- Sort Them Ducks all ducks: the store contains 4,000+ unique rubber ducks spread across hundreds of themed categories
- Identification rule: hats, helmets, armor, and props reveal a duck's category faster than its base color
- Shelf matching: every category maps to a themed shelf, and correct placement earns money
- Best early upgrades: carry capacity and movement speed deliver the biggest sorting efficiency gains
- Completion order: close nearly finished categories first, then sweep high and awkward spots for missing ducks
All Ducks in Sort Them Ducks: Collection Overview
Sort Them Ducks, developed and published by Mr.Duck, released on Steam on August 13, 2026, and its entire premise is the Sort Them Ducks all ducks challenge: identify more than 4,000 unique rubber ducks and return each one to its matching themed shelf. Ducks start in an unsorted supply, and every correct placement earns money that funds upgrades, which in turn makes the remaining thousands of placements faster.
The core loop never changes — collect, identify, place, earn, upgrade — but the scale keeps growing. Because the collection spans hundreds of categories, the fastest sorters are the players who learn category patterns instead of memorizing individual ducks. The same visual language repeats across the entire collection, so pattern recognition compounds with every session.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Developer / Publisher | Mr.Duck |
| Steam Release Date | August 13, 2026 |
| Unique Ducks | 4,000+ |
| Themed Categories | Hundreds of shelf groups |
| Steam Achievements | 20 |
| Steam Review Score | Around 83% positive |
| Peak Concurrent Players | 2,312 recorded by SteamDB on August 14, 2026 |
The scale is the point. With hundreds of shelves, the store rewards route knowledge and batch sorting far more than raw clicking speed. You can verify current player counts and review data on the official Steam store page.
Do not try to memorize 4,000 individual ducks. Learn the visual language of each category — hats, helmets, armor, props, and outfit silhouettes — and the entire collection becomes readable at a glance.
Duck Categories and Visual Clues
Every themed category in the game has a matching shelf, and six groups appear constantly during early progression. They teach the identification system that the rest of the collection follows: strong costume signals first, base color last. Master these six and the rarer categories become far easier to place with confidence.
Pirates
- Seafaring outfits and pirate accessories
- Check pirate details before comparing with general historical shelves
Wizards
- Magic-themed clothing and wizard accessories
- Distinguishes wizard ducks from other fantasy groups
Astronauts
- Space suits, helmets, exploration styling
- Helmet and suit design are the strongest clues
Knights
- Medieval armor and knight equipment
- Armor is the clearest separating indicator
Chefs
- Cooking-related clothing and kitchen accessories
- Look for recognizable chef outfit details
Dinosaurs
- Prehistoric creature styling and costumes
- Focus on creature design, not base color
| Category | Strongest Visual Clues | Shelf-Matching Tip |
|---|---|---|
| Pirates | Pirate clothing, seafaring accessories | Confirm pirate details before using general historical shelves |
| Wizards | Fantasy magic clothing, wizard accessories | Use magical details to separate from other fantasy ducks |
| Astronauts | Space suit, helmet, exploration styling | Helmet and suit design decide the placement |
| Knights | Medieval armor, knight equipment | Armor separates knights from other historical or fantasy ducks |
| Chefs | Kitchen outfit, cooking accessories | Recognizable chef clothing confirms the chef shelf |
| Dinosaurs | Dinosaur costume, prehistoric styling | Judge the creature design rather than the duck's color |
Lookalike ducks are the main source of mis-sorts, especially once historical, fantasy, and modern categories start mixing in the same unsorted pile. When two categories feel close, fall back on the single strongest prop instead of the overall impression.
| Confusion Risk | How to Separate the Ducks |
|---|---|
| Knights vs other historical ducks | Full armor beats generic old-fashioned clothing |
| Wizards vs other fantasy ducks | Magic accessories and wizard styling confirm the wizard shelf |
| Astronauts vs other modern ducks | Closed helmet and suit design point to the astronaut shelf |
| Pirates vs general historical ducks | Seafaring and pirate accessories decide the placement |
| Dinosaurs vs animal-costume ducks | Prehistoric creature design, not the duck's base color |
Base color is the weakest clue in the game. Two ducks can share a color and belong to different shelves. Read the costume and props first, then confirm the category before carrying the duck anywhere.
How to Sort All Ducks: Step-by-Step Workflow
The sorting loop is simple, but the order of operations decides your income per hour. Follow this workflow for every batch of unsorted ducks and the money keeps flowing into upgrades without dead time.
Scan the Costume Before Moving
Read the duck's hat, helmet, armor, and props while it is still in the unsorted supply. A few seconds of identification saves a wasted trip to the wrong shelf.
Match the Theme to a Category
Connect the visual clues to a themed group such as pirates, wizards, astronauts, knights, chefs, or dinosaurs. Recognizable outfits are the fastest categories to learn.
Confirm the Shelf Location
Recall where that category's shelf sits before picking the duck up. If you recognize the theme but not the position, shelf-reveal abilities point you the right way.
Batch Same-Category Ducks
Use carry capacity to move several ducks from one category in a single trip. Batching cuts the back-and-forth travel that dominates early sorting time.
Reinvest the Earnings
Correct placements generate money. Turn that money straight into carry capacity and movement speed so the next batch sorts faster than the last.
Guessing a shelf costs more time than identification ever saves. A wrong placement means a second trip to retrieve the duck, a third trip to the correct shelf, and no money for the effort. When unsure, identify first.
Upgrades, Completion Phases, and Missing Ducks
Upgrades turn a slow duck-by-duck grind into a streamlined operation. Money earned from correctly sorted ducks should flow straight back into abilities that reduce travel and identification time, and the table below ranks the options that affect duck sorting the most.
| Upgrade | What It Does | Priority |
|---|---|---|
| Carry Capacity | Move more ducks per trip between supply and shelves | S — Buy Early |
| Movement Speed | Reduce travel time across the growing store | S — Buy Early |
| Matching-Duck Highlights | Highlight ducks matching the category you are working on | A — High Priority |
| Shelf Reveals | Locate the correct shelf once you recognize a theme | A — High Priority |
| Nearby Duck Collection | Gather ducks around you with less manual pickup | A — Mid to Late Game |
Completing all ducks works best in phases. Clear the easy work first so the final cleanup only contains genuinely difficult ducks, and keep reinvesting earnings instead of letting money sit unused.
| Phase | Focus | Example Goals |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Normal progression | Sort visible ducks, earn money, buy the two S-tier upgrades |
| 2 | Category cleanup | Close nearly finished categories, track which ducks remain |
| 3 | Difficult locations | High shelves, awkward corners, easily overlooked spots |
| 4 | Challenges and secrets | Secret eggs, hidden objectives, the under-four-hour run, all 20 achievements |
All Ducks Completion Checklist:
- Learn the six core categories: pirates, wizards, astronauts, knights, chefs, dinosaurs
- Buy carry capacity and movement speed before anything else
- Finish nearly complete categories before hunting rare ducks
- Sweep the store section by section instead of re-searching everything
- Check newly unlocked areas for secret eggs while progressing
Stop full-store searches immediately. Focus only on the unfinished category, recheck shelves, corners, and elevated surfaces, and sweep one section at a time. A targeted pass finds the missing duck faster than repeated broad searches, and community solutions for stuck cases surface regularly in the Steam community discussions.
All Ducks FAQ
Q: How many ducks are in Sort Them Ducks?
The store contains more than 4,000 unique rubber ducks organized into hundreds of themed categories. Each category corresponds to a matching shelf, and correctly placed ducks earn money that funds upgrades and progression.
Q: How do I tell which shelf a duck belongs to?
Read the costume first: hats, helmets, armor, and props identify the theme. Recognizable groups include pirates, wizards, astronauts, knights, chefs, and dinosaurs. If you know the theme but not the shelf position, shelf-reveal abilities show the way.
Q: What should I do when one duck is missing from a category?
Narrow the search to that category only. Recheck shelves, corners, and elevated surfaces, then sweep the store section by section. Save high and awkward locations for the final cleanup phase instead of blocking normal progression.
Q: Which upgrades help sort all ducks the fastest?
Carry capacity and movement speed are the strongest early purchases because they reduce repeated travel. Matching-duck highlights and shelf reveals become more valuable as the number of categories grows and visual searching gets harder.
Category knowledge compounds. Every pattern you learn speeds up all future ducks in that group, so early identification practice pays off across the entire 4,000+ duck collection and brings the 20-achievement completion goal closer.