Terms of Service

CountDown Escapes · countdownescapes.com · Last updated 29 October 2026

Who runs thisAgeWhat you buyWalletUnlimitedDaily ChallengePlayingFair playLicenceEndingChangesLaw

Who runs CountDown Escapes

CountDown Escapes is run by Dependable Computer Solutions, a sole proprietorship in Arlington, Texas, USA. Card charges appear on your statement as Geoffrey T. Carlton. To reach us, use the contact form.

By creating an account, joining a room as a guest or buying anything, you agree to these terms and to the Privacy Policy.

Your information is never sold, rented or traded, and we use no cookies, advertising or tracking. The Privacy Policy lists exactly what we keep.

Age

CountDown Escapes is for players aged 18 and older. By playing you confirm that you are at least 18.

What you buy

• A room. Each game is generated from your choices. The price is the difficulty part ($1.00, plus $0.50 for each level above 1) plus the time part ($1.49 for 30 minutes, plus $0.50 for each further 30 minutes). A 10-minute room is always $0.99. Prices are the same for every theme, and the price is shown before you start.
• A preview is free. You may step inside the exact room you have chosen before paying, to walk around and look. Nothing can be opened in a preview, and clues are behind frosted glass. If you then play it, you play that same room.
• Extra time. $2.00 adds 15 minutes for every player in the game. You can buy as many as you like while more than 10 minutes remain. The clock pauses while you decide. Games with bought time are marked on the leaderboard.
• Co-op. Up to 6 players. The host pays once; players who join with the room code play free.

Every charge is shown with a clear confirmation first. We never charge you without your confirmation.

The wallet, and no refunds

• Money you add to your wallet becomes game credit for rooms and extra time.
• Wallet credit is not refundable, cannot be withdrawn or exchanged for cash, and cannot be moved to another account, except where the law requires otherwise (for example, some US states require a small remaining balance to be paid out on request: ask through the contact form). It never expires and there are no fees.
• When your wallet holds $1.00 or less, the game offers 5 extra minutes for the remaining balance instead of a full extension.
• A purchase is final once its game starts, except where the law requires otherwise.

The Unlimited pass

Unlimited costs $19.99 for 30 days: rooms at any level, up to 3 hours per game. Extra time is not included. The pass does not renew by itself: when the 30 days end, it simply stops. A few days before the end, the menu offers to add another 30 days, which you confirm yourself; days you buy early are added on to the days you have left.

The Daily Challenge

Each day (from midnight US Pacific time) there is one free Daily Challenge room for registered players: level 3, 60 minutes, the same room for everyone. You get one try a day: no replays and no extra time, and it cannot be suspended. Leaving the room ends your run; a reload or a lost connection may rejoin while the clock keeps running. The daily leaderboard shows display names.

Accounts, guests and playing

• Accounts. Whoever pays for anything must have a registered account. Keep your password private; you are responsible for what is done with your account. You can delete your account yourself from the account panel; your wallet credit and any remaining Unlimited days are then lost.
• Guests. Without an account you can join a friend's co-op room as a guest, using their room code. A guest identity lasts one day and is then deleted. Guests cannot buy anything, their progress is not saved, and they do not appear on leaderboards.
• The clock is kept by our server. If time runs out, the game counts as a fail. We are not responsible for time lost to your own connection, device or browser.
• Suspend Room. A room's owner may suspend a room (with more than 14 minutes left, up to 5 suspended rooms); a suspended run is marked on the leaderboard. A room with no input from its owner for two minutes suspends itself.
• Challenge cards you make after a win show your time, the room and a link, never your name. You decide where to share them.

Fair play

Do not cheat, attack or overload the service, share accounts, or use offensive display names. We may remove leaderboard entries, display names or accounts that break these rules; wallet credit on an account removed for breaking them is not refunded.

Your licence, and our content

We give you a personal, non-transferable right to play CountDown Escapes in your browser for your own enjoyment. The game, its rooms, art, text, sounds and code belong to Dependable Computer Solutions. Do not copy, resell or reverse-engineer them, or use automated tools to play the game or to collect data from it.

Display names and chat

Your display name and anything you type in co-op chat are seen by other players. They must not be offensive, impersonate anyone, or include personal information. Chat is passed on to the other players in your room and is not stored by us. We may change or remove a display name that breaks these rules.

Ending your account

You can delete your account at any time from the account panel. We may suspend or close an account that breaks these terms.

Payment disputes

If you dispute a charge with your bank, please tell us first through the contact form so that we can help. While a dispute is open we may pause the account, and credit from a reversed payment is removed from the wallet.

Availability and our responsibility

The game is provided “as is” and “as available”. To the extent the law allows, we make no promises beyond those in these terms, including any implied promise of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose, and we do not promise that the service will always be available or free of errors. To the extent the law allows, our total responsibility to you for any claim is limited to the greater of US$20 or the amount you paid us in the 12 months before the claim, and we are not responsible for indirect or consequential losses. None of this limits any responsibility that cannot be limited by law, including under the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices–Consumer Protection Act or the consumer laws of the place where you live.

Changes to these terms

We may change rooms, themes, prices or features, and update these terms; the date at the top shows the latest version. If a change matters to you (for example prices, or what happens to wallet credit), we will post a notice on the home page at least 14 days before it takes effect. A change never applies to a game already started, and a price you have paid does not change. If you do not agree to a change, you may stop playing and delete your account.

Law and disputes

These terms are governed by the laws of the State of Texas, USA. If a dispute cannot be settled by talking to us first through the contact form, it is for the courts of Tarrant County, Texas, unless the law where you live gives you the right to go to your own courts. Either of us may instead bring a claim in a small-claims (justice) court that has jurisdiction. Nothing in these terms takes away rights you have by law.

California users: the Complaint Assistance Unit of the Division of Consumer Services of the California Department of Consumer Affairs can be reached in writing at 1625 North Market Blvd., Suite N 112, Sacramento, CA 95834, or by telephone at (800) 952-5210.

General

These terms and the Privacy Policy are the whole agreement between you and us about the game. If any part is found unenforceable, the rest still applies. If we do not enforce a term at once, we may still enforce it later. We may transfer this agreement to someone who takes over the game, on the same terms. Legal notices to us go through the contact form.

Content

• English only. For ages 18 and older. Horror themes are spooky, never gory.
• No strobe or flashing effects. Sound is optional (mute and volume sliders), and no puzzle ever needs it.
• High contrast (in Settings) uses stronger colours and avoids puzzles that rely on telling colours apart.