The exit room trend has now found its way onto the board game scene, with the brand new EXIT Games range from Thames & Kosmos.

Combining the excitement and exhilaration of the physical escape room play into a tabletop game format, the launch comes as playful Brits fall even further in love with games and puzzles – the fastest-growing UK toy category, which saw a sales leap of 21% last year – and gives exit room fans the chance to recreate the experience with friends in the comfort of their own homes.

Thames & Kosmos’ EXIT Games range launches with three different titles – The Pharaoh’s Tomb, The Secret Lab and The Abandoned Cabin. Each has been carefully crafted to replicate the truly immersive and collaborative experience of an escape room, in board game format. And the games are sure to be a hit – launched initially in Germany last November, they sold over 100,000 copies before Christmas!

Designed for up to six players aged 12+, each game lasts between 45 and 90 minutes. The team starts each game locked in a room and players co-operate to solve a series of puzzles to unlock doors, revealing the next challenge. Each correct solution brings players to another riddle – and eventually to freedom. The clock is however ticking and players must solve all the clues as quickly as possible – the faster the team escapes the room and the fewer hints they use on the way, the more points they earn.