4 digit lock simulator
Set a four-digit code, write what players read, and open it as they would. Dates, years and PINs all fit. When it feels right, publish it as a lock with a link and a QR code.
1. Pick a lock format
2. Set the answer
Enter it once on the pad, the way a player would.
Answer set: not yet
3. Try it as a player
Set an answer first.
The day we met, as four digits: day then month.
4. What players read, and the hint
The same two fields the builder asks for. The question is the clue; the hint is what saves a player who is stuck.
Opens the builder on this exact lock: format, answer, question, hint and reveal already in place. You get a link and a QR code; players need no account.
Why four digits is the default
Four digits hold a year, a day and month, a time on a 24-hour clock or a PIN, so the answer can come from the story instead of from nowhere. And 10,000 combinations is where guessing stops being a strategy: a player who tries a code every two seconds would need hours. The clue has to do the work, which is what makes cracking it feel earned.
Four-digit codes that make good clues
- A date that matters to the player: 1402 for the 14th of February, 0907 for a first trip.
- A year from the theme: 1969 for a Moon landing, 1789 for a history class.
- A time: 2315 for a quarter past eleven at night.
- A word turned into digits on a phone keypad or with A1Z26, from the lock code generator.
Need fewer combinations for a quick step? The 3 digit lock simulator starts on three.
Other lock simulators
Frequently asked questions
- How many combinations does a 4 digit lock have?
- 10,000, from 0000 to 9999. Leading zeros count: 0214 is a different code from 214.
- Is this the same lock my players will see?
- Yes. It is the pad every published Lock Challenge lock uses, with the same question, hint and wrong-answer behaviour.
- Can I use a date as the code?
- Yes, and it is the most common choice. Write in the question which order you used, day then month or month then day, so a right guess is not refused for its order.
- How do I turn it into a real lock?
- Press "Publish this lock". The builder opens with the code, the question and the hint already in place. Add a reveal and publish to get a link and a QR code.
Free tools
Lock Code Generator
Turn a date or a word into lock codes with the question and the hint already written: day-month, A1Z26, phone keypad, reversed.
Escape Room Clue Generator
Riddles with answers that fit a lock, by theme and difficulty, question and hint included. Lock any clue in one click.
Cipher Maker
Encode a message in Caesar, Morse, A1Z26, Atbash, Reverse or ROT13, then lock the decoded answer with its key as the hint.