7. Portal
InPortal, you shoot one portal to jump through, and another to jump out of. Using those basic mechanics, you’ll need to solve a wide range of puzzles to get to the end of each level.
Obviously, in a real escape room you don’t get a portal gun, but whatPortallacks in realism it more than makes up for in satisfying puzzle solving gameplay.Portal 2continues the shenanigans and ramps it up even further.
ThePortal Bundleis a discounted packaging of bothPortalandPortal 2, so consider grabbing it if these games look up your alley!
6. Monument Valley 2
Monument Valleyoffers some escape room-like mechanics, though it’s a bit more surreal. Still, if you enjoy the way escape rooms make you think outside the box, you’ll enjoy the gameplay offered in bothMonument Valleygames.
Basically, you’ll be manipulating the world in order to guide the princess to higher platforms, which is a lot like guiding your group through the challenges and puzzles in a real escape room!
The sequel is more refined and polished so we recommend starting with that one, but you can always go back and enjoy the first one later.
5. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
A huge part of the gameplay inThe Legend of Zeldais about solving puzzles to get into new parts of the world.
You might see a door that can’t be opened at this time. However, you’ll eventually find an item, for example, a boomerang, that’ll let you get into the area later on.
That’s a lot like escape rooms. You walk into the room and see that there’s an object, but you can’t use it unless you find another one that interacts with it.
4. realMyst: Masterpiece Edition
You could argue thatMystis the godfather of escape room-like video games. It features a wide range of puzzles that see the player using various objects in order to get from one room to the next.
It’s an older game, having released in 1993 originally. Thankfully, the game has been released again on various platforms over the years, includingrealMyst: Masterpiece Editionin 2014.
Related:Is Humble Store Legit? Why I Buy My Games There Now
3. Zero Escape: The Nonary Games
There are three games in the Zero Escape series:Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors;Zero Escape: Virtue’s Last Reward; andZero Time Dilemma. Each of the three games is part visual novel, part puzzle game.
In some sections of the game, you’ll be progressing through the story, and then you’ll enter the “escape” part of the game where you’re solving deep puzzles to get through escape-the-room scenarios.
The Nonary Gamesis a bundle that includes updated versions of the first two games in the series, and is a great starting point for anyone who’s new!
2. The Room VR: A Dark Matter
The Roomis literally a game where you solves a bunch of puzzle boxes in order to advance through the game. It’s about as close as you’re going to get to actually living out the complex mechanics offered by escape rooms without actually going anywhere.
The puzzles escalate in difficulty as you move through the game, which makes for quite the satisfying experience.
But the one you want is the VR edition, which kicks the immersion up several notches. It’s the closest you’ll get to an actual escape room experience withoutactuallygoing to an escape room.
1. Resident Evil 2
While the core of theResident Evilgames is all about trying to survive in a world infested with zombies, the underlying mechanics frequently involve complex puzzles.
Just like in an escape room, you’ll be searching for hidden objects that’ll help you get access to different parts of the world. With the re-release ofResident Evil 2blowing critics away, now is the perfect time to jump into the series.
Related:The Best Zombie Video Games of All Time
Hands-On Puzzles for Escape Room Fans
If you like escape rooms, it’s probably because you’re a logical thinker who takes a methodical approach to problem solving—and that means youlovepuzzles. If that sounds like you, then you should check out our favorite mystery puzzle subscription boxes to solve!
Read next:The best puzzle subscription boxes to solve
