Games have offered cash prizes, collector's editions, leaderboard glory, and the occasional bizarre real-world giveaway. Love Locks, an upcoming lock-picking game from Collision Games, is taking a distinctly personal route: the first eligible player to clear the game's enormous collection of 100,000 locks can receive $5,000 USD to help pay for a wedding or a divorce.
The competition is built around the game's central task. Players will be asked to remove love locks spread across a bridge in Paris, working through a vast number of padlocks with tools including bolt cutters and a drone capable of magnet-fishing keys out of the River Seine. It is a premise that turns a familiar tourist-site symbol into a large-scale cleanup challenge--and turns finishing quickly into an opportunity to offset one of life's more expensive milestones.
Love Locks is scheduled to launch on Steam on December 3. Registration requires an email address and SteamID, and the race will remain open through December 10. That gives competitors roughly a week to unlock every one of the game's 100,000 locks and establish themselves as the fastest successful player under the contest's rules.
A speedrunning challenge with an unusually practical reward
The basic objective sounds simple on paper: get through all 100,000 locks before anyone else. In practice, the scale alone makes it an unusual speedrunning prospect. A challenge measured in six figures is likely to put a premium on routing, tool use, efficiency, and an ability to maintain focus over a potentially lengthy run.
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Collision Games' setup also gives the competition a clear deadline rather than leaving players to endlessly improve times after launch. Once the competition period closes on December 10, the developer plans to announce the winner. The $5,000 is not presented as a conventional cash purse for any purpose, however. It is intended for eligible expenses tied to a wedding or divorce.
That framing is the part likely to make Love Locks stand out well beyond its launch window. Wedding and divorce costs can both become substantial quickly, whether the money goes toward a dress, legal representation, or other qualifying bills. The prize is therefore aimed at a real expense rather than simply offering a novelty trophy attached to an eccentric game challenge.
The contest asks players to dismantle a virtual monument to romance, then offers help with either beginning a marriage or ending one.
It is also a deliberately playful fit for a game built around love locks. These padlocks are commonly attached to bridges and railings by couples as a public gesture meant to represent a lasting relationship. Love Locks flips that idea around. Instead of placing another lock, players are tasked with removing them at industrial scale.
How the competition is expected to work
Participants need to register their email and SteamID before attempting to claim the prize. From there, the key requirement is to be the first person to unlock all 100,000 love locks during the contest period. The rules also make clear that the win must be achieved without cheating.
That condition matters for any race connected to a prize, particularly one launching on PC and involving a competitive completion target. Players interested in attempting the run should expect that eligibility, verification, and compliance with the contest terms will be as important as shaving time off their route. A first-place finish alone may not be enough if it does not meet the event's requirements.
The game gives players multiple ways to approach the lock-removal work. Bolt cutters offer one direct solution, while the drone adds another layer to the process by allowing players to search the Seine for keys through magnet fishing. That suggests Love Locks will be more than a repeated single-button lock-breaking exercise; efficient use of its available tools could be crucial for anyone treating the release as a serious speedrun.
There is still plenty of room for players to discover the most efficient strategies once the game is available. A 100,000-lock total naturally invites questions about whether particular zones, tools, key locations, or movement techniques can save meaningful time. In a short competition, early experimentation may prove just as valuable as pure execution.
For the broader speedrunning community, the contest has a familiar appeal despite its unusual prize. A fresh game, an objective that is easy to understand, a defined time window, and a meaningful reward can create the conditions for a fast-moving race. Players who are not likely to win may still be drawn to optimizing the game, sharing routes, and seeing how quickly such a huge cleanup task can be completed.
The prize can go to someone else
Not every highly motivated competitor will personally need wedding or divorce assistance. Collision Games has accounted for that possibility. If the winner is already happily married or already divorced, they can nominate a friend or family member to receive the prize instead.
That provision broadens the contest's appeal considerably. A player can chase the challenge because they want to compete, help someone close to them, or simply enjoy the idea of winning an unconventional prize. It also keeps the reward connected to its wedding-or-divorce theme rather than converting it into a generic bonus payment.
The eventual winner will have two years to submit a bill to Collision Games for an eligible expense. The examples provided include purchasing a dress for a wedding or hiring a lawyer for a divorce. That two-year window is important: the player does not need to be in the middle of a ceremony or legal proceeding during launch week in order to benefit.
As with any contest involving a substantial real-world prize, prospective entrants should carefully read the complete rules before committing time to the race. There are specific restrictions related to age and country of origin, and eligibility requirements can determine who is able to enter, who can receive the prize, and what expenses can be reimbursed. The game's unusual marketing hook does not remove the need for players to understand those details.
From public nuisance to game mechanic
Love locks have long occupied an odd space between romance, tourism, and public infrastructure. To some couples, fastening a padlock to a bridge is a sentimental ritual. To city officials and preservation advocates, the accumulation of heavy locks can create practical problems, contribute to damage, and leave public spaces cluttered. In some locations, authorities have removed large numbers of locks for safety and maintenance reasons.
Love Locks draws on that tension directly. Its Paris setting evokes one of the places most closely associated with the practice, but its gameplay is about undoing the gesture rather than celebrating it. The idea of a player using bolt cutters and fishing keys from the river puts an intentionally mischievous spin on an activity often portrayed as romantic.
There is a broader appeal in that reversal. Video games frequently take ordinary jobs or overlooked tasks and make them into the central loop: cleaning, organizing, repairing, delivering, or restoring. Lock removal fits comfortably into that tradition, especially when framed as a huge checklist-like project with tools to acquire and a visible impact on the environment.
Whether Love Locks becomes a lasting favorite will depend on how satisfying that core loop feels after the first few locks. The 100,000-lock contest ensures an immediate spotlight, but the game will need its tools, exploration, pacing, and sense of progression to carry the experience for players who are not racing for a wedding or divorce bill.
A memorable launch-week hook
The game industry is crowded, particularly on PC storefronts where new releases compete intensely for attention. Collision Games' offer is a striking way to make Love Locks immediately recognizable. It is not merely a giveaway attached to a launch; the prize is designed around the game's title, its subject matter, and the cultural associations of love locks themselves.
That does not mean the contest is only a joke. Five thousand dollars can make a meaningful difference when applied to legal fees, clothing, planning costs, or other qualified wedding and divorce expenses. By allowing an eligible nominee when the winner does not personally need the money, the event also gives the prize a potentially helpful real-world outcome beyond the competitive spectacle.
For players, the immediate decision is straightforward: register, review the eligibility terms, and prepare for the December 3 launch if the contest is available in their region. The race concludes December 10, so the window to make an attempt will be short. Anyone hoping to be first through all 100,000 locks will need to be ready to turn a Parisian cleanup project into a very serious sprint.
Love Locks may be centered on dismantling symbols of devotion, but its launch contest is built around a surprisingly broad message. Whether someone is planning a celebration, facing a costly separation, or trying to help a loved one do either, one exceptionally fast lock-picker could soon have a memorable story--and a $5,000 bill to submit.
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