Graveyard Keeper Beginner Guide: Schedules, Tools, Energy and Research

Edition: The opening and basic workstations of the original Graveyard Keeper on PC Steam, app 599140. Breaking Dead is included with the Steam base game, but automation procedures are outside scope. Do not mix in requirements from paid DLC, console editions or Graveyard Keeper 2.

Verification scope: Public sources compared on 2026-10-04. No game launch, current build-number check or full comparison of current Japanese UI names was performed. Use the controls shown in your settings.

Sources checked: 2026-10-04

Search guide tables

25 / 25 rows

Searching does not open answer tables. Choose the answer you want to reveal.

Talking and working use separate inputs

Published default PC controls are listed below. If your controls behave differently, first check the key bindings in the in-game pause menu.

Wide tables scroll horizontally.

Talking and working use separate inputs: 6 entries
Action	Example PC key	When to use it	If it does not work
Move	WASD / arrow keys	Approach the target	Distinguish background decoration from interactive objects
Talk / interact	E	People, storage and workstation menus	Move closer and check the on-screen input prompt
Work	F	Chopping, mining, construction and manual processing	Selecting a recipe alone does not finish it
Sword attack	Space	Combat	Distinguish this from the axe's gathering input
Inventory / technologies / known NPCs	I／T／N	Check materials, unlocks and requests	Compare required quality with the items you have
Quickslots / pause	1〜4／Esc	Use assigned items / check settings	Check the assigned item before pressing to avoid unwanted consumption

Checks when gathering or processing stops

Wide tables scroll horizontally.

Checks when gathering or processing stops: 5 entries
Symptom	Required tool or technology	Action	Confirmation
You cannot cut a tree	Axe and the technology for that tree size	Equip the tool, check its durability and use the work input	The tree falls; carry large logs home
You cannot mine rock or ore	Pickaxe and the technology for the target	Try a small gathering target first	Small pieces enter your inventory
You cannot clear a stump or shrub	An appropriate tool, such as a shovel	Approach and check the work prompt	The obstruction disappears and frees up workspace
You cannot use a placed workstation	Hammer to complete construction, and energy	Finish working on the blueprint	It changes to the finished workstation's menu
Materials are counted as missing despite being in your possession	Items at the processing stage specified by the recipe	Check whether it asks for logs or planks, and simple or complex parts	The missing-material requirement is filled

Before replacing a tool, check the equipment slot and durability. For broken tools, check repairs at the grindstone using a whetstone; do not discard gathering tools you need.

Check energy recovery and saving together

Sleeping restores energy and health and saves the game. Walking also advances time, so choosing your destination before leaving reduces unnecessary return trips.

Check energy and tool durability before starting work
If energy is low, rest in your bed or use food after checking its effects
Combine distant deliveries and shopping, then save at your bed after returning
Before quitting, confirm the save indicator after waking. Closing a menu alone does not mean the game was saved.

Recovery varies with the dish and its quality. Nor does this guide claim that a change of day always saves the game.

Inventory and storage in work areas

Large logs and stone blocks are handled differently from small inventory pieces. Distinguish cases requiring materials in your inventory from those that can use storage within the same work area.

Wide tables scroll horizontally.

Inventory and storage in work areas: 4 entries
Situation	What to check	Example action	Caution
Your inventory is full	Free slots and the number of different item types	Return crafting materials to workshop storage	Do not leave delivery items behind
A log does not appear in a recipe	Is it in the Timber stockpile?	Carry the log to the timber stockpile and store it	Leaving it on the ground does not make it available for processing
Another workstation cannot use the materials	Are the storage and workstation in the same area?	Move construction materials for the cellar into your inventory	Do not assume the house, workyard and church cellar share everything
The recipe says water is missing	Bucket of clear water or Water?	Check which the recipe needs; use the bucket if necessary	Do not treat the bucket and the water taken from it as the same item

Solution 01

Open solution 01Close

Visitors and preparation on the six-day cycle

Replacing these days with real-world Monday–Sunday can confuse their order. Match the on-screen symbol with the English name.

Wide tables scroll horizontally.

Visitors and preparation on the six-day cycle: 6 entries
Day / symbol	Character / location	Early requirements / preparation	Return visits / exceptions
Pride / sun	Bishop, outside the church / graveyard	Check the graveyard improvement request; this is also sermon day	Return on the next sun day
Lust / Venus	Ms. Charm, Dead Horse tavern	Learn the request through conversation and record its requirements in the NPC tab	Do not hand over Faith without reserving some for research
Gluttony / Jupiter	Merchant, near the village trade office	Check garden-related dialogue and the Merchant's requests	Return after fulfilling the request's prerequisites
Envy / Mercury	Snake, church cellar	Requires the underground passage and the relevant request stage	He may be present on other days early on or during progression; do not assume he only appears on this day
Wrath / Mars	Inquisitor、Witch Hill	After the introduction, attend the event on the hill and check the request tab	Match the event and visitor's arrival time
Sloth / moon	Astrologer, lighthouse	Hear the relevant dialogue from Gerry and prepare the initial requested item	Leave during daylight because the lighthouse is far away

Arrival and departure times have not been checked to the second. The visitor cycle repeats every six days; use the wait to prepare wood, iron and food.

Solution 02

Open solution 02Close

Check four research requirements separately

Wide tables scroll horizontally.

Check four research requirements separately: 4 entries
Item	Where it is used	Example source	Similar but different
Red, green and blue technology points	Technology purchases	Gathering, processing and first-time study, among other sources	Science remaining at the Study table
Science	Research resource stored in the Study table	Decompose Clean paper	Blue technology points appearing in the inventory
Faith	Material for research and requests	Church sermons, among other sources	Points spent directly in the technology tree
An unstudied item	The Study table's item slot	Select the item you brought and check the required amounts	Studying the same item type repeatedly without limit

If you want blue points, check the study reward's color in the item's description first. Studying stone or iron does not mean every item will award blue points.

Reduce your daily backtracking

On days when a character is available, assemble delivery items first. On other days, focus on completing a workstation or material.

Check required items, quality and quantities in the NPC tab
Add any trading you can do on the same return trip
Back at the workyard, separate fuel-driven processing from manual tasks
After sleeping, check whether the day symbol has changed

Opening the church in the first week is not a success requirement. Even on a first playthrough, you can advance the main requests covered here over several cycles.

Frequently asked questions

I can talk, but I cannot start working

Talking/interacting and working use separate inputs. The default PC examples are E and F; after selecting a workstation recipe, check the work input.

I brought the materials, but they are still counted as missing

Check for the wrong processing stage, storage in another area, or a large raw material that has not been placed in its designated stockpile.

Are Science and blue points the same?

No. Science is used at the Study table; blue points unlock technologies. Specific ways to obtain them are in the closed research section.

What should I do before quitting?

Sleep in your bed at home and confirm the save after waking. Do not assume that working or changing days has saved the game.

🔥Popular guides

Based on site-wide views, captured July 6, 2026 (previous 28 days plus capture day).