--- key: mechanic/game-mechanics--gm-lockpicking type: mechanic id: game-mechanics--gm-lockpicking lang: en title: Lockpicking summary: >- The player finds a tool position or spends a resource to open a lock. Success connects precise action with access to a passage or loot. updatedAt: '2026-10-22' status: active url: >- https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/game-mechanics--gm-lockpicking/ jsonUrl: >- https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/mechanic/game-mechanics--gm-lockpicking.json markdownUrl: >- https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/mechanic/game-mechanics--gm-lockpicking.md aliases: [] tags: - Game design techniques - Resources - Access & Security - Doors sourceIds: - source-05976e20f176a903 - source-cab33cdeca3b20f3 - source-bd601932435bb9ce - source-2724ecd851d19a91 - source-bfd2fc14f2437c51 - source-a795f11f11968e4c sources: - id: source-05976e20f176a903 title: 'Game Mechanics: Lockpicking' url: 'https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/lockpicking' verifiedAt: null - id: source-cab33cdeca3b20f3 title: Deus Ex (2000) url: 'https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/lockpicking/game/deus-ex' verifiedAt: null - id: source-bd601932435bb9ce title: Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell (2002) url: >- https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/lockpicking/game/tom-clancys-splinter-cell verifiedAt: null - id: source-2724ecd851d19a91 title: 'Fallout: New Vegas (2010)' url: 'https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/lockpicking/game/fallout-new-vegas' verifiedAt: null - id: source-bfd2fc14f2437c51 title: 'The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (2011)' url: >- https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/lockpicking/game/the-elder-scrolls-v-skyrim verifiedAt: null - id: source-a795f11f11968e4c title: 'Clive Barker''s Hellraiser: Revival (2026)' url: >- https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/lockpicking/game/clive-barkers-hellraiser-revival verifiedAt: null relations: [] placements: - catalogId: game-mechanics id: gm-lockpicking title: Game design techniques url: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/en/mechanics/game-mechanics/#gm-lockpicking' categoryIds: - gm-category-doors - gm-category-resources - gm-category-access-security supersededBy: [] attributes: preview: updatedAt: '2026-10-22' title: Lockpicking description: >- The player finds a tool position or spends a resource to open a lock. Success connects precise action with access to a passage or loot. image: src: images/mechanics/interaction-lockpicking.webp width: 600 height: 336 game: 'The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim' sourceUrl: 'https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/lockpicking' originalUrl: 'https://cdn.gamemechanics.org/webm/skyrim_pick_lock.webm' sourceFrameSeconds: 5.16 credit: Bethesda Game Studios; frame from clip via GameMechanics.org rights: >- Game imagery © its respective rights holders. Source host: GameMechanics.org. Visible source watermarks preserved. All rights reserved; excluded from MIT and CC BY 4.0. caption: A lockpick and a turning cylinder alt: >- In Skyrim, a pick enters a barred gate’s lock at an angle while a second tool turns the cylinder. markers: - x: 59 'y': 37 label: Lockpick angle - x: 52 'y': 57 label: Turning the lock cylinder tips: - Give clear feedback about proximity to the correct position. - Consider repeated use and an alternative way to open the lock. examples: - title: 'The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim' url: 'https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/lockpicking' endsAt: null provenance: >- Editorial reference index based on the 199 public Game Mechanics pattern pages checked on 2026-10-20. Original concise RU/EN definitions by gamemechanics.pro; pattern names, category associations and game-reference URLs retained from gamemechanics.org. The source gallery includes a film analogy. Linked materials retain their original rights; references are upstream attributions, not independent verification. license: CC-BY-4.0 codeLicense: MIT attribution: gamemechanics.pro contributors catalogKey: catalog/game-mechanics --- # Lockpicking id: game-mechanics--gm-lockpicking type: mechanic key: mechanic/game-mechanics--gm-lockpicking lang: en status: active url: https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/game-mechanics--gm-lockpicking/ The player finds a tool position or spends a resource to open a lock. Success connects precise action with access to a passage or loot. ## At a glance ![In Skyrim, a pick enters a barred gate’s lock at an angle while a second tool turns the cylinder.](https://gamemechanics.pro/images/mechanics/interaction-lockpicking.webp) [The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim](https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/lockpicking) · Game imagery © its respective rights holders. Source host: GameMechanics.org. Visible source watermarks preserved. All rights reserved; excluded from MIT and CC BY 4.0. [Source recording](https://cdn.gamemechanics.org/webm/skyrim_pick_lock.webm), 5.16 s 1. Lockpick angle 2. Turning the lock cylinder - Give clear feedback about proximity to the correct position. - Consider repeated use and an alternative way to open the lock. - [The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim](https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/lockpicking) ## How it works A tool or minigame lets the player bypass a lock. ## Variants ### How the technique works - A tool or minigame lets the player bypass a lock. ## Context and limits All 199 Game Mechanics entries at the check date: player actions, systems, presentation techniques and contested patterns. Entries are grouped by their first source-card category; all categories appear in their descriptions. Definitions use original wording. References link to game-specific galleries; images and videos remain at the source. ## Connected materials ## Sources and provenance Editorial reference index based on the 199 public Game Mechanics pattern pages checked on 2026-10-20. Original concise RU/EN definitions by gamemechanics.pro; pattern names, category associations and game-reference URLs retained from gamemechanics.org. The source gallery includes a film analogy. Linked materials retain their original rights; references are upstream attributions, not independent verification. - [Game Mechanics: Lockpicking](https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/lockpicking) (id: source-05976e20f176a903) - [Deus Ex (2000)](https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/lockpicking/game/deus-ex) (id: source-cab33cdeca3b20f3) - [Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell (2002)](https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/lockpicking/game/tom-clancys-splinter-cell) (id: source-bd601932435bb9ce) - [Fallout: New Vegas (2010)](https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/lockpicking/game/fallout-new-vegas) (id: source-2724ecd851d19a91) - [The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (2011)](https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/lockpicking/game/the-elder-scrolls-v-skyrim) (id: source-bfd2fc14f2437c51) - [Clive Barker's Hellraiser: Revival (2026)](https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/lockpicking/game/clive-barkers-hellraiser-revival) (id: source-a795f11f11968e4c) CC-BY-4.0 · gamemechanics.pro contributors