Turn your library into a puzzle adventure visitors play on their own phones
Epic Scape is a Finnish game studio that makes story-driven puzzle games for libraries. We build the game around your library. The building, the shelves, the collections and the stories behind them turn into clues and puzzles.
A visitor scans a QR code and plays in the phone’s browser. No app, no registration.
What is a library game?
A library game is played inside the library, and the answers are found in the library itself. Visitors follow a story, look closely at the building, the spaces and the collections, and solve puzzles on their own phones.
The library is not a backdrop. It is the content of the game. To get anywhere, visitors have to explore the place, and that is the point.
How players play
A player scans a QR code at the place and the game opens in the phone’s browser. There is no app to download and no registration. Players move at their own pace, in their own group, and nobody is needed to run the game.
What a library gets
A game made for your library
We write the story and design the puzzles for your building, your collections and your spaces. It is not a template with your logo on it.
A new way to discover the library
The puzzles lead visitors through the building, so they find spaces, shelves and details they would otherwise walk past.
Something to do for families, young people and groups
A game gives people something to do together and a shared story to talk about afterwards.
Visitor data
A reporting dashboard shows how many people play, how they progress, how long they spend and which puzzles need hints. Reports download as PDF or CSV.
Your own puzzles
An admin panel lets your staff add puzzles for school holidays, themed weeks or events, with guidance on writing them.
Open when you need it
Keep the game open all year or only for a campaign or a season. While it is paused you pay no monthly fee, and the game stays saved.
Who plays
Families and children
The game is played together, so it gives a family something to do side by side in the library.
School groups
Puzzles can be designed around the themes pupils are studying. The studio’s founder has over 15 years of teaching experience and works as a game-based learning consultant.
Young people and adults
Players move at their own pace, in their own group, without a guide. In 2025 players rated the games at nearly 4 out of 5 on average.
Event visitors
A game can also be built for a themed week, a festival or an event, to give visitors something to do between activities.
Data and dashboard
A reporting dashboard shows how many people play, how they progress, how long they spend and which puzzles need hints. Reports download as PDF or CSV.
Your own puzzles
Every trail includes an admin panel where your staff can add puzzles at no extra charge, for example for holidays, themed weeks or events. The panel has guidance on writing them.
How a game is made
From the first planning meeting to launch takes around four weeks. Your involvement is two meetings and testing the game. We handle the design and production.
Planning together
We discuss your place, your goals and who the game is for.
Visiting the place
Our writer visits to plan the route, find details to build puzzles around and take any photographs needed.
Writing and building
We write the story and build the game.
Testing and launch
We test the game with you and refine it. You receive posters with QR codes and templates for social media.
How is this different from other ways to bring a library to life?
These approaches work well for their own purposes. A game complements them rather than replacing them.
Guided tours
A tour needs a person and a set time. A game is there whenever the library is open, at the visitor’s own pace.
Library apps
Apps need to be downloaded and installed. An Epic Scape game opens from a QR code in the browser, so the barrier to starting is a few seconds.
Escape rooms
An escape room locks a group in a room against the clock. Epic Scape is played in open spaces, at the player’s own pace, and needs no one to run it.
Worksheets and activity booklets
Paper needs printing and collecting and gives no data. A phone game tells the library how visitors actually move through the building.
Experience from libraries and museums
Rikhardinkatu Library in Helsinki was our first commercial customer and has renewed its contract three times.
It was easy to design the game together to suit the library setting. … The game offers both an enjoyable experience and a new way to explore the library.
More than 1,400 people played our games in 2025. Helsinki Day, 12 June 2026, was something else: 412 game sessions in a single day. One session can have more than one player, so there were probably more of them. They rated the games 4.16 out of 5. We had a place on the Helsinki Day website, and that one page sent all of them to three locations. Nobody booked, bought a ticket or downloaded an app.
What does it cost?
One game trail costs €1,900 to design and produce, plus €149 per month for the months the game is open. The monthly fee covers the platform, maintenance, visitor data, the admin panel and support. All prices exclude VAT.
- A game open for one month: €2,049 in total
- A game open for three months: €2,347 in total
Frequently asked questions from libraries
Does the library need any special equipment?
No. Players use their own phones, and the game is built on what the library already has. Apart from the posters with QR codes, nothing is installed in the library.
Can the game be made for a campaign or a school holiday?
Yes. The minimum active period is one month, and a game is usually ready in around four weeks from the first planning meeting. A game open for one month costs €2,049 in total.
Do players need to download an app?
No. Players scan a QR code and play in their phone’s browser. No app and no registration is needed.
How much does a game cost?
Design and production of one trail costs €1,900, plus €149 per month while the game is open, excluding VAT. A game open for three months costs €2,347 in total.
How much staff time does it need?
Usually two meetings and time to test the game. You bring your knowledge of the place. We write the story, build the game and provide posters with QR codes and social media templates.
What data do we receive?
Player numbers, progress, play times, puzzle solutions and hint usage, in real time. Reports can be downloaded as PDF or CSV.
Can we add our own puzzles?
Yes. Every trail includes an admin panel where your staff can add puzzles at no extra charge.
Is it an escape room?
No. It uses escape room mechanics, a series of connected puzzles and a story, but players are not locked in a room and are not racing a clock. They play in the open space at their own pace.
Which languages are supported?
Additional languages are agreed separately as part of production.
What happens when the game closes?
The game stays saved on the Epic Scape platform. You can reopen it later without paying for design and production again, and you pay the monthly fee only for the months it is open.
Which place would you like to turn into a game?
Tell us about your place or event. We will tell you what a game could look like and what it would take.