Frequently asked questions
Everything worth knowing about Sortlock before your first move.
What is Sortlock?
A logic sorting puzzle. Pour balls until every flask holds a single colour. The twist: some balls are hidden under a "?", and you have to deduce their colour first instead of guessing.
How is it different from a normal ball-sort game?
In a regular sort you just move visible balls around. Sortlock adds a deduction layer: hidden balls are inferred from clues — colour counts, flask rules and already-revealed balls. It turns a mindless mechanic into a real puzzle.
What game modes are there?
Four. Endless — boards that adapt to your skill and never run out. Daily board — one shared puzzle for the whole world, with an echo duel. By difficulty — pick a tier (Easy, Normal, Hard, Expert); everyone gets the same levels that day. And Echo competitions — a daily ranking of the best solutions.
How do the difficulty tiers work?
Each tier (Easy → Expert) adds more colours and more hidden balls and is deterministic by date, so every player gets the same levels. Easy and Normal are relaxed with unlimited help. The competitive tiers and the Daily board limit your undos and hints, and Expert and the Daily board add a small time penalty for each one used — fair, comparable runs for the leaderboard.
How do I work out a hidden ball?
Combine the clues: how many balls of each colour exist on the board, which colours are already visible, and what each flask forbids. Often a single colour remains possible — that is the answer. Every board has exactly one logical solution.
Do the levels ever run out?
No. Endless boards are generated procedurally and verified solvable by a solver, so the content is endless. On top of that there is a daily board and four difficulty tiers — the same ones for every player in the world.
What are Echo duels?
Asynchronous duels on the daily board. You play not against a timer but against another player’s "echo" (ghost), matched to your skill: their replay repeats the moves and shows how they revealed the hidden balls. Whoever solves it in fewer moves wins. You can also challenge a friend directly with a 6-character code (valid for 24 hours). No real-time server needed.
Is the game colour-blind friendly?
Yes. Every colour is paired with a letter on the ball (R, B, G, Y, …), and a hidden ball is marked "?". Colour is never the only way to tell pieces apart. There is also a "reduce motion" option that calms the animated background to save battery.
Which languages are supported?
Five so far: English, Español, Français, Deutsch and Беларуская. You can switch language any time in the game settings.
Do I need an internet connection?
No, the core gameplay is fully offline. A connection is only needed for the optional online features — the daily board echo duels, the leaderboard and challenge codes. Your progress and stats are stored on your device.
Which platforms will the game ship on?
The primary platforms are iOS and Android. macOS and Windows versions are planned too. The game is built with Flutter, so it runs from a single codebase everywhere.
How much does it cost, and are there ads?
Sortlock is free to play. Optional rewarded videos can top up hints and undos in the shop — you watch only when you choose to. There are no forced ads between levels and no in-app purchases in the current build.
Can I delete my data?
Yes. Progress is stored locally on your device — resetting progress in settings or deleting the game wipes it. For online data (daily board, duels) email us and we’ll remove it on request. Details are on the Support page.