- Sort Them Ducks Steam challenges you with sorting 4,010 rubber ducks onto themed shelves
- Core loop: grab ducks, match each one to its category shelf, earn cash for upgrades
- Buy Sprint first, then stack Bigger Inventory tiers for faster runs
- Tricky ducks fool everyone: karate belongs to Sport, the egg to Garden
- A full clear takes three or more hours without upgrade powers
What Is Sort Them Ducks on Steam?
Sort Them Ducks on Steam is a first-person sorting game that hands you a warehouse packed with more than 4,000 rubber ducks and one simple job: put every duck on the correct shelf. This Sort Them Ducks Steam guide breaks down how the category system works, which upgrades deserve your money, and how to pace a full run from the first duck to the final shelf.
Each correct placement pays out cash, and that cash funds mobility, carrying capacity, and special powers. Early copies circulated to creators ahead of wide release, so check the official Steam store page (store.steampowered.com, accessed August 2026) for current availability and pricing.
Video Highlights:
- A full 4,000-duck warehouse run captured from start to finish
- Live category calls, including mistakes on karate, egg, and mermaid ducks
- Upgrade shopping: sprint, inventory tiers, reach, and throw strength
- Endgame powers used to summon and highlight the last missing ducks
The game sits in a growing family of sorting and cleanup games from the same developers, including book sorting, a grocery store restocking sim, a wine bottle organizer, and a co-op magic shop cleaner. Sort Them Ducks is the rubber duck entry, built as a vertical-format experience with laid-back elevator-style music and a counter that tracks every duck placed.
First-time runs routinely pass the three-hour mark. Block out an evening, or plan to split the run across sessions once your upgrades make return trips faster.
Duck Categories and Shelf Guide
The warehouse is organized into themed shelf rows: Beach, Space, Weather, Pirates, Food, Fruits, Mafia, Halloween, Music, Animals, Superheroes, Circus, Jobs, Garden, Sport, Ninja, Warriors, and Cowboys. Plain colored ducks go on separate color shelves. Learn the map before you lift a single duck.
| Shelf | Example Ducks | Watch Out For |
|---|---|---|
| Beach | Surfer, lifeguard, bikini, sand castle | The mermaid does not belong here |
| Space | Astronaut, alien, moon, Jupiter, sun | Space pirates count as Space |
| Weather | Tornado, rainbow, lightning, tsunami | Blizzard and sandstorm fit here |
| Pirates | Pirate goon, navigator, pirate princess | The mermaid belongs here |
| Food | Pizza, burger, sushi, nugget | The egg goes to Garden instead |
| Fruits | Watermelon, pineapple, dragon fruit | Avocado and pomegranate fit here |
| Mafia | Al Capone, accountant, driver | Bartenders and club singers fit here |
| Halloween | Witch, ghost, Dracula, zombie | Black cat and the knight belong here |
| Music | DJ, saxophone, violin, bagpipes | Jukebox and rapper ducks fit here |
| Animals | Shark, fox, wolf, bear, eagle | Ladybug goes to Garden, not Animals |
| Superheroes | Bat Duck, Iron Man, Flash, Spider Duck | Professor Puddle belongs here |
| Circus | Mime, knife master, snake master | Dancers and animal trainers fit |
| Jobs | Chef, doctor, scientist, fireman | Most professions appear twice |
| Garden | Farmer, ladybug, egg | The egg is the classic trap |
| Sport | Karate, boxer, jockey, golfer | Karate and swimmers belong here |
| Ninja | Cat ninja, violet ninja, green ninja | Training ninja also lands here |
| Warriors | Scottish warrior, samurai, Viking | Musketeer and archer fit here |
| Cowboys | Outlaw, undertaker, masked marshall | Chief Feather lands here |
Some ducks are designed to mislead you. These are the placements that cost players the most time:
| Duck | First Instinct | Correct Shelf |
|---|---|---|
| Karate duck | Warrior or Ninja | Sport |
| Egg | Food | Garden |
| Mermaid | Beach | Pirates |
| Bar singer | Jobs or Music | Mafia |
| Ladybug | Animals | Garden |
| Farmer | Jobs | Garden |
| Knight | Warriors | Halloween |
| Detective | Jobs | Mafia |
Wrong placements waste trips and cash. Stage ducks you cannot identify in one pile on the floor, then batch-resolve them once you unlock the upgrade that reveals each duck's correct shelf.
Upgrade Guide: Where to Spend Your Cash
Ducks pay roughly a dollar each when shelved, so your income starts slow and snowballs as you clear faster. Every upgrade competes for the same wallet, so buy in priority order:
| Upgrade | Effect | Priority | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sprint | Faster movement | 5/5 | Cheap early unlock, saves hours of walking |
| Bigger Inventory | Carry more ducks per trip | 5/5 | Tiers raise capacity toward 11 ducks |
| Highlight Match | Marks ducks matching the held one | 4/5 | Ideal for hunting stragglers |
| Summon Powers | Pulls chosen duck types to you | 4/5 | Best once inventory is large |
| Longer Reach | Grabs ducks from farther away | 3/5 | Pure convenience |
| Stronger Throw | Tosses ducks onto high shelves | 3/5 | Pairs with double stacking |
| Crouch | Slip under obstacles | 2/5 | Situational at best |
Sprint
- Cheapest early value
- Cuts walking between aisles
- Buy with your first cash drop
Bigger Inventory
- Carry up to 11 ducks
- Multiplies every single trip
- Scales with summon powers
Highlight + Summon
- Endgame time savers
- Finds buried stragglers
- Pulls exact duck types to hand
Unlike other games in this series, ability durations cannot be extended here, so do not hoard cash waiting for duration upgrades. Push Bigger Inventory tiers instead, then use powers in short, focused bursts near the end of the run.
Step-by-Step Full Run Strategy
Follow this sequence to keep a 4,000-duck run from stalling in the middle hours:
Map the Warehouse
Walk every aisle before grabbing anything. Note the shelf order, locate the color shelves for plain ducks, and identify which categories get multiple shelf rows so you stop second-guessing placement.
Clear the Obvious Ducks
Start with plain colored ducks and unmistakable icons like pizza, tornado, or Batman ducks. Fast correct placements build your starting cash without brain strain.
Bank Your First Cash
Unlock Sprint immediately, then put every dollar toward the next Bigger Inventory tier. Early mobility and capacity beat every other purchase.
Build Mid-Run Systems
Double-stack ducks to stretch shelf space, and keep a single staging pile for mystery ducks. Resolve the staging pile in one batch after unlocking shelf-reveal help.
Sweep With Powers
In the final stretch, use Highlight Match to spot stragglers and summon powers to pull buried duck types straight to your hand. Verify every shelf label before calling it done.
Shelf labels turn yellow when a category is fully and correctly stocked. Scan for any label still white before you finish, because a single misplaced duck can hide at the back of a double stack.
Series Comparison and Session Checklist
If you enjoy Sort Them Ducks, the same developers offer several companion experiences with different difficulty profiles:
| Game | What You Sort | Signature Twist |
|---|---|---|
| Sort Them Ducks | 4,010 rubber ducks | Themed shelves plus summon powers |
| Grocery Store | Up to 10,000 items | Multiplayer support added in an update |
| Books | Stacked book piles | An earlier entry in the series |
| Wine Bottles | Same-colored bottles | Only the labels differ between types |
| Magic Shop | Swords and potions | Co-op Clean Up Together mode |
Track your own runs against this checklist:
Full Run Checklist:
- Walk every aisle and map all shelf categories
- Unlock Sprint with your first cash
- Buy the next Bigger Inventory tier
- Double-stack shelves to stretch space
- Stage mystery ducks in one pile for later
- Confirm every shelf label turns yellow before ending the run
Community reports note the end-of-run counter can disagree with visibly full shelves, leaving one or two ducks unaccounted for. If the counter stalls near completion, recheck color shelves and stacked rows before assuming you missed a duck.
Sort Them Ducks Steam FAQ
Early gameplay came from pre-release creator copies distributed by the developers. For release status, pricing, and system requirements, treat the official Steam store page as the source of truth.
Q: Is Sort Them Ducks available on Steam?
The game was showcased through pre-release copies sent to creators while it was still unreleased. Check the official Steam store page for the current release status and pricing, since creator footage predates the public launch window.
Q: How long does a full Sort Them Ducks run take?
Expect three hours or more on a first attempt with no upgrades. Sprint, Bigger Inventory tiers, and summon powers can cut that down substantially on repeat runs.
Q: How many ducks do you sort in the game?
The counter tracks 4,010 ducks. That total includes themed ducks across eighteen category shelves plus plain colored ducks that go on dedicated color shelves.
Q: Which upgrades should I buy first?
Buy Sprint first for mobility, then push Bigger Inventory tiers as fast as your cash allows. Hold Highlight Match and summon powers for the endgame sweep when only buried stragglers remain.