The rules
Free to play, ages 13+. No purchase required. No prizes — bragging rights only.
- Machine records never lie. People can. Read what each record actually records.
- Find a contradiction by selecting one whole passage in each of two released files.
- Build a theory with four blanks through day 21 and seven from the day-22 drop.
- Feedback gives the number of correct blanks, never which ones. Reasons about the last person depend on choosing that person correctly.
- The final theory is your last full submission before the lock. If you only submitted the early form, missing blanks count as wrong.
- Theories lock at the displayed deadline on day 49. The reveal and archive open on day 53; theories stay read-only.
- The suspect poll is unscored and does not change your theory.
- Keep solutions out of spoiler-free spaces. Do not automate guesses or probe the answer checker.
Daily limits
Contradiction checks: 30 per anonymous ID and 90 per network each UTC day. Early theories: 3 per ID and 8 per network. Full theories: 5 per ID and 15 per network. Wait at least 20 seconds between theory checks. Shared networks share limits. Short-window limits may also apply.
You can continue reading and taking notes when a limit is reached. Attempts do not reopen in the archive.
Community goals and bonus files
Each week counts distinct detectives with at least one new, server-verified contradiction find. Weeks run from the configured London launch/drop time to the same time seven calendar days later (normally Monday 17:00 to Monday 17:00), including daylight-saving changes. Counts may take up to 60 seconds to update.
Reaching a goal permanently opens its bonus file. Every bonus is marked “BONUS · not needed to solve”. Bonus files add atmosphere, never required clues, contradiction pairs or theory options. Any missed bonus opens for everyone at the reveal/archive. Required evidence follows the fixed release schedule.
Recruiting and squads
Your recruit link credits a new detective only after their first verified contradiction find. No self-referrals, duplicate referrals or referrals from the same network. Three recruits earn HANDLER; ten earn SPYMASTER. The recruiter board shows counts and your optional Case Closed nickname, or a generated detective label.
Create or join one squad of up to eight players. Join and leave until the day-49 theory lock. Squad pages show member names/ranks, distinct contradictions found across members, and how many members solved. Each player submits their own theory; answers are never pooled. The top-50 squad board opens once 20 squads exist.
These features offer status only, with no prizes or gameplay advantage. Only site activity counts. YouTube subscriptions, likes and comments earn no rewards. Offensive names can be renamed or removed.
Featured theories
You may separately offer up to 280 characters for editorial review and tick “May be shown in a video”. This is optional and does not submit or grade your case theory. Do not include personal information or links. You can replace your text or withdraw consent.
The editor selects partial or wrong theories, or interesting reasoning about already released evidence. A fully correct theory is never featured before reveal. Being featured never confirms or denies correctness. The site displays only manually reviewed selections.