Gridlock is a fast, pure-strategy duel — race your pawn across the board while walling your opponent's path, but never fully sealing them off.
Every match is a tight, readable puzzle: one move at a time, no randomness, no hidden information. Just you, your opponent, and a board that's always changing shape.
HOW IT WORKS
Move your pawn one step at a time toward the far edge of the board. Or, instead of moving, drop a wall to slow your opponent down. Walls can't fully block either player's path to their goal — the board always keeps a way through, so it's a puzzle of positioning, not a lockout. First pawn to the other side wins.
PLAY YOUR WAY
• Hot-seat — pass the phone, two players, one device
• vs AI — four difficulty levels, from a relaxed warm-up to a genuine challenge, fully offline
• Online Ranked — climb a Glicko-2 rating through seven tiers, from Bronze to Grandmaster
• Online Casual — quick unrated matches against real opponents
BUILT FOR SHORT, SHARP MATCHES
Most games run 1–3 minutes. Play on a 7×7 board for something quicker, or 9×9 for more room to maneuver. Optional chess clocks keep every match moving.
DESIGNED TO BE READABLE
Distinct shapes and colors mark each player, not just color — so the board stays clear at a glance, including for colorblind players.
NO ACCOUNT REQUIRED
Jump straight into a match as a guest. Create an account only if you want your rating and match history to follow you across devices — it's never a gate to play.
PRIVACY
No ads, no third-party trackers, no data sold to anyone. See our privacy policy for the full details on what we collect and why.
Gridlock is built for players who want a real duel over five uninterrupted minutes, not a game that's fighting for your attention. Sharpen your read on space, tempo, and the trade-off between racing and blocking — one match at a time.
Race to the far side. Wall your rival in, but never seal them off. 1v1, 60s.