- Sort Them Ducks store completion guide: covers categories, secret eggs, upgrades, and all 20 achievements.
- Core loop: pick up ducks, match their theme to shelves, earn money, reinvest in upgrades.
- Route order: normal progression first, then category cleanup, then secrets and challenge runs.
- Top upgrades: carry capacity and movement speed deliver the biggest early efficiency gains.
- Most common blocker: a single overlooked or hard-to-reach duck preventing full store completion.
How Store Completion Works in Sort Them Ducks
This Sort Them Ducks store completion guide breaks down everything the game counts toward a finished store. Sort Them Ducks launched on Steam on August 13, 2026, developed and published by Mr.Duck, and challenges you to organize more than 4,000 unique rubber ducks into hundreds of themed categories. Completion is not a single finish line. It combines category completion, progression milestones, upgrade challenges, secret eggs, and a full set of 20 Steam achievements.
The table below shows each completion component and how demanding it is:
| Component | What It Requires | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|
| Duck categories | Place every duck on its matching themed shelf | Medium-Hard |
| Progression milestones | Advance through the store's major sorting stages | Easy |
| Upgrade challenges | Progress through abilities like carry capacity and speed | Medium |
| Secret eggs | Find hidden eggs outside the normal shelf loop | Hard |
| Steam achievements | Unlock all 20 achievements, including the under-4-hour run | Very Hard |
Use the official Steam achievement page as your completion tracker. Hidden achievements and secret objectives are easier to plan once normal progression milestones are already unlocked.
Sort Them Ducks Store Completion Route: Step-by-Step
A structured route prevents the most common completion mistake: hunting one difficult duck while hundreds of easy ducks remain unsorted. Follow these five phases in order.
Master the Core Sorting Loop
Pick up unsorted ducks, read their costumes and accessories, identify the category, and place each duck on the matching shelf. Correct placements earn money, which funds every later phase.
Build an Upgrade Fund
Keep sorting easy, clearly themed ducks such as pirates, wizards, astronauts, knights, chefs, and dinosaurs. Avoid spending long sessions on a single confusing duck while simpler work is available.
Invest in Efficiency Upgrades
Convert earnings into carry capacity and movement speed first, then add matching highlights, shelf reveals, and nearby duck collection as categories multiply.
Sweep for Missing Ducks and Secret Eggs
Once normal progression slows, divide the store into sections and sweep each one completely. Search the environment beyond the shelves for hidden secret eggs.
Clear Challenge and Secret Achievements
With the layout memorized and upgrades in place, attempt the under-four-hour completion challenge and any remaining hidden objectives.
| Phase | Focus | Exit Condition |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Foundation | Learn shelf positions, sort obvious ducks | First upgrades purchased |
| 2 Efficiency | Batch sorting, faster routes | Most visible ducks sorted |
| 3 Cleanup | Missing ducks, high locations | All categories complete |
| 4 Secrets | Hidden eggs, secret objectives | All secrets found |
| 5 Challenge | Under-4-hour run, final achievements | All 20 achievements unlocked |
Finish nearly complete categories before chasing difficult ducks. Closing a category gives you clearer information about what actually still needs attention, which reduces wasted searching.
Best Upgrades for Faster Completion
Upgrades decide how quickly ducks move from the unsorted pile to their correct shelves. The five abilities below cover every completion phase, from early money grinding to late-game cleanup.
Carry Capacity (S-Tier)
- More ducks per trip
- Cuts repeated travel between pile and shelves
- Buy early, benefits every phase
Movement Speed (S-Tier)
- Faster routes across the store
- Scales with distant shelf placement
- Pairs with batching for maximum value
Matching-Duck Highlights (A-Tier)
- Spots ducks for your current category
- Reduces visual scanning in dense piles
- Strong mid-game purchase
Shelf Reveals (A-Tier)
- Locates the right shelf instantly
- Ideal when you know the theme but not the position
- Accelerates category learning
Nearby Duck Collection (A-Tier)
- Gathers ducks around you
- Best for dense unsorted groups
- Mid-to-late game convenience pick
| Upgrade | Tier | When to Buy | Main Benefit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carry Capacity | S | Early | Fewer trips per batch of ducks |
| Movement Speed | S | Early | Shorter travel between distant shelves |
| Matching-Duck Highlights | A | Mid | Faster identification in large piles |
| Shelf Reveals | A | Mid | Quick navigation for known themes |
| Nearby Duck Collection | A | Mid-Late | Efficient pickup of dense groups |
Upgrade challenges are tied to achievements, and saved money produces nothing on its own. Reinvest earnings as soon as an efficiency upgrade becomes affordable, especially while categories are still large.
Missing Ducks and Completion Blockers
Late-game completion shifts from sorting large groups to locating individual ducks that were overlooked, placed high up, or left in awkward spots. Diagnose the blocker first, then search a targeted area instead of repeating a full-store sweep.
| Blocker | Likely Cause | Recommended Fix |
|---|---|---|
| One duck missing from a category | Overlooked corner or elevated surface | Recheck shelves, corners, and high spots for that category only |
| Duck sits too high to reach | Awkward approach angle | Try nearby paths and surfaces for a better collection position |
| Category will not complete | Duck matched to a similar theme | Compare costume details against related shelves before moving on |
| Completion progress stuck | Save or progression issue | Restart cleanly, confirm the save loads, then check Steam update notes |
Cleanup Sweep Checklist:
- Isolate the incomplete category before searching
- Sweep one store section completely, then move to the next
- Recheck elevated surfaces and corners passed quickly earlier
- Return to previous areas after movement upgrades unlock easier access
- Verify secret eggs are found before assuming a completion bug
A targeted sweep of your least-carefully visited areas is faster than repeatedly circling the entire store. If progress still will not finish, confirm every category is complete before treating it as a bug.
100% Completion Checklist and Achievements
Treat the 20-achievement set as three phases: normal progression, completion cleanup, then challenge and secret objectives. This ordering keeps easy unlocks flowing while the hardest goals stay in focus.
| Achievement Type | Objective | Difficulty | Strategy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Progression milestones | Complete major store stages | Easy | Play normally and keep sorting correctly |
| Category completion | Finish every duck category | Medium | Track incomplete categories, revisit suspect areas |
| Upgrade challenges | Progress the upgrade system | Medium | Reinvest money instead of saving it |
| Secret objectives | Complete hidden achievements | Hard | Investigate unusual interactions after normal progression |
| Under-4-hour challenge | Finish the game in under four hours | Very Hard | Learn the route first, prioritize speed upgrades |
| Full 100% | Unlock all 20 achievements | Completionist | Clear easy goals first, then focus cleanup entirely |
100% Completion Goals:
- Complete every duck category on the correct shelves
- Find all hidden secret eggs
- Progress through the full upgrade track
- Unlock every hidden and secret achievement
- Finish the under-four-hour challenge run
Attempt the under-four-hour run only after you know the store layout and progression order by heart. Minimize unnecessary movement, batch aggressively, and let carry capacity plus movement speed carry the run.
Store Completion FAQ
Q: How long does a full Sort Them Ducks store completion take?
There is no fixed number, but the under-four-hour challenge achievement shows a learned route can move quickly. A first 100% run usually takes longer because more than 4,000 ducks, secret eggs, and hidden objectives all need to be found and sorted.
Q: What most often blocks store completion?
A single overlooked duck, frequently one placed high up or in an awkward corner. Isolate the unfinished category, sweep the areas you visited least carefully, and recheck elevated surfaces before assuming a bug.
Q: Do I need every upgrade for 100% completion?
Upgrade challenges are part of the achievement set, so progression through the upgrade system is required. Reinvesting money from correctly sorted ducks keeps this goal moving alongside normal play.
Q: What do secret eggs count toward?
Secret eggs are exploration collectibles separate from the normal sorting loop. They support the game's optional exploration goals and feed into secret-related achievements on the road to 100%.
New patches can affect saves, stuck ducks, and completion tracking. Compare unresolved problems against the Steam community discussions and the official store page before restarting large amounts of progress.