The Best Virtual Escape Rooms for Team Building

The COVID-19 pandemic forced millions of people to work from home with little warning, leaving managers scrambling for how to lead team collaboration from a distance. One of the solutions has turned out to be virtual escape room team building. Employers realized the financial and logistical benefits of allowing employees to continue to work from home. Many plan to offer the arrangement indefinitely. Just 3.4 percent of people worked from home before the pandemic. Now the number is nearly 10 times that. Besides managing projects, leaders of remote teams also need to concern themselves with virtual team building exercises. Virtual escape rooms are a fun way to improve team building, team communication, and other vital skills that remote teams must have to work together efficiently. This escape room guide offers ideas for why an online adventure will benefit a team. We suggest specific games to try, but many more are available.

How do you play virtual escape rooms on a team?

In a typical escape room, small teams of people gather in a themed room and work together to solve clues that allow them to find their way out of the room. The only thing that differs with an online escape room is its format. Each player logs into a digital escape room from their remote location. Usually, all they need is standard video conferencing software.

The only thing that differs with an online escape room is its format. Each player logs into a digital escape room from their remote location.

Some of the most popular themes for digital escape rooms include a prison break, murder mysteries, haunted houses, and fictional stories such as Harry Potter. Virtual escape room team building has become extremely popular over the past few years. Managers looking for unique team building activities find it easy to participate along with remote team members. Here are some of our favorite virtual escape rooms.

Hogwarts Digital Escape Room

Harry Potter fans should enjoy competing against other teams in a free virtual escape room featuring the books. A team leader can access instructions for their virtual team on a Google document. Since players solve clues individually, this game is most appropriate to assign a small group of colleagues to have them compete against each other. Participants of this free virtual escape room compete to see who can make it through Wizarding World the fastest.

Murder in the Speakeasy

This virtual escape room takes on a Prohibition-era theme. Team members take turns solving riddles and clues to get out of the speakeasy. Murder in the Speakeasy offers excellent virtual team building opportunities because people work together to decipher clues. They also take in some real history lessons along the way. The game takes 90 minutes to complete and can accommodate up to 900 players. The price varies according to the number of participants.

Prison Break

Playing this game costs approximately $32 depending on how many people sign up for it. The main character is an innocent man convicted of a crime in 1955 that will keep him in prison for life. Team members in this virtual adventure must figure out how to pull off a daring prison break and find freedom before the warden completes her hourly rounds. Playing this game costs approximately $32 depending on how many people sign up for it.

Secret Library

Virtual team members receive a two-dimensional map of a mansion that helps them solve a mystery. When players enter a new room in the secret library, they interact with a costumed character in real time for a unique virtual adventure. No two experiences are the same because the person in charge of team coordination chooses a unique theme each time. Prices for Secret Library escape rooms start at $35 per player.

Ruins: Forbidden Treasure

As soon as players enter this escape room, the jungle landscape begins to disappear and leaves them stranded among the ruins of an ancient temple. Team members must solve fun challenges in less than 60 minutes to reach the hidden treasure among them. Up to 8 players can participate at one time for a cost of $32 per person.

Why use virtual escape room team building

The past two years have been stressful for everyone, and a fun virtual team building experience helps to bring some levity. These games also encourage critical thinking by providing logic puzzles. Here’s a look at several other benefits of online escape rooms.

Affordability

The cost of some virtual team building activities can put them out of reach for companies with a tight budget. Virtual escape rooms make a good alternative because most are low-cost. You also can find free virtual escape rooms.

Boosts morale, builds relationships

Escape rooms for teams gives co-workers the chance to crack codes and work together in a way that the typical workday does not provide. Team members develop deeper and more trusting relationships that improve collaboration on future projects.

Critical thinking

Virtual escape rooms require strong attention to detail and prompt action to win the game. People become more open and vulnerable when they drop their professional exterior to solve a common problem.

Learn better time management skills

The best virtual escape rooms have a timed element that forces people to think quickly on their feet as they solve puzzles. They make the best use of the time they have, which is another habit that can carry over to the everyday work environment.

Uncovers employee strengths

Perhaps the greatest benefit of virtual team building with escape rooms is that people may discover skills they never knew they had. Leadership and communication skills are just two examples. Team leaders also observe the skills and can assign work accordingly.

Each virtual escape room offers a unique opportunity, so it is important for team leaders to consider the types of skills they would like to build. Whether it is teamwork or creative problem-solving, signing up for one or more online escape rooms can help people achieve them. Here are our favorite virtual escape rooms for company team building events:

• Hogwarts Digital Escape Room
• Murder in the Speakeasy
• Prison Break
• Secret Library
• Ruins: Forbidden Treasure

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