Printable Escape Room: A Free 6-Puzzle Game You Can Run Tonight

This printable escape room needs only a printer (or a pen and six index cards), a hiding place for each card and one sealed envelope. It takes 30 to 45 minutes for a team of two to six players aged about ten and up, and you can make it easier for younger children. Setup takes about fifteen minutes.

The story

The night guard at the City Museum has lost the key to the treasure room. He left notes for himself along his route, written in code because he did not trust his colleagues. Players must follow his trail to find the password that opens the treasure envelope.

Setup for the host

1. Put a small reward (sweets, a prize, the next activity) in an envelope marked TREASURE ROOM and seal it.
2. Copy each card below onto paper or an index card. Leave out the solutions.
3. Hide Cards 2 to 6 where each solution says.
4. Give players Card 1 and a pen, and start a 45-minute timer.

The six cards

Card 1: The guard's first note

"My rounds begin where I rest my feet. 3 - 8 - 1 - 9 - 18. (I always count my letters.)"

Solution: each number is a letter's place in the alphabet (A = 1, B = 2): C-H-A-I-R. Hide Card 2 under a chair.

Card 2: The inventory

"Count the doors, the windows and the lamps in this room. Say the three numbers, in that order, to the museum director."

Solution: a three-digit number that depends on your room. Work it out in advance. When players say the right number, the host (the "director") hands them Card 3. If you own a three-digit lock, lock Card 3 in a box with that code instead.

Card 3: The mirror note

FLEHSKOOB EHT KCEHC

Solution: read it from right to left: CHECK THE BOOKSHELF. Hide Card 4 inside a book on the shelf.

Card 4: The shifted word

"I moved every letter one step forward in the alphabet so nobody could read it: M B N Q."

Solution: move each letter one step back: M to L, B to A, N to M, Q to P: LAMP. Hide Card 5 under or beside a lamp.

Card 5: The guard's poem

Rain is drumming on the roof,
Under the door the cold creeps in,
Go down low, that is the proof.

Solution: the first letters of the lines spell RUG. Hide Card 6 under a rug or mat.

Card 6: The password

"The treasure room opens for the word 11 - 5 - 25."

Solution: using the code from Card 1: K-E-Y. When players say KEY to the host, they get the TREASURE ROOM envelope.

Hints for the host

Card	Hint 1	Hint 2
1	Numbers can stand for letters.	1 is A, 2 is B, 3 is C.
2	Count carefully and keep the order.	Doors first, then windows, then lamps.
3	Try reading it another way.	Start from the end.
4	Undo what the guard did.	M becomes L.
5	Look at the start of each line.	R, U, G.
6	You have seen this code before.	11 is K.

Give a hint when the team has been stuck for about five minutes.

Variations

• Easter: hide the cards in plastic eggs, and swap the guard for the Easter Bunny who forgot where the chocolate is. The treasure becomes a basket of eggs.
• Birthday: the password unlocks the birthday present or announces the cake.
• Classroom: make one set per team, and use a word from the lesson as the final password. See our classroom escape room guide.
• Younger children: replace Cards 3 to 5 with drawings of the hiding places, and keep Card 1's number code with an alphabet printed underneath.
• Harder version: add a decoy card that leads nowhere, and remove the "(I always count my letters)" hint from Card 1.

Want more puzzles? Try our 25 escape room riddles and 30 escape room ideas, or read the full guide on making an escape room at home.