Cellar keeper beginner guide

First hour checklist

Your first session in Cellar Keeper is about getting comfortable, not finishing fast. This is a single-player organizing simulator where you sort around 2,448 scattered bottles in a forgotten cellar, and the game is designed to let you move at your own pace. There are no timers and no timed input, so take your time learning how bottles behave.

• Scan the whole cellar first. Walk each aisle and note which shelves are empty and which racks already have bottles waiting nearby.
• Pick up bottles and inspect them. Grab anything close and get a feel for how carrying feels. You can hold multiple bottles at once, so start small.
• Match bottles to their shelf by type. The core rule is simple: every bottle belongs on the proper shelf, and collections are organized by type.
• Complete one full rack. This earns you the First Rack achievement and shows you the rhythm of the loop.
• Use controller or keyboard as you prefer. The game has full controller support and camera comfort options, so switch inputs early if something feels off.

You can save anytime, so there is no reason to force a long session. Close the game when you want, and Steam Cloud keeps your progress safe.

Core loops

Cellar Keeper repeats one satisfying cycle:pick up a bottle, identify its type, carry it to the correct shelf, and place it into its rack. The challenge comes from planning routes and carrying multiple bottles at once instead of making a separate trip for everything.

• Grab several bottles per trip. The Juggling Act achievement requires holding 10 bottles at the same time, which becomes much easier once you know where each type lives.
• Complete racks for milestones. Every completed rack counts toward progression, and the bigger achievements unlock at 10, 50, 100, 200, and 400 racks.
• Unlock helpful abilities. As you restore order, you unlock skills that make sorting faster. Unlocking every skill earns the Peak Efficiency achievement.
• Check the leaderboards if you like speed. Steam Leaderboards track your efficiency, but they are optional. Play at your own pace first.

Return every bottle to its proper shelf, organize collections by type, unlock helpful abilities, and restore perfect order as efficiently as possible.

Your efficiency improves naturally. You will start by carrying one or two bottles and end by planning full loops through the cellar, grabbing everything that belongs near your destination.

Early mistakes to avoid

New players usually slow themselves down in a few predictable ways. Keep these in mind and you will save a lot of walking.

• Carrying random bottles without a route. Always know which shelf you are heading to before you grab anything. Matching your carried bottles to a nearby rack makes every trip count.
• Mixing types on the same trip. If two bottles belong in opposite corners, you are paying twice for one trip. Group bottles by shelf area instead.
• Ignoring unlockable abilities. Skills exist to remove friction. If a skill is available and you keep skipping it, sorting will take longer than it needs to.
• Treating it like a race. Speedrun Mode exists separately and has its own achievement,No Shortcuts. For your first playthrough, focus on accuracy and learning layouts.
• Forgetting you can save anytime. If you are burnt out on one section, save and come back fresh. You never lose progress mid-session.

The most common frustration is reorganizing the same bottles twice. Fix that by always placing bottles into their proper shelf on the first visit, even if it means walking a little farther.

What to do next

Once you finish your first hour and understand the loop, set small goals. The achievement list doubles as a natural progression guide for the early game.

• Complete 10 racks for the Getting Organized achievement, then push to 50 racks for Rack by Rack.
• Unlock every skill to earn Peak Efficiency. Your sorting speed will noticeably improve once the full kit is available.
• Aim for the long milestone achievements. The path leads through 100 racks(Cellar Expert),200 racks(Master Organizer), and 400 racks(Keeper of the Cellar).
• Work toward Perfect Order by completing every rack and fully restoring the cellar. This is the ultimate goal of the whole game.
• Try Speedrun Mode later. After you know the cellar layout, you can chase the No Shortcuts achievement and compare times on Steam Leaderboards.

Keep your early runs relaxed. With save anytime, no timers, and no multiplayer pressure, Cellar Keeper rewards a calm, methodical approach. Build your habits now, and the later racks will feel like a satisfying puzzle instead of a chore.