Cellar Keeper Guides
Walkthroughs for organizing the cellar, upgrading skills, and finishing every mode.
Cellar Keeper is a cozy organizing simulator from EgoTrampoline, available on Steam (app 4935510) since August 6, 2026. Your job is deceptively simple on paper and enormous in practice: sort 2,448 wine bottles by variety onto the correct racks and cabinets scattered across a sprawling cellar. These guides cover every stage of that marathon, from your first misplaced bottle to the moment you restore order enough to break the curse on the collector trapped as a chicken in a cage.
Whether you are playing for relaxation in Cozy Mode, chasing leaderboard times in Speedrun Mode, or sweating every dropped bottle in Hardcore Mode, the fundamentals stay the same. Labels matter, the central map is your best friend, and smart skill investments in Cozy Mode can save hours of back-and-forth walking. Use this hub as your roadmap.
Start here if you are new
If you have never opened the cellar door, begin with the Getting Started guide. It walks through label reading, the carry list on the left side of the screen, cabinet shelf rules, and the yellow versus gray placement feedback that tells you instantly whether a bottle belongs. You will also learn why wine type (the second line on each label) is usually more important than brand when deciding where a bottle goes.
From there, move to How to Organize Bottles for a deeper sorting workflow: batching pickups, using the map symbols, and avoiding shelf lock-in mistakes when the first bottle placed on a shelf claims that shelf for its brand.
Skills, progression, and efficiency
Cozy Mode lets you earn skill points by completing shelves, with smaller shelves rewarding points first so you can unlock upgrades early. The How to Prioritize Skills guide ranks all seven upgradeable skills — Spot Matches, Batch Grab, Quick Order, Target Hint, Auto Place, Sprint, and Jump — and explains why Batch Grab is considered essential for serious progress.
For a quick reference on which abilities deserve your points first, cross-check the Skills Tier List and the individual breakdowns for Spot Matches and Batch Grab. Remember that skill cooldowns can be refreshed by quitting and relaunching the game; we mention that as an optional tip, not a requirement, for players who want to optimize burst sorting sessions.
Finishing the cellar and choosing a mode
When the floor is mostly clear and you are thinking about the endgame, read How to Complete the Cellar. It covers pacing the final cabinets, clearing partial shelves efficiently, and tying progress to the ten Steam achievements such as Perfect Order, Peak Efficiency, and Master Organizer.
Not sure which ruleset fits your mood? Cozy Mode vs Speedrun Mode compares upgrade access, leaderboards, and the Hardcore twist where bottles can break if you are careless. Speedrun strips upgrades entirely, while Cozy is where long-term skill growth lives.
Story and the cursed collector
Beneath the sorting loop is a light narrative: a wealthy collector was cursed and transformed into a chicken locked in a cage, and restoring the cellar is how you free him. The dedicated guide How to Free the Keeper explains how cellar completion connects to that story beat without spoiling every ambient detail you will discover while playing.
All guides in this section
| Guide | Best for |
|---|---|
| Getting Started | First session basics and controls |
| How to Organize Bottles | Label rules, map symbols, shelf logic |
| How to Prioritize Skills | Skill point spending order |
| How to Complete the Cellar | Endgame pacing and achievements |
| Cozy Mode vs Speedrun Mode | Mode differences and leaderboards |
| How to Free the Keeper | Story goal and completion payoff |
| Find Misplaced Bottles | Late-game shelf audits when two bottles hide |
| System Requirements | PC minimum and recommended specs |
| Troubleshooting | Launch errors, antivirus, naming quirks |
The navigation dropdown shows a limited set of guides and links the rest through this hub — open the table above whenever you need the full list.
Tips that apply to every guide
Keep the central map open when you enter a new room so you can match cabinet symbols to wine types before carrying bottles across the cellar. Carry up to ten bottles at once and watch the left-side carry list to avoid mixing brands mid-run. When a shelf flashes yellow, the bottle is correct; gray means wrong placement or wrong cabinet — fix it before moving on so partial shelves do not block skill point rewards.
Cellar Keeper rewards patience and pattern recognition more than frantic clicking. Pick the guide that matches your current bottleneck, follow its internal links to related pages, and return here whenever you unlock a new wing of the cellar and need a refresher on what to do next.
Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers to the most common questions.
Which Cellar Keeper guide should I read first?
Start with [Getting Started](/guides/getting-started/) if you are new, then [How to Organize Bottles](/guides/how-to-organize-bottles/) once you understand basic controls and label layout.
Do these guides cover all 2,448 bottles?
Yes. The organizing and completion guides explain how to sort every bottle by variety using the map, cabinets, and shelf rules that apply across the full cellar.
Where can I learn about skills and upgrades?
Read [How to Prioritize Skills](/guides/how-to-prioritize-skills/) for Cozy Mode progression, then check the [Skills Tier List](/skills/tier-list/) for ranked recommendations.
Is there a guide for Speedrun and Hardcore modes?
See [Cozy Mode vs Speedrun Mode](/guides/cozy-vs-speedrun/) for mode rules, leaderboards, and how Hardcore bottle breakage changes your approach.