Gloucester may be a city best known for its Romanesque and Gothic heritage, but this charming city is also home to some of the most popular escape rooms in the west of England.
According to Allied Market Research, the British escape room market is set to post a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12.4% between 2023 and 2032, as the UK proves itself to be a nation of problem-solvers.
What is an Escape Room?
An escape room is one of the most immersive in-person entertainment experiences right now. Guests to escape rooms are tasked with solving puzzles and completing challenges to ‘escape’ from themed rooms within a set timeframe.
Escape room operators have a diverse range of themes, such as haunted mansions, ancient temples and spy missions to cater for varying tastes. All of these emphasise that choice is paramount in entertainment. The market is taking a leaf out of the iGaming industry’s book, which thrives on variety. When it comes to slot titles, there are several different themes to choose from, ranging from mythology and adventure to sci-fi and popular culture. This wide selection appeals to multiple demographics, ensuring there’s something for everyone.
Unlike other UK cities of a similar size, Gloucester is fortunate to have two escape rooms for you to choose from. Below, we’ll explore what there is in store from both venues.
Houdini’s Escape Room Experience
According to Houdini’s official website, this brand has been voted the number-one escape room operator in the world. Although there is no verifiable link to confirm this on their website, we’ll take their word for it. There is certainly no stone left unturned in terms of attention to detail at Houdini’s. The business goes to the nth degree to curate and design their escape rooms, creating immersive environments which push you to your limits.
The Houdini’s Gloucester venue is available from £13.50 per player, with discounts also available throughout the week. On Sundays, you can get entry and pizza deals, as well as half-price entry on Tuesdays. There’s also entry and burger deals every Thursday too.
There are three specific escape room themes available to choose from at Houdini’s Gloucester. It starts with Hexmore School of Witchcraft & Wizardry, which carries the lowest level of difficulty. The game has a success rate of 71% and is suitable for between two and eight players.
There’s also the spine-tingling-themed Creepy Carnival, which has the second-toughest difficulty and the second-best success rate of 67%. Due to its horror-themed elements, the room is best suited to those aged 12 and above. For the toughest escape room test at Houdini’s Gloucester, enter the Escape From Alcatraz room, inspired by the iconic island prison off the shores of San Francisco.
VRXPerience VR Escape Rooms
For an altogether different escape room experience in Gloucester, head over to Southgate Street to VRXPerience’s array of virtual reality (VR) escape rooms. Created based on a love of VR technology, VRXPerience’s escape rooms opened their doors in November 2019. Although the venue also includes a string of VR technologies, including VR 9D rides and VR arcade games and headsets, it specialises in escape rooms.
There are no fewer than 13 different VR escape room environments to choose from here. These range from setting foot in the ghost town of Chernobyl after the Ukrainian city’s nuclear accident four decades ago, through to an Alice in Wonderland-esque game where you must sort out the mess at the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party.
If you choose to play at off-peak times, you can visit at a price of £20 per player or £25 per player during peak hours. All visitors will also receive a free 9D VR roller coaster ride whenever they complete their escape room in less than 45 minutes – with no hints necessary!
VRXPerience has an impressive 4.9 out of 5 rating from Google Reviews, as well as a clean sweep of 5 out of 5 on TripAdvisor, establishing it as the number-one venue for ‘Fun & Games’ in Gloucester.
Whichever escape room venue you choose in Gloucester, you can be sure of great-value excitement and adventure on tap.