FAQFrequently Asked Questions

General Questions

A virtual escape room is different from a physical escape room in a few ways.

A virtual escape room is played online with your friends, and can be played from anywhere in the world with a stable internet connection. Additionally, you are not limited to specific dates and times to play. You can play whenever you want!

In a physical escape room, communicating with your teammates is critical. Deadbolt Games maintains this ease of communication, with our completely integrated video chat system. You can see and hear your teammates as you work together to solve the puzzles and complete the game.

Similar to how a physical escape room involves finding items and manipulating objects to solve puzzles, Deadbolt Games virtual escape rooms are designed with interactivity in mind. You will be able to manipulate objects, move items, and interact with the environment to solve puzzles. Other players will be able to see many of your interactions in realtime. Since you are each on your own device, you can easily see each item and scene without looking over each other's shoulders.

However, perhaps the most exciting and biggest difference of all, is that your adventures are not limited to one space. In a virtual world, we are not bound to four walls and a lock on the door. Enjoy adventures across multiple locations, or even across worlds!

Playing a virtual escape room is super easy! All you need is a computer or a tablet with a camera and microphone. You will also need a stable internet connection.

After purchasing your game, and scheduling with your teammates:

  1. Simply go to the game link provided in the email.
  2. Enter your game code.
  3. You will be prompted to set-up your device and you will see a button that says “Start Game”

For full details, please visit the How It Works Support Page .

In the game description, you will see the number of players that the game is designed for beside the icon.

Example
Game specs.
Good for 2 to 6 players.
Takes about 90 minutes to complete.
Game difficulty is medium.
Minimum recommended age is 12.

Generally games are designed for 2-6 players. We feel that 4 players is the 'sweet spot'. If you have more than 6 people, then you can play in multiple teams, and compare your scores at the end.

Cooperative gameplay is important to us at Deadbolt Games, and so only the tutorial game is designed so that it can be played either solo, or again up to 6 players. This is in case only one person on your team wishes to play the tutorial and get familiar with the system.

The length of the game depends on the game you choose. The average game takes between 1 - 1.5 hours to complete. However, once a game has started, you have 4 hours to finish.

Once you have purchased your game, you will receive an email with the game link and your game code. Don't forget to check your spam!

The price of the game depends on which one you choose. Typically a game is about $40.00 USD.

Keep in mind that Deadbolt Games does not charge per player. When you purchase one of our games, you are buying it for the entire team.

To put this in perspective, if you were to play a physical escape room, you would pay around $30.00 USD per person. So even with a 2-player game, you are getting a great deal!

Technical Questions

You lost internet? The battery on your computer died? No problem! We have made the process of rejoining your team super easy.

  1. Simply go back to the game link provided in the email and re-enter your game code.
  2. You will be prompted to set-up your device again and you will see a button that says “Rejoin Game”.

Oops! You clicked "NO" and now you have trouble using the video chat? No worries! We have made a specific page to help you according to the type of device and browser you are on.

Simply visit our guide to fixing browser permissions .

At Deadbolt Games, we're committed to ensuring that our games are accessible across a wide range of devices. That's why all of our games are designed to be played directly within a web browser, eliminating the need for any downloads or installations. Whether you're using a PC or a Mac, an old computer or a new one, or even a tablet or a phone, you can enjoy our games hassle-free.

However, to ensure the best possible experience, we do have specific technical requirements . If you're unsure whether your device meets these requirements, simply use our customized Device Checker tool. It only takes 1 minute and 15 seconds to verify compatibility.

To switch devices mid-game, you must first close the browser tab, or window on the first device. This step is important in order to disconnect from our servers. Next, on the device you wish to switch to, open a browser window to the game page where you enter your game code. You will be directed to setup your device's camera and microphone. When you connect, you will be reunited with your friends!

Unfortunately, no. Once a game has begun, it's limited to the number of players present at the start. For instance, if a game begins with 3 players, it will remain a 3-player game throughout.

This limitation is in place for two main reasons:

  1. Our games take the number of players into consideration to dynamically adjust the story and puzzles.
  2. To maintain fairness in our ranking system, which considers the number of players. Starting with a smaller team and later adding more members could unfairly impact rankings.

Game System Questions

The easiest way to get to the game start page where your code can be entered, is to follow one of the links from the email you received with the code. Alternatively, you can visit the game details page matching the game you have a code for, and click on the Game Entry Page link.

At this time, we do not offer this feature. While our games are cooperative in nature, some of our players enjoy the competitive aspect of trying to achieve a high score. To minimize any manipulation of the score, the games are designed to be played in one sitting. A game is limited to 4 hours.

However, as we learn more about what our customers want, we are open to changing this in the future. Feel free to contact us with your thoughts!

Unless it is stated otherwise in the game description, or during the game setup, all you need is your device to play the game and solve puzzles.

That said, we do recommend keeping a pen and some paper handy for writing down notes or calculations that might help in keeping your thoughts organized.

If your team finds itself stuck on a puzzle, simply click on the Hints Button located in the control panel. It will provide multiple hints, with only the first one clickable.

After clicking on a hint, your entire team will be prompted to vote. If everyone agrees, the hint will be revealed. However, if one or more teammates disagree, the hint will not be revealed. You can repeat this process until reaching the "Solve" option.

Solve is a special hint. Solve is only clickable if all the other hints have been revealed and read. Solve does not require a vote, but it still requires confirmation from the player who clicked it. Solve will perform the action of solving the puzzle without the players' intervention so that they can move on in the game. It is intended as a last resort or if there is technical difficulty preventing the players from following the solution.

This system ensures your team never remains stuck, allowing you to progress smoothly through the game. However, keep in mind that using hints will impact your final score.

Experiencing an echo while playing in the same room? Here's a solution:

We've designed a feature called Side-by-Side Mode specifically for players sharing the same physical space but using separate devices. If you're encountering echo or feedback in the video chat, all players in the room EXCEPT ONE can click on this button. It will mute their microphone and lower the chat volume on their device, effectively minimizing audio feedback.

It's worth noting that, apart from the tutorial game, Deadbolt Games incorporates advanced echo suppression technology, significantly reducing the need for the Side-by-Side Mode button.

Once you and your team successfully complete the game, you'll be directed to a game summary screen where you can continue chatting and view your performance. A score is calculated taking into account factors such as the time taken, number of incorrect puzzle attempts, hints used, and more. Your team will receive a star rating out of 10 and may be added to the leaderboard if you rank among the top 100 teams.

Before leaving the game, you'll have the chance to provide feedback and rate your overall game experience. We greatly value this feedback as it helps us enhance our games and introduce new features.

Still have questions?
Send us a message.

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