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How to play Unlock! (2026): Unlock! Escape Adventures is a cooperative card game that recreates an escape room on your table. One to six players, ages ten and up, work through a deck of numbered cards, combine objects, solve puzzles and race a 60-minute timer run by a free companion app. This guide follows the official Space Cowboys rulebook and covers card types, combining objects, codes, machines, hints and penalties, so you can open your first scenario without a long read.
The box this guide covers: UNLOCK! Escape Adventures
The first Unlock! box holds three scenarios, The Formula, Squeek & Sausage and The Island of Doctor Goorse, plus a short tutorial deck. Each scenario is played once. You need the free app on a phone or tablet, but no internet connection during play.
Price band: $20–$30 (about $30) · Check today’s price on Amazon
What you need before you start
- The app. Download the free Unlock! app and select the scenario. It runs the timer, accepts codes, gives hints and plays music.
- One scenario deck. Keep it face down and do not look through it. The cards are numbered and you reveal them only when the game tells you to.
- The tutorial. Play the ten-card tutorial first. It teaches every rule in about ten minutes.
- A clear table. Revealed cards sit face up in the middle so everyone can see them.
Setting up an Unlock! scenario
- Place the scenario deck face down without shuffling it.
- Read the start card aloud. It sets up the story and shows the first room.
- Start the countdown in the app. You have 60 minutes.
- Turn the start card over to see the first room. Numbers and letters printed on it tell you which cards to reveal next.
The four kinds of Unlock! cards
| Card | How to recognize it | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Objects | Red or blue number | Items you can combine with each other |
| Machines | Green stripe | Devices you operate in the app |
| Codes | Yellow stripe | A four-digit code you type into the app |
| Other cards | Grey stripe | Places, results, penalties and modifiers |
Combining objects: red plus blue
This is the heart of Unlock!. When you think two objects work together, add their numbers and look for the card with that total. A red number can only be combined with a blue number, never red with red or blue with blue. If the card you find exists and makes sense, reveal it. If the total does not exist, the combination was wrong.
A wrong combination can still lead to a real card by accident. That card will usually be a penalty, and the app takes minutes off your clock. Talk through combinations before you flip anything.
Modifiers, hidden numbers and crossed-out cards
- Modifiers. Some cards show a blue number with a plus sign, such as +4. Add it to a red number to find the result.
- Hidden numbers and letters. Look closely at the art. A small number tucked into a picture is a card you may reveal.
- Crossed-out numbers. When a revealed card shows a crossed-out number, discard that card. It is no longer needed.
- Penalty cards. Follow the instructions on the card, which usually cost you a few minutes in the app, then discard it.
Machines and codes in the app
A machine card has a green stripe. Enter its number in the app and the app displays the machine, walks you through using it and most often hands you a red number to add to a blue one. A code card has a yellow stripe, and every code is four digits. Type your answer straight into the app without the card number; a correct code tells you how to continue, while a wrong one usually costs a few minutes.
Hints and the Hidden Object button
Stuck? Press the Hint button in the app and enter the number of a revealed card. For some cards the app offers a second hint, or even the solution, if the first one is not enough. If you have truly run out of ideas, the Hidden Object button points you to the closest hidden number based on your progress, and you can switch on automatic help for hidden objects at the start. Hints count against your final rating, but they keep the game fun.
Winning and your star rating
The game ends when you solve the last puzzle and stop the timer. It does not stop at 00:00; the clock keeps running so you can finish the story. At the end, the app shows your score and a rating from zero to five stars that reflects your time, penalties and hints.
Unlock! table rules that save time
- Split the deck. You may split the face-down deck into stacks so cards are easier to find, but do not spread the cards out or flip through them.
- Name a card reader. One person reads new cards aloud so nobody misses a clue.
- Keep discards aside. Put discarded cards in a separate pile so the table stays clear.
- Pass the phone. Let a different player type each code so everyone stays involved.
Comparing escape series? Our Exit: The Game vs Unlock! breakdown covers the differences, and our best escape room board games list has more boxes to try. For other team games, see best cooperative card games.
Unlock! rules questions
Do you need the app to play Unlock!?
Yes. The free app runs the timer, checks codes, operates machines and gives hints. It does not need an internet connection once installed.
Can you replay an Unlock! scenario?
Not really. Once you know the solutions, the puzzles are spent. You can pass the box to friends because no cards are destroyed.
How many players is Unlock! best with?
The box says one to six, but two to four is ideal so everyone can see the cards.
Which Unlock! scenario should I play first?
Play the tutorial, then The Formula. Squeek & Sausage and The Island of Doctor Goorse follow nicely.
