Preview
What is Gondola Gang?
Gondola Gang is a colour-sorting puzzle in your browser where you send riders from a crowded platform into cable-car gondolas of their own team. Only riders with an open path to the front can move, and anyone who does not match the waiting gondola sits on a small bench, so each tap is a small plan. The 30 levels grow from 9 riders and 3 gondolas to 42 riders and 14 gondolas, adding rocks, hooded riders and a fifth team, with no timer.
Key facts
- Genre
- Puzzle
- Players
- 1 (single player)
- Levels
- 30, in 4 mountain stations
- Three stars
- No call-backs, bench never full
- Bench seats
- 5 on levels 1–3, then 4
- Biggest platform
- 7×7, 42 riders, 14 gondolas
- Session length
- 5–10 min
- Platform
- Web browser
- Devices
- Desktop, tablet, mobile
- Price
- Free
- Sign-up
- Not required
How do you play Gondola Gang?
Send every rider up the mountain. Tap a rider in the front row, or one joined to it by empty squares. If their beanie matches the gondola at the dock they climb in; otherwise they wait on the bench. Three riders fill a gondola, it leaves, and the next one in the queue arrives; bench riders of its team hop in first. With the bench full, only the waiting gondola's team may step out, and the level is lost if none can reach the front. Rocks arrive on level 9, hooded riders on level 17 and a fifth team on level 25.
Tips & strategy
- Look two gondolas ahead on the cable line and free a path to those teams before their gondola arrives.
- Bench a rider only if they open a path to the waiting team, and never fill the last seat unless the next tap empties it.
- A rider with a ringed bench seat boards the moment there is room, so count bench riders as seats already taken.
- On Mist Peak, open a path to hooded riders early so their team is known before you need the bench.
- Rocks never move, so the squares beside a rock are the only way past it: clear them before the riders behind are needed.
What are the controls in Gondola Gang?
| ACTION | INPUT |
|---|---|
| Send them to the gondola or bench | Tap a rider |
| Send them to the gondola or bench | Click a rider |
| Move between riders | Arrow keys |
| Send the chosen rider | Enter or Space |
| Return the last rider | Call back button · U or Z |
| Light up a good next rider | Hint button · H |
| Put the platform back | Start over button · R |
| Pause the level | Pause button · P or Esc |
Plays with keyboard, mouse, and touch. Fullscreen works in desktop and mobile browsers.
Gondola Gang FAQ
What happens when the bench fills up in Gondola Gang?
Only riders of the waiting gondola's team may step out after that. If one of them can still reach the front, play goes on and the bench empties as gondolas of its teams arrive. If none can, the level is lost and a sheet offers to call the last rider back or start over. Bench riders board on their own as soon as their gondola docks.
What should you avoid to earn all three stars on a Gondola Gang level?
Clear the level without any call-backs and without the bench ever reaching its last seat. Clearing gives one star, no call-backs adds one, and a bench that was never full adds the third. Every level was checked by an exact search with one bench seat fewer, so a three-star route always exists. Hints are free and do not affect stars.
Why can't I tap some riders in Gondola Gang?
They are boxed in. A rider can step out only from the front row, or through empty squares that join them to the front row up, down, left or right. Boxed-in riders look greyer and stand lower, and tapping one shakes it and says why. Sending the riders around them first opens the way.
What are the hooded riders in Gondola Gang?
They first appear on level 17, Mist Peak, with three to six per platform. A grey hood with a question mark hides their team until a path to the front opens; then their beanie and its mark show. Their team is fixed from the start, so clearing a path to them early tells you which gondola they need before the bench gets busy.
Do riders on the bench ever board in Gondola Gang?
Yes, on their own. When a gondola of their team docks, up to three of them climb in before you tap anyone else, and a ring marks bench riders who match the gondola already waiting. That is why benching a rider whose gondola is next in line costs little, while benching a team that is far down the queue ties up a seat for a long time.
Does Call back cost anything in Gondola Gang?
It costs only the no-call-back star. Call back (the button, U or Z) returns the last rider to the platform, undoing their boarding or bench seat, and you can use it as often as you like, even from the bench-full sheet. Start over puts the whole platform back and resets the count, so a fresh run can still earn three stars.
How hard do the later Gondola Gang levels get?
Much harder than they look. A player who taps any allowed rider at random clears levels 1 and 2 every time, but 5% of runs or fewer on levels 26 to 30. The last platform is 7×7 with 42 riders, 14 gondolas, five teams, four rocks and six hooded riders, all with a 4-seat bench, so planning two gondolas ahead matters.
More games like this
