If a game requires an app, a missing or incompatible device can stop the session before the first puzzle. Choose an app-free box when access to a suitable device is uncertain. If you want an app-assisted experience, check the exact adventure, application and device before gathering the group.
| Exact example | Published device requirement | What it means for your evening |
|---|---|---|
| UNLOCK! New Game Adventures | A free companion app is required. | Arrange a working compatible device and the correct app. |
| UNLOCK! Kids | The publisher says no app is required. | Do not assume the device rules of the main UNLOCK range apply. |
| EXIT: The Pharaoh’s Tomb | The manual supplies physical game systems; the publisher offers a helper app. | An optional tutorial or timer does not make a phone essential to the physical game. |
Separate required software from optional help
UNLOCK! New Game Adventures and UNLOCK! Kids show why a brand name alone is insufficient. One requires an application; the other explicitly does not. Read the exact box’s instructions and list every function assigned to a device: code entry, hints, sound, timing or interactive puzzles.
The distinction matters when someone says they can provide a timer. A separate watch can replace a timing function where the rules permit it, but cannot automatically replace software that validates codes or runs a puzzle. Do not improvise a paper fallback unless the publisher actually provides one.
Check the device you will actually use
The current Apple App Store and Google Play listings identify the UNLOCK companion application. Its store description explains that it works with the physical game, including clues and code entry. A store listing existing today does not prove compatibility with every older phone or tablet.
Open the listing on the intended device, check its operating-system requirements and regional availability, then install and launch it. Confirm that the required adventure appears. We have verified the current listings, not tested the software on every supported device or verified future support.
Treat offline play as its own question
For the specific UNLOCK! Short: The Ocean’s Heart listing, Asmodee says the app can work without internet after download. That is useful evidence for that product; it should not become a universal offline guarantee for every app-based game.
Before a trip, complete any downloads while connected and test the permitted introductory material in the conditions you expect to use. Check whether a login, content download or update is needed. Keep your own battery and charging arrangements practical without relying on an invented number of operating hours.
What to do when the device is absent
For a required-app adventure, postpone it or choose a different box with a verified physical system. For The Pharaoh’s Tomb, compare the optional helper features with the physical manual and prepare the listed non-game supplies. “App-free” still requires the contents and ordinary materials named in the instructions.
If the group will share a small screen, decide where it will sit and who will operate it while others read cards. If people prefer a fully physical table, make that a buying criterion rather than promising that an app will be unobtrusive. The best format is the one your group can actually start and use together.
Sources and method
This researched guide uses the publisher or manufacturer sources below, checked November 2, 2026. Comparisons, buying criteria and worked examples are editorial reasoning. This guide does not include hands-on testing or measured solving times.
- Asmodee/Space Cowboys: UNLOCK! New Game Adventures requires a free app
- Asmodee: UNLOCK! Kids contains three stories/six adventures and needs no app
- Space Cowboys UNLOCK companion app: current Apple App Store listing for iPhone and iPad
- Space Cowboys UNLOCK companion app: current Google Play listing
- Asmodee UNLOCK Short The Ocean’s Heart: app works without internet after download
- Thames & Kosmos: EXIT The Pharaoh’s Tomb official instructions and consumable materials
- Thames & Kosmos The Pharaoh’s Tomb: optional Kosmos Helper App instructions
