Never Escape Alone Again – An Interview with Galya, Founder of Escape Network

Although we met our fourth teammate for the very first time just outside the venue, we played like a well-rehearsed team. Communication flowed naturally, puzzles fell into place one after another, and most importantly – we had an incredible amount of fun.

That was the moment I realized the idea truly works.

So, I invited Galya to tell us more. (Also because here at Enigmarium, we regularly hear from players who are visiting Slovenia on their own and would love to find teammates to play with.)

Galya, where did the idea for Escape Network come from? Was there a particular moment when you thought, “This has to exist”?

In early 2025, I went through a divorce. Since I had played 99% of my escape rooms with my ex-husband, I had to figure out new ways to find teammates.

I travel a lot and promised myself never to travel abroad without playing at least one escape room. It was a silly inner affirmation that I was coping well with my post-divorce life – that I was still doing the things I loved. Also, for the past few years, I had aimed to play at least 50 games per year, so I wanted to keep that goal alive.

This forced me to get creative. I asked colleagues at conferences to play with me, and I played solo when I couldn’t find anyone. I was “adopted” by a lovely Swiss group of friends who gather annually to play escape rooms. I signed up for REA tours. One time I even used Tinder to find a teammate in Helsinki. It was all working, but it was such a hassle.

Then, on my birthday, I went to Bad Steben to play with two complete strangers and one friend I knew from previous travels. It was a three-day tour around Bavaria that we put together in less than a week, starting from a Facebook post where one of the guys was looking for players to join the trip.

On our way to Nuremberg the next day, I was daydreaming in the back seat of the car, thinking about how wonderful it would be if we had an app for this – a single place to say, “I’m here and I’d love to play escape rooms with someone,” instead of posting across dozens of Facebook groups, Discord channels, and asking your friends for the 100th time if they want to play a game.

That was the moment I thought, “This has to exist.”

I sometimes joke that this was my birthday wish – no fancy candles or cake, just a daydream in the back of a car. Two weeks later, I was on my laptop designing Escape Network’s first prototype.

You’ve played more than 500 escape rooms. What has that experience taught you about people and teamwork?

Playing escape rooms is the third-best thing you can do for your body and mind – right after eating healthily and exercising regularly!

For me this is a great way to improve your overall wellbeing and enhance your skills at the same time. Games have always been a fantastic learning tool, and with the variety of escape rooms available, you not only entertain yourself but also train skills needed for almost any modern job: problem-solving, time management, and working under pressure. You also sharpen your communication and teamwork skills.

When you play with people you don’t know well, you learn to keep a cool head when personalities inevitably clash in high-pressure situations – all within a safe environment mimicking a real (or surreal) scenario, wrapped in immersive decor and engaging storytelling designed to bring you dopamine, adrenaline, and joy (and maybe a few scares).

I often catch myself treating real-life problems like escape room scenarios and using classic escape room tactics to solve them.

One of my favorite concepts to transfer to real life is the “two-minute hint rule.” If you get super stuck, you and your teammates agree to ask for a hint after two minutes. In real life, we rarely acknowledge when we’re stuck, and we almost never set a timeline for asking for help – yet it’s a great approach to real-world challenges.

You travel a lot. How often did you find yourself discovering an amazing escape room but having no team to play with? Was that the main motivation behind creating Escape Network?

Every time I travel somewhere, I check if escape rooms exist in that location – sometimes out of pure curiosity, sometimes to plan my trip. Whenever I traveled somewhere with great escape rooms and couldn’t play any, it felt like a huge missed opportunity.

That was one of my main motivations for creating Escape Network, but not the only one. My other big motivation comes from people telling me that they’ve always wanted to try escape rooms, but their friends never wanted to join, so they had no one to try it with.

For those who haven’t heard about it yet, what exactly is Escape Network? How would you describe it in one sentence?

A single place to post and manage who is in, instead of countless groups, chats, servers, subredits, etc; A single place to browse who’s playing where, instead of scrolling through thousands of otherwise wonderful discussions about everything escape room related.

Escape Network is a dedicated social space designed to connect like-minded people, find your next teammate, and plan your escape together – a single platform to manage game RSVPs instead of dealing with scattered groups, chats, servers, and subreddits; and place to browse who’s playing where, instead of scrolling through thousands of otherwise wonderful discussions about everything escape room related.

What can users do on the platform today? Which features are already available?

The platform is still in active development, but the main feature is fully operational. Users can post where and what they want to play, while others can request to join their games and chat to coordinate details.

On top of that, users can build their Key and Extended Networks using standard friending and following mechanisms. Games can be posted with different privacy levels based on the user’s comfort level – after all, not everyone wants to jump right into playing with complete strangers.

We deliberately avoid having a broad discussion board. The escape room community already has plenty of wonderful places dedicated to discussions and reviews. What we believe is truly needed is a dedicated space for action.

Among our newest features, we recently launched the first phase of our “Watchlist” functionality. Users can now be instantly notified when a public game is posted in an area of their choice. We hope this helps newcomers and people who recently moved to a new city discover and connect with local enthusiasts much faster.

Currently, we are working on a major feature called “Event Spaces,” giving attendees of conventions – like the Prague Escape Summit or ER Champ – a dedicated hub to easily communicate and organize games during gatherings. We plan to have this ready in time for ER Champ this year.

We are also working on mobile apps. Since we’re web-only right now, we rely on email for alerts like “a game was published in your area” or “someone requested to join your game.” Push notifications will be a game-changer when you’re traveling on the go, though I don’t have an exact release date for the apps just yet.

Peter and I found a teammate within just a few minutes. Is that a typical experience, or were we simply lucky?

Well, I really want to say it’s a typical experience 😄 but I have to be honest, right?

It wasn’t pure luck, it was mostly because my personal Key Network is large and I have many friends in Sofia, where I live. When you post a request for players on Escape Network, you can opt to notify everyone in your Key Network, which informs your friends without needing to send individual messages.

So while I knew we’d find a fourth player, it surprised even me that it happened in just five minutes!

I can’t say that’s a typical experience for everyone on the platform yet. I hope that one day anyone can find teammates quickly enough to play every room on their wishlist. For that to happen, the platform needs to grow and users need to connect with each other. All I can say is that it’s possible now, and the more people use Escape Network, the easier it will become for everyone.

Who is Escape Network designed for? Experienced enthusiasts, beginners, solo travelers… or everyone?

Escape Network isn’t just for hardcore escape room enthusiasts; it’s also for newcomers, casual players who travel, and anyone who simply wants to play more games and expand their network.

As our motto says: »Never Escape Alone Again!« Or at least, make escaping solo a choice rather than an obligation because of a lack of options.

People look for teammates for endless reasons: a couple on vacation wanting to play a room built for 3–4 players; an enthusiast who moved to a new city and wants to meet locals; a horror fan whose usual group prefers lighthearted puzzles; or a business traveler looking to squeeze in a game. Regardless of the reason, our shared love for the thrill of escape rooms connects us.

Playing with strangers might sound intimidating or unsafe to some. I always advise people to exercise common-sense caution – meet only at established venues or public spaces, and never agree to meet at unknown addresses. That said, my personal experience with everyone I’ve met over the last year and a half has been overwhelmingly positive.

How large is the community today? Which countries are your users coming from?

We only started marketing a few months ago, once we ensured the platform was stable and smooth to use. We have been growing steadily ever since. Currently, we have around 150 users, but our goal (perhaps a bit ambitious!) is to reach 1.000 by the end of the year.

We aren’t focusing our growth on a single region, so we already have users worldwide. The majority is split almost evenly between Europe and North America, alongside players from several other continents.

Where can people sign up? Is Escape Network free to use? Is it available as a website, Android app, and iOS app?

Currently, Escape Network is available as a web app at escape-network.com.

It is 100% free to use, and the plan is to keep it that way. It’s a passion project, and we are currently self-funding it to keep it running. In the future, we may add optional premium features that will enhance the user experience, but our core mission – helping players connect and play more games together – will always remain completely free.

Mobile apps are on the roadmap, hopefully sooner rather than later!

What is your long-term vision for Escape Network? Where do you hope the platform will be in five years?

I’d love to see Escape Network help people find like-minded friends so they can play more games.

I hate hearing people say, “Oh, you play escape rooms? I’ve always wanted to try, but I could never find anyone to go with.” I hear that all the time, and it’s such a shame. The world can be a lonely place, and sometimes it takes a bit of courage to try a new thing with new people. I want to lower that emotional barrier and make it effortless for players to find one another.

Five years from now, I hope Escape Network will be a central hub for a larger, stronger escape room community – one that welcomes newcomers, turns them into enthusiasts, and keeps the passion for escape games alive.

What features are you most excited to add next?

In the immediate future: Event Spaces. It’s a huge and almost terrifying milestone because of its technical complexity, but it will be a dedicated hub for gatherings like ER Champ or the Prague Escape Summit, where lots of players are in the same location at the same time.

After that, shipping mobile apps will be our next major milestone to make the platform seamless to use on the go.

Your slogan says “Never Escape Alone Again.” Do you see Escape Network evolving into a place for organizing tournaments, international meetups, or escape room trips?

Organizing large events ourselves? Probably not. Supporting existing events by making networking seamless? Absolutely.

The core philosophy of Escape Network is empowering players to proactively organize their own games, so our focus is providing the best tools to make that happen.

How can the community help shape the platform? Are you looking for feedback, ambassadors, or local community leaders?

We are always thrilled to receive feedback! We have an idea for creating a dedicated space for user feedback and development updates, but that’s still in the pipeline. Right now, users can send feedback directly to our official “Escape Network” support account on the platform, which sends a friend request to every new sign-up.

Users can also follow our “What’s New” page for major updates or reach out via our Facebook and Instagram pages.

As for “ambassadors” or “community leaders” – we don’t really do badges or titles. We appreciate all our users equally. Anyone who believes in the project is welcome to share their stories on social media, tell their friends, or help spread the word. And if escape room owners want to support us, we’re happy to send them flyers and stickers for their lobbies!

How can we support your project? As players? As escape room creators and owners?

We currently run on good vibes and enthusiasm! The best way to support us is to stay enthusiastic about escape rooms in general.

As players: grow your network, promote escape rooms as a unique form of entertainment, and support creators by playing their games and offering respectful feedback.

As creators and owners: keep building incredible experiences, stay true to your unique creative vision, and give every player who walks through your doors a warm welcome.

And if you believe in Escape Network – spread the word! All support is deeply appreciated.

If you could hear one sentence from every new user after their first month on Escape Network, what would you want it to be?

»”I found new friends and got to play more games because of it.”

And finally… after more than 500 escape rooms, which one has stayed with you the most – and why?

Ahhh, I usually try to avoid this question! Countless games have stayed with me for different reasons – sometimes it was a story that clicked, decor so immersive I forgot where I was, or teammates who made the experience unforgettable. I usually only pick a single “favorite” when I need a quick answer without giving a long speech!

But I’ll share one unique experience from a few months back that still warms my heart. I was paired with a team on the day of the game. It was our second or third room of the day, so we had already established a bit of communication. Before entering, we were warned that the game was fairly simple and might be “too easy” for an experienced group, so we decided to challenge ourselves by playing the entire room without speaking a single word.

We communicated entirely non-verbally, which added a fascinating layer of challenge. The game was beautifully crafted with a solid, logical flow. We finished in about 40 minutes without hints and without saying a word to each other.

For me, that was the most mindful and meditative experience I’ve ever had in an escape room, and one I will never forget. It’s a great reminder that a game doesn’t need to be in the TERPECA Top 100 to create an unforgettable memory.

Thank you, Galya, for sharing your story – and, even more importantly, for turning a problem so many escape room enthusiasts know all too well into such a great idea.

And now it’s up to us, the escape room community, to help bring Escape Network to life. Because the more of us who join, connect, post our games and invite others to play, the better it works for everyone.

So don’t wait until your next trip, conference or that one room you desperately want to play but are missing a teammate for. Join Escape Network today, build your network – and let’s make “Never Escape Alone Again” a reality.

See you in the next escape room! 🔐❤️