How to Play DEPTH
DEPTH is a multiplayer mining game where you carve your way down through dozens of progressively rarer ore tiers, return to the surface to manage your loot, and use your earnings to buy upgrades that let you dig even deeper. This guide walks you through everything from your first descent to endgame strategies.
Getting started
- From the home screen, click REGISTER, choose a username (3–20 characters, letters/numbers/underscore/dash only), set a password, and optionally add an email for password recovery.
- You are now signed in. The main menu shows your username and a few buttons.
- Click START GAME to enter the world. You will appear on the surface near your house and the mine entrance.
Controls
Keyboard (default)
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
| A / ← | Move left |
| D / → | Move right |
| W / ↑ | Jump on surface, ascend in shaft, enter buildings |
| S / ↓ | Enter the mine when standing on the entrance |
| SPACE | Collect ore (when standing next to one) |
| B | Back / leave current screen |
| T | Open chat (talk to other players) |
| L | Log out (from menu) |
Xbox / standard gamepad
| Input | Action |
|---|---|
| Right stick | Move left / right |
| Left stick | Move up / down (jump, enter, descend) |
| Y (top face) | Jump |
| A (bottom face) / X (left face) | Collect ore |
| B (right face) | Back / leave |
| R2 (right trigger) | Open chat |
| D-pad | Mirrors stick movement |
Touch (phones and tablets)
On-screen virtual buttons appear automatically when the game detects a touch. Movement arrows are on the left and right, GRAB is on the bottom right, and a UP/DOWN arrow toggles vertical movement.
The mine
The shaft is a vertical tunnel that extends from depth 0 down to 500,000 meters. As you descend you pass through different geological layers, each containing distinct ore types. The deeper you go, the rarer and more valuable the ores — but also the more dangerous, because your oxygen does not regenerate underground.
Ores appear embedded in the walls of the shaft. Walk close to one and the prompt [SPACE] GRAB OreName appears above your character. Press SPACE to collect it into your hotbar. Your hotbar starts at 12 slots and can be expanded with backpack upgrades from the shop.
When your oxygen reaches zero, you start suffocating: your health drops by 20 per second for 5 seconds, after which you die. Dying drops all your currently-carried ores (placed ores in your house are safe). Always keep an eye on the oxygen bar at the top of the screen and head back up before it gets close to empty.
Your house
On the surface, your house is the small building to the left. Walk into it (press UP at the door) to enter the trove. The trove has 12 slots by default, expandable with the +6 SLOTS upgrade inside the house. Each placed ore generates passive income every second based on its base value and quality. This income accumulates even when you are offline.
You can drag ores from your hotbar to the trove with the mouse, click an ore in the hotbar to drop it into the next empty slot, or click PLACE BEST to automatically arrange your highest-value ores into the trove. Click SELL ALL to convert your hotbar contents into cash (sell prices are 5× the base value).
The shop
The shop sits to the right of the mine. Inside, you can buy four kinds of upgrades:
- Weights — make you descend 2% faster per weight, stacking. Essential for reaching deep tiers in reasonable time.
- Jet belts — make you ascend 4% faster per belt, stacking. Critical because without belts, climbing back to the surface is very slow.
- Backpacks — each adds 1 slot to your hotbar (so you can carry more ore per trip).
- Oxygen tanks — each adds 16 to your maximum oxygen, letting you stay underground longer.
All shop prices grow exponentially: each purchase costs 20% more than the previous one of the same type. Plan your first few purchases carefully.
The conversion machine
The metal building between the mine and the shop is the conversion machine. Inside, you can combine identical ores to create rarer, more valuable variants:
- 2 normal ores of the same type → 1 Gold variant (worth 1.25× base value)
- 2 Gold variants of the same type → 1 Diamond variant (worth 2× base value)
- 3 Diamond variants of the same type → 1 Rainbow variant (worth 10× base value)
Use the search box and quality filters to find specific ores quickly. Click ores from your inventory list to add them to the conversion slots. The CONVERT button activates when you have a valid combination. Click CONVERT ALL to instantly upgrade every ore in your inventory to the highest quality possible.
Multiplayer features
- Other players appear in your world as you mine and explore. Their names float above their characters.
- Walk into another player's house (the row of houses to the right of the shop) to view their trove read-only.
- Press T in any in-game scene to open chat. Type your message and press Enter to send.
- The LEADERBOARDS button on the main menu ranks players globally by money, weights, belts, backpacks, trove expansions, and oxygen tanks.
- A vertical depth bar on the right edge of the screen shows where every connected player is in the shaft.
Tips and strategies
- Your first goal should be a jet belt. Without one, every trip wastes minutes climbing back up.
- Don't sell your first few ores — feed them into the conversion machine to make Gold variants. Each level of conversion is more profitable per slot than holding raw ore.
- Expand your hotbar before expanding your trove. More carry capacity per trip means fewer round trips.
- Oxygen tanks become very valuable around depth 5000+, where round trips take several minutes.
- Always link an email to your account so you can recover access if you forget your password.