How to start a game with your partner

Our games are online co-op games for two players, each on their own device. Starting a game works the same way in Unsolved Case, Unboxing the Cryptic Killer and Parallel Experiment: one of you creates the game, and the other joins it with an invitation code.

Before you start

1. Choose Play Co-op

Both of you start the game and choose Play Co-op in the main menu. The game shows a few quick tips first; select Continue to go through them. Then you'll see two options: Create Game and Join Game.

Create Game and Join Game on the Play Co-op screen

2. One player creates the game

Decide which of you will be the host, and the host selects Create Game. The game shows a 6-character invitation code and waits for your partner to join. Send the code to your partner, for example over Discord or in a text message. The button next to the code copies it for you.

The invitation code on the Co-op game created screen

Keep the same host for the whole game. Your progress is saved only on the host's device, so to continue later, the same player has to create the game again. Read more in How does saving work?

3. The other player joins

Your partner selects Join Game, enters the invitation code and selects Join Game again.

Entering the invitation code on the Join Game screen

If the game says it can't find the code, see I get "The game for the selected Invitation Code was not found".

4. Choose your detectives

In the lobby, each of you plays one of the two detectives: Old Dog or Ally. You'll see different places and clues, so you'll have to work together to solve the puzzles. To swap detectives, use Switch a character.

If you've played before, the host can also choose where to continue from.

5. Start the game

When you're both in the lobby, the host selects Start. Have fun, detectives!

Can't connect?

The game picks the best server for you automatically. If you have trouble connecting or the game is slow, you can choose a different server in the lobby under Server selection. Go through our connection issues guide for more things to try.

Looking for something else?

All help topics

More help

Stuck on a puzzle?

Select Hint in the top right corner of the puzzle. You can also ask other players on our Discord server, or watch the Parallel Experiment walkthrough.

Looking for a partner?

Join the "Find a Detective" channel on our Discord server and meet other players looking for someone to play with.

Game updates

New versions and fixes are announced in the patch notes on our blog.

Contact us

Didn't find an answer? Write to us at [email protected] or ask on Discord. To help us solve the problem faster, please include:

  • the game and its version (shown in the main menu)
  • where you got it: Steam, App Store, Google Play or our website
  • your device and operating system, e.g. iPhone 13 with iOS 18 or Windows 11
  • what happened, and what you were doing just before
  • a screenshot or video, if you can

We're a small team from Poland, so we may not reply right away, but we read every message.

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