If you're looking to kill an hour of time, consider doing an escape room. If you're around central Austin, PanIQ Escape Room is a decent option. For $38 PP, we booked the Pirates of Tortuga room about two hours ahead of game time and lucked out with having the room all to ourselves. Parking is easy on a Saturday afternoon for this very convenient location. Compared to the many other rooms we've played in and outside of town, this one was pretty mid. I liked the general flow of the room but thought production value really dampened the overall experience and made it less immersive. Mechanics/equipment of the puzzles were worn down or finicky, decorations were minimal, and service was lackluster - felt a bit like we were being hurried into and out of the room. It would definitely help to have more lighting in the room, too. That said, there were some interesting puzzles that tickled my brain and required good ol' teamwork with the husband. The lobby and bathrooms were well maintained which is always nice. We may return for a different room! read more

I have done two games through PanIQ. The pirate room and the drug bust room. Both were super fun and engaging while being a good mix of challenging. The employees are super nice there too. read more

PanIQ Escape Room - Austin - Escape Games Near Me - Austin, Texas

A somewhat underground phenomenon "escape rooms" are gaining traction as a family friendly and bonding experience unlike any other. The basic premise is you and a group enter into a room or series of rooms with little direction and you must find clues to solve puzzles in order to finish the adventure. The complexity and difficulty are explained to the participants before purchase allowing the experience to be customized based on comfort level. Now that we've established a groundwork of what an escape room is, I'll describe my experience. My 16 and 13 yr old girls came down to visit and wanted to give an escape room a try. I did some searches and based on rating decided to give "Paniq Room" a shot. I reviewed the website and we decided on an easy difficulty which is the "Haunted Manor". I'm not sure how prices stack up for other facilities and I thought they were a bit high however they're worth it. We made our selection choosing to have a room to ourselves vs having other people in with us. So yes, there is a cheaper option if you want strangers to assist on the quest. Paniq Room's location is fairly easy to find, parking is plentiful and the location in a safe area. Walking in is pretty neat with several areas great for photo ops. The guide (sorry if that's not what the person is called) was pleasant greeting us and gave us a run down of all the things we needed to know. He guided us to our destination, wished us luck and shut the door. I don't want to give to much away but in the room, there is a kiosk or an ipad in case you're in need of hints. You type in help and it will either give you a hint or the "guide" will assist via intercom. We did need one hint and I rather liked the ambiguity b/c it wasn't to the point of "press that button" rather, "look closely at the puzzle and notice the direction." The carefully crafted responses were given to not ruin the experience. The puzzles themselves varied in nature. A physical slide puzzle here, a series of puzzles with colors there and several puzzles that had clues fit into a larger puzzle. Basically, the rooms are meant to challenge both sides of the brain but patience is a virtue. After successfully completing a puzzle an audio/visual cue is given thus a small shot of dopamine hits the brain simulating reward. While not only indicating the current puzzle is complete, it reinvigorates hope and focuses your attention on the next obstacle. I can't recall exactly but I believe my 45-minute adventure had a total of 15 or so puzzles. Overall, my kids and I enjoyed the experience. While I'm a very deep thinking my greatest experience came from letting my kids take ownership and watching my oldest child take over, demonstrating leadership, organization and analytical thinking. This is an interaction occasion not a sitting on the sofa type of atmosphere. Paniq Room provides the perfect adventure for those willing to challenge themselves and try something different. I highly encourage everyone to take my "hint" and give it a shot. read more

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We completed Pirates of Tortuga, with seconds to spare. A lot of it had to do with the certain puzzles being way too finicky, the actual mechanics of it. For the price (it was $50/pp because we did private, there was 5 of us, originally 6), I expected a higher caliber of execution. The room was so dark, very poor lighting and there really isn't a fun story line that pulls you in. The intro video was subpar. I believe The Escape Game does it so well and much more professional. The employee that was assigned to us wasn't welcoming nor friendly - we had one of our friends drop out at the very last minute and they wouldn't give us a refund, which I get but she didn't really offer other ways to help out like maybe with a credit for another escape room or something along those lines. We grabbed a water bottle from their mini fridge and she wouldn't even just let us have it since we were losing $50. But anyway, we still had a fun night. I do like that they allow to keep rooms private - meaning if there's only 4 of us, they won't place strangers with you to fill up the room. Nothing wrong with that, it just makes the dynamic harder when you're working with people you've never met. I also liked that they had puzzles out in the waiting area. read more

Super fun! Friendly staff! we enjoyed the pirate themed room! It was nice to be able to walk in on a Saturday and have a fun experience! read more

Inside was extremely cozy and nice. Amazing stories! Room themes were very unique and fun! Staff were excellent! Loved it!!!!!

The Pirate themed room was really, really fun! We loved the balance of puzzles and interactive pieces that keep you engaged and paying attention to the room. We will definitely be returning when we come back to Austin and will check out the Paniq room out in the Bay Area in the future. We technically escaped. I wish we would have asked for a picture as we always do. -Stephen and Yali read more

Took a group of preteens to play the wizard escape Room. Great game! Very creative. While the majority of the group has a hard time solving puzzles, one of the kids took a leadership role and carried us through to the end. Staff and moderator were great. Friendly service. Will be back! read more

PanIQ Escape Room - Austin - Inside lobby area. - Escape Games Near Me - Austin, Texas

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Absolutely incredible time at PanIQ! I took my wife plus 4 of our friends to attempt the Insane Asylum, which is the expert difficulty. We were all unsure if we'd be able to complete it, but after a ton of puzzles and secrets, we managed to complete it with only 1 minute remaining on the clock! We all couldn't stop talking about how awesome that experience was. I can't wait to try the other rooms that they offer! Highly recommend! read more

Such a fun time, could go on a group hang out or a girls day out!! We did the cartel themed one and it was perfectly balanced

Date night doing something different I was not sure I would like. WHAT A BLAST!!! We did the Haunted Mansion Room and barely squeezed out a solution with lots of help from "the spooky kiosk". Next time we will bring more friends along. read more

PanIQ Escape Room - Austin - Having a great time at PanIQ Room - Escape Games Near Me - Austin, Texas

We celebrated my son's 17th birthday and had a great time! We enjoyed the atmosphere and the game was challenging but we finished just in time and successfulLu solved the game! I highly recommend the Wizard Room - very cool inside! read more

PanIQ Escape Room - Austin - Wizard room - Escape Games Near Me - Austin, Texas

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My boyfriend and I did a private escape room and it was such a fun experience. Our room was Cartel Crackdown and it was just challenging enough and so fun! The rooms are clean and well decorated. This particular one was very interactive and creative. We finished with just under 20 minutes left on the clock. Our game master, Stephanie, was very thorough, fun, and knowledgeable. She explained the game throughly and the clues were just helpful enough when needed. If you are thinking of doing an escape room in Austin, definitely visit PanIQ! read more

Had an amazing time! The escape room expert was super helpful and kind. We will definitely be back to do another escape room.

Pirates of Tortuga Used a groupon for weekday so ended up being $27 per person for a group of 4. I wouldn't think it would be worth it if it was the regular price. The room is OK. There are a few interesting/fun puzzles and a lot of traditional puzzles. Immersive-ness is fine. We got stuck on a single part for 20 minutes because we couldn't see something since parts of the room are very dim. We escaped in 41 minutes. read more

This place was a lot of fun. The thing I loved most about the room was the production level. The use of sound and mechanics made the experience. We played the wizard game which was fully interactive My group managed to get out in 30 minutes. The thing I believe would make this game better, is the human element. I'm not asking that someone is present in the room, but there were points in the game that we would want something to be repeated or there was a delay in the hint button. A human would have been more responsive. Also we had to run to the room where the kiosk was to request a hint. Overall we enjoyed our time and would definitely revisit. read more

PanIQ Escape Room - Austin - Wizards - Escape Games Near Me - Austin, Texas

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Great setup and lots of fun for a group of pre-teen boys. They had a great time working together

Was disappointed with the sound system. Was very hard to hear hints and tips. Which made it frustrating. The room is very dim and would be nice to have just a little bit more light. We did finish with 11 minutes to spare. read more

The room (Wizard Trials) was great. We used more hints than we wanted, but thinking back on it only a couple can I really blame on things I think are unnecessarily obscure or misleading. The magic wands are a great touch, used well in the puzzles. The reason the rating is four star rather than five is the staff. The intro was presented rapid-fire as if the person doing it were tired of saying the same thing a thousand times. That is no doubt the truth, but it shouldn't be so blatantly obvious to the customer. Also, the snark level, with numerous references to misbehavior or misunderstanding by previous customers, was unnecessary. The kicker was the exit. I've done more than two dozen escape rooms and I've never before felt like I was being kicked out. Rather than the usual "Congratulations! Great job! Would you like a photo of your team?" it was, almost literally, "OK, you're done. Can I do anything else for you? No? Good. Bye." The quality of the room more than made up for the poor staff interaction. But this is by far the worst I've encountered, particularly the exit. read more

We had a great time at PanIQ Escape Room! We did the Cartel Crackdown escape room and it was a lot of fun. The staff was super friendly and just a lot of fun as well! We will definitely be back soon!! read more

We had a great time and heather was very helpful with answering all of our questions! We will definitely be back!

Super fun! We rebooked at discount and came back 2x in same week! Can't wait to see when the rooms change up. We played with 5 people - including one 9yr old and it was perfect! read more

I sat in the waiting room, which of course is very unamusing since my kids were doing the Wizard Trials. For the price of $40 a person and only 1 hour, they could use a chess board, Jenga, or something. But I hear it was fun, except the clues were hard to hear and the voice sounded muffled, and with the kids screaming, no clues could be heard. Also the adult in the room had to step out and get a flashlight. They should offer flashlights at the beginning. They did escape with 8 minutes to spare. read more

We did the pirate room for my son's 12th birthday. It was challenging but with a few hints the kids solved it with 10 minutes to spare. The room is pretty dark so if someone uses a flashlight setting on their phone it's helpful. Great staff and fun experience! read more

Spur of the moment trip to Austin landed us at the paniq escape room. It was so much fun. The staff was great and even gave a few extra hints when we were completely stumped and feeling a little defeated. Definitely recommend going!! read more

Great time and the staff is sooo nice ! Definitely a good spot to have some fun with the the family

So much fun! We did have some hints and they were helpful without telling us the complete solution. Great staff, great experience. We worked as a family team (6 people) and were able to escape the Asylum with just under 4 minutes to spare! AWESOME - will go back to experience another room!!! read more

I lived in Austin for eight years and thought that the escape room on red river was the only one worth my time.... What a hidden gem! Can't wait to complete every single room at PanIQ read more

Stephanie was great. Lots of fun with creative setups in the rooms (our group tried two of the puzzles). Would highly recommend!

we celebrated my panthers birthday with the family and had an absolute great time! wWe had ages from 14-52 and all had a blast! We did the Insane Asylum and the Cartel. Highly recommend for any function especially team building activities. read more

Highly recommend! Challenging, but fun for the group. Heather was really helpful and informative. read more

It was a fun time! I was worried that with just two of us, we wouldn't get out of the hard-level Cartel Crackdown room, but the unlimited hints helped. I think if I were in a bigger group, I wouldn't want unlimited hints. But with just two, it was just hard enough, and we got out with about four minutes to spare. Staff were nice and helpful, and we didn't have to wait beyond our reservation time. The fact that there's plenty of free parking (unlike one of the other escape rooms in Austin) is a plus. read more

Didn't expect to enjoy this all too much. But, we actually had a really good time. It was challenging and well organized.

We did the Wizard Thrills and it was very mind stimulating. Had so much fun!!!Great activity for our family and friends. Will definitely go back and try more. read more

We had such a fun time! Staff were kind and amazing. have been 3 times now. Would recommend.

I have done close to 100 rooms now and this would be my 3 "wizard themed" escape room. The room was designed beautifully and was perfect for 3 people. Not a lot of puzzles but definitely a beautifully done room. I know this a is a fairly new escape room business to Austin so excited to see things come together for the other rooms. Also, Josh was a super amazing game master and was killing it last night. Thanks for spending your 4th of July with us! read more

Super fun experience with my preteen kiddos! Friendly staff. We had a blast as a family experience!

Room was well done and was quite difficult. Clues were good but not too disclosing. Would definitely do another room!

Such a fun experience! The puzzles were cleverly designed, offering a perfect mix of challenge and creativity. The staff was welcoming and made everything run smoothly. It was great that we could opt to play with just our group, which made it feel more intimate and exciting. Definitely a must-try for escape room fans! read more

Awesome crew and the wizard trials room was really cool and we even got wands that worked around the room it was an amazing experience