CORE DRILL is a free idle drilling game: dig a hole from the surface to the center of the Earth, 6,371 km down. Pass real milestones like the Kola Superdeep Borehole, survive the heat of the mantle and reach the iron core.
How to Play CORE DRILL
- Tap to dig. Every tap digs a bit deeper and charges Turbo (×3 speed for 15 s).
- Buy upgrades with the money from the ore: Drill Bit and Engine for speed, Elevator for ore hauled per second, Refinery for ore value.
- Watch the temperature. When it passes your Cooling limit, the drill slows down. Upgrade Cooling before you go deeper.
- Tap the gems that appear next to the drill for bonus money, and the Rich vein button for ×2 drilling and ore for 20 seconds.
- Collect discoveries: every real-world milestone you pass gives +5% income forever.
- Start a new borehole after 12 km to earn Core Crystals and dig even faster next time.
The Layers of the Earth
| Layer | Starts at | In the game |
|---|---|---|
| Topsoil, clay, sandstone | 0 – 80 m | Soft and cheap: the tutorial |
| Limestone, granite | 300 m – 1 km | Harder rock, better ore |
| Basalt, deep crust | 4 – 12 km | Past the deepest hole ever drilled |
| Upper mantle | 35 km | Hot rock, the heat starts to matter |
| Transition zone, lower mantle | 410 – 660 km | Crushing pressure |
| Outer core | 2,890 km | Liquid iron and nickel |
| Inner core | 5,150 km | Solid iron, as hot as the Sun’s surface |
Real Records You Pass
- 828 m: the height of the Burj Khalifa.
- About 2.2 km: Veryovkina, the deepest known cave.
- About 4 km: some of the deepest gold mines on Earth.
- 8,849 m: Mount Everest would fit in your hole.
- About 11 km: the Challenger Deep, the bottom of the ocean.
- 12,262 m: the Kola Superdeep Borehole, the deepest hole humans ever drilled.
Tips
- Keep the Elevator close to your drill speed: ore you can’t haul is wasted.
- Upgrade Cooling a little before you need it; the red warning means you are already losing speed.
- Tap a lot in the first minutes: Turbo makes the early layers fly by.
- Your first new borehole is worth it: even a few crystals make the next run much faster.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is CORE DRILL?
CORE DRILL is a free idle game in your browser where you drill a hole from the surface of the Earth to its center, 6,371 km down. You sell the ore you dig, upgrade your rig and pass real records along the way.
Are the depths and temperatures real?
They are based on real approximate values: the Kola Superdeep Borehole reached 12,262 m, the crust ends around 35 km under continents, the outer core starts at about 2,890 km and the center is around 5,400 °C. The game simplifies the details so it stays fun.
How do I go faster?
Tap the screen to dig faster and charge Turbo (×3 for 15 seconds). Upgrade the Drill Bit and Engine for speed, the Elevator to haul more ore, the Refinery for ore value and Cooling to survive the heat deep down.
What happens when it gets too hot?
Every layer is hotter than the last. If the temperature passes your Cooling limit, the drill slows down a lot. Upgrade Cooling to keep going.
What are Core Crystals?
Once you pass 12 km you can start a new borehole. You lose your money and upgrades but earn Core Crystals, each giving +15% speed, haul and value forever.
Is it free?
Yes. It is free, works on desktop and mobile, saves automatically and keeps drilling at 50% speed while you are away.
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