Game guide

TUNNELER Guide: Before you start

TUNNELER

Homemade_Meal, Playing 33, Rating 91.7%

Creator Homemade_Meal

Playing 33

Rating 91.7%

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About

Overview

TUNNELER is a first-person puzzle game built around a portal gun that lets you link two points in space. Made by Homemade_Meal, it follows a character named Miles through a series of test chambers inside Ecliptic Industries, guided by an AI companion called Axle. This guide walks you through the basics, the early levels, key mechanics, and every badge worth chasing.

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What is on this page

Contents

01 Before you start Check 02 How the tunneling device works Summary 03 Level-by-level walkthrough, Levels 0–4 Step 04 Mechanics you will run into Tips 05 Badge guide Table 06 Things that will get you killed Warn 07 Glossary Words 08 Common questions FAQ

Before you start

Check

In short A few quick settings checks before you load in will save you headaches later.

The developer recommends setting your Roblox graphics level to 8 or higher before launching. The game supports VR, but the official page warns it can cause motion sickness, so take breaks if you play that way.

Set Roblox graphics to level 8 or above.
Playing in VR? Step away regularly the game's own page flags motion sickness risk.
On Oculus Quest, expect possible issues since it is not fully supported.

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How the tunneling device works

Summary

In short Knowing what the portal gun can and cannot do is the foundation of every puzzle.

The Ecliptic Industries Short-Distance Tunneling Device shoots two portals that form an instant passage between two surfaces. Understanding its limits is just as important as knowing how to fire it — Axle spells them out in Level 1.

Portals　shoot two to create a passage you can walk, carry objects, or redirect energy balls through.
Metal surfaces　portals cannot be placed on them; the material repels tunnel technology.
Water contact　the device is not waterproof, so keep it away from water.
Barrel rule　never look into or place a limb inside the barrel of the gun.
Emancipation grills　passing through one destroys any portals you have open and will not let you shoot portals through it.

Level-by-level walkthrough, Levels 0–4

Step

In short Each level introduces a new mechanic, so solving them in order is the fastest way to learn the game.

Chapter 1 runs from Level 0 through Level 9. The first five levels below cover the core mechanics you will rely on for the rest of the game. Level 4 is where you trade in your starter device for the upgraded dual-portal version.

Level 0 Press the button near the exit to activate the orange portal, place the box on the floor button by the fences to open the exit door, then step through the blue portal to finish.
Rest area after Level 0 Stand on the bed for a few seconds and Axle will peek around the corner, earning you the Slumber badge. Also, if you picked up the radio near the bed at the very start, carry it here to trigger the Future Reference badge.
Level 1, Test 1 Walk through the blue force field, hit the button to disable it, rush the cube to the other side before it reactivates, then set the cube on the pressure plate.
Level 1, Test 2 Go through the blue portal, grab the cube, bring it back to the pressure plate, return through the portal, and exit.
Level 1, Test 3 Hit the button, go through the blue portal before a new one appears, pass through the yellow portal, then grab the tunneling device from the new blue portal. Return to the exit room, stand on the pressure plate, shoot a portal through the door, and go through the yellow portal to reach Level 2. Wait for Axle to finish all eleven rules here to unlock Good Listener.
Level 4, Test 4.1 Shoot a portal high on a side wall so the automated gun sends an orange portal to the angled platform, walk through, shoot a blue portal on the ground, and fall through the orange portal to collect the upgraded dual tunneling device. From this point on you can place both portals yourself.

Mechanics you will run into

Tips

In short Recognising each element on sight stops you from wasting time puzzling over what it does.

Chapter 1 introduces several test elements beyond basic portals. Each one shows up without much explanation, so knowing them in advance helps.

Tips worth knowing

Energy balls travel in straight lines and can be redirected through portals onto receivers to open doors.
Gel bounces you upward — use it to reach platforms that are too high to reach on foot.
Pressurized water breaks cracked glass, doors, and turrets.
Storage cubes can be carried through portals, placed on pressure plates to hold doors open, and repositioned at any time.
The Cube-Window Bypass bug can send a cube through a thin wall if you look upward while holding it and then release.

Badge guide

Table

In short Most badges come from exploring thoroughly and listening to Axle rather than rushing through puzzles.

Badges marked EXTRA require leaving the main story path. The rest are earned during a normal Chapter 1 run or by taking a specific action in the right level.

Badge	How to get it	Level
Good Listener	Let Axle finish reading all eleven rules without moving to the next level	Level 1
Future Reference	Pick up the radio near Miles's bed at the very start, carry it through Level 0, and enter the rest area	Level 0 transition
Slumber	After Level 0, go to the rest area and stand on the bed until Axle peeks around the corner	Level 0 rest area
Tunneler	Pick up the upgraded dual tunneling device in Level 4's second room	Level 4
Interesting Solution (EXTRA)	Get the cube to the other side of the Level 4 puzzle without using the intended solution	Level 4
Fiery Love Letter	Let an energy ball hit and kill you	Level 3
Locked	Hit the interact key on the bathroom door 30 times	Level 0 transition
Terminal Velocity	Place portals on the ceiling and floor of the same room and fall repeatedly until top speed is reached	Level 2 or 4
Gunned Down	Get killed by a turret	Any level with turrets
Breached	Shoot a portal onto the ceiling surface above the security camera near the first turret, dropping the camera	Level 8
Bad Friend	Fire a portal directly at Axle	Any level except Level 0
Programmed	Find the secret radio signal	Level 2
Screen / Spectator	Locate the secret area	Level 5
Conclusion	Find the secret radio signal	Level 5
Large-Distance Test	Find the secret radio signal	Level 8
Power Maintenance	Complete the first 9 levels of Chapter 1	Level 9
Cake (EXTRA)	Complete the BETA version of Tunneler, Levels 1–8	Beta
Remnant (EXTRA)	Enter the backrooms level from Extras and survive for 2 minutes by moving through portals	Backrooms
Grasp (EXTRA)	In the backrooms level, find the glowing white door and walk through it	Backrooms
City Living (EXTRA)	Find the radio on the crane in Big City and locate the signal at the building shown in the video	Sandbox: Big City

Things that will get you killed

Warn

In short Most deaths in TUNNELER come from the same handful of hazards.

The game does not hold back on instant-kill elements, and some of them can catch you off guard on a first run.

Worth watching out for

Energy balls destroy you on contact the Fiery Love Letter badge exists because players keep walking into them.

The backrooms monster moves faster than you and can follow you through portals, so keep moving.

Emancipation grills erase your portals the moment you cross them.

Community strategy ideas

Community

These ideas and tips come from people playing the game. Share your discoveries too!

No strategy ideas yet. Share a tip you discovered.

Glossary

Portal (Tunnel): A linked pair of openings shot by the tunneling device that lets you or objects pass instantly between two surfaces.
Axle: The spherical AI companion who travels on a ceiling rail and guides Miles through every test chamber.
Pressure plate: A floor switch that opens a door or activates a mechanism when a cube or other object is placed on it.
Emancipation grill: A field across doorways that destroys any object or portal that passes through it.
Energy ball: A high-energy projectile launched from a sender that must reach a receiver to unlock certain doors; it can be redirected through portals.
Ecliptic Industries: The organisation running the test facility where the game takes place.
EXTRA Achievement: A badge that requires stepping outside the main story path, such as playing the backrooms level from the Extras menu.

Common questions

FAQ

Why can't I shoot a portal on that wall?

Metal surfaces block tunnel technology, so portals simply will not stick to them. Axle explains this in Level 1 as one of his eleven safety rules.

How do I get the Good Listener badge?

After you pick up the tunneling device in Level 1 Test 3, Axle reads eleven rules one by one. Stay in the room and let him finish every single rule without advancing to the next level. The badge unlocks once he reaches the end.

What is the Developer Console badge and how do I unlock it?

It unlocks after you have earned every main story badge and then open the developer console using the key you have bound to it in settings — the default key is the backquote (`). Check the Credits screen in-game if the badge does not appear even after getting all other main badges.

How do I access the backrooms levels for the EXTRA badges?

From the main menu, go into the Extras section and select the backrooms level. Once inside, the Remnant badge requires surviving two minutes while the monster chases you, and the Grasp badge requires finding and walking through a glowing white door.

Updated Nov 3, 2026
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TUNNELER Homemade_Meal, Playing 33, Rating 91.7%

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