- Update Notes for Aug 10 - 10 August 2026
Mystery in Chapter 58 will no longer take away a star if you choose to answer the bonus question
- Update Notes for Jun 21 - 20 June 2026
Missing backgrounds in The Illusion Murders (finally) fixed — sorry it took so long for me to notice!
- Methods 6 Year Anniversary! - 25 April 2026
It's been six years since I completed Methods!To everyone who has been following these games since the initial release, thank you for sticking around these past six years. And welcome to anyone who discovered it recently! With Canada Files finally complete, I was able to focus on finally finishing the artbook.The Art of MethodsOver the last couple of years, I've slowly been compiling a very comprehensive artbook about Methods: The Detective Competition, with pages on every character with their original design included, my thoughts on each Stage and mystery, and more. I'm happy to say it's finally done! The English version is now available to download on Steam and itch.io, free for anyone who owns the game. If you don't own the game, you can get it on my Patreon page (or get access to it and many other behind the scenes materials by becoming a Patron).Mystery Score UpdateThe Mystery Scor…
- Methods: The Canada Files Full Game To Be Released on Mar. 5th! - 26 February 2026
Sixth & Final case of the Detective Competition.Detective Larika Downs v.s. Mastermind Joane Tremblay.Long-buried secrets await their reckoning. Methods: The Canada Files – Full ReleaseLaunching Mar. 5, 22:00 (UTC-5)
- Methods Christmas 2025! - 25 December 2025
The Masterminds have some fun outdoors!Happy Winter Holidays!Hope you look forward to more in 2025!— LockedOn.
- Methods 5 Year Anniversary! - 25 April 2025
It was another great year for Methods — the mobile version of the game is now fully released! And thank you as always to the fanbase for the many, many fan-created works! Your enthusiasm inspires me to keep creating better and better works. For this anniversary, I wanted to make sure I had some really big exciting news, so for the past several months, I've been working on a secret plan to make this happen, and I'm super excited to announce it here! File 05 Coming in May! Keeping this a secret was pretty hard, but I was actually working on File 04 and File 05 simultaneously for the past several months! I'll have more details on how I pulled off this crazy scheme in an upcoming devlog, but for now — just know that File 05 is 95% complete. We're just finishing up the Chinese translation before launching the beta on Afdian and Patreon. Because I moved up File 05's production, Hangout Four w…
- Steam Visual Novel Festival | The "Methods" Series Now on Sale! - 4 March 2025
Attention, Detectives! The Steam Visual Novel Festival is here, and both games in the Methods series—Methods: The Detective Competition and Methods: The Canada Files—are available at their lowest-ever discounts! Dive into a world where mind-bending mysteries collide with hilarious storytelling! 📌 Limited-Time Discounts 1️⃣ Methods: The Detective Competition 60% OFF | 100 detectives vs. criminal—unravel twisted cases for a million-dollar prize! 2️⃣ Methods: The Canada Files 30% OFF | Early Access available! enjoy free future updates leading to 6 full cases. 🕵️ Key Features Double the Brain-Burning Fun Comedy Meets Crime Bonus Content: Original soundtracks, CG galleries, character profiles, and more! → Grab your deals: Methods: The Detective Competition https://store.steampowered.com/app/1271300/ Methods: The Canada Files https://store.steampowered.com/app/2063530
- 🌟【Methods peripheral pre-sale starts! 】🌟 - 28 February 2025
"MTCF" all-member fridge magnets & 24-year limited Halloween posters are coming, limited-time pre-sale - ✅ ▫️ Price: 20 yuan/piece ✅ - This game host may not be human👻 ▫️ Price: 18 yuan/piece Pre-sale channel: February 28-March 31, click on the picture for more details! ↓ Click to send the pre-sale link, slow hands no warning! https://weidian.com/?userid=1798795097
- Methods Mobile is Live Now!! - 10 February 2025
Methods: The Detective Competition has been fully ported to mobile now! On mobile, Methods has been split into five games, each containing 20 chapters of the story. Want a more convenient and relaxed way to experience this adventure? Click the links below: Methods: Detective Competition iOS: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/methods-detective-competition/id6467845950 Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.erabit.methods.tdc1.paid.gp Methods2: Secrets and Death iOS: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/methods2-secrets-and-death/id6475326812 Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.erabit.methods.tdc2.paid.gp Methods 3: The Invisible Man iOS: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/methods-3-the-invisible-man/id6502622226 Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.erabit.methods.tdc3.paid.g Methods 4: The Best Detective iOS: https://apps.apple…
- Methods Christmas 2024! - 25 December 2024
772 receives a nice present! Nell does not enjoy her gift. Happy Winter Holidays from Methods! Enjoy and we hope you look forward to more in 2025! — LockedOn & Erabit
- Methods Halloween 2024! - 31 October 2024
Just for Halloween, here's some special illustrations of the Detective Game-masters in costume! Greg as the Game-master Mug! Clark as a Scarecrow! Kane as a Cat! Mellie as a Ghost! Thanks for playing and we hope you're looking forward to the next year of Methods! — LockedOn & Erabit
- Update Notes for Sep 6 - 7 September 2024
Bug fixes, typo fixes, minor plot holes fixed. More details below. Font changed for character names in English Autosaves restored (were previously inaccessible due to coding error) Text history in Interviews bug fixed Rankings in Chapter 5 synced properly with rank screen Ashdown and Woes rank in early Stages changed in rank screen to reflect story details Text history icon updated Placeholder slots showing up as question marks in Interviews fixed Added Wishlist MTCF button to main menu English typo fixes
- Pre-Order for Methods 4: The Best Detective has been opened! - 5 September 2024
🥳Good news for all Methods fans: 🤩Pre-Order for Methods 4: The Best Detective has been opened! The fourth part of Methods for mobile devices is coming soon! 👇Click here: 🍎App Store： https://apps.apple.com/us/app/methods-4-the-best-detective/id6651830371 🤖Google Play： https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.erabit.methods.tdc4.paid.gp
- Methods 3: The Invisible Man is now LIVE on Mobile! - 8 August 2024
Time to follow the fourth-tier Detective Ashdown with his fellow detectives on the investigation of the mysterious killer! Will they eventually find the murderer, or be kicked out of the competition first? Dive in and find out! App Store: Google Play: And the whole game has been split into five apps for the mobile release, with 'Methods 3: The Invisible Man' being the third part, and containing Chapters 43-60. Enjoy, and until next time...! — LockedOn & Erabit.
- LockedOn 13th Anniversary Update - 9 July 2024
For the 13th Anniversary of LockedOn Games, here is a status update on ongoing and upcoming Methods-related projects! THE ART OF METHODS I announced the Art of Methods a while ago. It's been a huge project. Even though I made some of the workload easier by publishing weekly posts about the characters on my Patreon/Afdian pages for several months, there were still a ton of characters I hadn't written about yet — and to be clear, this artbook covers every single character, including characters from the Vignettes. This artbook has much more than that though — I've written tons of new articles, revealing new details about the development process, my thoughts on each stage in the contest, each mystery, and more. It will be available as a free digital DLC to Methods on Steam and itch.io. METHODS FOR MOBILE Erabit Studios is helping bring Methods to iOS and Android, splitting it into five game…
- Methods 3: The Invisible Man is Available To Pre-Order Now - 7 June 2024
A typical murder on a train. A typical killer for the win. Methods 3: The Invisible Man is now available to pre-order on App Store and Google Play! At the end of the previous part, the mysterious detective competition has turned deadly. The whole game has been split into five apps for the mobile release, with 'Methods 3: The Invisible Man' being the third part, containing Chapters 43-60. We hope you enjoy it! — LockedOn & Erabit TapTap: https://www.taptap.io/app/33708990 Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.erabit.methods.tdc3.paid.gp App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/methods-3-the-invisible-man/id6502622226
- Methods: The Detective Competition is LIVE on Mobile in China!! - 11 May 2024
Dear detectives, good morning! Exciting news incoming — "Methods: The Detective Competition" has officially launched on mobile in China today! The mobile version for China mainland is available for free download, with chapters unlocked through ads. If you encounter any bugs, please feel free to join our QQ at 625731204 or leave feedback! Download links: TapTap: https://www.taptap.cn/app/391345 3839.com: https://www.3839.com/a/159721.htm iOS: https://apps.apple.com/cn/app/%E6%8E%A2%E6%A1%88%E6%B3%95-%E4%BE%A6%E6%8E%A2%E5%A4%A7%E8%B5%9B/id6469603251 In the days to come, we hope for your guidance and support in unlocking more intriguing storylines (and CP)! So, dear detectives, enjoy the game. — LockedOn & Erabit
- Methods: The Detective Competition is Attending G-Fusion 2024 Guangzhou! - 6 May 2024
Detectives, How’s it going? We are thrilled to announce that Methods: The Detective Competition is going to attend the video game fest called G-Fusion 2024 in Guangzhou, China! G-Fusion is a video game fest hosted by GCORES. Methods will be exhibited at booth D17 on May 18th and 19th . We can’t wait to see you there! G-Fusion 2024 Website: https://site.gcores.com/fusion2024/ Ticket Purchase: https://show.bilibili.com/platform/detail.html?id=84177
- Update Notes for April 30 - 30 April 2024
Save slots will finally be properly labeled in Chinese
- Update Notes for April 29 - 29 April 2024
Fixed English font size
