diff --git a/app/src/lib/launchpad/queries.ts b/app/src/lib/launchpad/queries.ts
index fcffad3..43fc871 100644
--- a/app/src/lib/launchpad/queries.ts
+++ b/app/src/lib/launchpad/queries.ts
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ import { SNIPER_BLOCKS } from "./holders";
 import { imagePublicBase } from "./imageStore";
 import { fdvQuote, quotePerToken, tickToTokensPerQuote, units } from "./math";
 import type { RawCandle } from "./candles";
-import { normalizeQuery, isAddressQuery, rankHit, type LaunchFilter } from "./search";
+import { normalizeQuery, isAddressQuery, escapeLike, compareSearchHit, type LaunchFilter } from "./search";
 
 /**
  * Read model for the UI. Every money field comes in two flavours: raw quote
@@ -306,7 +306,7 @@ export async function getLaunch(chain: ChainKey, token: string, ethUsd: number |
 export async function findLaunchChain(token: string): Promise<ChainKey | null> {
   const db = maybeDb();
   if (!db) return null;
-  const rows = await db<{ chain_id: number }[]>`SELECT chain_id FROM bb_launches WHERE token = ${token.toLowerCase()} ORDER BY block_number DESC LIMIT 1`;
+  const rows = await db<{ chain_id: number }[]>`SELECT chain_id FROM bb_launches WHERE token = ${token.toLowerCase()} ORDER BY block_time DESC, chain_id DESC, block_number DESC LIMIT 1`;
   return rows[0] ? chainKeyOf(rows[0].chain_id) : null;
 }
 
@@ -430,9 +430,13 @@ export async function searchLaunches(q: string, opts: { chain?: ChainKey | null;
   const chainCond = opts.chain ? db`AND l.chain_id = ${chainIdOf(opts.chain)}` : db``;
   const rows = isAddressQuery(n)
     ? await db<Raw[]>`${db.unsafe(SELECT)} WHERE l.token = ${n} ${chainCond}`
-    : await db<Raw[]>`${db.unsafe(SELECT)} WHERE (l.name ILIKE ${"%" + n + "%"} OR l.symbol ILIKE ${"%" + n + "%"}) ${chainCond} ORDER BY l.block_number DESC LIMIT 200`;
+    // LIKE metacharacters in n are escaped (ESCAPE '\'): a search for "%" or
+    // "_" matches those literal characters, not every row. Pre-limit orders by
+    // block time — never raw block numbers across chains (Base heights dwarf
+    // Robinhood's, so the old ORDER BY hid exact matches on the low chain).
+    : await db<Raw[]>`${db.unsafe(SELECT)} WHERE (l.name ILIKE ${"%" + escapeLike(n) + "%"} ESCAPE '\\' OR l.symbol ILIKE ${"%" + escapeLike(n) + "%"} ESCAPE '\\') ${chainCond} ORDER BY l.block_time DESC, l.chain_id DESC, l.block_number DESC LIMIT 200`;
   const shaped = rows.map((r) => shape(r, opts.ethUsd ?? null));
-  shaped.sort((a, b) => rankHit(a, n) - rankHit(b, n) || b.block_number - a.block_number);
+  shaped.sort((a, b) => compareSearchHit(a, b, n));
   return shaped.slice(0, limit);
 }
 
diff --git a/app/src/lib/launchpad/search.test.ts b/app/src/lib/launchpad/search.test.ts
index 257f16d..274042e 100644
--- a/app/src/lib/launchpad/search.test.ts
+++ b/app/src/lib/launchpad/search.test.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 import { test } from "node:test";
 import assert from "node:assert/strict";
-import { isAddressQuery, matchesFilter, matchesQuery, normalizeQuery, rankHit } from "./search.ts";
+import { compareSearchHit, escapeLike, isAddressQuery, matchesFilter, matchesQuery, normalizeQuery, rankHit, type RankedHit } from "./search.ts";
 
 const row = (o: Partial<Parameters<typeof matchesQuery>[0]> = {}) => ({
   name: "Clear Sky",
@@ -52,3 +52,42 @@ test("rankHit orders symbol exact < symbol prefix < name prefix < substring", ()
   assert.equal(rankHit(row(), "clear"), 2);
   assert.equal(rankHit(row(), "ear"), 3);
 });
+
+test("escapeLike neutralizes LIKE wildcards and the escape char", () => {
+  assert.equal(escapeLike("abc"), "abc");
+  assert.equal(escapeLike("a%b"), "a\\%b");
+  assert.equal(escapeLike("a_b"), "a\\_b");
+  assert.equal(escapeLike("a\\b"), "a\\\\b");
+  assert.equal(escapeLike("%_%"), "\\%\\_\\%");
+});
+
+const hit = (o: Partial<RankedHit> = {}): RankedHit => ({
+  ...row(),
+  chain_id: 8453,
+  block_number: 30_000_000,
+  ...o,
+});
+
+test("compareSearchHit: relevance first, then cross-chain newest-first", () => {
+  const exactLowChain = hit({ symbol: "FOO", chain_id: 7777777, block_number: 5_000, block_time: "2026-09-11T23:59:00.000Z" });
+  const substringHighChain = hit({ symbol: "XFOOX", name: "Xfoox thing", chain_id: 8453, block_number: 30_000_000, block_time: "2026-09-12T00:00:00.000Z" });
+  assert.ok(compareSearchHit(exactLowChain, substringHighChain, "foo") < 0, "exact match on a low-height chain beats a newer substring match");
+  assert.ok(compareSearchHit(substringHighChain, exactLowChain, "foo") > 0);
+});
+
+test("compareSearchHit: same rank orders by block time, not raw block number", () => {
+  const olderHighHeight = hit({ symbol: "FOOA", chain_id: 8453, block_number: 30_000_000, block_time: "2026-09-11T00:00:00.000Z" });
+  const newerLowHeight = hit({ symbol: "FOOB", chain_id: 7777777, block_number: 5_000, block_time: "2026-09-12T00:00:00.000Z" });
+  assert.ok(compareSearchHit(newerLowHeight, olderHighHeight, "foo") < 0, "newer launch wins despite a far lower block number");
+  const sorted = [olderHighHeight, newerLowHeight].sort((a, b) => compareSearchHit(a, b, "foo"));
+  assert.deepEqual(sorted.map((r) => r.symbol), ["FOOB", "FOOA"]);
+});
+
+test("compareSearchHit: rank dominates time; ties break deterministically", () => {
+  const newerSubstring = hit({ symbol: "XFOOX", name: "Xfoox", block_time: "2026-09-12T00:00:00.000Z", block_number: 30_000_001 });
+  const olderPrefix = hit({ symbol: "FOOX", block_time: "2026-09-11T00:00:00.000Z", block_number: 30_000_000 });
+  assert.ok(compareSearchHit(olderPrefix, newerSubstring, "foo") < 0, "prefix beats newer substring");
+  const a = hit({ symbol: "FOO", block_time: "2026-09-12T00:00:00.000Z", chain_id: 8453, block_number: 7 });
+  const b = hit({ symbol: "FOO", block_time: "2026-09-12T00:00:00.000Z", chain_id: 8453, block_number: 7 });
+  assert.equal(compareSearchHit(a, b, "foo"), 0);
+});
diff --git a/app/src/lib/launchpad/search.ts b/app/src/lib/launchpad/search.ts
index 4937adc..48b935c 100644
--- a/app/src/lib/launchpad/search.ts
+++ b/app/src/lib/launchpad/search.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 /** Pure search / filter helpers (client + server; node --test loads this directly). */
+import { newestFirst } from "./paging";
 export type LaunchFilter = "fee0" | "burn" | "usdg" | "gitlawb" | "today";
 /** `chain`: the filter only makes sense on that chain (its quote is not offered elsewhere) → hidden when another chain is selected. */
 export const FILTERS: { key: LaunchFilter; label: string; title: string; chain?: "base" | "robinhood" }[] = [
@@ -50,3 +51,25 @@ export function rankHit(l: Matchable, q: string): number {
   if (name.startsWith(n)) return 2;
   return 3;
 }
+
+/**
+ * Escape user input for a Postgres LIKE/ILIKE pattern (`%`, `_` and the escape
+ * char itself). Without this, searching for `%` or `_` matches nearly every
+ * row instead of the literal character.
+ */
+export function escapeLike(s: string): string {
+  return s.replace(/\\/g, "\\\\").replace(/%/g, "\\%").replace(/_/g, "\\_");
+}
+
+/** A search hit with the cross-chain ordering keys (block numbers are only comparable within one chain). */
+export type RankedHit = Matchable & { chain_id: number; block_number: number };
+
+/**
+ * Full search ordering: relevance rank first, then cross-chain newest-first
+ * (block time, chain id, block number — never raw block numbers across
+ * chains, mirroring the list sorts). The SQL pre-limit must use the same key
+ * or exact matches on a low-height chain never reach the ranker.
+ */
+export function compareSearchHit(a: RankedHit, b: RankedHit, q: string): number {
+  return rankHit(a, q) - rankHit(b, q) || newestFirst(a, b);
+}