BLACKPINK: THE GAME Photocards Guide

BLACKPINK: THE GAME is all about photo cards. The in-game photocards are not only there to give you a glimpse into the life of a BLACKPINK band member but also to help you complete the various Tetris-like puzzles the game throws you away.

Here at now.gg, we realized there wasn’t any real good guide to the photocard system in BLACKPINK: THE GAME, so we decided to give an overview of how everything works.

What are Photocards?

BLACKPINK: THE GAME is all about photocards. They are there to provide you with cool photos of the band (some of which can be seen nowhere else), but also to help you to complete the various levels of the game.

You need to learn how to use photo cards properly, or you’ve got no chance of progressing through the game, and believe us, the game will force you to use those photo cards properly. In fact, the tutorial will be heavily focused on it.

Of course, when you’re not playing (normally when you’re waiting for your resources to accumulate), you can look at the pictures of the beautiful women in BLACKPINK through your photocard collection. 

How to Use Photocards

While there are a few different features to BLACKPINK: THE GAME it is, at heart, a mobile puzzle game. 

The goal of BLACKPINK: THE GAME is to clear a board of various tiles. The idea is that by clearing these tiles, you’re scheduling the BLACKPINK girls for a variety of tasks. 

When you look at the collection of photocards (which you can see each time a puzzle starts or in the dedicated photocard section), you’ll notice that there is a small symbol on the bottom right-hand corner. This will be a shape formed of blocks. If you’ve ever played Tetris, it’ll look familiar. That shape is important, as it will allow you to clear the puzzles. Here’s how it works:

1. Draw a shape on the schedule cards that match the shape featured on one of your photo cards.
2. Select the correct photocard to clear the scheduled space.

You should always choose the highest-scoring card to fit in the scheduled slot. This will give you more points, meaning you can 3-star the level, giving you more resources. The more complicated the block shape, the more points you get (but the harder it is to clear the rest of the cards). 

Every so often, you’ll notice a block with a band member’s name on it. When this happens, you’ll need to use a card featuring that band member to clear the block.

Don’t worry if this seems confusing. The tutorial will guide you through exactly how to clear the schedule using your photocards.

How to Unlock Photocards

BLACKPINK: THE GAME will give you some basic cards to play with, but they won’t be enough to 3-star the levels or even progress through later stages. You’ll need to unlock more cards.

The game will give you free cards every so often, but BLACKPINK: THE GAME is what is known as a gacha game. Using a card draw system, you can pay to unlock random cards from booster packs. You can use real cash for this (the easiest way) or use free resources you’ve gained from completing missions in the game. 

You can access the gacha system of BLACKPINK: THE GAME at all times when you’re on the scheduling mission page.

Leveling Up Photocards

To win at BLACKPINK: THE GAME, you’ll need to score as many points as possible. You can’t do this with a level 1 version of the photocards you have (the default). You’ll need to level them up using resources.

Remember when you create record rooms, recording studios, and merchandising in the game? Well, they give you the resources you need to level up your cards.

To level up a card:

1. Click ‘Photocards’ from the scheduling page.
2. Select the card you want to level up.
3. Look at the resources you need to level the card up.
4. Invest your resources.

It’s pretty simple. However, we encourage you to only level up the ‘good’ cards. This means the high-scoring cards (which you typically unlock using the gacha system), as well as those with more unique shapes since you’ll need them quite often later on in the game.

Try to level your best cards up to level 5. In some cases, this will unlock an autograph version of the card. It doesn’t necessarily mean much (other than visually), but many people who play BLACKPINK: THE GAME will regularly share their photocard collection, so you can get kudos for a great selection of cards!

Slow and Steady Wins the Race

BLACKPINK: THE GAME isn’t a game where you can unlock all the photocards in a day (unless you have unlimited funds). It may take years if you’re playing Free to Play. Don’t rush this game. There’s a lot to discover, and, in reality, you don’t need every photocard to complete it.

Want to Play BLACKPINK: THE GAME?

Here at now.gg, we make it easy! You can play BLACKPINK: THE GAME and start to unlock photocards right here on our website. We let you play BLACKPINK: THE GAME via Cloud, meaning you can play BLACKPINK: THE GAME no matter the computer or mobile gadget you have. Cool, right? Means you can start to tinker about with the Blackpink photocard system quicker!