If you’ve already escaped the Chef’s nightmare once and now you’re staring at that achievement list wondering where to start, you’re definitely not alone.
When I first jumped into Don’t Let It Starve, I assumed most achievements would unlock naturally. Some do. Others absolutely do not. A few are hidden behind puzzles, strange interactions, and mechanics the game barely explains. One achievement even had me sitting around waiting for a rat to show up because I thought I was missing something important.
This guide breaks down all 31 achievements in a straightforward way without making things feel like a checklist. I’ll explain what each achievement actually requires, point out the tricky parts, and share some tips that make the grind much easier.
If you’re aiming for a full 100% completion, this guide should save you a lot of trial and error.
Main Story Achievements
These achievements are tied directly to progressing through the game and reaching both endings.
Damn, If I Had Just One More Bento
Requirement: Die for the first time.
This is usually the first achievement most players unlock.
If you somehow haven’t died yet, start a new run and immediately ring the bell without placing any ingredients in your bento. You’ll fail the quota and earn the achievement.
Desperate Times Call for Desperate Measures
Requirement: Grind your arm.
On the left side of the room you’ll find a meat grinder.
Interact with it and sacrifice your arm. It sounds horrible, but it gives extra meat toward your quota and unlocks the achievement instantly.
Now That’s Confidence
Requirement: Throw away a round-winning bento.
Create a bento that would successfully clear the current quota.
Before submitting it to the Chef, hover over him and check the projected score in the corner. If the score is enough to win the round, throw the bento away instead.
A very simple achievement that many players accidentally miss.
Wait, I Thought I Was Free
Requirement: Reach the first ending.
Continue completing quotas until you reach the final requirement:
- 400
- 1,000
- 5,000
- 20,000
- 50,000
- 125,000
- 333,333
- 666,666
After completing the final quota, the Chef rewards you with a key.
Use the key on the locked door, crawl through the tunnel, and finish the sequence to unlock the achievement.
Ugh, I Was Already Tired of That One
Requirement: Unlock a new Toque.
This usually unlocks immediately after reaching the first ending.
Any newly unlocked Toque will trigger the achievement.
HAHA, You Little Piece of…
Requirement: Kill the rat.
This achievement confused a lot of players.
Occasionally a rat will sprint across the floor during gameplay. Simply click it before it escapes.
If you’re actively hunting the achievement, you can ignore making bentos and just wait for the rat to appear.
I’m Free!
Requirement: Escape for real.
To reach the true ending, you must fully perfect any Toque by earning all four stars.
Each star level adds a new challenge:
| Star | Modifier |
|---|---|
| 1 | Normal gameplay |
| 2 | Bento timer added |
| 3 | Bentos split into sections |
| 4 | Strange bento shapes |
Grandma’s Toque is generally the easiest option for most players.
Complete the fourth difficulty and finish the run to unlock the true ending.
He Is Cute!
Requirement: Unlock the cupcake.
After obtaining the true ending, the Chef offers you a cupcake.
Accept it.
Doing so unlocks a permanent perk that allows you to skip one round per run.
Puzzle Achievements
These are some of the most interesting achievements in the game because they unlock permanent upgrades.
You Go Here, You Go There
Requirement: Solve the sliding puzzle.
You’ll need all three puzzle pieces.
- One is available from the start.
- Two must be purchased from the shop.
Arrange the pieces into the bottle-shaped image shown in the background.
Reward:
- Unlocks Gin.
- Gin adds +4 meat to all foods.
Since drink effects last the entire run, it’s worth grabbing this early whenever possible.
Finding Pieces
Requirement: Open the safe.
The safe code is:
75203
To discover this naturally you’ll need the UV Light, which appears as a Legendary shop item.
The UV Light reveals hidden clues around the room including:
- Numbers written on walls
- Fingerprints on the keypad
- Additional puzzle hints
Opening the safe unlocks the Consistency Toque.
I Know This Song
Requirement: Solve the bell puzzle.
Number the bells from left to right:
1, 2, 3, 4
The solution is:
423421
Completing the puzzle unlocks Vermouth.
Vermouth grants a powerful +2.00 score multiplier, making it one of the strongest permanent upgrades in the game.
Alla Mattina
Requirement: Play Bella Ciao using the bells.
Input:
12342 12342 123 432 432 444
After entering the sequence correctly, the achievement unlocks immediately.
Strategy Achievements
These achievements require specific builds, combinations, or run setups.
Plim, Plim, Plim, Plim, Plim, Plim…
Requirement: Trigger six bonuses from a single plating.
Most players earn this naturally.
For an easier setup:
- Unlock Gin.
- Unlock Vermouth.
- Combine them into a Dry Martini.
Dry Martini causes line bonuses to activate one extra time.
The Legendary Shrimp Bisque effect can also help.
That’s Basically a Big Mac
Requirement: Create a 100,000-point bento.
This sounds difficult early on but becomes very manageable later.
Focus on:
- Multipliers
- Bonus retriggers
- Scaling effects
- Long-term score growth
Food For Two is especially helpful because its multiplier continues increasing over multiple rounds.
Where Did You Even Get That Many Bentos?
Requirement: Make six bentos in a single round.
The easiest setup uses Grandma’s Toque.
Then stack additional bento sources:
- Lobster dish (+1)
- Extra Bento consumable (+1)
- Golden Bento tool (+1 every round)
With a little luck you’ll hit six bentos quickly.
Legendary, Babe!
Requirement: Purchase a Legendary tool.
Most players get this naturally during late-game runs.
Ways to improve odds:
- Matryoshka Doll
- Four-Leaf Clover
- Luck-based builds
Higher luck means more Legendary appearances.
I Guess I’m Out of Space
Requirement: Fill the entire table with tools.
The table normally caps at 15 spaces.
To expand it:
- Buy Black Matter whenever possible.
- Take Pizza rewards.
- Take Steak Tartare rewards.
These effects can generate Ethereal modifiers that increase tool capacity even further.
Eventually you’ll completely fill the board.
Anachievment
Requirement: Discover Ana’s combo.
You must own all three tools simultaneously:
- Telescope
- Lucky Horseshoe
- Compass
Once all three are on your table, reroll a food item while building a bento.
The achievement unlocks immediately.
Collection Achievements
These achievements revolve around unlocking every permanent collectible.
I’m Not Drunk, I Swear
Requirement: Unlock every drink.
There are four total drinks:
| Drink | Unlock Method |
|---|---|
| Gin | Sliding Puzzle |
| Vermouth | Bell Puzzle |
| Vodka | Legendary Shop Item |
| Red Bitter | Legendary Shop Item |
Unlock all four to earn the achievement.
That’s a Beautiful Collection
Requirement: Complete the Compendium.
Thankfully you only need every tool.
Chef dishes do not count toward completion.
Keep checking missing entries and eventually the achievement will unlock naturally.
Can I Call Myself a Chef Now?
Requirement: Unlock every Toque.
Several Toques unlock by completing runs with other Toques, so you’ll naturally progress through the collection while working on perfection achievements.
Toque Perfection Achievements
Every achievement below requires earning all four stars on the specified Toque.
Grandma Would Be So Proud
Perfect Grandma’s Toque.
All My Bentos Look the Same
Perfect Consistency Toque.
Unlock by solving the safe puzzle.
Workers of the World, Unite
Perfect Equality Toque.
Unlock by winning with Consistency Toque.
I Come From Money, You Know
Perfect Golden Toque.
Unlock after earning 300 coins across all runs.
Guess I’m Houdini Now
Perfect Magician’s Toque.
Unlock by winning with Penny-Pincher’s Toque.
You Don’t Need to Eat That Much
Perfect Penny-Pincher’s Toque.
Unlock by winning with any other Toque.
Let’s Consume Everything
Perfect Potion Toque.
Unlock by winning with Retrigger Toque.
Swe-Swe-Swe-Sweet
Perfect Retrigger Toque.
Unlock after earning 100 Full Bento bonuses across your playtime.
It’s All About the Seasoning
Perfect Seasoning Toque.
Unlock by winning with Golden Toque.
Beauty Lives in the Negative Space
Perfect Void Toque.
Unlock by winning with Grandma’s Toque.