A real escape room booking for six people can easily cost more than a takeaway for twelve. An online one played on the TV costs a lot less, and with the lights off and the sound up it can be just as tense. Here is how to run one at home that people will still be talking about next year.
Pick The Right Game For The Group
Think about who is coming before you think about how scary you want it to be.
- Mixed group or first timers: start with The Skeleton’s Curse. It is free, takes about ten minutes and works as a warm up.
- Horror fans: Silent Night is a haunted house over three acts, with jump scares and a sad, dark story. It is for 15 and over.
- Hospital horror: Ward 13 is set in a hospital that closed in 1987, where somebody on the ward is still pressing the call button.
- Children joining in: try Old McDonald’s Farm or the other games on our kids page. Nothing scary in them at all.
Set The Scene
You do not need props, but a little effort goes a long way.
- Big light off, a couple of lamps or fairy lights on.
- Sound up. Our games use sound for clues and for scares, so the TV speakers are better than a laptop.
- A pad and pen on the coffee table. Someone will always need to write a code down.
- Snacks within reach, so nobody leaves the room at the important moment.
Split Into Teams Or Play Together
With four to six people, play together on one screen and pick a driver who holds the mouse or tablet. Everyone else is allowed to shout. Swap the driver between games.
With more than six, split into two teams and race. Play The Skeleton’s Curse one team after the other in separate rooms, with the other team out of earshot, and compare times. Your best time is saved, so the rematch is easy.
Agree The Hint Rules Before You Start
Arguments about hints are half the fun, but decide the rules first. On our free rooms hints never add to your time. On premium rooms each hint adds five minutes and each wrong answer adds ten, so a team that guesses wildly will pay for it.
Plan The Evening
A good running order for a Halloween night in:
- Arrive, costumes, food.
- Warm up with a ten minute free room.
- A break, drinks topped up, lights lower.
- The main game: about an hour for Silent Night or Ward 13.
- Prizes for best costume and best escape.
Playing From Different Houses
If friends are spread around the country, start a video call, share your screen and let one person drive. It works surprisingly well, and you will hear every scream in stereo.
Ready to pick a game? See all our Halloween escape rooms and choose how brave you are feeling.
