Escape Academy Beginner Guide: What to Know First
New to Escape Academy? Learn the premise, how solo and co-op play work, what the escape rooms are like, and who the faculty are.
What should I know before playing Escape Academy?
Bring something to write with, decide whether you're playing solo or with a partner before you start, and expect every room to be graded. Escape Academy is an adventure game built around escape rooms, from developer Coin Crew Games and publisher iam8bit Presents, released on July 13, 2022 and sold on Steam for $19.99 in the US store. You play a new student at a school that trains "Escapists," working through hand-built rooms designed by people experienced in real-life escape rooms.
Take notes. According to Inverse's tips piece, the puzzles often exist in the mind rather than as interactive objects — sudoku grids, long coded phrases — and the game sometimes reveals that a puzzle needs information from several puzzles prior, so a notebook beats memory.
A few other things worth knowing up front:
- Not every lock needs the full solution. Inverse notes that on a three-digit lock, finding two digits leaves only ten options, and the lock opens as soon as the right number is set.
- Talking to the faculty isn't filler. According to Inverse, each professor oversees rooms themed around their own interests and history, so those conversations give you an edge on solving.
- The tone is comedic but the rooms can be lethal in fiction — the store description cheerfully mentions bombs, drowning and a headmaster who didn't approve the lesson plan.
- According to GameRant's game page, the game carries an ESRB T for Teen rating for Violence.
Is Escape Academy solo or co-op?
Both. The official store description says the entire game can be played alone in single player or through two-player co-operative play, available in local or online splitscreen. The Steam feature list backs that up with Co-op, Online Co-op, Shared/Split Screen Co-op, Cross-Platform Multiplayer and Remote Play Together.
If you want competition rather than teamwork, the store also lists PvP, Online PvP and Shared/Split Screen PvP, which come from the Tournament of Puzzles content update: three arenas (Tomb of the First Escapist, Hackannery and The Showman's Studio), three modes (Escape Race, Tic-Tac-Toe and Scavenger Hunt), and power-ups you can use to trap opponents or give yourself assists. Solo players aren't locked out of that content — the store description says Coach Yoach, who fronts the Tournament of Puzzles, is happy to let any Escapist solve their way through the courses in single player.
What are the escape rooms like?
They're self-contained, themed rooms with their own goals, and you're graded on how you handle them. The official description promises over a dozen hand-crafted rooms designed with input from people who build real escape rooms, and gives a taste of the curriculum: defusing a bomb before your tea goes cold in "Tea 'N Tea Party," proving yourself to a super-powered A.I. in "Hack the Professor," racing your nemesis in "Go for the Gold," climbing a flooding puzzle tower, and spray-painting the Monument of Escape before the Headmaster notices.
Expect variety rather than repetition — the rooms are built around different subjects and locations, so the puzzle types change as you go. You'll also spend time outside the rooms: the store description talks about exploring the campus and getting to know the faculty, and Inverse notes those between-room conversations carry story information about the professors' motivations and pasts.
Who are the faculty at Escape Academy?
The official description keeps the cast deliberately vague: a "colorful cast of characters," each an expert in the art of escape, and some with secrets yet to be uncovered. The Headmaster is the figure who recruits you, and the store copy puts Coach Yoach at the centre of the Tournament of Puzzles content. Beyond that, the store page doesn't spell out a full staff roster.
Later developer updates for the sequel, Escape Academy 2: Back 2 School, introduce more of the teaching staff by name — including Professor Von Bellini on the Science Campus and Enora Chortkoff on the Arts Campus — so if you're the sort of player who wants names and personalities before starting the first game, that's where the official material goes into detail. The first game's own page does not list them.
Does Escape Academy run well on Steam Deck?
Yes — Valve rates it Verified on Steam Deck. Valve's own test results note that the default controller configuration is fully functional, the on-screen controller icons match the Steam Deck, the interface text is legible, and the default graphics settings perform well.
The store also lists full controller support, DualShock and DualSense controller support, and Steam Cloud. On the PC side, the official listing currently gives only a partial minimum spec — Windows 7, DirectX version 10 and 5 GB of available space — with no full recommended configuration published on the store page.
How much does Escape Academy cost, and what languages does it support?
It costs $19.99 in the US Steam store. The store page lists four supported languages, with English as the only one flagged for full audio:
| Language | What the store page notes |
|---|---|
| English | Full audio support |
| French | Listed as supported |
| German | Listed as supported |
| Spanish – Spain | Listed as supported |
The store page also lists 40 Steam achievements, with "Next Stop: Escape Academy" highlighted, and a few of the highlighted achievements are hidden — their names aren't shown on the page.
Related guides
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Escape Academy Co-Op and Multiplayer Guide
Can you play Escape Academy with a friend? Learn about two-player co-op, local and online split-screen, cross-platform play, and multiplayer modes.
How Escape Room Grading Works in Escape Academy
Escape Academy grades your performance in its escape rooms. Here is how time limits, room challenges, and grades fit into the puzzle game.
Escape Academy Faculty and Characters Explained
Meet the colorful faculty of Escape Academy, including Coach Yoach, and learn how the school's characters fit into the escape room story.
Is Escape Academy Replayable After You Finish?
Wondering if Escape Academy has replay value? Learn about Tournament of Puzzles arenas, game modes, power-ups, multiplayer, and achievements.