Build Your Own Escape Room at Home
You can make a home escape room with paper clues, a few things already in the room, and a box at the end. The example below links five different puzzles: each answer points to the next clue, and the final answer opens a combination lock. Adjust the hiding places and difficulty to fit your room and players. For a ready-to-print game, see the birthday escape room kit.
Start with the final lock
Decide what players will open before you write the clues. Set a combination lock on a box or backpack, and put a small prize inside. Choose a code the group can work out from the puzzles. For a three-digit lock, for example, two puzzles might provide one digit each and a final puzzle the last digit; tell players the order in which to enter them.
Write down the code and keep it with your host notes. Then work backward: decide which puzzle reveals each digit, and what location or object each earlier answer should point to. Test the sequence yourself so every answer leads somewhere you have actually prepared. If you do not have a lock, the last clue can lead to a box the host opens.
For a wider party setup around the game, see how to host an escape room party at home. For the food, schedule and boundaries around a game for older players, see the teen escape room party guide.
Write five clues that lead forward
Each puzzle should give players one clear next step: a place to search, a card to read, or a number to remember. Put the next clue at that destination. This keeps the group moving through the game in order instead of searching the whole room at once.
Before hiding anything, make a host-only list of the puzzle answers and locations. Walk through the chain in order and check that each clue points to the intended next step. Keep the wording short enough for the players to understand, and make sure the answer can be found from information in the game rather than from guessing what you meant.
You can mix looking, decoding, counting, matching and a simple hands-on task. The examples below use those different kinds of activities; swap one out if it does not suit your players or space. Printable party games has ideas for clue cards, and birthday treasure hunt clues to print offers simpler rhyming clues you could adapt for an early step.
A five-puzzle example
Use this example as written, or change the hiding places and update every clue that names them. Set a three-digit lock to 4-2-6. Gather paper, tape, a pencil, a ribbon, ten cups, a three-digit combination lock, a box or backpack that can take the lock, and a prize. Prepare the cards below and keep the host answers separate from the player cards.
- Find the first note. Tell players, “Your first clue is under the chair with a ribbon on it.” Tie a ribbon to one chair and tape a folded note beneath its seat. Write on the note: “Look inside the pillowcase on the sofa for your decoding cards.” Host answer: the marked chair, then the sofa pillowcase.
- Decode a location. Place two cards inside that pillowcase. One gives the key A=1, B=2, C=3 … Z=26; the other says: “Decode 19-8-5-12-6. Look there for the star poster.” Host answer: SHELF. Put the poster and the count clue on a clearly marked shelf. The five-letter message keeps this example short; you can write a longer cipher for confident readers.
- Count something that stays put. Draw exactly four stars on the shelf poster, with no other stars on it. Attach this clue: “Count the stars on this poster. Write that number in the FIRST box on your code card. Then turn the poster over for the matching card.” Give players a code card with three boxes labeled FIRST, SECOND and THIRD. Host answer: four stars, so the first digit is 4. Tape the matching card to the back of the poster. Keep the poster in place during play; fixed objects such as red books on a shelf can work in another version.
- Match pictures in the card’s order. Draw these five pictures on the matching card from left to right: sun, moon, star, heart, cloud. Write: “Find the five picture cards around the room. Read their letters in the order shown here, from left to right. That word tells you where to go next. Count the pictures on this matching card that you can see in the night sky: moon and star. Write that count in the SECOND code box.” Tape the five separate picture cards at the players’ eye level, in different spots:
| Picture on the room card | Letter beside it | Example position |
|---|---|---|
| Heart | L | Beside the doorway |
| Sun | T | On a wall |
| Cloud | E | On the sofa arm |
| Star | B | On a cupboard door |
| Moon | A | Beside a window |
The physical positions do not determine the order; the matching card does. Host answer: sun–moon–star–heart–cloud gives T-A-B-L-E, so players go to the table. The two named pictures, moon and star, give 2 for the second digit. Set up only one table as a game station, or label the intended table if the room has more than one.
- Stack the cups to earn the final clue. Put ten cups and a task card on the table. The card says: “Stack all ten cups into a freestanding pyramid: four on the bottom, then three, then two, then one. When it stands without anyone holding it, ask the host to check it. Then read the note taped underneath the cup marked X.” Mark one cup X and tape this note beneath its base: “Write 6 in the THIRD code box. Open the prize box using FIRST, SECOND, THIRD.” Host answer: a standing 4–3–2–1 cup pyramid, then 6 for the third digit. Check the stack before players retrieve the note.
Keep this answer sequence on the host copy: marked chair → sofa pillowcase → SHELF → four stars (4) → TABLE and two named pictures (2) → cup pyramid and final note (6) → lock code 4-2-6. Put the prize or final story reveal in the locked box. If you change a digit, reset the lock and test it before play.
For a different printable chain with a worked answer sequence, see the birthday escape room kit to print. You can also use the printable library to find other materials for a party.
Give the game a story
A short story gives players a reason to follow the clues. Use the same five puzzles and change the names and note text to fit your theme:
- Detective: The notes are evidence, and the box holds the missing case file. Browse detective party ideas for other ways to frame the mystery.
- Wizard: The clues are messages from a hidden spell book, and the box holds the final ingredient or invitation.
- Spy: The clues are parts of a mission briefing, and the locked box is a case that needs a code. For ideas aimed at older guests, visit the teen escape room party guide.
Keep the story details in the clues brief. Players should be able to tell what they need to solve even if they skip a line of flavor text. If you want a mystery built around a host and suspects, mystery party games is another place to start.
Set up and run the game
Before play, arrange the clues in order and check that each one is where the previous answer sends players. Keep the answer key and hint cards with the adult running the room. One hint card for each puzzle is a useful starting point; you can decide whether to offer it when players ask or when they have been stuck for a while.
- Choose a story and decide what goes in the final box.
- Set the combination lock, then write its code in your host notes.
- Write the five answers and the next location for each puzzle.
- Place each clue and walk the whole route to make sure the sequence works.
- Prepare a hint for each puzzle and keep the hints out of players’ sight.
- Tell players the game’s boundaries and what they should do when they think they have solved a clue.
- Set out the box and prize, and keep the host answer key nearby.
The game can be played with household materials such as paper, tape, cards, cups and a combination lock. What you spend depends on what you already have and what you choose to buy, so check your supplies before setting a budget. For more game formats, see printable party games.
A sample 30-minute game
This is an example schedule that adds up to 30 minutes. It gives a group time to search, solve, and open the box; actual play may take more or less time depending on the clues and players.
- 0–5 minutes — Find and solve the first clue. Players find the hidden note and locate the cipher card.
- 5–12 minutes — Decode the message. The answer points to the room count clue.
- 12–18 minutes — Count and record the digit. Players use the room count and find the matching-symbol card.
- 18–25 minutes — Match symbols and finish the cup task. The answer leads to the note with the last code digit.
- 25–30 minutes — Try the combination and open the box. Gather around for the final step and the prize or story reveal.
Home escape room questions
How long does it take to prepare a home escape room?
Allow time before the party to write the clues, place them and test the full sequence; the time needed depends on your puzzles and supplies.
How many players can play?
Start with a group of four to six players, and adjust for your room and puzzles. Consider how many people can see each clue and take part in the tasks in your space; you can also divide a larger group into teams if the setup allows.
What ages is a home escape room for?
These puzzles are intended for ages 8–14, but reading and puzzle experience vary. For younger players, read clues aloud or use picture clues. Older players may enjoy a longer cipher or a more involved mystery. Try the puzzles yourself and adjust them for the children who will be playing.