Team of 4 — Any Public Game including 2026 Flagship — Great Gotham Challenge, New York City

The Great Gotham Challenge is unlike any other escape room experience. Part puzzle hunt, part Amazing Race, part immersive theatre — it uses the streets, landmarks and hidden histories of New York City itself as its playground.

Room Escape Artist, the most respected voice in the escape room world, has reviewed GGC multiple times and called it "an event worth traveling for" with "few similar offerings of this depth and quality available elsewhere in the US." They described the annual flagship as giving players "a VIP pass for curated wonder" — feeling like a secret agent traversing the real world.

GGC's hallmark is hiding custom props and actors in plain sight across the city — a hot dog vendor might hand you a clue, a delivery truck might contain a portal, a giant digital billboard might display a puzzle. REA's Hivemind review of the 2024 event said it "knocked it out of the park yet again."

This prize gives a team of 4 the chance to play any of their public games as part of their Summer Series — including their brand new 2026 flagship game.

New York City as your escape room. There is nothing else quite like it.