In Blackbox, the player solves puzzles by discovering and exploring the device's hardware and operating system; rarely do solutions involve touch mechanics.

The game's grid and non-linear level sequence let players of varying skill and thinking styles to play and explore at their own pace.

After a closed beta test, it was released for iOS on February 25, 2016; the game is under active development with new puzzles and features added regularly.

Reviewers found the game “unlike anything”,[8] “devilishly clever”,[9] and “utterly diabolical”[10] with many noting its novel breadth of mechanics using device sensors and system features.

It won a 2017 Apple Design Award,[11] was named a Breakthrough Moment in Gaming, and was downloaded over 4.0 million times as of July 2017.