Unlock! tabletop escape adventure

A small object on one card may unlock the next piece of the adventure. Everyone can search, connect ideas and test a theory while the app supplies the timer, machines and hints. Choose a suitable scenario from a box using the standard Adventures rules and start with its tutorial. This guide explains the system without revealing any case solution.

2–6 peopleOne adventure, usually built around a 60-minute timerAn Unlock! Adventures box with its intact scenario deck and tutorial, a charged phone or tablet with the free Unlock! app, and paper for notes.

The quick version

Check the scenario deck is complete without reading its faces. Select the matching adventure in the app, read its introduction and start. Reveal only cards unlocked by visible clues, valid red-plus-blue combinations or app instructions. Use hints when stuck and discard cards when told. Solving the final puzzle ends the adventure; the app records the result.

Get ready

Saved on this device only — clearing your browser's cache or site data removes them (no account backup).

Match the app to the physical adventure

Install and open the official Unlock! app before the gathering. Select the correct language and check that the chosen adventure is available. The app is required; after downloading its needed content, published rules say internet is not required during play. Test audio, because some puzzles use sound.

Choose a scenario whose description and content suit the group. Keep its box and extra materials nearby. Check card completeness using the small inventory numbers on card backs, without reading faces. Put the introduction face up and the rest in an unexposed deck. Complete the ten-card tutorial first if anyone is new.

Share the clues and earn each new card

Read the introduction aloud, start its app timer and reveal the starting scene as instructed. Work together in real time. When a revealed clue gives a card number or letter, find that card by its back and reveal it. Do not fan the whole deck face up or inspect cards whose clues you have not found.

Red and blue object values can combine: add one red and one blue value, including an appropriate printed modifier, and look for the resulting card. Two values of the same color cannot combine. A result that reveals a penalty must be applied; do not test every numerical pair by brute force.

For a green machine card, enter its number through the app’s machine control and follow its instructions. Inspect illustrations for hidden numbers or letters. Crossed-out identifiers tell you which earlier cards to discard immediately. Read all new information aloud and keep active cards visible.

Request an app hint for a revealed card when the group agrees it needs one. Hidden-object help is also available in supported adventures. Follow the selected scenario’s timer and penalty instructions; if its countdown expires, use the app’s offered continuation rather than inventing a reset. Solving the final puzzle and ending the timer completes the adventure.

Keep the puzzle shared

Let a player explain a proposed combination before another enters it. Pass cards so everyone can inspect details, and keep discarded cards in a separate pile. Use pencil notes instead of writing on components unless the specific scenario explicitly directs otherwise. A known solution cannot be made fresh by a timing twist; use these formats with an unplayed scenario.

At the end, review the app’s result together and return cards to order for another group. Success is solving the adventure as a team; do not rank players by who noticed the most clues.

Already know the game?