Marlowe Chen
Head of Quest Design
Ex-set builder for Sydney Theatre Company. Designs the mechanical puzzles and leadlight reveals behind every Nova room.
Open Wed–Sun, 11am till late
Surry Hills Game Lounge & Quest Studio
Step into a world made of light, logic and legend.
NovaGameQuest is Sydney’s stained-glass arcade and escape-room hall on Foster Street — where 60-minute mysteries, retro cabinets and custom tabletop campaigns come alive under jewelled light.
Why players keep coming back
Trusted across Sydney’s tabletop scene
4.9/5
across 1,200+ Surry Hills reviews
18
original escape rooms & quests built in-house
40k+
players hosted since 2017
#1
rated game lounge in inner Sydney, 2024
How a night at Nova works
Four steps from arrival to victory
- 01
Choose your quest
Pick from 18 rooms and formats — from the 45-minute "Clockwork Cathedral" escape to a full evening tabletop campaign. Difficulty is rated 1–5 lanterns so first-timers and veterans both find their level.
45–90 min · from A$39/player
- 02
Meet your Game Master
A dedicated host briefs your crew, sets the story and watches from the control room to nudge you with clues delivered through the stained-glass panels when you’re stuck.
Private groups of 2–10
- 03
Play through the story
Solve mechanical puzzles, uncover hidden passages and race the clock across hand-built sets lit by real leadlight glass. Every room has a branching finale, so no two runs end the same way.
Live-scored on the hall leaderboard
- 04
Celebrate in the lounge
Wind down in the arcade bar with 20 restored cabinets, local Young Henrys on tap and a board-game library of 300+ titles. Your victory photo is printed on stained-glass stock to take home.
Open till midnight Fri & Sat
The crew behind the curtain
Game Masters who build the magic
Priya Nadkarni
Lead Game Master
Ran competitive TTRPG leagues for a decade. Hosts our marquee "Emberfall" campaign every Saturday night.
Declan O’Rourke
Arcade & Tech Lead
Restores the vintage cabinets and keeps 40+ room props wired, timed and glowing exactly on cue.
Sofia Marchetti
Events & Tournaments
Organises our monthly esports and board-game tournaments, plus corporate quest nights for teams up to 40.
Straight from the leaderboard
What Sydney players are saying
“The Clockwork Cathedral room is the best escape I’ve done in Australia — the stained-glass clue reveal made our whole group gasp. Booked again for my brother’s birthday.”
“Brought my dev team of 12 for a corporate night. Two rooms, then the arcade bar. Best team offsite we’ve run in years and it was all in Surry Hills.”
“The Emberfall campaign with Priya as GM is unreal. Six weeks of story that actually remembered our choices. I’ve never seen a tabletop night this polished.”
“Restored Street Fighter cabinet, cold Young Henrys and a room that beat us by 20 seconds. We’ll be back to settle the score. Genuinely the best games venue in the city.”
“Took my kids (10 and 12) for the family quest on a Sunday. The Game Master paced the clues perfectly so nobody got frustrated. Beautiful space too.”
“The Clockwork Cathedral room is the best escape I’ve done in Australia — the stained-glass clue reveal made our whole group gasp. Booked again for my brother’s birthday.”
“Brought my dev team of 12 for a corporate night. Two rooms, then the arcade bar. Best team offsite we’ve run in years and it was all in Surry Hills.”
“The Emberfall campaign with Priya as GM is unreal. Six weeks of story that actually remembered our choices. I’ve never seen a tabletop night this polished.”
“Restored Street Fighter cabinet, cold Young Henrys and a room that beat us by 20 seconds. We’ll be back to settle the score. Genuinely the best games venue in the city.”
“Took my kids (10 and 12) for the family quest on a Sunday. The Game Master paced the clues perfectly so nobody got frustrated. Beautiful space too.”
Pick your pass
Passes for every kind of player
Single VisitSeason PassBest value
Explorer
One quest, one crew, one great night.
A$39/ visit
- Any single escape room (45–60 min)
- Dedicated Game Master
- Stained-glass victory photo
- Arcade bar access after your game
Best value
Adventurer
Two rooms plus unlimited arcade play.
A$69/ visit
- Two rooms of your choice
- Priority weekend booking
- Unlimited arcade cabinet play
- Two Young Henrys or soft drinks
- Access to the 300-title board-game library
Legend
The full Nova experience for serious players.
A$120/ visit
- All rooms unlocked for the visit
- Reserved lounge booth for up to 10
- Entry to monthly members’ tournament
- Custom mini-campaign design session
- 15% off private corporate events
Come find us
Book your quest on Foster Street
Reserve a room, plan a corporate night or ask us anything. Send a message below and our front-of-house crew will reply within one business day.
Find us
67-69 Foster Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010
Phone
+61 2 9557 8934Email
[email protected]Hours
Wed–Thu 4pm–10pm · Fri 4pm–midnight · Sat 11am–midnight · Sun 11am–8pm