An escape room advent calendar replaces the chocolate with a puzzle: every day in December, you open a door, solve a problem, and the story moves forward until the 24th. The format is very popular, but not all calendars are alike. Some are cardboard boxes for the whole family. Others arrive every morning by email and are aimed at adults. Here are the 2026 options, followed by how to build your own.
The prices and features below come from publisher and retailer pages, checked in October 2026. We make an escape game for the TV ourselves, which is not an advent calendar: it's presented separately at the end of this article.
The 2026 escape room advent calendars
| Calendar | Format | Ages | Price seen |
|---|---|---|---|
| EXIT "La Course intergalactique" (Iello) | Box with 24 doors, cards and decoder sheets | 10 and up | About €36 |
| Le Bureau des Archives Énigmatiques, "L'affaire Héliodore d'Oms" (tiDudi), in French | Digital, one case file by email each day | Adults (14 and up) | €30.99 |
| Homemade calendar | 24 puzzles you prepare yourself | Depends on your puzzles | The cost of paper |
EXIT "La Course intergalactique": the classic in a box
The EXIT line releases an advent calendar every year. The 2026 edition, "La Course intergalactique," came out on September 11. According to the publisher's page at Iello and the calendrierdelavent.com listing, the calendar has 24 doors and 46 puzzle cards, with a story booklet, hints and decoder strips. It's for ages 10 and up, can be played alone or as a family, and needs no app.
Like all EXIT boxes, it's played only once, because some parts are cut out or written on. The difficulty is beginner level, which makes it a good choice for kids with an adult alongside. Stock tends to sell out in the fall, so don't wait until late November.
tiDudi's Bureau des Archives Énigmatiques: for adults, by email
The calendar from tiDudi is clearly aimed at adults. From December 1 to 24, an archive file arrives by email each day, with its puzzles. You test your answers on the website, you can ask the archivist for a hint by email during the day, and the full solution arrives the next morning. Nothing is posted: printing is optional.
It's in French. One order covers up to three players, at €30.99. The publisher rates it at the "experienced investigator" level, which makes it a gift for a fan of escape games, or something to share among colleagues.
The homemade calendar: the cheapest, and the most personal
For a free calendar, or one tailored to a child, the easiest option is to make it yourself. You need 24 small puzzles, one per day, and a common thread that links them: each answer gives you a letter, and the 24 letters spell the name of the hidden gift or the place where it's waiting on the 24th.
- The puzzles: rebuses, letter shifts (A becomes B), hidden words, small calculations, riddles. Mix the types, like a real escape room. Our guide to escape room puzzle types presents six of them.
- The difficulty: start easy and increase it gradually. A child should be able to solve the puzzle of the day in under ten minutes, alone or with a little help.
- The container: numbered envelopes hung on a string, matchboxes, or the doors of an empty calendar. Put the puzzle and a small hint in each one, in case of a block.
- The finale: plan a longer last day, with a puzzle that asks you to gather all the letters found since December 1.
Which one to choose?
- For kids aged 10 to 14, as a family: the EXIT calendar, to solve at breakfast or after school.
- For an adult enthusiast, or a group of friends at a distance: the tiDudi digital calendar.
- For a small budget, or a younger child: the homemade calendar, adapted to their level.
Whatever the format, keep one simple rule: one puzzle a day, no more. The point of an advent calendar is the wait. Someone who opens every door on December 1 has finished the calendar on December 1.
Escape & Chill (we make it)
We make Escape & Chill. It's not an advent calendar, but an escape game you play on the big screen (a computer connected to the TV), in one evening of 1.5 to 2 hours. Our first game, After Hours at the Museum, is for 1 to 4 players: the TV shows a 3D room, and each player searches it with their phone's flashlight, receiving documents the others don't have. It's recommended from age 12, and the first room is free.
In December, it can serve as a grand finale: a gift card in the box for the 24th, and the game played as a family during the holidays. To play as a family, see our family page.