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Named #3 Best Escape Room by the USA Today

Bonus Fun Time Game Show Challenge

Come on down! Play an escape room within our 70’s era game show!

The Treehouse Raid At Fort Knocks

Brave those heights and complete your heist before you’re apprehended!

Ghost in the Graveyard

The cemetery beckons you to uncover its secrets. Do you heed its call?

The Timekeeper's Trapped!

Tick, tick, tick!  Spin those brain gears and unravel the temporal stitches in time!

VOTED #3 BEST ESCAPE ROOM IN THE UNITED STATES

After a worldwide vote by national newspaper USA Today, Escape Factor is honored to announce that we have been named as the #3 BEST ESCAPE ROOM in the country in their 2025 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards under the category of Top 10 Best Escape Rooms.

https://10best.usatoday.com/awards/best-escape-room/

Book a top 3 escape room now!

What is an Escape Room?

An escape room at ESCAPE FACTOR is a fun and unique activity for all ages. In an room escape, you put your critical thinking, logic and puzzle solving skills to the ultimate test as you try to complete the objective of each room within the one hour time limit. Escape rooms encourage communication and team building in a fun and exciting way. They are a great activity for date night, friend outings, work outings, team building events and much more. Come to ESCAPE FACTOR to experience the satisfaction of solving puzzles and escaping our one-of-a-kind rooms.

Book your Escape Factor escape room now!
Group of friends after an escape room at Escape Factor

Why Escape Rooms?

Plan your group outing with Escape Factor

Perfect for Large Groups

Host your bachelor or bachelorette party with Escape Factor! Celebrate your child’s birthday with us! With FOUR one-hour escape rooms available, we’re the best Chicago escape room to provide any large group a memorable experience!

Unravel the mysteries of The Timekeeper's Trapped!

Corporate Team Building

We’ve hosted countless company activities and would love to host your next outing at Escape Factor! Escape rooms are perfect for team building as they encourage communication and critical thinking. With four rooms, we can accommodate up to 35 people at once!

Friends and family will enjoy this Game Show themed escape room.

Family Fun

Escape Factor is one of the few activities in the Chicagoland area that will engage your WHOLE family at once. Parents, grandparents, teens, and young children LOVE playing together in our escape rooms! All of our rooms are family friendly. Check our FAQ for more details.

ESCAPE FACTOR has FOUR Unique, 1-Hour Escape Rooms

The Timekeeper's Trapped Escape Room at Escape Factor

The Timekeeper's Trapped!

You’ve been summoned to the lab of the Official Interplanetary Timekeeper. Using your unique blend of skills and teamwork, you and your guests must work together to free the Timekeeper.

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Bonus Fun Time Game Show Challenge Escape Room Forest Park

Bonus Fun Time Game Show Challenge

As a contestant on this vintage game show set, you’ve made it to the final round and have just minutes to win the grand prize! The plot thickens, however, in a bizarre turn of events.

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The Treehouse Raid at Fort Knocks - Rosemont, Oak Brook Room Escape

Treehouse Raid at Fort Knocks

The neighborhood punk has stolen your valuables. You have a short one-hour window to brave the heights, break into his hideout, unlock the secrets, and recover your possessions.

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Ghost in the Graveyard - Escape Room in Chicago

Ghost in the Graveyard

Mysterious noises are disturbing residents living near Resurrection Memorial Cemetery. Will you be able to uncover the haunting secrets and save the graveyard from being destroyed?

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Why Choose Escape Factor?

2025 Top 3 Best Escape Room

Escape Factor was declared the #3 BEST ESCAPE ROOM in USA Today’s 2025 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards under the category of Top 10 Best Escape Rooms.
Escape-Factor-Top-3-Best-Escape-Room-Usa-Today

Five Star Ratings ★★★★★

Escape Factor boasts a 5.0 rating on Google (with over 1700 perfect reviews)!  There’s a reason why escape room enthusiasts and newcomers alike rave about our rooms. FIVE STARS on Yelp, rated 5 out of 5 on TripAdvisor, a perfect 5.0 on Facebook! We were a finalist for the Top Escape Rooms Project! The people have spoken, come see for yourself!

Amazing, UNIQUE, and 100% HOME GROWN PUZZLES

Every puzzle has been developed by the puzzle-obsessed owners of Escape Factor.  We’re not a chain, and we’re not associated with ANY other escape room outside of Forest Park, IL.  So know that you’re getting something that is different, unique, fun, and widely known as one of the best Chicago escape rooms!

“Surprised this is a small business, they should be so much bigger for the quality of their rooms!”

- Kioox's review on Google Reviews

“WOW! We’ve played escape rooms all over the country… we picked this one based off the reviews and that it is a small/local business. LOVED IT, definitely in our top handful of favorites. Creative and hands-on puzzles… what a blast!”

- Jackie M's review on Yelp

“Original games with great gameplay!! Strongly recommend playing all the games!!”

- Jeff E's review on tripadvisor

About Escape Factor

Locally Owned

We’re not one of those multi-million dollar escape room chains. We’re a minority-owned small business, integrated with the community, working with multiple Chamber of Commerce groups and frequently donating to local organizations! We’re proud to be serving the Forest Park and Oak Park areas.

Always UNLOCKED

Our escape rooms are about completing your mission in a fun and safe way. You are never actually locked in any of our rooms, allowing for easy exit in case of emergencies. Plus, most of our rooms are pretty large so they won’t make you feel claustrophobic!

Learn More About Escape Factor

Playing it Safe

Escape Factor is committed to following strict guidelines to provide a safe and healthy experience for you and your guests. Private rooms, staggered performance times to support social distancing, HEPA filters and a robust sanitizing procedure ensure you play in a clean environment.

📞 Contact & Store Info

We're located at 7228 Madison St, Forest Park, IL 60130 — right across the street from Starbucks!
We're open weekdays from 4pm-9pm, and from 11am-9pm on weekends, school breaks, and holidays (except Thanksgiving and Christmas) — rooms need to be booked more than an hour in advance, so no last-minute “we just decided to escape reality” walk-ins. Unless you're super lucky and happen to catch a Game Master right after they wrap up with another group — though if they've got another set of customers coming in right behind you, no dice.
Need a different time? Other slots are available by appointment, just with custom fees attached.
We're shifting toward text-based contact these days — we'll usually get back to you within the hour during business hours, but definitely within 1 business day. Text us at 708-943-7227, or leave a voicemail at the same number and don't be surprised if we just text you back at the number you called from.

👋 Getting to Know Us

Think decorated, immersive room, pile of puzzles, ticking clock — basically a heist movie minus the felony charges. You've got an hour to out-think a room built to out-think you.
Want the full rundown before you show up? Check out our How Escape Rooms Work Guide.
Nope, you're not really locked in — the entrance door always stays open as your exit, even if some things inside look locked for the game. (The clock keeps running if you peek out early, though, so no cheating!)
Safety-wise, just follow the rules and use common sense and you'll be totally fine — nothing sketchy going on here, just puzzles.
Comfy clothes and shoes you can actually move in — you'll be on your feet, digging through drawers, and occasionally crawling. Rooms can also run warm with a full group in there, so dress light.
As much as we'd love to see Fluffy “help” solve a puzzle, only trained service animals are allowed inside.
Sometimes! But training takes real time to get right, so we're usually not the place for a quick summer gig. We're looking for longer-term employees who want to help customers develop their love for escape rooms!

🧩 Picking the Right Room

Depends on your group's size, experience level, and how spooky you're feeling:
  • The Treehouse Raid at Fort Knocks (2-6 players) — great for smaller groups, densely packed with puzzles that reward teamwork. A solid pick for younger kids, date nights, or a fun family experience.
  • Ghost in the Graveyard (2-8 players) — good for small-to-medium groups, with a more immersive, darker atmosphere. No actual monsters, we promise, but kids sensitive to the dark might prefer another room.
  • Bonus Fun Time Game Show Challenge (3-9 players) — our nostalgic crowd favorite, perfect for bigger groups of any age.
  • The Timekeeper's Trapped! (4-12 players) — our biggest and toughest room, built so bigger groups can split into subgroups and tackle puzzles simultaneously — a great pick for a big birthday crew or experienced team, though it might be a lot for a smaller or first-timer group.
Ages 6 and up are welcome! A few rules to know: kids 6-12 need at least one paid adult per three kids (unattended little ones can't play, no refunds either), and anyone under 6 has to stay in a stroller or in an adult's arms the whole time — no exceptions.
We might ask for ID if age is questionable, just so we're not sneaking any suspiciously tall 5-year-olds through.
Not at all — these are built with adults in mind first, but they're a blast for all ages. Younger groups get extra hints and guidance from our Game Masters to keep things fun instead of frustrating.

💳 Reservations & Payment

Easy — pick your room, grab your group, and choose a time on our live calendar. Every room is 100% private, so no random strangers joining your team.
Payment happens at booking to lock in your spot. Head to our Online Booking Page and you're set!
Yep — full payment up front reserves your room. Think of it as your commitment to actually showing up (we're looking at you, chronic rescheduler).
You can book online right up until 65 minutes before your start time, if there's availability. Great for planners and last-minute daredevils alike.
Pricing, capacity, and current time slots all live on our booking page — our biggest room holds up to 12. Got a bigger group? We can often kick off multiple rooms at once, just give us a shout to coordinate.
Group smaller than a room's minimum? Call us at 708-943-7227 — depending on availability and experience level, we may be able to bend the rules a little.
Book for however many you know for sure are coming — you can always add more later as long as you stay under the room's max. Since every room is private, no surprise strangers will fill in the gaps.
Absolutely — add players anytime, up to your room's capacity. Contact us ahead of time and pay for your new full headcount, or just add people at the front desk for a flat fee per extra person when you arrive. Either way, more friends means more fun (and more hands to blame when the puzzle stumps you).
We really recommend booking ahead — we're reservation-based, so staff aren't always around for a walk-in game. Show up without a booking and you might just find an empty lobby and no one to let you in.

👥 Group Size & Capacity

Nope, your group has the room to yourselves — no other bookings, no random strangers. Our team may pop in from time to time if something needs a hand, and depending on the room and your group, don't be too surprised if you get some extra company along the way.
Yep! The Treehouse Raid at Fort Knocks and Ghost in the Graveyard are both built to work great with just two people. Bonus Fun Time Game Show Challenge and The Timekeeper's Trapped! have slightly higher minimums (3 and 4, respectively), but two of you can still book either by covering the minimum number of spots.
We've got four rooms running at once, fitting up to 35 people an hour combined. For big groups, we split you across rooms and start everyone at the same time so nobody's left twiddling their thumbs waiting.

🎂 Birthday Parties & Special Events

We're all about the escape room, so we don't have dedicated party rooms or a space for cake and candles. Looking to round out the celebration? Forest Park has plenty of great party venues nearby: Chamber Party Venue List
Sadly, no — no dedicated party space means no food, drinks, or cake on-site. Plan to celebrate with treats before or after your game!
Any of our rooms work great for kids — our Game Masters adjust hints and guidance to fit the group. Just know Ghost in the Graveyard runs dark and moody (eerie, not scary, but worth knowing), and The Timekeeper's Trapped! really shines once you've got 9 or more kids — for smaller crews, another room might be a better fit. For the full room-by-room breakdown, check out "Which room should we pick?" above.

⏰ Arrival & Timing

Yep, everyone needs a signed waiver before playing — you can knock it out ahead of time right here: https://escape-factor.com/waiver
Under 18? A parent or guardian needs to sign for you (sorry, no forging Mom's signature).
Show up on time — the door stays locked until just before your game, then you'll get a quick safety rundown before heading in. Didn't finish your waiver? No worries, you can sign it on your phone while you wait.
Yep, metered street parking on Madison and nearby streets — just $1/hour with no time limit, and free on Sundays. Weekend evenings get busy, so plan accordingly if you're coming Friday or Saturday night.
Your timer starts 15 minutes after your booked time, whether your whole crew has shown up or not. Games run up to 60 minutes, and with the briefing and wrap-up, plan for about 60-80 minutes total.
Unfortunately, no extensions — we're on a tight schedule and need every minute to reset for the next group.

🔄 Delays & Cancellations

We can start on time and let stragglers join once they arrive, or you can wait for everyone first — just know waiting eats into your game clock. We're often booked back-to-back, so we can't push your start time past your reservation window. If you know you're running behind, shoot us a text at 708-943-7227 with your ETA and we'll do what we can to work with you — but after about 10-15 minutes, we may need to start with or without you.
Usually, yes — but there's a catch: once your game starts, our Game Master is typically tied up running the room for your group, so there's not always someone free to let a latecomer in at the door. If you know someone's running behind, give us a heads-up by text so we can try to have someone ready — otherwise, they may end up waiting outside a bit until there's a break to let them in.
All ticket sales are final — no refunds for cancellations, no-shows, or “traffic was crazy” arrivals. Build in a buffer if you can, since our booking schedule doesn't leave much wiggle room!
Your health matters more than your booking — if you're feeling under the weather, please sit this one out. We'll credit the sick guest for a future visit while the rest of your crew still plays as planned.
Just know we may turn away anyone showing obvious signs of being contagious — let's stay safe!

🚪 House Rules & Logistics

Keep the snacks outside — food and drinks aren't allowed in the rooms. Please finish up before you come in, and heads up: we can't let in anyone who seems intoxicated, no refunds included.
Bring your phone, but keep it in your pocket — Google won't help you here. No livestreaming or long videos, please; a quick photo or two is fine, but let's not spoil the puzzles for the next group by giving away the whole room online. Catch you recording, and your phone might take a short timeout — and you, if necessary.
All our rooms are wheelchair accessible, though a couple of spots in Treehouse Raid, Ghost in the Graveyard, and Timekeeper's Trapped! can be tight for larger wheelchairs — and a few sections in Treehouse Raid and Ghost in the Graveyard involve some crawling.
Got specific concerns? Reach out before booking and we'll figure out what works.
Escape Factor - Forest Park Escape Rooms

708-943-7227

Text & voicemail friendly!
Fast text replies within 1 biz day.

7228 Madison Street
Forest Park, IL 60130

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ABOUT US

We're a local, minority-owned small business dedicated to bringing high-end escape room experiences with mind-boggling environments to Forest Park, Chicago, Rosemont, Elmhurst and surrounding areas.

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HALL OF FAME

We've had some fun and famous guests (Venus Williams, Terrence Howard!) visit our escape room. Check out our escapee hall of fame!

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