--- title: What the Buck Wiki: Bills, Upgrades, Prestige and Guides description: Unofficial What the Buck wiki: every bill and special bill, the panel upgrades, skill tree and prestige tree, shift prices, achievements, the ending and fixes, sourced and dated. url: https://whatthebuck.wiki/ --- Unofficial player guide · checked · 10 November 2026 # What the Buck Wiki Swipe the card, shred the cash, end the shift, do it again bigger. This wiki tells you what every bill and node does, what each shift costs, how to reach $1 sextillion and how to fix the game when it acts up, with every fact marked by how well it is sourced. Released9 Nov 2026 Goal$1Sx Achievements47 [Start with your first shift →](https://whatthebuck.wiki/guides/beginner-guide/) _[Image: A late-game table exploding with money, with the Breaker and Withdrawal upgrade panels maxed and funds at $66.1 quintillion]_ _Official Steam screenshot. © kohlgames / Loerting Games._ ## What is What the Buck? What the Buck?! is an incremental game about destroying money by kohlgames (Loerting Games, Austria). It came out on Steam on 9 November 2026 for Windows, macOS and Linux at $6.99, in 31 languages, with a free demo on Steam and itch.io and an Android version planned for early 2027. Mr. Buck pays you a dollar for every dollar you shred: swipe his card, steer the breaker over the bills, buy upgrades, and end shifts to turn Prestige Points into permanent upgrades. Destroy $1 sextillion to reach the ending; all 47 achievements take about two to three hours. ## What the Buck game systems at a glance The eight systems you deal with in a run, in roughly the order you meet them. Each links to the full page with numbers and sources. ### Bills, coins and bundles Seven denominations from $1 to $100 plus coins. Higher bills come from chance nodes in the skill tree and the Bill Value upgrade; bundles stack many bills under one strap and need extra hits. Coins are prestige coins that fill your Prestige Point bar fast. [Bill values →](https://whatthebuck.wiki/bills/bill-types/) ### Special bills Electric bills throw lightning at nine random bills, explosive bills blast everything within 34 pixels, golden bills pay double and spread gold, and collector bills absorb up to four stacks and pay 800%. Each starts at a 3% chance. Later come Fuel Bills with the flamethrower, diamonds that shatter into piercing shards, and stock certificates. [Special bills →](https://whatthebuck.wiki/bills/special-bills/) ### Breaker and Withdrawal panels Nine upgrades beside the table: Radius, Damage, Speed, Crit Chance and Crit Damage for the breaker; Amount, Swipe Speed, Bill Value and Bundled Bills for the ATM. 283 levels in total. Buy Damage until one hit destroys a bundle before you buy bigger bundles. [Panel upgrades →](https://whatthebuck.wiki/upgrades/breaker-and-withdrawal-upgrades/) ### Skill tree The money tree you rebuild every shift. It opens for $0 and branches by denomination, from the $1 branch with Electric Bills to the $100 branch with Investment Papers. A 40 PP prestige node keeps it between shifts. [Skill tree →](https://whatthebuck.wiki/upgrades/skill-tree/) ### Shifts and Prestige Points Ending a shift costs $100K the first time, then $10M, $1B and 100 times more each time. Since patch 1.0.1 the price stops at 1 sextillion from shift 9 on. Prestige Points come from the bar under your funds; each point is harder than the last. [Shifts and Prestige Points →](https://whatthebuck.wiki/upgrades/shifts-and-prestige-points/) ### Prestige tree Permanent upgrades bought with Prestige Points between shifts: the Auto Swiper, Frenzy, Overcharge batteries, a second ATM for 22 PP, nodes that keep your panels between shifts, the Money Printer and Market Maker, which lowers the shift price. [Prestige tree →](https://whatthebuck.wiki/upgrades/prestige-tree/) ### Frenzy and automation Six hits in a row raise the Frenzy stage, up to five stages at +25% income each. Automation arrives in steps: the Auto Swiper first, then the second ATM and the Money Printer, and finally Idle Hands at about 60 PP, which lets the breaker clear the table by itself. [Idle and automation →](https://whatthebuck.wiki/upgrades/idle-and-automation/) ### The ending and 100% Destroy $1 sextillion and an End It All button appears. You do not need every upgrade to see it. One release-day player finished all 47 achievements in 2 hours 46 minutes of play; Investment Papers are the fastest way to close the last gap. [Ending and 100% →](https://whatthebuck.wiki/guides/ending-and-100-percent/) ## Every page of the wiki, by section [Bills](https://whatthebuck.wiki/bills/) - [Bill values ▸ Every bill from $1 to $100, coins and bundles: where each one comes from and how to make bills worth more.](https://whatthebuck.wiki/bills/bill-types/) - [Special bills ▸ Gold, Electric, Explosive and Collector Bills: what each effect does, how they chain and how gold mixes with the others.](https://whatthebuck.wiki/bills/special-bills/) - [Flamethrower and fuel ▸ How to unlock the flamethrower, what Fuel Bills do, and how burning bills spread fire across the table.](https://whatthebuck.wiki/bills/flamethrower-and-fuel-bills/) - [Diamonds ▸ How Diamonds are unlocked, what happens when one shatters, and how to get the Diamond Hands achievement.](https://whatthebuck.wiki/bills/diamonds/) - [Investment Papers ▸ How stock certificates reach your tray, how shares and staking work, and when to tear a paper for the payout.](https://whatthebuck.wiki/bills/investment-papers/) - [Combo and Frenzy ▸ How the combo meter fills, what each Frenzy stage multiplies, and how to keep a Frenzy going.](https://whatthebuck.wiki/bills/combo-and-frenzy/) [Upgrades](https://whatthebuck.wiki/upgrades/) - [Panel upgrades ▸ All nine panel upgrades, their maximum levels, what each one does and which to buy first.](https://whatthebuck.wiki/upgrades/breaker-and-withdrawal-upgrades/) - [Skill tree ▸ How the skill tree works, what each branch unlocks, and a buying order that keeps the table busy.](https://whatthebuck.wiki/upgrades/skill-tree/) - [Prestige tree ▸ Every prestige-tree unlock, which nodes to buy first, and what Market Maker does to the shift price.](https://whatthebuck.wiki/upgrades/prestige-tree/) - [Shifts and Prestige Points ▸ What ending a shift costs, how Prestige Points are earned, when to end a shift, and the 1.0.1 price cap.](https://whatthebuck.wiki/upgrades/shifts-and-prestige-points/) - [Idle and automation ▸ Can the game play itself? Auto Swiper, Idle Hands, the second ATM, Money Printer and Overcharge explained.](https://whatthebuck.wiki/upgrades/idle-and-automation/) [Guides](https://whatthebuck.wiki/guides/) - [Beginner guide ▸ How to play your first shift: swiping, steering the breaker, the first upgrades to buy and when to end the shift.](https://whatthebuck.wiki/guides/beginner-guide/) - [Ending and 100% ▸ What the ending asks for, how long a full run and a 100% run take, and what is left to do after the credits.](https://whatthebuck.wiki/guides/ending-and-100-percent/) - [Achievements ▸ The full list of 47 Steam achievements, grouped by how you unlock them, with the ones that trip players up.](https://whatthebuck.wiki/guides/achievements/) [Game info](https://whatthebuck.wiki/game/) - [Release, price, editions ▸ Release date and time, price and launch discount, the Gold Edition, Supporter Pack and Soundtrack, platforms and the Android version.](https://whatthebuck.wiki/game/release-date-price-editions/) - [Demo and save transfer ▸ What the free demo includes, how long it lasts, how your demo save moves to the full game, and the achievement catch.](https://whatthebuck.wiki/game/demo-and-save-transfer/) - [Settings and accessibility ▸ Where to find Readable Font, Camera Follow, Screen Shake, the CRT filter, colorblind mode, windowed mode and controller support.](https://whatthebuck.wiki/game/settings-and-accessibility/) - [Troubleshooting ▸ Fixes posted by the developer for a game that will not start, greyed-out achievements, a stuck cursor and freezes.](https://whatthebuck.wiki/game/troubleshooting/) ## Recent What the Buck updates - 10 November 2026 · **Patch 1.0.1** From shift 9 on every shift costs 1 sextillion ($1Sx), or less with Market Maker, so the last prestige nodes are reachable after the ending. Adds a Readable Font option, reworks colorblind mode to swap colours, and fixes overlapping Vietnamese and Thai text. - 9 November 2026 · **Full release** What the Buck?! launches on Steam at 19:00 CET with 30% off until 23 November: bills from $1 to $100, over 240 upgrades, Investment Papers, 47 achievements and 31 languages. Supporter Pack, Soundtrack and Gold Edition released the same day. - 2 November 2026 · **One week to launch** Price confirmed at $6.99 with 30% off for 14 days, full controller support, and an Android version announced for early 2027 with Google Play pre-registration. - 25 October 2026 · **Demo update (Next Fest)** Developer reply: the Windows version moved from OpenGL to Vulkan, Camera Follow and Screen Shake options arrived, and sim-racing pedals or flight sticks no longer drag the cursor to the top left. - 19 October 2026 · **Steam Next Fest demo** The demo joins Steam Next Fest (19 to 26 October) with $1, $2 and $5 bills, coins, Gold, Electric and Explosive Bills, shifts, Auto Swiper and Frenzy. A recorded 80-minute run of the full game streamed on loop. [Every update →](https://whatthebuck.wiki/update/) ## What the Buck questions players ask most Is What the Buck free to play? The demo is free on Steam and in the browser on itch.io and covers about an hour of play. The full game costs $6.99, 30% off until 23 November 2026. [Details →](https://whatthebuck.wiki/game/release-date-price-editions/) Is there a What the Buck demo? Yes: free on Steam, and in the browser or as a download on itch.io. It covers the $1, $2 and $5 bills, Gold, Electric and Explosive Bills and the first prestige upgrades. [Details →](https://whatthebuck.wiki/game/demo-and-save-transfer/) Does my demo progress carry over? Yes. When you start the full game on Steam for the first time, it offers to take over your demo save, and you continue with everything you bought. [Details →](https://whatthebuck.wiki/game/demo-and-save-transfer/) How long does it take to beat What the Buck? Two to three hours for everything. A release-day 100% run took 2 hours 46 minutes of in-game time; the ending alone comes a little sooner. [Details →](https://whatthebuck.wiki/guides/ending-and-100-percent/) How much does it cost to end a shift? $100K, then $10M, then $1B, and 100 times more each shift after that. From shift 9 the price stays at 1 sextillion since patch 1.0.1. [Details →](https://whatthebuck.wiki/upgrades/shifts-and-prestige-points/) Why are my achievements not unlocking? Restart the game from your Steam library; anything you earned meanwhile unlocks then. If you came from the demo, uninstall the demo first. No new save is needed. [Details →](https://whatthebuck.wiki/game/troubleshooting/#achievements-not-unlocking) What do I do if the game will not launch? Verify the game files in Steam, check that your antivirus did not block the exe, and then try the launch option --rendering-driver opengl3. [Details →](https://whatthebuck.wiki/game/troubleshooting/) ## How this wiki marks its facts Marks follow each fact: confirmed means the store page, official notes, a developer reply or a recording of the game shows it; reported means two or more players say so; unverified means one source only. Numbers come from version 1.0 and 1.0.1; older values from pre-release keys are labelled as version notes. [How the wiki is made →](https://whatthebuck.wiki/about/)