Search for an escape room game and two names fill the page: EXIT, published in the US by Thames & Kosmos, and Unlock!, from Space Cowboys. Both put a locked room on your table. Both are cooperative, so the whole group wins or loses together. Both are regulars on gift lists in December.
They are built in opposite ways. EXIT is paper, cards and a cardboard dial, and you cut, fold and write on it as you go, so each box is played once. Unlock runs on a free app that keeps time and hands out hints, and nothing in the box is damaged, so it goes back in order for the next person.
This guide compares the two on the things that decide whether a box works for your table: screens, number of players, how stuck you are allowed to get, and what is left in the box afterward.
As an Amazon Associate, BoardGame Journey earns from qualifying purchases.
The Short Answer
- Rather not use an app? EXIT, for up to four players. It needs scissors, a pen and a timer of any kind, not an app.
- Five or six of you? Unlock. The Unlock boxes on this page are rated 1 to 6 players, the EXIT boxes 1 to 4.
- Want more than one evening from a box? Unlock. Heroic Adventures and Enchanted Adventures each hold three separate scenarios. An EXIT box is one game.
- Want to pass it on afterward? Unlock. Reset the cards and it is ready for someone else. A played EXIT box has been cut up.
- Love physical puzzles: folding, cutting, looking at things from an odd angle? EXIT. That is where the series is strongest, because it is allowed to damage its own components.
- Not sure which suits you? Download the Unlock app and play one of the free demo scenarios Space Cowboys publishes there. If the app suits your group, buy Unlock. If you missed paper, buy EXIT.
Side by Side
| EXIT | Unlock! | |
|---|---|---|
| Players (boxes on this page) | 1 to 4 | 1 to 6 |
| Ages (boxes on this page) | 10+ or 12+, depending on the box | 10+ |
| Games per box | One | Usually three scenarios |
| App | Not needed (an optional timer app exists) | Required, works offline once downloaded |
| You will also need | Scissors, a pen, a timer, maybe paper | A phone or tablet |
| Hints | Three help cards per puzzle | In the app, by card number |
| After one play | Used up | Intact: reset it and give it away |
| Difficulty shown | Five-dot scale on the front of the box | Level shown for each scenario |
The Real Difference: Paper and Scissors or an App
EXIT works like a puzzle book that has been taken apart. You get a booklet, a deck of riddle cards, answer cards, help cards and a cardboard decoder disk. When you think you have solved a lock, you set the three-digit code under the matching symbol on the disk, and a number appears that points you to an answer card. That card tells you whether you were right. The rulebook asks for scissors, a pen, possibly a sheet of paper and a stopwatch or other timer, and it says plainly that you can only play the game once.
That last part is the point, not a flaw. Because the designers know the box will be used up, puzzles can ask you to cut a card, fold a page or mark something up. That is the kind of moment EXIT is known for, and it is something Unlock, which keeps its cards intact, is not built to do.
Unlock works through combinations. Each card has a number, and when two cards look like they belong together, such as a key and a door, you add their numbers and look for that card in the deck. Codes go into the app, and so do the machines some cards show, devices you operate on the screen. The app also runs the countdown. Space Cowboys states that the app is required to play, and that it works without an internet connection once it is downloaded.
So the choice at this stage is simple. If someone at your table dislikes screens at game night, Unlock is the wrong box no matter how good the story is. If nobody minds a phone in the middle of the table, Unlock removes the bookkeeping: the app keeps time, applies penalties and keeps the hints out of sight until you ask.
Getting Stuck
Most groups get stuck at some point in an escape room game. The two lines handle it differently.
EXIT gives every puzzle three help cards: a first clue, a second clue and the solution. You take them in order, and the rulebook counts how many you used in your final score, along with your time, in stars. It is simple, but you have to stop and decide as a group that you are taking a card.
Unlock puts hints in the app. You enter the number of a card you are stuck on and it gives you a nudge, sometimes a second one, and full solutions are on the publisher’s website. Wrong guesses cost you time on the clock rather than points on a card. The effect is that asking for help takes a few seconds on a phone rather than a group decision about turning over a card.
Neither approach is better. If your group likes to struggle and would rather not see a hint, EXIT’s score makes that a game in itself. If your group gives up when stuck for more than ten minutes, Unlock’s hints are easier to reach.
Playing Again, Passing It On, and Giving It as a Gift
For many buyers, this is the deciding point.
An EXIT box is one evening. Once you have played it, you know the answers and some of the components are cut or written on. If you buy one secondhand, check that it has not been played, because a used one may be missing exactly the pieces you need.
An Unlock box usually holds three scenarios, each around an hour, and nothing in it is destroyed. Put the cards back in order and it can go to a friend, or to a sibling aged 10 or older. That gives Unlock more evenings per box, and makes it the safer secondhand buy.
For a gift, both work, for different people. EXIT suits the person who will open it with a partner one evening and enjoy the scissors moment. Unlock suits a family with kids 10 and up, or a group, who will want a second and third game from the same present. If the recipient already owns a few EXIT boxes, our guide to the best EXIT games to start with lists which ones players usually move on to.
Players and Ages
Both are cooperative, so the question is not whether the game is balanced but whether everyone can see and touch something.
The EXIT boxes here say 1 to 4 players. There is one booklet and one decoder disk, so beyond four there would be little for everyone to hold.
The Unlock boxes here say 1 to 6 players. The cards spread out across the table, so a bigger group has more cards to pick up and study at the same time.
For two players, both work. We compared the options for couples in escape room games that work with two players.
On age, both Unlock boxes on this page are rated 10 and up. EXIT boxes are rated 10+ or 12+ depending on the title, so check the box you are buying rather than the series.
Difficulty: How Each Line Tells You
EXIT prints a difficulty scale on the front of every box, five dots running from novice to expert. It is the most useful thing on the packaging, and it is relative to the series: a 2 is easy for an EXIT box, not easy for a puzzle in general. The artwork tells you the theme, not the difficulty.
Unlock shows a difficulty level for each scenario, and the scenarios in one box can sit at different levels: Enchanted Adventures mixes them, for example. That is useful in a box you will play three times: start with the easiest and work up.
If this is your first escape room game of either kind, start low on either scale. Starting too high is an easy way for a first box to go wrong.
The Boxes
Two EXIT boxes that are a good place to start, and two Unlock boxes with three scenarios each.
EXIT: The Enchanted Forest
1 to 4 players | Ages 10+ | Difficulty 2 of 5
A fairy-tale setting at the easier end of the scale, and a good first box for a family with kids aged ten and up.
EXIT: The Abandoned Cabin
1 to 4 players | Ages 12+ | Difficulty 2.5 of 5
You wake in a locked cabin and work your way out. One of the earliest boxes in the series, a small step up from the easiest level.
Unlock! Enchanted Adventures
1 to 6 players | Ages 10+ | About 60 minutes per scenario | Free app required
Three separate adventures in one box, at different difficulty levels. Everything resets, so it can be passed on once you are done.
Unlock! Heroic Adventures
1 to 6 players | Ages 10+ | About 60 minutes per scenario | Free app required
Three scenarios in one box, with a different set of settings from Enchanted Adventures.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is EXIT or Unlock better for beginners?
Either, if you pick a low difficulty. EXIT prints its level on the front of every box, which makes the first choice easy. Unlock lets you try a free demo in its app before you buy anything.
Do you need an app for Unlock?
Yes. Space Cowboys says the app is required. It is free and works offline once downloaded.
Do you need an app for EXIT?
No. You need scissors, a pen and a timer. There is an optional app with a timer and a soundtrack, but the rulebook treats it as an alternative to a stopwatch.
Can you play EXIT more than once?
No. The rulebook says you can only play it once, and some components are cut or written on during play.
Can you replay Unlock?
Not really, because you will remember the answers. But nothing is destroyed, so you can reset the cards and give the box to someone who has not played it.
Which is better for a group of six?
Unlock. The Unlock boxes on this page are rated up to 6 players, the EXIT boxes up to 4.
Where to Start
If your table has no screens, or you want the cutting and folding moments, buy EXIT for up to four players, starting with a box at level 2 and checking the age on the box.
If you are five or six, or you want three evenings from one box, buy Unlock.
If you cannot decide, play one of the free demos in the Unlock app first. It will show you quickly whether the app suits your group.
For more puzzle gifts, see our Christmas board game gift guide and the EXIT advent calendars, which run from December 1.
As an Amazon Associate, BoardGame Journey earns from qualifying purchases. This comes at no additional cost to you and helps support more in-depth board game reviews and guides.
2 thoughts on “EXIT vs Unlock: Which Escape Room Game to Buy”