Drove all the way from Jackson to get here: TOTALLY WORTH IT! This was my first escape room and I will definitely be coming back soon. The room was decorated so well, the puzzles were tricky, and the staff was very kind! Couldn’t have asked for a better experience.

Want to have an experience that you and your family can cherish for forever? Visit Challenges East Lansing for the best escape room in Michigan!!!

I have went to Challenges twice, once before COVID and once after COVID, both times my family and I had a fantastic time. We did two totally different rooms and had a blast. Cant wait to go back!

So much fun and our guide was great. Definitely will be doing this again!

This is my second time at Challenges East Lansing, and I definitely plan on coming back. I love how they are constantly changing and updating the rooms; theres always a new adventure. I really appreciate the variety of difficulties and styles of rooms (we were in one of the more difficult rooms, where we were chained up and with a live actor locked in with us, a twist Ive never experienced before. Im excited to come back and try their new competition room, Heroes vs. Villains, when it opens. A versus style room would be awesome!) Beautifully, intricately designed rooms that are well maintained and fun to navigate. Clever puzzles that push you and navigate nicely to the next challenge. Very personable staff that do a great job setting the mood for your escape. Cant wait to be back.

The rooms are pretty cool and are very hard. But the customer service is absolutely terrible they are very rude we have gone back there many times hoping it was a fluke thing and it hasnt changed probably wont go back again get tierd of being treated that way!

This is our 2nd time coming and we had so much fun. The rooms were challenging but extremely enjoyable. The staff is friendly so that made an even better experience. Will definitely be back again soon!

Great place, Quentin is a great person, very professional and positive attitude! Definitely will be going back

Sooo much fun and great staff ! Would definitely recommend and definitely coming back!! Youll laugh, cheer, jump, and make memories that will last a lifetime

This is five-star fun! We took our birthday boy there and our family team entered the pirate escape room and had a great time. While our initial attempt was just short of successful, we got very close, finished it up and felt very accomplished. The staff are great and focused on success and safety.

Booked the Naughty List room for kid’s birthday party. The staff were great. The room was well designed. The theme was well thought out. The puzzles were challenging but not impossible to figure out (for first time middle schoolers, I would recommend maybe more kids than our group of 4). The kids had a great time. Special bonus clue for the birthday kid, which was a nice surprise. Would love to do this with a group of adults myself.

Our family of five (2 adults, kids 15, 12, 10) had a fantastic time. We did the Shipwrecked room and came very close to escaping. Highly recommend. Staff was excellent and walked us through the experience (this was our first time). We will be back!

Went again with a group of 7... this places never fails to impress me. Awesome rooms we have played 3 now..... all with top notch design... amazing functionality and challenging puzzles.... build mkre rooms.... and TAKE MY MONEY!!!..

My teenage daughter and her friends had a blast!

Absolutely loved it! Was extremely challenging and fun! I definitely recommend!

First time attendee and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The staff were very friendly. Such a cool experience.

There were 9 of us (8 were 13-14 year olds) and we did the Shipwrecked room. We had so much fun and escaped just in time. Cant wait to go back and try out more rooms. Its a must visit!!!

A very exciting escape room with new challenges I had never seen before. Also the price for the escape rooms is less expensive than competitors. Friendly and helpful staff, would recommend!

Our group has done >30 escape rooms and this was top 5... very good use of space... tech and story... cant wait to get into another of their rooms. . Favorite in Lansing so far.

This was our first time going to one of these escape rooms, and it was definitely worth it. we did the room of no return, which was terrifying, but very fun! The clues were challenging but doable, though we unfortunately did not make it out. The owner was super cool and made our experience very enjoyable. We will definitely be going back, and if you have the time, make sure you try one of the rooms!

Friends and I have done almost every room at Challenges in EL. Love the rooms and are always welcomed by nice staff. Challenges is definitely a little harder than other escape room places we’ve been to. But worth it if you’re up for the challenge, and some fun for your group. I would Highly recommend this place for anyone for great escape rooms.

Amazing experience every time! Ive done every room and have loved every one. Im sad I wont be able to go back until they change one of the rooms, because its the best escape room place in the area! Rooms are challenging and inventive- not just locks and paper clues. Honestly with how much Im raving about this place you probably think Im a paid sponsor or something, but Im not. Im just a super happy customer lol

It was our first escape room. So we had no idea what to expect. We failed unfortunately but it was a lot of fun. The clues were hard but engaging and the staff was really nice. They even walked us through the rest so we could see how it ended.

Had a great time, took our teen daughter and her friends. They all had so much fun and were very involved the whole time. The staff were great too. Would definately go back to try some of the other challenges!!

I just attempted the Room of No Return and I was amazed at how creative, scary, and awesomely fun this room was! This was my fourth escape room and third at this location. Even if you are scared, go do this room! Its so creepy and the puzzles are brilliant. The clue guide did an amazing job at being attentive and fun and she really added to the vibe and experience.

Great Christmas room

Madeline is awesome! Thank you so much for making our night memorable! We had a blast!

Best breakout room experiences Ive had. The themes, and atmospheres they have at Challenges are awesome. The best thing is the variety of puzzles. So unique and fun!

Fun room that was challenging (pun intended) but still doable in the hour time you are given. I would definitly go back again and try some of their other rooms.

It was a solid room. There a couple clues that were impossible to figure out, or maybe my group and I were just bad at working together. The director was super nice. The actor was very scary and life-like. I would definitely do it again!!

Teen boys birthday party! They all likes it and said they would go back

We had a great time escaping the “Naughty List” Christmas-themed room! The staff are friendly and passionate about the rooms they create. The room was artfully designed with great detail and included several exciting and unique puzzles I haven’t seen in other escape rooms. It was great for everyone in our team because the clues don’t require any prior knowledge – everything you need to solve the clues is in the room. There were several different puzzles and you could start in a variety of areas so if you felt stuck on one clue, you could try working on something else which was nice because we never felt frustrated/stuck if we couldn’t figure something out right away. The staff offer up to 3 clues when requested that helped us get closer without feeling like we were told any answers. The staff are attentive and ensured that we had an enjoyable experience. I highly recommend Challenges and will be back again soon! Thanks for a great time!-Sara and team

Very cute Christmas room

We had a great time attempting to ESCAPE! although we didnt get out in the allotted 60 minutes, we got far for a first attempt, plus it was challenging and fun. Would definitely recommend this place vs. The others in town. Staff was SUPER friendly and cool. Cant wait for the upcomingXmas and Halloween theme they were talking about creating. Well be back, and with more people.If your looking to do something different and into mind games and thinking outside the box. Give it a try!

Immersive and fun. I want to go again. The room we did (group of 10), was large enough to not be cramped.

Absolutely amazing experience. 2nd time coming to this establishment and once again we had so much fun. We will absolutely be back for their ever changing rooms! Great staff, and the owner (assumption) seems to be the coolest guy! Highly recommend!!!!

It was our first time and we had a blast. Patrick was absolutely wonderful! He was genuine, informative, and fun! Thank you!

My family and I escaped from the room of no return after our second attempt! It was so well done and although we had some hiccups along the way the game master was very helpful when we asked for our 3 hints! Made it out with 15 minutes to spare, great family fun and I can’t wait to go back!

As someone who enjoys escape rooms and puzzles I really enjoyed my time at Challenges East Lansing! My Group and walked in and asked if we can do the shipwreck room and Quentin was very welcoming, we were told walk ins are welcome and asked us if he can take a few minutes to set the room up for us since we hadn’t booked anything; moments later Quentin came back and told us we are good to go!After giving us a very detailed and clear briefing about how the rooms work we went in and that’s when the fun began! Fun room, nice puzzles and clues to get going! We had so much fun thanks to the fun room and our game master (again, Quentin) I will be going back tomorrow to try the Christmas -naughty list- room! Looking forward to it!Would recommend challenges east lansing to anyone interested in a fun and challenging escape room!*hint, if you ask nicely Quentin might give you an extra clue* ;)

Had a blast both times weve gone to their rooms. Staff has always been friendly, helpful, funny, and they seem to enjoy their job. We will be back to try more rooms.

Poor customer service. A few of our group had pulled things that they shouldnt have that were supposed to be permanently fixed. Three drawers to a cabinet were pulled out to see if there was a clue underneath. None of these were glued or locked. Some things in the room were messed up previously and moved and we also got reprimanded for those items too. Worker, hopefully not the owner, came in at the end and said he had to close the room down for an hour, was super passive aggressive and made our otherwise fun evening rather unpleasant. I understand its frustrating that things get moved that shouldnt. Acting the way he did at the time and fashion was completely unacceptable. There was no reservation after us and they closed in an hour so theres no reason to threaten that he lost money because he had to shut the room down. Also, making $225 an hour on a room that is overbooked and complaining about someone messing up a bad hot glue job is a joke. Find other rooms, there are plenty in town. If you cant find any message me and Ill point you in a better direction.

Well run escape room with multiple rooms. Room was challenging! We did it as a family event, kids and adults both enjoyed it.

Amazing! Well planned and organized. Fun and really helped with team building!Too amazing! Cant wait to go back! Great price value as well. Worth every penny!

This was my first escape room and unfortunately we didnt escape. However, the staff was wonderful and everything was put together so well. My team loved and cant wait to go back!

This place is a must! It’s neat, clean and awesomely decorated! You can tell a lot of thought and effort went in to each room! We had so much fun trying to escape!

This place is awesome! Its a great place to make memories with friends and family! This place also challenges your speed skills and communication skills. You get an hour to solve everything! Which seems like alot of time but once the game starts it flies by. If you think you have what it takes? Go test your skills right now!

Me and a group of friends did the Shipwrecked escape room here, and it was an awesome time! The staff is friendly, the rooms are an enjoyable level of challenging, and you get the experience of a lifetime. I definitely recommend this place.

Great staff and the room we went to was lots of fun.Cant wait to try another room

Loved it! The Naughty List was so fun!! Nathan did a great job of explaining how everything worked and gave awesome clues. Definitely want to go again!

Most challenging, detailed, and terrifying escape room Ive ever done! Highly recommend it for any group up for a challenge. Escape... If you can!

I have done several different escape rooms and this one was by far the best one !!

I brought my Son and his friends for a birthday party, they had a blast!! Only bummer is prepaying for ppl. Who might not show up.

Had a really great time! The puzzles were well-thought-out, and the staff was very friendly.

Good staff lots of fun

The staff is very friendly and the room we did was amazing. I would recommend this place!

Such a great experience! Great people, great escape room! Will be back!

We were a group of 3 and tried the detective room. Had the best experience ever. The clues are amazingly set everywhere around the room. There will be surprises, be prepared for that. But I am sure you will leave the room with a smile.

First time in an escape room. My daughter and I had a blast here. It was challenging, but you can use 3 hints as you play. Owner is super nice and cares about each customers experience. Defintiely going back to try the rest of the rooms.

Ive tried at least one escape room at each of the places offering them in the Lansing area and Challenges shipwreck room was hands down my favorite so far. Not only was it a great theme, but it was exceptionally well thought out and the clues given helped us escape with just seconds to spare. It was my first dark escape room and it was much more fun than I was expecting. Im already planning to go back and try their other rooms.

First time at an escape room. Excellent experience! We did The Naughty List and had an excellent time, sooo much fun. Will definitely return!

Staff was very nice and room was tough but doable. Would recommend!

The room was creative and intriguing. The puzzles were hard enough to be challenging, but easy enough to still get done. Was just a couple steps short of making it to the end, cant wait to go back and try the others!

My lab went here as a team bonding activity and loved it! I have done two other escape rooms in other states in the past, and this one in East Lansing is definitely quality. This is a really great experience and totally worth the money if you havent done one! The owners are also super friendly.

Fun date night! A few clues away from getting free, but had a blast anyways!

Was a very exciting time. Would recommend all to check this place out. Very well thought through. Is very usable no matter what your skill level.

Awesome experience, had so much fun

The room was challenging and fun. The hour flew by and we all had a blast. The staff was friendly and helpful. He didnt give too many clues but he helped us when he sensed frustration. Ill definitely return to try the other rooms! Loved it!

We had a really fun time working through all the of the great puzzles. The staff was helpful and the room was clean and well set up. Well definitely be back!

This was a lot of fu n for the guys and I.

Great staff-very friendly and engaging.Rooms are very good, tech items actually work.Rooms are very challenging, but achievable.

Fun escape room. Challenging, but not horribly difficult. Upbeat and engaged staff.

Had a great time in the Shipwrecked Room!! The staff did a great job explaining the rules ahead of time, and were very friendly. The escape room was challenging but fun!

So much fun!!!!!

We had a lot of fun. The room was challenging, but not overwhelming. The owner and staff were friendly and fun. Notice the key word here is fun.

Awesome experience for a first timer! A lot of thought and detail goes into the puzzles. Definitely will be a return customer!!

This place is a blast! The staff is fun, the rooms are challenging but you dont need any prior knowledge before you go... I cant wait to go back.

My friends and I have gone to Challenges several times. We love the rooms, we love the staff. We’ve always had a great time there. If you haven’t gone, give it a shot!

Such a great experience! super friendly staff and a super good time! will definitely be back to try other rooms out! thanks for a great time!

I absolutely love going here! We havr a great experience every time!

I wish I could report on the quality of this escape room, but we had to reschedule due to a severe winter storm. Cindi or Quentin, we have not gotten a response about receiving credit toward a rescheduled date. Can you please respond so that we can get our time rescheduled, and then I can update this review with full stars! (booking reference 2712) Looking forward to hearing from you! -Kristin and Cara

Very fun time! Owners are great people. I definitely recommend coming here.

I went in with a group of 5, we made it out. It was a lot of fun. pretty tricky but thats what makes it interesting. if you are stuck they will give you small hints. great expirence

They put so much thought and detail into the experience. Very interactive and immersive experience.

Ah-mazing! I have completed all 3 rooms and absolutely loved them all! All are different themes and different puzzles...i recommend doing them all! The owners are down to earth and super nice! I will be back once there are new rooms!

Great service. The room we were in was difficult, but not insanely difficult. It was a lot of fun. Would definitely recommend.

Challenges East Lansing would rather have you search a room than solve a well-thought-out puzzle, and this holds it back from being a really great escape room (my conclusion after 2 rooms, your milage may vary). Good puzzles provide information that direct players to use the room to eliminate possible answers such that they can arrive at a solution. Puzzles often extend the escape room narrative, which helps draw you into the story line.You know when you have a good puzzle when the solution is revealed to you and your thought is I should have known that! and youre slightly disappointed in yourself for not making the necessary connections.Unfortunately, Challenges is lacking in puzzles of this style. Often, the answer is to just look harder around the room - because theyve hidden the answer in an obscure place that you were not directed by a clue to look in (although truth be told, Shipwrecked is better in this respect than Sparty). So after finishing a room, youre not really all that disappointed when you discover the combo to a lock was just printed somewhere you didnt happen to look.Heres an example from the Sparty-Green room (SPOILER ALERT):We had one lock that we could not open, and we did not seemingly have any piece of information that would have helped us. We asked for a clue from the Gamemaster, which said something like Some people like to put their pride on their team pennants. We look up to the pennants on the wall, there are small numbers on a few of them, we enter those numbers into the lock, and it opens. In the game, we assumed we just missed a clue or something that would have directed us there.After the game, we asked the Gamemaster: how would we have known to look at the pennants to get those numbers? How would we have known the order? Their answer was Oh youd just have to look at them and notice. There were many puzzles like this in the Sparty-Green room, and I got the same answer when I asked about one of the puzzles in the Shipwreck room as well. This was a disappointing answer: (1) We didnt miss anything, besides looking intently at things that were up high (which you are told in the orientation objects up high are not necessary, so you tend not to look there) and (2) there were so many numbers on the wall in various places - there was really no good reason to prefer numbers on pennants over numbers elsewhere. Afterwards, we werent even upset that we didnt make it out of the room in time (we were a few seconds short) - the puzzles just werent engaging.Now puzzles sometimes have to be obvious and simply based on powers of observation - often times the first puzzle in a room is like this so it can steer you towards the clues that shape your experience. But at Challenges, its as if few of those steering clues that extend the narrative ever show up - and youre simply flipping all the furniture in the room or counting the coins to see if you missed something.This is a shame because in other areas Challenges is great. It has some sophisticated technology to play with, it has a large and gorgeous space, the people are great. But puzzles really make the game, so I cant give them a high rating.I post this not to bring their score down (Ill probably still go back and play the rest of their rooms). I just hope theyll take this advice into account when designing new rooms!

Done two escape rooms so far (Shipwrecked and Detective) and have had an amazing experience both times. Challenges were clever and exciting, staff is always helpful and nice to talk to. Really looking forward to the next room.

Really cool guy with a rad beard running an actually challenging puzzle room! We went in super sure we would have no problem and it ended up being a blast even though we didnt quite finish in time. He put a ton of work and creativity into the one we did. I cant wait to go try the other room!

Fun challenge, comfortable and well appointed escape room. Initial instructions could have been a bit clearer but a good time was had by all.

Had great fun!!

This was the first escape room that I ever did. The owner was very friendly and the escape room was great.

Best breakout room place I’ve been to!

Very fun! Great for groups! Would not recommend the lock rooms for young children, for they would get very bored very fast

Hands down the most fun Ive had as an adult! I hate when its over!!!! The puzzles are clever and rooms are set up with amazing detail! The thought put into this is incredible and the owners are amazing!

So much fun! Cant wait to go back !!

Fun place to spend an hour! Well thought out puzzle games. Cant wait to try another one!

Good room. Challenging but not overwhelming. Definitely a good family outing.

First time ever to try an escape room and had loads of fun. Went with several of my family and we tried really hard, we FAILED, BUT it was so cool. Management was very helpful.

We had a blast in the Shipwrecked room! It was definitely more fun than I had anticipated and would recommend it.

A lot of fun, great night out for a bunch of our friends. Dont drink so much at buddies before you go though, lest you find yourselves like us, a little to unfocussed to escape.