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Since the first escape room opened in Japan in 2008, the escape room craze has taken the world by storm. Today, there are thousands of these physical adventure games around the globe.
The top 10 winners in the Best Escape Room category are as follows:
- The Official SAW Escape Room - Las Vegas
- Maze Rooms - Los Angeles & Austin
- Boxaroo - Boston
- Puzzah! - Denver
- Komnata Quest - Multiple Locations
- Strange Bird Immersive - Houston
- MindTrap Escape Room - Chicago
- RISE Escape Rooms - Tickfaw, La.
- Cross Roads Escape Games - Anaheim, Calif.
- 60OUT Escape Rooms - Los Angeles
A panel of experts partnered with 10Best editors to pick the initial 20 nominees, and the top 10 winners were determined by popular vote. Experts Esc Room Addict, Christine Barger (The Haunt Girl), William Chen and Yuan Jiang (EscapeRoomTips.com), Randy Hum (EscapeRumors.com), Chris Moschella (Escape Authority) and Lisa and David Spira (Room Escape Artist) were chosen for their knowledge of the escape room industry in the U.S.
Congratulations to all these winning rooms!
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About 10Best Readers' Choice Awards
Nominees are submitted by a panel of experts. 10Best editors narrow the field to select the final set of nominees for the Readers’ Choice Awards. Readers can vote once per category, per day. For any questions or comments, please read the FAQ or email USA TODAY 10Best.
The Experts
Esc Room Addict
Now in their sixth year, Esc Room Addict (ERA) is... Read More
Now in their sixth year, Esc Room Addict (ERA) is North America's largest organization for escape room reviews and consultation. ERA originated as a local group of enthusiasts lead by Matt Silver in Toronto, but has since grown to include over 40-members spread across eight different regional teams in North America and beyond. With over 1,100+ different escape rooms visited by its members,''Helping People Get The Most Out Of Their Escape Room Experiences!'' isn't just ERA's motto, it's what they do best.
Esc Room Addict
Now in their sixth year, Esc Room Addict (ERA) is North America's largest organization for escape room reviews and consultation. ERA originated as a local group of enthusiasts lead by Matt Silver in Toronto, but has since grown to include over 40-members spread across eight different regional teams in North America and beyond. With over 1,100+ different escape rooms visited by its members,''Helping People Get The Most Out Of Their Escape Room Experiences!'' isn't just ERA's motto, it's what they do best.
Christine Barger
Christine Barger is a Los Angeles based... Read More
Christine Barger is a Los Angeles based entertainer and blogger that loves to travel around the nation attending haunts and playing escape rooms. She has played over 400 escape rooms and attends over 30 haunts each season. You can find her reviews on her blog and YouTube channel: TheHauntGirl. She also enjoys paranormal investigations, ventriloquism and photography. Follow her on Instagram @TheHauntGirl or @ChristineBargerOfficial.
Christine Barger
Christine Barger is a Los Angeles based entertainer and blogger that loves to travel around the nation attending haunts and playing escape rooms. She has played over 400 escape rooms and attends over 30 haunts each season. You can find her reviews on her blog and YouTube channel: TheHauntGirl. She also enjoys paranormal investigations, ventriloquism and photography. Follow her on Instagram @TheHauntGirl or @ChristineBargerOfficial.
William Chen and Yuan Jiang
Based in San Francisco, William and Yuan are... Read More
Based in San Francisco, William and Yuan are escape room bloggers who have played over 270 escape rooms together. They have a particular emphasis on the West Coast, but have played rooms all over (including in Europe and Asia). Together, they've been running EscapeRoomTips.com since 2016, where they share both tips and their top recommendations for select cities. Besides traveling for escape rooms, William and Yuan also travel for food and adventure.
William Chen and Yuan Jiang
Based in San Francisco, William and Yuan are escape room bloggers who have played over 270 escape rooms together. They have a particular emphasis on the West Coast, but have played rooms all over (including in Europe and Asia). Together, they've been running EscapeRoomTips.com since 2016, where they share both tips and their top recommendations for select cities. Besides traveling for escape rooms, William and Yuan also travel for food and adventure.
Randy Hum
Randy started EscapeRumors.com in 2017 to share... Read More
Randy started EscapeRumors.com in 2017 to share his passion with others and to help grow the escape room community. He has played around 300 escape rooms in the US and overseas with the goal of connecting to fellow enthusiasts and introducing people to this new genre of entertainment. When stuck on a puzzle, he will resort to using a "cheat code" (aka Sarah, his better half) for a solution. Randy also created an Escape Room Enthusiast interactive dashboard, a tool that visually maps out player demographics from all over the globe. Outside of escape games, you can find Randy on the tennis court or on the road for a run!
Randy Hum
Randy started EscapeRumors.com in 2017 to share his passion with others and to help grow the escape room community. He has played around 300 escape rooms in the US and overseas with the goal of connecting to fellow enthusiasts and introducing people to this new genre of entertainment. When stuck on a puzzle, he will resort to using a "cheat code" (aka Sarah, his better half) for a solution. Randy also created an Escape Room Enthusiast interactive dashboard, a tool that visually maps out player demographics from all over the globe. Outside of escape games, you can find Randy on the tennis court or on the road for a run!
Chris Moschella
Chris Moschella, a life-long fan of the themed... Read More
Chris Moschella, a life-long fan of the themed entertainment industry, has personally played over 400 different escape games across the United States. With 14 years of attraction design experience (including several high-budget escape games), Chris launched Escape Authority in May of 2016–a site that has quickly grown to become the social hub for fans, designers and owners of the escape game industry.
Chris Moschella
Chris Moschella, a life-long fan of the themed entertainment industry, has personally played over 400 different escape games across the United States. With 14 years of attraction design experience (including several high-budget escape games), Chris launched Escape Authority in May of 2016–a site that has quickly grown to become the social hub for fans, designers and owners of the escape game industry.
Lisa and David Spira
Created by an experience designer and a predictive... Read More
Created by an experience designer and a predictive data expert in 2014, Room Escape Artist publishes well-researched, rational and reasonably humorous escape room reviews, design and players tips. Our mission is to share our love of letting strangers lock us inside giant puzzles, and to push the makers of those giant puzzles to create the best experiences they can.
Lisa and David Spira
Created by an experience designer and a predictive data expert in 2014, Room Escape Artist publishes well-researched, rational and reasonably humorous escape room reviews, design and players tips. Our mission is to share our love of letting strangers lock us inside giant puzzles, and to push the makers of those giant puzzles to create the best experiences they can.