The core gameplay loop
KOTAMON is a single-player collection and simulation game built around searching the junkyard. Dig through trash piles, recycle ordinary finds, complete orders for the yard owners, and inspect treasures and cards before deciding what to keep.
A practical loop is:
- Search a fresh trash pile and inspect the useful finds.
- Recycle ordinary trash and work toward active orders.
- Compare cards with your collection before treating them as extras.
- Set aside damaged cards and fragments that still matter to your collection.
- Spend on upgrades only after protecting the cards and progress you want to keep.
The official store confirms that cards can appear in different conditions and may be damaged, repaired, or traded. Condition affects value, so collection progress and immediate cash are not always the same decision.
Make binder decisions before trading
Use the binder as a collection check, not as proof that every card variant has been documented publicly. The official description promises dozens of unique cards, while the precise current card list comes from community documentation and may change after updates.
When you find a card, ask three questions:
- Is this card missing from the collection you are building?
- Is its condition useful compared with the copy you already have?
- Is it a duplicate you are comfortable trading instead of preserving?
For a current evidence-labeled checklist, use the cards reference. Do not assume an empty slot, an unfamiliar rarity, or a foil appearance proves an undocumented card exists.
Repair damaged cards and fragments
The official GIGA patch describes collecting five card pieces and assembling the complete card at the glue table in the garage. Current community documentation also treats this as a manual repair puzzle.
Keep all five pieces together, work slowly at the table, and preserve a separate good save before testing any recovery path after a save problem. There is no official support in the saved research for automatic assembly, fixed placement coordinates, or a universal repair cost.
See the card repair guide for the preservation-first workflow and version caveats.
Treat foil cards as a separate collection goal
Official material says a cereal box can contain a super-rare foil card. Steam also exposes separate foil collection achievements, so foil status is a collection layer of its own. It should not be confused with printed rarity or card condition.
Search normally, track the foil cards you already have, and use cereal boxes when you find them. Neither the official store nor the public achievement list gives a drop rate, pity rule, or complete foil checklist. The foil card guide keeps those unknowns explicit.
Fold collectibles into normal searches
Cards are only part of the junkyard loop. Official material also points to cereal boxes, hidden treasures, character upgrades, and other collectible discoveries. Some collectible behavior has already changed after release, so avoid building a route around an assumed fixed rate.
Use a simple session checklist:
- Search each new pile carefully before recycling its ordinary contents.
- Record collection progress before spending or trading.
- Keep a separate manual save before testing a route connected to a reported save issue.
- Review the cereal box guide and achievements reference when a collection goal needs a specific milestone.
Check the patch date before following old advice
The GIGA patch replaced the demo's ending condition with endless trash piles. After release, the August 21 update rebalanced prices and upgrades and addressed save, load, autosave, and achievement behavior. The August 22 update then adjusted the appearance of cereal boxes and other collectibles.
That history makes exact prices, rates, and progression shortcuts patch-sensitive. This guide uses official behavior published through August 22, 2026 and intentionally avoids undocumented numbers.