escape Room
Palace Games
- Escape room
- IRL
“Such an amazing set design, tech, and puzzle design! The puzzle quality is so fun and a little finicky but we enjoyed the volume and depth of puzzles! Played with two experienced and two newbies and we all had a blast!”
jasminejuwvipart
248 games played
The Attraction
Palace Games
- Escape room
- IRL
“We played with a team of 8 and The Attraction handled a team of that size well. Puzzles were designed for parallel solving, but also so you could see what other people were doing. To do that with elegance is not easy, but I was repeatedly impressed with how effortlessly The Attraction accomplished it. As for the puzzles themselves, let me say this: I’m not a puzzle first person. I’m probably not even a puzzle third person (I prefer immersion, set, narrative), but I loved how well these were constructed and how they tied into the story. There was one mapping task, in particular, that used an item unlike anything I’ve encountered and led to everyone in the group needing to be involved. The Attraction also has … how to put it? … a sense of humor and playfulness that is crossed with a little bit of a mind f***. I don’t want to say too much more about it, but let’s just say that the game went in directions I wasn’t expecting. There are pop culture references sprinkled throughout. These are divisive with some people, and some say immersion breaking, but by the end it’s pretty clear they serve a narrative function. All of this with a great set and use of tech, makes it a game well worth traveling for, even considering that it’s expensive if you have a smaller team.”
Busboom
239 games played
Playground
The Escape Game
- Escape room
- IRL
“This room was such a fun experience. The difficulty level of 6/10 is if you have a large group. I did this as a team of 2 so this was definitely difficult in terms of time. There was a lot of short/straightforward puzzles to do and my partner and I definitely divided and conquered in order to escape. I loved the flow of the game and the entire experience was immersive.”
sarahismee
25 games played
Prison Break
The Escape Game
- Escape room
- IRL
“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
91 games played
Gold Rush
The Escape Game
- Escape room
- IRL
Special Ops: Mysterious Market
The Escape Game
- Escape room
- IRL
“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
43 games played
More Escape Rooms
About San Francisco
Some of the most popular attractions in San Francisco include the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz Island, the Exploratorium, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Fisherman's Wharf, and Chinatown. Other popular destinations include the cable cars, the Painted Ladies, and the city's many parks and gardens. There are also several popular festivals and events that take place in San Francisco throughout the year, such as the Bay to Breakers race and the San Francisco International Film Festival.
Learn More about San Francisco Escape Rooms
San Francisco is home to many escape rooms that offer thrilling and immersive experiences for participants. One such escape room is Palace Games, located in the historic Palace of Fine Arts. Their rooms are designed to take players back in time and include themes like "The Great Houdini Escape Room" and "The Roosevelt Escape Room." Another popular option is the Real Escape Game, which has multiple locations in San Francisco and offers unique escape rooms like "Escape from the Time Travel Lab" and "Escape from the Bank." Other notable escape rooms in San Francisco include EscapeSF, which features rooms like "The Experiment" and "Escape from Alcatraz," and EscapeIQ, which offers challenging and interactive rooms like "The Hex Room" and "The Elevator." Whether you're a local or visiting San Francisco, these escape rooms offer a fun and exciting way to test your problem-solving skills and enjoy a unique adventure.
How Do Escape Rooms Work?
Remember those point-and-click adventure games where you’re locked in a room and have to solve puzzles to find the key and escape? Those online games were the original inspiration for the live escape rooms you’ll find all across the world today. An escape room is an immersive experience where you (and your team of 2 or more people) are locked in a room with a series of puzzles for 60 minutes. To escape and win the game, you have to look for clues, solve the puzzles, and find the key. While most escape rooms only give you 60 minutes to complete the challenge, others may have shorter or longer time limits. Many venues are private rooms where you and your team are the only players. However, some places may pair you with other groups who booked a slot at the same time. And don’t worry about getting stuck, asking for hints on a difficult puzzle is totally normal. While the original escape room (created by SCRAP in 2007) had a fairly simple aesthetic, today’s escape games often take you into a different world. Artistic set designs, secret doors, and unique interactive elements are all part of the fun. It’s like an adventure game that you can interact with in real life. But if you’re hoping to preview any rooms before you book a game somewhere, detailed images and videos can be hard to find. To keep the puzzles a secret and preserve the experience of seeing the room for the first time, most venues only offer a few photos or a short trailer about the room’s theme or narrative. The only way to know what it’s like is to go and try it for yourself!
Find the Best San Francisco Escape Rooms with Morty
There are plenty of awesome escape rooms to choose from in San Francisco. The goal of Morty is to make escape rooms more accessible for everyone to find and play. With Morty, you can: - Browse escape rooms anywhere in the country - Read reviews and ratings from other community members - Book a room together with your friends Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned escape room enthusiast, our aim is to help you play more escape rooms and visit more immersive attractions.
Frequently asked questions
How Do I Book an Escape Room in San Francisco?
Most escape room venues don’t accept walk-ins, and time slots for popular games may fill up fast. Besides that, not every escape room is the same — some have varying difficulties, and you don’t want to get stuck playing a room that’s beyond your experience level. That’s why the best way to book an escape room in San Francisco is through the Morty app. You can get updates on new games, read reviews, compare details (including difficulty, theme, runtime) and plan an outing with friends, all on the same platform. You can even coordinate games with your friends collaboratively. Download the Morty app and book your adventure today!