Gridlock Support

The Gridlock is an infinite neon block-escape puzzle for iPhone and iPad. It is made by one person, Hamdi Jomaa, and every message gets read.

Get help

Write to hamdijomaa.x@gmail.com. Please tell us your device, its iOS or iPadOS version, the game version (shown at the bottom of the game’s Settings) and what happened. If it happened on a particular lock, its number helps, and so does a screenshot. We answer in English or French, usually within two working days.

Playing

How do I play?

Every level is a lock. Drag each colored block to the door of its color and glyph; when it lines up, it breaks out. The whole block has to fit inside the door, so wide blocks need wide doors, and blocks get in each other’s way, so the order matters. Clear every block before the clock runs out to crack the lock, then go deeper. How to Play, in the game’s Settings, goes over the basics again whenever you like.

What happens when the clock runs out?

You are locked out. A lockout also happens when a virus block’s countdown reaches zero. You can retry the lock straight away. If the clock ran out during DESCEND, you can also spend Chips on a Reboot to get back in with 20 more seconds.

What are districts and Firewall locks?

The locks never run out: the game generates them, and every one can be solved. They are grouped into districts, a new one every 10 locks, and every tenth lock is a boss Firewall lock to breach. Every player gets the same locks, so the leaderboards are fair.

What are rail blocks, ICE and the rest?

New protocols appear as you descend. Each one is explained the first time you meet it, and then listed in How to Play.

Rail blocks: Chevrons show the only direction they can slide.
ICE (encrypted blocks): ICE locks a block. Every other block you clear cracks it, and at zero it shatters and the block is free.
Shell blocks: Two layers. Send the block through a door of its outer color to strip the shell, then out through a door of its core color.
Spawners: Keep the slot clear: a spawner pushes in the next block from its queue.
Laser bars: These firewall bars block the way until every block of their color is gone.
Glitch doors: These doors cycle through colors, so time your exit.
Virus blocks: Every move counts a virus down. Clear it before its countdown reaches zero, or you are locked out.

Do game controllers and keyboards work?

Yes, while you play. On a keyboard, the arrow keys move the cursor, Space grabs a block, Return confirms and Esc pauses. On a game controller, the d-pad moves the cursor, A grabs and Menu pauses.

Modes and rewards

DESCEND: The endless campaign, from lock 1 down as deep as you can go.
DAILY GLITCH: One board for everyone, new every day at midnight UTC. The fastest clear tops the Daily Glitch leaderboard.
OVERDRIVE: Endless time attack: crack as many boards as you can before the clock runs out.

How do combos, CRED and HEAT work?

Clear blocks within two seconds of each other to chain a combo and earn more CRED. CRED raises your rank. Crack locks one after another to build your HEAT streak, which multiplies the CRED you earn; a lockout resets it.

What do the boosters do?

Stasis freezes the clock for 10 seconds.
Railgun vaporizes one block of your choice.
Purge vaporizes every block of one color.

Boosters are switched off in DAILY GLITCH and OVERDRIVE, so those runs are ranked on skill alone.

Chips and the Black Market

What are Chips?

Chips are the game’s currency. You earn them by playing and spend them in the BLACK MARKET on boosters and cosmetics (block skins, exit FX and themes), or on a Reboot when you are locked out. Cosmetics change how the game looks, not how it plays.

In-app purchases

Are there ads or subscriptions?

No. The Gridlock has no ads, no subscriptions and no account. It offers optional in-app purchases. The Chips and boosters they contain can also be earned by playing; only the Founder’s Kit’s Gold cosmetics and its double Chips are exclusive to it.

What can I buy?

Item	Price (US)	Contents
Breaker Cache	$4.99	6,000 Chips + 3 of every booster
Ghost Crate	$9.99	15,000 Chips + 8 of every booster
Syndicate Vault	$19.99	40,000 Chips + 20 of every booster
Megacorp Heist	$49.99	120,000 Chips + 60 of every booster
Founder’s Kit (bought once)	$9.99	Gold Circuit block skin, Gold Rush exit FX and Gold Vault theme; 15,000 Chips and 10 of every booster, once; and double Chips from every lock, forever

Prices are shown in US dollars; the App Store shows the price in your own currency before you buy. The four packs are consumable: you can buy them as often as you like, and their Chips and boosters are added to your progress. The Founder’s Kit is bought once and stays yours.

How do I restore my purchases?

Tap RESTORE PURCHASES in the game’s Settings, or restore from the Black Market. This brings back the Founder’s Kit on a new device or after reinstalling the game. Chips and boosters from packs are added to your progress when you buy them, so they come back with your progress (see Progress and Game Center) rather than through Restore.

A purchase didn’t arrive.

Open the game with an internet connection and give it a moment: a purchase that was interrupted is delivered automatically. For the Founder’s Kit you can also tap RESTORE PURCHASES. If something is still missing, write to us, or report it to Apple at reportaproblem.apple.com.

Ask to Buy and parental controls

The game supports Ask to Buy: when a family organizer has to approve a purchase, it arrives in the game once it is approved. You can also turn off in-app purchases on a device with Screen Time (Content & Privacy Restrictions).

How do I get a refund?

Apple sells the in-app purchases and handles every payment. Request a refund from Apple at reportaproblem.apple.com.

Progress and Game Center

Is my progress saved?

Yes, on your device. If you are signed in to Game Center, it is also kept as a Game Center saved game, which Apple stores in your iCloud, so it can follow you to another device.

Will my progress move to my new iPhone or iPad?

Yes, when you are signed in to Game Center with the same Apple Account on both devices and iCloud Drive is turned on. Open the game once online on the new device: your saved game is merged with what is already there, so nothing is lost. Your bests on the Deepest Lock, Street Cred and Best HEAT Streak leaderboards also act as a floor, so your depth, CRED and best streak never drop below what Game Center already knows.

Where are the leaderboards and achievements?

Sign in to Game Center first (Settings app › Game Center). The Gridlock has six leaderboards (Deepest Lock, Street Cred, Best HEAT Streak, Overdrive, Overdrive Weekly and Daily Glitch) and 37 achievements. You can open them from the game or from Apple’s Games app, which also shows the game’s activities and an Overdrive challenge you can send to friends. You can play without Game Center; your results just won’t appear on the leaderboards, and your progress stays on that device.

My score didn’t appear on a leaderboard.

Check that you are signed in to Game Center and online. Overdrive Weekly starts over every week and Daily Glitch every day, so older results no longer show there. Leaderboards can take a few minutes to update.

Can I play offline?

Yes, the whole game works offline. Game Center, saved-game syncing and purchases need an internet connection.

Settings and languages

What can I change in Settings?

Music and effects volume, haptics and Reduce Motion. Settings also has How to Play, Restore Purchases, Credits, and links to this page and the privacy policy.

Which languages are available?

21 languages: English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese (Brazil), Japanese, Korean, Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), Thai, Russian, Ukrainian, Polish, Dutch, Swedish, Turkish, Indonesian, Vietnamese, Hindi and Arabic. The game follows your device’s language. To choose a different one just for this game, open the Settings app, find Gridlock (under Apps on iOS 18 and later) and pick a Language.

Accessibility

Every block color has its own glyph, and each door shows the same glyph, so you can match blocks to doors without relying on color. Reduce Motion in the game’s Settings turns off screen shake, glitch flashes and color splits; the game does the same when Reduce Motion is on for your device (Settings › Accessibility › Motion). Haptics can be switched off, and music and effects have separate volumes. If something gets in your way, please write to us.

Legal

Get The Gridlock on the App Store