12 San Diego Escape Rooms & Scavenger Hunts to Build a Day Around

1.The Escape Game San Diego: 60-Minute Adventure in Gaslamp Quarter

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 266 reviews · 1 hour 15 minutes (approx.) · from $45Our pick

At The Escape Game San Diego, you and up to seven teammates get 60 minutes to complete a mission. Choose Prison Break, Special Ops, The Depths, or Gold Rush. A game guide briefs you, offers clues when needed, and leads a short debrief afterward.

“It was so fun!! We started on time and needed helps along the way but our clues were just enough to still give us a challenge and move along. We escaped!”

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2.The Escape Game at Westfield UTC in San Diego

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 136 reviews · 1 hour 15 minutes (approx.) · from $45

At The Escape Game San Diego in Westfield UTC, your team gets 60 minutes to solve clues and complete one of six missions. Pick from Prison Break, The Heist, Playground, Timeliner, Cosmic Crisis, or Ruins. Guides such as Ayden, Phillip, Paloma, and Claire help when needed.

“It was fun and exciting and would do again, it was extremely challenging in a good way”

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3.Outdoor Escape Room in San Diego – Little Italy

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 19 reviews · 2 hours (approx.)

You’ll search Little Italy for real-world clues, solve puzzles from a physical game box, and enter answers in an app to track double agents for the Chronos Agency. One $78 ticket covers up to six people, with the route beginning and ending in Little Italy.

“Glad our team included 6 adults of varying ages and life experiences to solve the puzzles. Don’t hesitate to use the hints.”

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4.Old Town SD Team Trivia Hunt: New 2024 Mobile Game App!

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 12 reviews · from $21

Use one smartphone to guide a team of up to four around Old Town San Diego. Solve trivia and location-based puzzles at an artisan market, cemetery, Whaley House, and other historic stops. The self-guided route takes about four hours, loops back to the Old Town Transit Center, and includes phone help if needed.

“What a great way to explore and learn about Old Town San Diego! There were a variety of puzzles. It was well-thought out and a lot of fun! I highly recommend it!”

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5.Balboa Park Botanical Exploration Game

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 12 reviews · 1 hour 30 minutes (approx.) · from $7Best value

You play a lead botanist in a story-driven, self-guided game through Balboa Park. Starting at the Carousel, you solve 12 puzzles, follow clues to ten stops, and set your own pace with friends or family. No guide or attraction tickets are needed, but expect several miles of walking.

“Loved that the game pauses to allow time at each place the game takes you. Loved the artist village, the gardens”

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6.The Escape Game in the Gaslamp Quarter in San Diego

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 9 reviews · 1 hour · from $45

Choose a 60-minute escape adventure in San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter, from Gold Rush to Prison Break and Timeliner. Your Game Guide explains the mission, offers unlimited hints, and helps your group tackle several rooms. Games hold up to eight, though shared booking may pair you with other players.

“It was intriguing and very well done. It was definitely a challenge and my grandson and I thoroughly enjoyed it the individual rooms were very well done”

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7.Gaslamp Secrets: Self-Guided Puzzle Walk in San Diego

★★★★★★★★★★3.5 · 8 reviews · 1 hour 30 minutes (approx.) · from $7

Use the Questo app to follow a 90-minute puzzle walk through San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter. Start at the Gaslamp Historical Sign, solve clues, and visit ten locations including the Horton Grand Hotel, Balboa Theatre, and San Diego Chinese Historical Museum. No guide or attraction admission is required.

“There was nothing memorable about this game. The directions to the 2nd sight didn’t work. Game over. Very disappointed.”

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8.San Diego Harbor Scavenger Hunt Walking Tour and Game

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 8 reviews · 3 hours (approx.) · from $24

Follow an interactive smartphone scavenger hunt through San Diego’s waterfront, Little Italy, Gaslamp Quarter, and downtown memorials. Your guide stays with your private group as you solve challenges, pause at public art, and take roughly three hours to explore at your own pace.

“Great way to see all the sights at the harbor and city. We did this tour on our last say of the trip and it was a great way to see parts we otherwise would have missed. Definitely recommend going back to little italy after the trip (if you start at 8 like we did) for lunch and a good time”

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9.Urban Adventure Quest: 3-Hour Interactive Tour in San Diego

★★★★★★★★★★3.4 · 7 reviews · 3 hours

Use your own internet-ready smartphone to guide a team through a 2.5-mile quest from Waterfront Park through Little Italy, the waterfront, and war memorials. Solve clues, complete challenges, ride public transit once, and pause for food or sightseeing at your own pace.

“This was the most fun my husband and I have ever had exploring a city. Since COVID I wanted to find safe things for us to do together when traveling. This was top of my list and we had a blast. People all around were stopping and asking us questions about what we were doing and how cool it was. I would give this 10 stars if I could. It's a must if you're traveling to San Diego and an exciting way to see and learn about the city. I highly recommend it and you can't beat the price.”

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10.San Diego Scavenger Hunt Adventure

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 5 reviews · 3 hours (approx.)

Turn San Diego into a three-hour game board with Urban Adventure Quest. Use your own smartphone to solve clues, complete challenges, and learn local history while walking about 2.5 miles from Waterfront Park through Little Italy, the waterfront, and the military memorials.

“Love to learn about the different cities I've visited. Doing a scavenger hunt was a great way to see San Diego.”

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11.Mysteries on the Move: Scavenger Hunt in San Diego

★★★★★★★★★★3.0 · 3 reviews · 3 hours (approx.)

Use your phone to solve the fictional murder of silent-film director Rex King on a self-led, one-mile walk through San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter. Read free historical markers at 10 stops, enter passcodes, assemble the clues, and submit your answer at the finish.

“The start up is confusing. A plackard was missing. And the whole mystery concept was just a deterrent. Each of the “riddles “ were the same type. Needs more originality.”

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12.San Diego Balboa Park Scavenger Hunt Adventure

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 3 reviews · 2 hours 30 minutes (approx.)

Turn Balboa Park into a self-guided game board with Urban Adventure Quest. Using your own smartphone and cellular data, your team of two to five solves clues, completes challenges, and visits landmarks including the Old Globe Theatre, Spanish Village, and the Natural History Museum over about two and a half hours.

“A lot of fun and a great way to get exercise and spend time with the family!! You will not regret the activity.”

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