Room Escape Artist

Last year I wrote about learning to overcome my fear of horror escape rooms.

In January 2025 I was again convinced to visit Athens, Greece for an escape room vacation, this time with a stopover in Spain on the way home. Our itinerary was packed full of horror games. I needed to be ready to put my own suggestions to the test with a new set of games and teammates. To my surprise, I returned with nine new tips for anyone interested in trying this popular genre.

Getting Prepared

We were to play 38 games throughout Greece and Spain. I did my research and found that not all of them would be considered horror, but the majority did have a “scare factor” rating around 7 on the escaperoomers.de scale and 66% of the games were rated “actively scary” by TERPECA. I knew that most of my days would be tension filled. I needed to be ready.

How Did It Go?

Honestly, I am likely never going to be the person who willingly enters a dark room first. Nor am I thrilled with being the last one in. But I surprised myself with the frequency that I was willing to take on a solo moment, be left alone in a room, or travel down a corridor to complete a task on my own. Each experience gave me a little more courage. 

New Revelations

I am pleased to say that I came away from this trip with nine more suggestions for anyone who is curious about playing scary escape rooms. 

Do your research. If you are not the person booking the escape room, be sure to ask your teammates if the game has different modes available and which mode your game was booked as. You can do research or get spoilers about what playing on “midnight mode” or “with physical contact” or some similar mode name really means. Don’t rely on specific terminology being consistent across companies. Terms like “tension mode” seem to mean different things in different games. If the game is booked for a level you are not comfortable with, let your teammates know. 

Can’t touch this. In almost every game, we were able to inform our game master if one of us didn’t want to be touched or separated from the rest of the team. When we did have a game with a true cold start, we proclaimed our preference loudly to whomever was listening. In nearly every case, we were accommodated. Pro Tip: If your team has a player with a specific request, have them wear a very distinctive article of clothing, such as a hat, that makes them easily identifiable to the staff.

Self selection. The majority of escape rooms allowed us to self select the player who would experience a solo moment. Usually, this meant one person would have to travel alone, back through the space, to accomplish a task. Other games challenged specific players to face their fears and accept solo missions, but in almost every case they either chose to pick on the most willing player or allowed us to send the most willing player. This has the notable side effect of a team’s bravest player getting rewarded with a bunch of private scenes and effects during the course of a week’s worth of horror games.

Earplugs. The escape rooms in Greece and Spain are loud. The music is loud. The sound effects are loud. The performers are loud. One member of my team said he felt less startled, more comfortable, and enjoyed the games more when he used the earplugs suggested by David Spira. 

“Go into the light” was a phrase we said frequently. The best experiences we had were in games that masterfully led us through the space with the use of lighting cues. This also means players should not move in the dark. I was reminded of this when I bent over to tie my shoes in the dark and slightly hit a performer as I stood up. Just don’t move unless there is light. 

Touching, feeling, squeezing… each other. My teammates were comfortable with touching the shoulders of the person in front when walking down the dimly lit hallways, feeling their heels as we crawled through a tunnel, or squeezing their hands during high tension moments. If you feel this will be a benefit to you, be sure to confirm with your team that they are comfortable with the contact as well. 

No running. Never, ever did we actually need to run from a character in a game. Having said that, there were times and I got caught up in the moment and moved rather briskly while being pursued around a desk. Our team always reminded each other not to run. This is especially important to remember when traversing stairs, unlevel ground, or when it’s dark (see the Go into the light tip). 

Trigger warning. Let your team know if you have specific triggers or fears that may negatively impact your experience. If you know a game may be an issue before you play, you might just want to sit that one out. If you play a game that surprises you with content, your team may be able to shield you from it. 

Find the humor. I can not tell you how much I enjoyed watching my teammates be startled by a performer or a loud noise. Watching a person who is taller, more muscular, or more experienced have such a reaction can really lighten the mood. I also laughed at myself when I was frightened by an actor appearing out of nowhere. 

Horror games may not be for you, and that is ok, but if you are horror curious, I hope that these tips help give you the confidence to give these great experiences a try. 

Read more of our player tips here.