13 Days to Escape Digging Guide: How to Dig Out of Your Cell

Quick answer

To dig out of your cell you need the Power Drill from the workshop. Saw through the cell window bars, climb out through the window during LOCKDOWN to collect the drill, then get back inside, crouch at the toilet base and use the screwdriver to “Unscrew” the bolts. Choose “Move aside” on the toilet to reveal a vertical tunnel, jump in with the drill and hold the left mouse button to drill through the dirt walls.

• Tools this route uses: a saw for the window bars, a screwdriver for the toilet bolts and the Power Drill for the dirt.
• The Power Drill is a free pickup on a workbench in the workshop.
• The tunnel sits under the toilet, so moving the toilet aside is what opens it.

The tools this dig uses

Digging out of the cell is not a single action. The route uses three tools, and each one solves a different obstacle, so it helps to know which obstacle each one clears before you start:

• Saw — cuts the cell window bars loose so you can climb out through the window during LOCKDOWN.
• Power Drill — the digging tool itself, and a free pickup on a workbench in the workshop, so reaching the workshop is part of the route.
• Screwdriver — removes the toilet bolts so the toilet can be moved aside, which is what exposes the tunnel.

The drill is the only one of the three you collect along the way; have the saw and the screwdriver in your inventory before you start. The whole run, in order: get back to your cell when the RETURN TO CELLS countdown runs, saw the window bars, climb out during LOCKDOWN, grab the Power Drill from the workshop, return to your cell, unscrew and move the toilet, jump into the tunnel, and drill.

Step 1: Saw the window bars from inside your cell

The cell window is your way out, but first the bars have to go. When the RETURN TO CELLS alert starts its countdown, make sure you are back inside your cell before it ends. Once you are in, use the saw on the window bars: a “Saw bars” progress bar fills up as you cut, and once it is full, the bars come off.

After the bars are removed, the cell door locks for LOCKDOWN. That is exactly the state you want: with the door locked, the open window becomes your way out.

Step 2: Climb out during LOCKDOWN and grab the Power Drill

During LOCKDOWN, climb out through the window you just cleared and sneak into the vehicle area behind the cell block. Look for the workshop with yellow-black hazard markings — the Power Drill used for digging sits free on a workbench inside.

The same trip can pay twice: an open prisoner transport in the vehicle area holds cash stacks you can collect while you are there.

Once the drill is in your inventory, head back to your cell. The tunnel you are after is underneath the toilet inside it.

Step 3: Unscrew and move the toilet

Back in your cell, crouch at the base of the toilet. Use the screwdriver and choose “Unscrew” to take the bolts out, then pick “Move aside” on the toilet. Moving it reveals the vertical tunnel opening, which you can jump into with the drill.

This is the step where the two tools come together: the screwdriver handles the bolts, and the Power Drill has to be in your inventory for the tunnel.

Step 4: Drill through the dirt

Inside the tunnel, hold the left mouse button and the Power Drill cuts through the dirt walls. That is the whole digging control — keep the button held and keep drilling.

What the dig leads to

In the run shown in the walkthrough, the tunnel segment closes out the day: the screen goes black, typewriter text spells out “Day 2”, and the player wakes up into the daily loop again — ROLL CALL, library book sorting and deliveries like book #043.

If you are following the whole escape, the full walkthrough covers the complete route, the move toilet and tunnels guide pages zoom in on the neighboring steps, and the tools guide rounds up the game's tools.