diff --git a/components/Game.tsx b/components/Game.tsx
index ecb6a60..ad42945 100644
--- a/components/Game.tsx
+++ b/components/Game.tsx
@@ -108,6 +108,10 @@ export default function Game({ dailyPuzzle, genre = null, isSpecial = false, max
 
     const handleGuess = (song: any) => {
         if (isProcessingGuess) return;
+        // Prevent guessing if already solved or failed
+        if (gameState?.isSolved || gameState?.isFailed) {
+            return;
+        }
 
         setIsProcessingGuess(true);
         setLastAction('GUESS');
@@ -159,6 +163,9 @@ export default function Game({ dailyPuzzle, genre = null, isSpecial = false, max
     };
 
     const handleSkip = () => {
+        // Prevent skipping if already solved or failed
+        if (gameState?.isSolved || gameState?.isFailed) return;
+        
         // If user hasn't played audio yet on first attempt, start it instead of skipping
         if (gameState.guesses.length === 0 && !hasPlayedAudio) {
             handleStartAudio();
@@ -187,6 +194,9 @@ export default function Game({ dailyPuzzle, genre = null, isSpecial = false, max
     };
 
     const handleGiveUp = () => {
+        // Prevent giving up if already solved or failed
+        if (gameState?.isSolved || gameState?.isFailed) return;
+        
         setLastAction('SKIP');
         addGuess("SKIPPED", false);
         giveUp(); // Ensure game is marked as failed and score reset to 0
diff --git a/lib/gameState.ts b/lib/gameState.ts
index 5281a91..f1d16c9 100644
--- a/lib/gameState.ts
+++ b/lib/gameState.ts
@@ -61,6 +61,17 @@ export function useGameState(
         yearGuessed: false
     });
 
+    const createNewStatistics = (): Statistics => ({
+        solvedIn1: 0,
+        solvedIn2: 0,
+        solvedIn3: 0,
+        solvedIn4: 0,
+        solvedIn5: 0,
+        solvedIn6: 0,
+        solvedIn7: 0,
+        failed: 0,
+    });
+
     useEffect(() => {
         const today = getTodayISOString();
         
@@ -86,63 +97,90 @@ export function useGameState(
                         await savePlayerState(genreKey, newState, loadedStats);
                         return;
                     }
+                } else {
+                    // No backend state found - check localStorage before creating new state
+                    const storageKey = getStorageKey();
+                    const stored = localStorage.getItem(storageKey);
+
+                    if (stored) {
+                        const parsed = JSON.parse(stored);
+                        if (parsed.date === today) {
+                            // Migration for existing states without score
+                            if (parsed.score === undefined) {
+                                parsed.score = INITIAL_SCORE;
+                                parsed.replayCount = 0;
+                                parsed.skipCount = 0;
+                                parsed.scoreBreakdown = [{ value: INITIAL_SCORE, reason: 'Start value' }];
+                                parsed.yearGuessed = false;
+                            }
+                            setGameState(parsed as GameState);
+                            // Also save to backend for cross-domain sync
+                            const statsKey = getStatsKey();
+                            const storedStats = localStorage.getItem(statsKey);
+                            const stats = storedStats ? JSON.parse(storedStats) : createNewStatistics();
+                            if (!statistics) {
+                                setStatistics(stats);
+                            }
+                            await savePlayerState(genreKey, parsed as GameState, stats);
+                            return;
+                        }
+                    }
+                    
+                    // No state found - create new state
+                    const newState = createNewState(today);
+                    setGameState(newState);
+                    localStorage.setItem(getStorageKey(), JSON.stringify(newState));
+                    const newStats = createNewStatistics();
+                    setStatistics(newStats);
+                    localStorage.setItem(getStatsKey(), JSON.stringify(newStats));
+                    await savePlayerState(genreKey, newState, newStats);
+                    return;
                 }
             } catch (error) {
                 console.warn('[gameState] Failed to load from backend, falling back to localStorage:', error);
-            }
-            
-            // Fallback to localStorage
-            const storageKey = getStorageKey();
-            const stored = localStorage.getItem(storageKey);
+                
+                // Fallback to localStorage only on error
+                const storageKey = getStorageKey();
+                const stored = localStorage.getItem(storageKey);
 
-            if (stored) {
-                const parsed = JSON.parse(stored);
-                if (parsed.date === today) {
-                    // Migration for existing states without score
-                    if (parsed.score === undefined) {
-                        parsed.score = INITIAL_SCORE;
-                        parsed.replayCount = 0;
-                        parsed.skipCount = 0;
-                        parsed.scoreBreakdown = [{ value: INITIAL_SCORE, reason: 'Start value' }];
-                        parsed.yearGuessed = false;
+                if (stored) {
+                    const parsed = JSON.parse(stored);
+                    if (parsed.date === today) {
+                        // Migration for existing states without score
+                        if (parsed.score === undefined) {
+                            parsed.score = INITIAL_SCORE;
+                            parsed.replayCount = 0;
+                            parsed.skipCount = 0;
+                            parsed.scoreBreakdown = [{ value: INITIAL_SCORE, reason: 'Start value' }];
+                            parsed.yearGuessed = false;
+                        }
+                        setGameState(parsed as GameState);
+                        
+                        // Load statistics from localStorage
+                        const statsKey = getStatsKey();
+                        const storedStats = localStorage.getItem(statsKey);
+                        if (storedStats) {
+                            const parsedStats = JSON.parse(storedStats);
+                            if (parsedStats.solvedIn7 === undefined) {
+                                parsedStats.solvedIn7 = 0;
+                            }
+                            setStatistics(parsedStats);
+                        } else {
+                            const newStats = createNewStatistics();
+                            setStatistics(newStats);
+                            localStorage.setItem(statsKey, JSON.stringify(newStats));
+                        }
+                        return;
                     }
-                    setGameState(parsed as GameState);
-                } else {
-                    // New day
-                    const newState = createNewState(today);
-                    setGameState(newState);
-                    localStorage.setItem(storageKey, JSON.stringify(newState));
                 }
-            } else {
-                // No state
+                
+                // No state found - create new state
                 const newState = createNewState(today);
                 setGameState(newState);
                 localStorage.setItem(storageKey, JSON.stringify(newState));
-            }
-
-            // Load statistics from localStorage
-            const statsKey = getStatsKey();
-            const storedStats = localStorage.getItem(statsKey);
-            if (storedStats) {
-                const parsedStats = JSON.parse(storedStats);
-                // Migration for existing stats without solvedIn7
-                if (parsedStats.solvedIn7 === undefined) {
-                    parsedStats.solvedIn7 = 0;
-                }
-                setStatistics(parsedStats);
-            } else {
-                const newStats: Statistics = {
-                    solvedIn1: 0,
-                    solvedIn2: 0,
-                    solvedIn3: 0,
-                    solvedIn4: 0,
-                    solvedIn5: 0,
-                    solvedIn6: 0,
-                    solvedIn7: 0,
-                    failed: 0,
-                };
+                const newStats = createNewStatistics();
                 setStatistics(newStats);
-                localStorage.setItem(statsKey, JSON.stringify(newStats));
+                localStorage.setItem(getStatsKey(), JSON.stringify(newStats));
             }
         };
         
@@ -203,6 +241,8 @@ export function useGameState(
 
     const addGuess = (guess: string, correct: boolean) => {
         if (!gameState) return;
+        // Prevent adding guesses if already solved or failed
+        if (gameState.isSolved || gameState.isFailed) return;
 
         const newGuesses = [...gameState.guesses, guess];
         const isSolved = correct;