KKOTAMONIndependent field guide
Field guide

KOTAMON Full Walkthrough & Ending Roadmap

Follow KOTAMON from the first trash run to the ending, with safe upgrade, money, card, treasure, and cleanup priorities.

Updated 2026-08-26 · Evidence-backed · Spoiler-aware

Section 01

What this walkthrough does—and does not spoil

This is a route through KOTAMON's real progression systems, not a scene-by-scene copy of a five-hour video. It tells you what to protect, when to spend, how to avoid turning completion into extra grinding, and how to recognize the late-game push. The official Steam page defines the core loop as cleaning the dump, completing Jenny's orders, finding treasures, and collecting Kotámon cards. A retail-version full-game recording shows those activities continuing into the ending. Because balance changed immediately after launch, this guide avoids fixed income-per-minute claims and does not pretend that one recorded playthrough proves every possible trigger or ending variation.

Section 02

Phase 1: learn one complete trash run

For the opening session, learn the route between the yard, Jenny, the compactor, your collection area, and the upgrade point. Pick up ordinary waste, but separate cards, figurines, tapes, outfits, cereal boxes, and unfamiliar objects before processing anything. Complete a short delivery, note the cash gained, then leave through the normal menu after the game has had a chance to save. Do not judge the whole economy from one lucky treasure. Your useful opening milestones are the publicly listed achievements for recycling seven bags, finding the first card, buying one upgrade, turning on the radio, and holding $1,000; they confirm that you have touched the main systems without requiring a perfect route.

Section 03

Phase 2: spend to remove the bottleneck you actually feel

Buy one upgrade at a time and test the next full run. If you return with space left but run out of stamina, improve endurance; if you repeatedly abandon useful trash because the bag is full, improve capacity; if travel dominates the cycle, movement becomes more valuable. This is better than copying an old demo shopping list. In the developer's August 21 retail update, upgrade costs were rebalanced and demo money and upgrades were deliberately reset while card progress was retained. That makes precise demo-era prices and universal upgrade orders unreliable. Steam achievements confirm milestones for one upgrade, 20 upgrades, one maxed stat, and all upgrades, but they do not prescribe the order.

Section 04

Phase 3: run money and collection as two separate goals

Ordinary recyclable waste is dependable income; a new card or collectible is progression. Keep the first copy of every card and sell only a duplicate after comparing condition and displayed value. The official store explains that damaged cards can be repaired or traded and that better condition raises price. It also says treasures can be sold, while Steam achievements require figurines, audiotapes, outfits, color sets, and foils. Therefore an object's sale price is not proof that selling it now is the best decision. Build cash with repeatable trash deliveries, not by liquidating the only copy of something you may need later.

Section 05

Phase 4: clear Jenny's work while opening the yard

Treat Jenny's orders and general cleanup as the spine of the playthrough. Each trip should do three jobs: advance the current order, remove waste that blocks inspection, and bring back enough ordinary material to fund the next useful upgrade. Do not wander only for rare cards while large parts of the yard remain buried. The public achievement 'Is That All?' specifically tracks removing all garbage in the yard, while the recycling chain rises from 7 to 69, 256, and 999 bags. This confirms that clearing and processing are long-term objectives, not disposable tutorial chores. If one area appears empty, check behind large piles and around structures before assuming the game has stopped spawning progress.

Section 06

Phase 5: sweep the fixed treasures before farming random drops

Once movement and capacity feel comfortable, make a deliberate landmark sweep. Six reported figurines are fixed pickups around the compactor, Jenny's office and garage, the central yard, the crashed truck, and the office-roof route; the other six are reported as random trash-pile finds. Keep these phases separate. If you have six map figurines, searching for an imaginary seventh fixed coordinate wastes time. Continue clearing piles for the random half while checking the display and the Steam milestones at 1, 5, 9, and 12 figurines. The launch update increased the chance of figurines and cosplay cases, so the time required can differ from a release-day recording.

Section 07

Phase 6: finish cards without sacrificing the economy

Use the binder to turn a vague hunt into a missing-item list. First complete the four visible color families—white, red, blue, and purple—then identify missing foils separately. Cereal boxes matter because opening one and opening ten have Steam achievements, but no official source publishes a guaranteed box-to-foil rate. Buy or open them for collection progress, not because a guide promises automatic profit. Repair and compare duplicates before selling; do not spend an entire cash reserve chasing the last random result. The public achievement list distinguishes a full foil set from collecting all foil cards, so a partial foil milestone is not the same as total completion.

Section 08

Phase 7: prepare for the late-game money push

Late in the run, stop alternating between expensive upgrades and savings every few minutes. Finish upgrades that materially shorten the collection route, then choose a cash checkpoint and hold spending until it registers. Steam publicly verifies achievements for holding $1,000, $10,000, $50,000, and $100,000. The game's full title and retail walkthrough frame earning $1,000,000 as the larger story objective, but the public achievement list alone does not establish the exact ending trigger. For that reason, treat $1,000,000 as the visible late-game destination and keep completing current objectives rather than expecting the ending to fire at an unverified intermediate balance.

Section 09

How to approach the ending without losing progress

Before the final savings stretch, confirm that your card binder, treasure displays, current cash, and Jenny objective all look correct. Exit normally once and allow Steam Cloud to synchronize. Then continue the active task and money loop. A retail walkthrough reaches an ending after the long cleanup-and-collection progression, but one recording cannot prove whether alternate task orders produce different timing. If your money target is met and nothing happens, do not delete the save: revisit Jenny, inspect unfinished yard garbage, check the current task text, and restart the game once. The developer has already fixed achievement and disappearing-bag problems after launch, so version and task state matter when diagnosing a stalled finale.

Section 10

The ending is not the same as 100% completion

Finishing the main progression does not automatically satisfy every collection and challenge achievement. Steam lists 40 achievements, including all upgrades, every foil card, complete color sets, 12 figurines, 7 audiotapes, 3 outfits, distance throws, 999 recycled bags, and a deliberately extreme 1,000-beer counter. Use the ending as a handoff into cleanup, not as proof that the save is complete. After the credits or final story beat, compare the Steam list with the binder and displays, then work on one family at a time. Random collectibles, foil completion, and cumulative actions are the most likely tasks to remain.

Section 11

If progression appears stuck

Use a reversible checklist: read the current objective; speak to Jenny again; inspect the yard for one concealed bag or blocked pile; verify collection displays; exit normally; restart Steam; and compare the installed build with the newest developer announcement. If an old demo save is involved, remember that cards were meant to carry over but money and upgrades were reset during retail migration. If a bag or valuable item disappeared, preserve the save and report the build, location, and last action. Do not overwrite cloud data or download an unknown save file merely because an achievement or ending did not trigger immediately.

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