Unlock Games: Complete Guide to Every Escape Room

If you’re searching for info on Unlock games, you’re probably trying to figure out which box to buy first, or maybe you’ve played a few and want to know which ones are the best. I’ve played through probably 20+ of these Unlock games with my game group, and I’m breaking down everything you need to know.

So here’s the deal with Unlock games: they’re essentially escape rooms in a box. You get 60 minutes, a deck of cards, and a free app. That’s it. No destroying components like EXIT games, no crazy props – just cards and your phone. However, some of them are brilliant while others are frustratingly bad. Let me help you avoid the duds.

Table of Contents

What Are Unlock Games Anyway?

Unlock games are cooperative card-based escape room adventures from publisher Space Cowboys. Typically, each box has three scenarios (though some recent ones have just one), and each scenario takes about an hour to play.

The concept is simple. You start with card #1 which shows you a room or location. Looking at the artwork, you’ll see numbered objects – say there’s a desk with a “42” on it. You find card 42 in the deck, flip it over, and boom – now you’re examining the desk more closely. Maybe you find a key. Maybe it’s a dead end.

The clever part is combining items. For example, if you have a key (card 15) and a locked box (card 27), you add them together and flip over card 42. Sometimes this works, sometimes it doesn’t, and when it doesn’t the app gives you a time penalty. Yeah, it’s harsh.

At this point, there are like 15+ boxes of Unlock games, with 3 scenarios per box usually. That’s over 45 different escape rooms. Honestly, some are amazing while some made me want to throw cards across the room.

All Unlock Games Boxes (In Order)

Here’s every major Unlock games release:

Unlock! Escape Adventures (The OG box)

Unlock! Mystery Adventures

Unlock! Secret Adventures

Unlock! Exotic Adventures

Unlock! Heroic Adventures

Unlock! Timeless Adventures

Unlock! Epic Adventures

Unlock! Legendary Adventures

Unlock! Mythic Adventures

Unlock! Game Adventures (Board game themed)

Unlock! Star Wars

Unlock! Kids (For younger players 6+)

Detective Stories

Additionally, there are some standalone boxes like Adventures of Oz, Supernatural Adventures, and others I’m probably forgetting.

The Best Unlock Games (My Actual Rankings)

I’m ranking these based on puzzle quality, theme integration, and whether I felt like the game was fair or just BS.

S-Tier: Buy These Now

Squeek & Sausage (Escape Adventures box)

This cartoon-themed adventure about stopping Professor Noside is legitimately hilarious and one of the best Unlock games overall. The puzzles make sense, the theme is strong, and it’s got this playful energy that makes you forgive the occasional frustrating moment.

Actually, my game group played this one twice because we enjoyed it so much the first time. That never happens with escape room games. Furthermore, it’s also a great difficulty level for beginners – challenging but not unfair.

In Pursuit of the White Rabbit (Heroic Adventures)

The Alice in Wonderland themed one. If you like the source material, you’ll love how they’ve adapted it. The puzzles feel very “Wonderland” – they’re weird and sometimes illogical but in a way that fits the theme.

This was actually harder than I expected going in. However, don’t let the fairy tale theme fool you. We finished with maybe 5 minutes left and felt properly challenged.

The Noside Show (Timeless Adventures)

This one is a circus-themed adventure and it’s probably the most polished in the entire Unlock games series. The difficulty progression is perfect, the puzzles are clever without being unfair, and the theme integration is top-notch.

We played this with people who’d never done an Unlock game before and they had a blast. That’s the mark of a well-designed scenario.

Arsène Lupin and the Great White Diamond (Timeless Adventures)

Gentleman thief heist scenario. What’s not to love? You’re stealing a diamond and the puzzles all feel very “heist movie” which is great. Meanwhile, we kept making Ocean’s Eleven jokes the whole time.

Strong recommend if you like heist themes or just want a solid mid-difficulty Unlock games experience.

A-Tier: Very Good

The Formula (Escape Adventures)

This was my first Unlock game and it holds up. You’re infiltrating a lab to steal a serum. The puzzles are straightforward, nothing too crazy, good for learning the system.

However, the only reason it’s not S-tier is because some of the later Unlock games have better production and more refined puzzle design. That said, this is still excellent.

Insert Coin (Heroic Adventures)

Video game themed! You’re literally inside a retro arcade game. The pixel art is charming and some of the puzzles play with the video game theme in clever ways.

Fair warning though: if you’re not into retro gaming, some of the references might go over your head. On the flip side, if you grew up playing arcade games, this hits different.

7th Art and Death (Epic Adventures)

Murder mystery at a film festival. You’re investigating a death and the black-and-white film noir aesthetic is chef’s kiss. The puzzles are solid and the story kept us engaged.

This one is harder than average though. Consequently, it might not be the best starting point unless you’re confident in your puzzle-solving.

Expedition: Challenger (Exotic Adventures)

Lost World adventure with dinosaurs and exploration. Honestly just a fun romp with good puzzles. Nothing groundbreaking but very enjoyable.

However, we finished this one pretty quickly (like 45 minutes) so it might feel short if you’re experienced with Unlock games.

B-Tier: Decent But Flawed

A Noside Story (Secret Adventures)

More Professor Noside shenanigans. Overall, it’s fine. The puzzles are okay, the theme is okay, nothing offensive but nothing amazing either. Essentially, it’s a solid middle-of-the-road Unlock games experience.

The Nautilus’ Traps (Mystery Adventures)

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea theme. You’re on the Nautilus submarine. Some cool ideas here but a few puzzles felt unnecessarily obscure. Unfortunately, we needed hints more than we’d like to admit.

Sherlock Holmes – The Scarlet Thread of Murder (Heroic Adventures)

Should be amazing based on the theme but it’s just… fine. The deduction puzzles work well but there are some leaps of logic that frustrated us. Nevertheless, it’s still worth playing if you’re a Holmes fan.

Robin Hood: Dead or Alive (Legendary Adventures)

Robin Hood scenario that’s pretty standard. Good theme, okay puzzles, nothing that’ll blow your mind. In the end, we beat it in about 50 minutes.

C-Tier: Skip Unless You’re Desperate

The Island of Doctor Goorse (Escape Adventures)

Oh man, this one. The gimmick is your group gets split into two teams who can’t communicate normally. Cool concept, terrible execution. Moreover, there are so many frustrating moments where we knew what to do but the game’s mechanics fought us.

This is consistently rated as one of the worst Unlock games and I agree. Therefore, skip it.

The House on the Hill (Mystery Adventures)

Haunted house theme sounds great. Reality is a mess of unclear puzzles and frustrating dead ends. For instance, we spent 20 minutes on one puzzle that ended up being a red herring. Not fun.

Tombstone Express (Secret Adventures)

Wild West train heist. Sounds awesome, plays meh. Some puzzles just don’t make sense and we ended up using hints constantly. Overall, disappointing.

Around the World in 80 Minutes (Mythic Adventures)

Jules Verne theme. Should be great. Isn’t. The puzzles feel disconnected from the theme and some require knowledge that’s just obscure. In short, we didn’t have fun.

D-Tier: Actively Bad

Professor Noside’s Animal-O-Matic (Mythic Adventures)

I wanted to like this one because Professor Noside is usually fun. Unfortunately, this scenario is just poorly designed. Puzzles don’t flow logically, the difficulty spikes randomly, and we rage-quit halfway through. In fact, it’s the only Unlock game we’ve ever abandoned.

Maybe we caught it on a bad day but multiple reviews confirm this one is rough.

Unlock Games vs EXIT: Which Is Better?

People always ask this so let me address it. For context, I’ve played both series extensively.

Why Unlock Games Are Better:

Reusable! You can trade them, sell them, or replay them (though why would you replay an escape room?)
Better app integration with cool features like AR
More variety in themes and settings
Generally more polished production

Why EXIT Is Better:

More tactile – you’re cutting, folding, destroying things which feels more immersive
Puzzles feel more integrated into physical components
Generally harder and more satisfying if you like challenge
Cheaper per box usually

Honestly both are good. Basically, if you hate destroying game components, get Unlock games. However, if you want maximum immersion and don’t mind one-and-done boxes, get EXIT.

My group actually owns both and we alternate. Variety is good.

Which Unlock Games Should You Buy First?

If you’re brand new to Unlock games, here’s my recommendation:

Buy Timeless Adventures

This box has three scenarios with one easy, one medium, one hard. Perfect learning curve. Plus all three are genuinely good. Essentially, you can’t go wrong here.

Alternative: Heroic Adventures

Also has a nice difficulty spread and Insert Coin is super fun if you’re into retro gaming. Additionally, the Alice in Wonderland one is great too.

Do NOT buy Escape Adventures first

Yeah it’s the original box but The Island of Doctor Goorse will make you hate the entire series. Therefore, start with something better.

Tips for Playing Unlock Games

After 20+ scenarios, here’s what I’ve learned:

First, read everything carefully. No seriously, EVERYTHING. That weird symbol you glossed over? That’s the solution to a puzzle 20 minutes from now.

The app is your friend. Seriously, don’t be too proud to use hints. Taking a -2 minute penalty is better than spending 15 minutes stuck.

Hidden numbers suck. Yeah, you’re supposed to find cleverly hidden numbers in the artwork. I hate this mechanic. Everyone hates this mechanic. Consequently, just know going in that you’ll spend time squinting at cards.

Play with 3-4 people. While two people works, four is actually the sweet spot. Meanwhile, six is too many – people get bored waiting.

Use card sleeves if you’re precious about components. Obviously, the cards get handled a lot. Therefore, sleeves help if you’re planning to trade or sell later.

Don’t play when you’re tired. These require real brainpower. Instead, save them for when you’re fresh.

The first scenario teaches you. Most boxes have an easy first scenario designed to teach mechanics. As a result, don’t skip to the hard one first.

Unlock Games for Kids

There’s an Unlock Kids line specifically designed for ages 6+. Detective Stories is the main one and it’s genuinely good.

No app required, simpler puzzles, adorable theme. For example, my friend’s 8-year-old loved it. So if you have kids and want to introduce them to escape room games, this is the way.

Regular Unlock games are rated 10+ but honestly most 10-year-olds would struggle. In reality, I’d say 12+ is more realistic unless the kid is really into puzzles.

The Star Wars and Game Adventures Boxes

Star Wars Unlock games – Three scenarios set in the Star Wars universe. You don’t need to be a superfan but it helps. Overall, the Hoth escape is probably the best of the three. Decent but not amazing.

Game Adventures – This one is wild. Three scenarios based on board games: Mysterium, Ticket to Ride, and Pandemic. It’s board games about board games. Very meta. In particular, the Pandemic one is actually really good and plays with the disease-spreading theme cleverly.

Both of these are more for fans of the respective properties. However, if you’re neutral on Star Wars, get Timeless Adventures instead.

Common Problems with Unlock Games

Hidden numbers are BS
Yeah, we all agree. Unfortunately, sometimes you’ll spend 10 minutes looking for a number that’s hidden in a shadow or disguised as part of the artwork. It’s the worst mechanic in the game.

Some puzzles make zero sense
Occasionally you’ll encounter a puzzle where the logic is just… missing. You either get it or you don’t, and if you don’t, good luck. Moreover, this is more common in the earlier boxes.

The app can be glitchy
Fortunately, not often but it happens. Make sure you’re on the latest version. Also the app drains your phone battery like crazy.

Time pressure isn’t for everyone
Some people hate the 60-minute countdown. You CAN keep playing after time runs out but your score tanks. Therefore, if you hate time limits, maybe these aren’t for you.

Penalties feel harsh
Wrong code? That’s -1 minute. Meanwhile, wrong item combination? That’s -2 minutes. It adds up fast and can feel punishing.

My Honest Take on Unlock Games

Look, I’ve played a lot of escape room board games. Unlock games are legitimately one of the best series out there when they’re good. On the flip side, when they’re bad, they’re really frustrating.

The quality varies wildly between scenarios. For instance, you’ll get something brilliant like Squeek & Sausage or The Noside Show, and then you’ll get Doctor Goorse which makes you question why you spent $30 on this box.

So my advice? Buy Timeless Adventures or Heroic Adventures first. Then, if you like those, great – there are tons more to explore. However, if you hate them, at least you only bought one box.

Don’t try to play them all. There are 40+ scenarios at this point. Instead, pick the themes that sound interesting and skip the rest. Quality over quantity.

And for the love of god, don’t play Doctor Goorse.

Where to Buy Unlock Games

These are pretty widely available:

Check Unlock! Timeless Adventures on Amazon

Get Unlock! Heroic Adventures

Browse All Unlock Games

Most local game stores carry them too. Generally, prices range from $30-40 per box depending on sales.

If you see one on clearance for $20, grab it even if the reviews are mixed. At that price you can’t go wrong.

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Updated December 2024

Disclosure: This article has affiliate links. If you buy through them I might earn a commission. I only recommend Unlock games I’ve actually played though, and I’ll tell you which ones suck.

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