How Often Do Escape Rooms Change?

"How often do escape rooms change?" is a common question among seasoned players who wish to conquer more games without repeating the same themes. The short answer to this is that it depends on the escape room, how many different rooms the operator offers, and the resources they have to change their games or create new experiences.

The best escape room centers offer a wide range of experiences for players of all experience levels and interests. This means they'll likely have many escape rooms to crack before even the biggest enthusiasts itch for a brand-new experience.

How Frequently Escape Room Owners Change Their Games

Escape room centers vary in how often they change their themes. Some centers keep the same themes for a long time while others create new escape room experiences regularly to keep their customers interested.

The frequency of changes can differ considerably from business to business. This decision will largely be based on each business's strategy and the resources they have. That said, the best escape room centers will have a wide range of different games to choose from, meaning you never have to repeat the same escape room. Other centers may also offer different iterations of escape games like a thrill theater or online escape rooms.

As every escape room enthusiast will know, it's always worth contacting their favorite escape room center to inquire about changes to their challenges. This is especially true around popular holidays when centers may offer seasonal experiences.

Factors Affecting the Frequency of Theme and Puzzle Changes

Escape rooms are immersive experiences that challenge players to uncover hidden clues, solve puzzles, and unravel mysteries within a themed room. The popularity of one challenge over another will often hinge on its captivating theme, the challenges players must overcome, and its memorable and engaging atmosphere.

Let's face it: no matter how much you loved an escape room experience, you won’t usually repeat the same challenge once you successfully escape the room. That's why it's so important for escape room owners to switch up the themes to offer more challenging puzzles for enthusiasts to crack. Several factors influence how often escape room centers change their themes:

1. Customer Demand and Preferences

Escape room owners will take customer feedback and reviews into account. Players can offer invaluable insights into their preferences and expectations that can influence how long a particular theme stays. Owners should gauge the popularity of each theme and be willing to take suggestions for improvement on board.

2. Escape Rooms with More than One Location

Some escape rooms have more than one location, meaning investing in the development of new games is more financially viable. For example, Quest Room (our escape room business) has several locations in Los Angeles as well as one in Dallas. This means players on the West Coast and in Texas can both enjoy an expanding range of cinema-quality escape games.

3. Industry Changes

Escape rooms know they must keep themselves at the forefront of entertainment to stay relevant and keep their customers coming back for more. Changes in the industry can be the impetus escape rooms need to update their games and bring in more thrilling challenges.

Some examples of this include:

• Making accessible games for players with different needs
• Expanding their target audience to include children or family-friendly content
• Changing the genre of the game, for example, creating comedy-based games like Kablam (available at our Redondo Beach location)
• The influence of the operator’s direct competition. For example, an established escape room may need to adapt when a new competitor opens up nearby.

Harvard Business Review notes that companies must be attuned to signs of change around them to remain competitive. Escape rooms that are unwilling to move with the times will get left behind as players search for the most modern and captivating games in their area.

4. How Well-Adapted Games Are for Repeat Play

Many players won’t repeat the same escape room again as successful teams feel the themes, clues, and puzzles don’t warrant further exploration. However, more challenging themes like DaVinci's Challenge (available at our Koreatown and Dallas locations) may foil some teams, leaving them hungry for more.

If your team loved a particular theme, there are several ways to successfully repeat an escape room. Try the following to shake up your experience and see it from a totally different point of view:

• Focus on different puzzles or challenges: Escape rooms are full of intriguing puzzles and clues that sometimes get overlooked. Going back in allows you to pick up on the things you missed and put the puzzle together from a different perspective.
• Designate different roles: Changing the leader can make all the difference to the outcome of an escape room. Try putting a different team member at the helm while others also take on different roles to see the challenge in a new light.
• Go to the next level: Some escape rooms offer a “replay” mode in which players will relive a theme but take it on from a completely different angle or level. For example, participants who loved Project Minotaur (available at our Hollywood location) can re-experience the terror with Project Minotaur Replay.

5. Cost Considerations

Unsurprisingly, cost is one of the main factors that influence how often themes and puzzles change in escape rooms. Developing a new theme involves creating new compelling storylines and puzzles, investing in props and hidden objects, and training the live actors, among other costs. The costs of bringing in a new escape room may be high depending on the complexity and scale of the theme.

6. Seasonal or Holiday-Themed Escape Rooms

A popular way that escape room operators keep customers coming back is by offering seasonal or holiday-based escape rooms. These can be a great Christmas party idea for workplaces or a family activity during a school break. A seasonal escape room adds novelty and excitement to the experience, adds an element of FOMO into the equation, and feeds into the excitement surrounding the holiday season.

Search for a Balance of Quality and Innovation

Choosing the perfect escape room adventure is about finding a balance between the right theme and level at a high-quality and innovative escape room center. Look for an escape room provider that isn’t afraid to explore new territory and offers players a wild ride along the way.

Finding a new and exciting challenge is thrilling for escape room enthusiasts. However, finding new ways to enjoy existing quests can also be a great way to see a game with a totally new set of eyes.