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Unlock Adventure: 10 Fun Escape Rooms in Johannesburg
Taking on an escape room with your family, friends, or colleagues can be a great way to bond with them, improve teamwork, and boost overall morale. Fortunately, you can check out some of the most challenging (and interesting) ones here in Johannesburg!
The city (and its surrounding areas) has some of the best escape rooms here in South Africa. If you’re ready to escape the ordinary and mundane, then we’ll recommend some of the most fun escape rooms here in Johannesburg!
1. Hashtag Escape
Address: 39 Grant Ave, Norwood, Johannesburg, 2192, South Africa
Website: https://www.hashtagescape.co.za/
Contact Number: +27 72 235 4982
Operating Hours:
- Monday to Saturday, 10:00 AM to 8:30 PM
Cost:
- ZAR 250 per person
Hashtag Escape is the definition of fun when it comes to escape rooms here in Johannesburg. A visit to this venue will give you varying degrees of difficulty or challenges for each room; you can be a newbie or an expert and still have fun!
To those new to escape rooms, you can try checking out their Closure Room, which has a difficulty score of 6 out of 10. If you’re up for a challenge, though, try their Hack Out Room, which has a maximum difficulty level of 9.5 out of 10!
| Pro Tip: Ask the staff of Hashtag Escape about the different types of rooms they have. Each one has a specific genre that you might want to try out, such as the paranormal setting of Closure or the military-themed Rebel Room. |
2. Escape Room
Address: Corner Jan Smuts Avenue and, Bompas Road, Jan Smuts Ave, Randburg, 2196, South Africa
Website: https://www.escaperoom.co.za/
Distance from JO: 20 minutes
Contact Number: +27 61 586 6285
Operating Hours:
- Monday to Sunday, 9:30 AM to 10:30 PM
Cost:
- ZAR 700 for two (2) people
Escape Room offers some of the most interesting detective-style rooms in Johannesburg, as most of them will require you to investigate historical mysteries in order to survive. The feel of these old-style mysteries is top-notch!
For example, their Disappearance Room features a room that hasn’t been touched for almost a century while their Mined Escape Room showcases old telephones and maps for you to investigate. Our favourite is Kellar’s Magic Emporium with its slight horror feel.
| Pro Tip: The Escape Room only caters to those aged 12 years old and above. |
3. Lostland Escape Room
Address: Suite 1, 369 Rivonia Blvd, Edenburg, Sandton, 2128, South Africa
Distance from JO: 27 minutes
Website: https://lostland.co.za/
Contact Number: +27 11 803 0386
Operating Hours:
- Monday to Sunday, 9:30 AM to 6:00 PM
Cost:
- ZAR 250 per person per game
Here’s another escape room offering a variety of different rooms to test your teamwork and analytical skills—Lostland Escape Room.
Most of their rooms revolve around horror and military themes, but all of them will require that you collaborate in order to escape!
For example, there’s a zombie-themed room called Biohazard where you need to work together to uncover the source of the virus and survive uninfected. Mission Impossible will have you enter enemy territory to rescue your teammates; teamwork is a must!
| Pro Tip: You can try different rooms in one day if you’re up for it. However, make sure you space your bookings accordingly, as some rooms are estimated to take around 25 minutes, while some may take as long as 45 minutes. |
4. The Gr8 Escape
Address: Block C, First Floor, Pineslopes Office Park, Fourways, Johannesburg, 2191, South Africa
Website: https://thegr8escape.co.za/
Contact Number: +27 76 362 0765
Operating Hours:
- Tuesday to Thursday and Sunday, 9:30 AM to 6:30 PM
- Friday and Saturday, 9:30 AM to 8:00 PM
- Monday, 9:30 AM to 6:30 PM
Cost:
- ZAR 295 per person per game
The Gr8 Escape is proud of its title as “the highest-rated escape room” in Johannesburg, and we understand why.
Their rooms look authentic, and the attention to detail is simply phenomenal with both the props and the background looking genuinely lived in.
They offer five rooms in total, and each one has a unique genre to offer—from the horror hospital of The Asylum Escape to the psycho-inspired The Basement.
We also like that each room will last around 60 minutes to solve, as it means more time for teamwork!
| Pro Tip: To enhance the feel and vibe of each room, The Gr8 Escape uses smoke machines and strobe lights. If these are things that might cause health issues for you or your teammates, you need to inform staff before you start the game. |
5. Just Breakout
Address: Office 103, Java Centre, 285 Lynnwood Rd, Menlo Park, Pretoria, 0081, South Africa
Distance from JO: 50 minutes
Website: https://justbreakout.co.za/
Contact Number: +27 61 113 9547
Operating Hours:
- Wednesday and Thursday, 12:00 NN to 8:00 PM
- Friday and Saturday, 8:30 AM to 8:00 PM
- Sunday, 10:15 AM to 8:00 PM
- Closed on Monday and Tuesday
Cost:
- ZAR 250 per person per game
Just Breakout only has two escape rooms for you to try out, but their quality is superb and more focused on the fun aspect of working together. It’s still stressful to escape these rooms—that’s for sure—but they don’t have dark undertones or horror themes.
For example, the War Room will require that you break out from your prison before Nazi soldiers come back for you in an hour. The other room called The Crazy Professor will have you investigate his office for anything strange before the professor comes back!
| Pro Tip: If you’re planning to visit Just Breakout for corporate or team-building activities, you can coordinate with them via their email at [email protected]. They might open their escape rooms beyond operating hours if needed. |
6. Catch the Clock Escape Rooms
Address: 990 Beretta St, Wilgeheuwel, Roodepoort, 1724, South Africa
Distance from JO: 33 minutes
Website: https://catchtheclock.co.za/
Contact Number: +27 72 786 7237
Operating Hours:
- Monday to Thursday, 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM
- Friday to Sunday, 12:00 NN to 8:30 PM
Cost:
- Around ZAR 440 to ZAR 1,320 per game depending on the number of persons
If you and your friends want to experience what it’s like being an international spy a la James Bond, then Catch the Clock Escape Rooms is for you! Their rooms are designed to make you feel like you’re on an espionage mission with a time limit.
The Blue Train Escape Room will have you defuse a bomb from a moving train while the Murder in the Manor will need you to investigate a murder in order to escape. The Diamond Heist Room is our favourite as you play as thieves trying to evade the law!
| Pro Tip: Keep in mind that the rooms at Catch the Clock Escape Rooms aren’t locked, but if you (or one of your teammates) leave before solving all the puzzles, then the game is automatically forfeited. You have been warned! |
7. MalMic Escape
From chrissie2.2
Address: Block C C6, El Ridge Office Park, 100 Elizabeth Rd, Bartlett, Boksburg, 1459, South Africa
Distance from JO: 30 minutes
Website: https://malmicescape.co.za/
Contact Number: +27 71 333 7189
Operating Hours:
- Wednesday to Saturday, 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM
- Sunday, 12:00 NN to 6:00 PM
Cost:
- ZAR 260 per person per game
MalMic Escape offers much more physically demanding escape rooms compared to the others on this list. Here, you need to not just solve puzzles and discover clues, but you also have to accomplish certain tasks to escape and go beyond the room’s challenge!
They have three rooms—Adventure Quest, Malmic’s Laboratory, and the Great Deluge—and each one offers a unique challenge to participants.
They’re not really horror-themed, but they are truly exciting as they involve either your safety or the fate of the world!
| Pro Tip: If you’re budget-conscious, you can try booking a slot with MalMic Escape on either Wednesday or Thursday. During these days, they will only charge you the discounted rate of ZAR 200 per person instead of the regular ZAR 260. |
8. Brainwaves Escape Rooms
Address: 276 West Ave, Die Hoewes, Centurion, 0163, South Africa
Distance from JO: 40 minutes
Website: https://www.brainwavesescape.com/
Contact Number: +27 67 864 3819
Operating Hours:
- Wednesday to Saturday, 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM
- Sunday, 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM
- Closed on Monday and Tuesday
Cost:
- ZAR 295 per person per game
Brainwaves Escape Rooms looks to you and your team’s brains to solve their puzzles and mysteries. In this case, two heads are better than one, as most of their rooms will require around 3.5 to 4 brains out of 5 to solve and escape from!
Their least escaped room, The Abandoned Theatre, has a difficulty of 4 out of 5 brains needed, while the most difficult one, Cain in the Woods, requires 4.5 out of 5 brains. We’re leaning towards their Saving Sherlock Room as who wouldn’t want to save him?
| Pro Tip: Brainwaves Escape Rooms also offers virtual or online escape rooms—The Gallery and The Carnival. These will have you solve puzzles online to find a missing curator (The Gallery) or try some ice cream (The Carnival). |
9. SA Mindmaze
Address: 1st Floor, Impala Hotel, 70 Walter Sisulu Ln, Central, Potchefstroom, 2531, South Africa
Distance from JO: 1 hour and 30 minutes
Website: https://www.mindmaze.co.za/
Contact Number: +27 82 853 5467
Operating Hours:
- Monday to Saturday, 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM
- Closed on Sunday
Cost:
- ZAR 250 per person
While other escape rooms offer thrilling experiences, SA Mindmaze kicks it up a notch by offering themed rooms that have tie-ins with big-name franchises. These include Harry Potter, Pirates of the Caribbean, Jumanji, and Alice in Wonderland!
The best part about this is that each room stays true to the franchise they are associated with. Hence, the Harry Potter Room will have you use magic and potions to escape while the Jumanji Room will require that you solve puzzles like a board game!
| Pro Tip: Some puzzles can be too difficult for some groups. If you find yourself stuck in a puzzle, you can always use the phone provided to call the game master (who monitors the game) to ask for some clues. |
10. I Challenge You
From: patrickjrkaylin
Address: 372-376 Oak Avenue Ferndale, Randburg
Distance from JO: 32 minutes
Website: https://www.facebook.com/Ichallengeuza/
Contact Number: +27 63 474 4317
Operating Hours:
- Monday to Sunday, 8:00 AM to 7:00 PM
Cost:
- ZAR 300 per person
For those who want something with a science fiction feel to their escape rooms, I Challenge You, located in Randburg, is worth a visit. They only have two room options, but both of them are steeped in sci-fi mystery and challenges.
The Enigma Room will have you enter into another person’s consciousness and figure out her secret before time runs out. The Professor’s Revenge Room, on the other hand, will require that you disable the professor’s trap and escape his sinister laboratory.
| Pro Tip: Compared to the other escape rooms on this list, I Challenge You recommends that you play each room with at least three participants. Be sure to bring two buddies along. |
