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One of the best things about escape room games is the social aspect of playing. Yes, you could well book a room for yourself, but it's the social interaction that comes from playing with friends or colleagues that makes the whole experience that more exciting and immersive. Facing a number of unknown clues and puzzles, and racing against the clock that's ticking down the minutes is all the more fun when played as a group. On the whole, it'll be space constraints that limit the actual group size. having said that, we do feel that there's an ideal group size. This is small enough to have enough clues and puzzles to work on, but big enough to make the experience a shared one.
You'll find that all escape room games will list on their website, the maximum number of players recommended for each room. This can vary, though the industry norm appears to be between 2 - 12 per room. Let's have a look at the pros and cons of different numbers of players.
2-3 Player Escape Room Team
Pros: Obviously the first point you'll notice if you're playing in a very small team is that you'll have more work to do. One benefit of there being so few of you, is that communication can be both easier and clearer. There's less room for mistakes as everyone can instantly see the solutions as they are solved.
Cons: With less of you working on solving the puzzles, this can mean that you are lowering the chances of making an escape within the time limits, as even one stumbling block can freeze up the whole progress of the game. Also, if you both happen to be more visual types, as opposed to logic types, then you will both struggle with almost half the puzzles and will find interpreting the clues to be hard work.
Pro tip: We don't recommend groups this small tackle their first escape room. It's best if you have at least 5 - 6 escape room games under your belt so as to have a better understanding of the puzzles and overall gameplay.
4-8 Player Escape Room Team
Pros: For us, we consider this to e the perfect size of the group in order to extract the best playing experience for all the players involved. For a start, there's the fun element, with more people playing together making this a social game. Then there's the fact that more brains equal a much better possibility of completing the game within the required time limit. This size group is still small enough to allow for clear communication with all the players involved, without any channels getting crossed, which will help speed up the game's progress.
Cons: Sometimes, the larger group will break into smaller ones, and they can get too involved in just one puzzle. As a result of all the attention on just one or two puzzles, it can mean that some clues and puzzles get missed. Having said that, providing that there's clear and open communication between the players, then there's less chance of this happening.
Pro tip: W still recommend that all players have some previous experience of escape room games before playing
9+ Player Team
Pros: Having a large group will certainly up the ante in terms of having fun. You'll all be able to tackle the puzzles simultaneously, meaning that the chances of completing the game within the allotted time will certainly increase. If anyone gets stuck, then there's always someone at hand to help out. Obviously, with a group this size, there's ample brainpower to solve everything that's put in front of the group.
Cons: lack of space can start to become a problem in its own right. Escape room games are normally designed for a certain number of players, so that everyone can have a great experience, without treading on each other's toes. With more than 9 players, personal space is going to be in short supply. Within a relatively confined space, there may well be too many players for the number of clues and puzzles. if you add the constant chatter and muddy communication that comes with having a large group of excited players all in a hurry, then the gameplay can quickly descend into chaos. Remember that the game is designed around some singular factors in order for everyone to make their escape. These will e lost in the rush to complete the individual puzzles, meaning that some of the simplest overarching clues could well be missed.
Pro tip: We would ever recommend having over 10 people playing an escape room game together.
When booking an escape room game, be wary of companies that want to put you into other groups. It's a great business if they are overbooked. But, trying to make even more money by stuffing your group in with a group of strangers, will result in a less than stellar experience for everyone involved. Being in a confined space and having to share it with a group of strangers for an hour might not be everyone's idea of a good time. If joining a large group is the only option, then we suggest that you look elsewhere for your escape room game.
