There is no required tower order in Big Walk — you can reach most of the island early and fill tower consoles in any sequence. But each colored tower unlocks a different convenience, so the order you choose changes how the middle of the game feels. This page gives a recommended sequence that matches the site walkthrough, plus when to break it.
The short version
| Priority | Tower | What it unlocks | Why this order |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Red | The map room, handheld map and compass (Big View) | Navigation changes everything after it |
| 2 | Blue | The island trains (Big Ride) | The strongest mobility unlock early |
| 3 | Green | The chairlift (Big Sit) | Fast high-ground routes for mountain areas |
| 4 | Yellow | The tunnel network (Big Tunnel) | Cleanup hub and late-game secrets |
You still need all four towers before the campaign is complete — the order only decides when each convenience arrives.
Why Red first
The Red Tower is the map route: put five red prizes into its rooftop cases, cut the blank key through the five key cutters, and open the Map Room. Inside is a huge full-island diorama that doubles as a completion tracker — finished puzzles get a flag, prizes collected but not turned in are laid down — plus the handheld map and compass.
That tracker makes every later tower faster: you can see which prizes are outstanding and where towers sit relative to each other. Groups that skip Red first end up playing a memory game across the island. If you only do one tower "early", make it this one.
Then Blue for the trains
The Blue Tower takes five prizes (any five red prizes on the island count, per Quest Daily) and unlocks the trains — the best early mobility reward. Trains loop the island and become the backbone of the fast-travel routes, so unlocking them before the mountain phases pays off.
Green and Yellow: preference territory
Once Red and Blue are done, the last two are close in value:
- Green Tower → chairlift. A fast route to high ground for the mountain areas, and the route to Big Sit / Big Climb. Pick this next if your group hates cliff-climbing.
- Yellow Tower → tunnels. Opens the underground network, which is more of a cleanup hub: the metallic paint salon, fixed radio stations and several secrets live off the tunnels. Pick this next if your group is chasing collectibles or radios.
The site walkthrough sequences them Blue → Green → Yellow, but swapping Green and Yellow by preference costs very little.
How a tower works
Every colored tower follows the same loop:
- Solve puzzles to earn red prizes (the world hands out more than you need).
- Place five prizes in the tower's console or rooftop cases.
- Cut the blank key through the chain of key-cutting stations the tower reveals.
- Insert the finished key at the tower's reward station to power the unlock.
See the all puzzles guide for the prize/key system explained end to end.
When to break this order
- Backpack hunting groups: do Red first, then visit the blue circular buildings for backpacks — the map marks them.
- Prize hoarders: if your group loves collecting red prizes and hidden items, Yellow earlier is fine because tunnels connect the cleanup areas.
- Very large groups (8–12): a mobility unlock (trains or chairlift) helps bigger lobbies relocate; do Blue or Green sooner than Yellow.
- Speedrunners: check the speedrun skips page — some skips change the "intended" order entirely.
Sources
- Red Tower puzzle guide — map room route
- Blue Tower puzzle guide — train route
- Green Tower puzzle guide — chairlift route
- Yellow Tower puzzle guide — tunnel route
- Official Big Walk FAQ