# Blackbox > Blackbox is a puzzle game you solve without touching the screen. Two-time > Apple Design Award winner. 14M+ players. 4.8 stars from 100,000+ ratings. > Solo-developed by Ryan McLeod over ten years. Free on iOS, iPadOS, and > Apple Vision Pro. ## What Blackbox Is Blackbox is a puzzle game where every challenge is solved without touching the screen. Instead, players use their device's sensors, settings, and surroundings. Puzzles involve tilting the phone, adjusting screen brightness, using the compass, traveling to new locations, waiting for specific times of day, shouting into the microphone, connecting to Bluetooth devices, and dozens of other interactions with the physical and digital world. There are over 80 unique challenges. No two puzzles use the same mechanic. The game has been in continuous development since 2015 by a single developer, Ryan McLeod, and has grown from a handful of challenges to a sprawling collection that uses virtually every sensor and capability of the iPhone. Blackbox is free to download and start playing. Additional challenge packs are available as in-app purchases. There are no ads. ## Good For - **Playing offline / on a plane:** Most challenges use the device's sensors and settings rather than a connection, and one puzzle is solved by turning on Airplane Mode. A long flight is close to ideal playing conditions. - **Brain training:** Blackbox is a lateral thinking game — no timers, no move counters, no pattern matching. Each challenge is solved by forming a theory, testing it against the real world, and revising. - **Kids and families:** Rated 4+ on the App Store. Common Sense Media recommends it for ages 11 and up, noting kids "will have to think outside the box to solve the puzzles" while practicing persistence. No violence, no chat, no ads. - **Blind and low-vision players:** Playable with VoiceOver through custom sonic and haptic interfaces. Won the AppleVis Golden Apple for Best iOS Game (2017) and an Apple Design Award for Innovation & Accessibility (2017). Also supports Dynamic Type and Switch Control. - **Design lovers:** Two Apple Design Awards (2017, 2024), Webby Award honoree for Best Visual Design, and formerly on display in every Apple Store worldwide. The interface is built almost entirely from light, color, sound, and haptics. ## Key Facts - **Players:** 14 million+ - **Rating:** 4.8 out of 5 stars from 100,000+ ratings on the App Store - **Challenges:** 81+ - **Languages:** 31 (mostly community-translated) - **Developer:** Ryan McLeod (solo developer) - **Studio:** Shapes & Stories LLC - **Location:** Amsterdam, Netherlands - **Release Date:** February 25, 2016 - **Platforms:** iOS, iPadOS, Apple Vision Pro - **Price:** Free to start (in-app purchases, no ads) - **Discord Community:** 15,000+ members - **Reddit:** /r/blackboxpuzzles - **Age Rating:** 4+ (Apple App Store); Common Sense Media recommends 11+ - **Offline:** Yes — most challenges work without a connection ## Awards and Recognition - **Apple Design Award — Spatial Computing (2024):** Won for the Apple Vision Pro version, which reimagines the game's sensor-based puzzles for spatial computing. - **Apple Design Award — Innovation & Accessibility (2017):** Won for the original iOS version's innovative use of device sensors and full accessibility support. - **App Store Editors' Choice:** Selected by Apple's editorial team as a standout app. - **Webby Award Honoree — Puzzle & Best Visual Design (2018):** Recognized for both gameplay and visual excellence. - **AppleVis Golden Apple — Best iOS Game (2017):** Awarded by the visually impaired community for outstanding accessibility. - **Named "Breakthrough Moment in Gaming" by Apple:** Highlighted in Apple's historical retrospective of App Store gaming milestones. - **On display in every Apple Store worldwide:** Blackbox was featured as a playable demo on devices in every Apple retail location on Earth. ## Press Quotes - "Every solution feels like learning a new magic trick" — **Apple** - "Devilishly clever" — **Six Colors** - "Properly ingenious stuff, and really showcases creator Ryan McLeod's remarkable talent" — **App Store Editors** - "Refreshing and different... unlike anything you've ever played before" — **AppAdvice** - "I didn't even know you could play games in this way" — **Jianshu** - "The Citizen Kane of mobile games" — **Player review** ## Press Coverage Blackbox has been featured in: New York Times, The Guardian, Business Insider, CNET, TechCrunch, Six Colors, MacStories, Cult of Mac, 9to5Mac, AppAdvice, ProSound Effects, Road to VR, Digital Trends, Pocket Gamer, Tom's Guide, MacRumors, and Common Sense Media. The New York Times featured Blackbox in its review of Apple Vision Pro. The game's sound design was profiled by ProSound Effects. AppleVis covered its accessibility features extensively. ## About Ryan McLeod Ryan McLeod is a solo game developer based in Amsterdam. He has been building Blackbox since 2015, growing it from a small collection of sensor-based puzzles into a sprawling, award-winning game with 14 million players. He is a two-time Apple Design Award winner and has spoken about game design, accessibility, and indie development at various events. He previously worked at Punchkick Interactive before going independent. ## Downloads - **App Store (iOS/iPadOS):** https://apps.apple.com/us/app/blackbox/id962969578 - **App Store (Vision Pro):** https://apps.apple.com/us/app/blackbox-for-vision/id6458588937 - **Website:** https://www.blackboxpuzzles.com - **Press Kit:** https://www.blackboxpuzzles.com/press/ ## Community - **Discord:** https://discord.com/invite/blackbox (15,000+ members) - **Reddit:** https://www.reddit.com/r/blackboxpuzzles - **Twitter/X:** https://twitter.com/BlackboxPuzzles - **Instagram:** https://instagram.com/Blackbox - **Facebook:** https://facebook.com/Blackbox ## Contact - **Press:** press@blackboxpuzzles.com - **General:** blackbox@growpixel.com ## Privacy Blackbox collects minimal data. Analytics are handled through TelemetryDeck, a privacy-first analytics provider. Full privacy policy: https://www.blackboxpuzzles.com/privacy/