Game guide
Lode Runner
Your goal
Collect every gold bag, reveal the green exit ladder and reach it. Complete 30 levels using ladders, ropes and digging rather than jumping.
How to play
- Move along platforms, climb ladders and cross ropes. Unsupported characters fall, and there is no jump button, so plan how to reach each ledge.
- Dig the brick diagonally below you on the left or right. Steel cannot be dug. A temporary hole can open a route or trap a pursuing guard.
- Holes close after a short time. Guards can climb out; being caught by a guard or trapped in a closing hole costs a life.
- The exit becomes usable only when all gold is collected. Look for the green ladder and climb to the exit rather than waiting for the level to finish automatically.
Controls
Computer
Use arrows or WASD to move. Z or Q digs left; X or E digs right. P, Escape or Enter pauses or resumes the game.
Phone or tablet
Swipe and hold on the field to move, then release to stop. Use the two digging buttons for left and right. Tap the field to pause; the level selector lets you choose any level.
Progress and the end of a game
- You start with three lives. Gold and reaching the exit earn points. Losing a life restarts the current level and restores the score you had when you entered it.
- Losing all lives ends the run; clearing all 30 levels wins. Restarting or choosing a level starts with three lives and a reset score; completed levels and your last level are saved locally.
Useful tips
- Collect hard-to-return-to gold first. Before dropping from a rope or ledge, check which ladder will bring you back.
- Dig before a guard reaches you and keep an escape route. Do not stand in a hole waiting for it to close.