How do you save in Deep Dish Dungeon?
Players see the game save on its own ("Saving current game...", then "Game Saved!"). To stop playing, use "Save & Exit to Main Menu" or "Save & Exit Application" from the menu.
Deep Dish Dungeon Beginner's Guide: How to Play
Here is how to play the start of Deep Dish Dungeon without losing progress. At the first camp, light the campfire with sticks, cook apples and mushrooms, and drink at the fountain until your stomach is full; the first door will not open before that. Leave through the "Save & Exit" menu options, and set a sleeping bag as your spawn point as soon as you find one.
Deep Dish Dungeon: how to play your first hour
New to the game? Start at the Deep Dish Dungeon guide hub.
- First goal: fill your stomach. The first door says "Door blocked. You need a full stomach to proceed."
- Light: carry a torch, and park it in a torch holder when you stop.
- Leaving the game: use "Save & Exit to Main Menu" or "Save & Exit Application".
- When you die: you come back at the sleeping bag you set as your spawn point.
Deep Dish Dungeon basics at a glance
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| First door | Opens once your stomach is full; until then it says "Door blocked. You need a full stomach to proceed." Source: In-game text. |
| Leaving the game | "Save & Exit to Main Menu" or "Save & Exit Application". Source: In-game text. |
| Save messages | "Saving current game..." followed by "Game Saved!" Source: In-game text; player reports for when it first appears. |
| Save files | Each save has a name and can be deleted permanently. Source: In-game text. |
| Spawn point | A sleeping bag you choose: "Sleeping bag saved as a spawn point!" Source: In-game text. |
| Stuck somewhere | "Starve to Death" sends you back to your last saved point. Source: In-game text and a developer reply in the official Discord, October 14, 2026. |
| Demo saves | Do not carry over to the full game. Source: The developers' demo announcement, June 12, 2026. |
First steps after starting a new game
The order below comes from five launch-week streams that start a new game and a third-party walkthrough published on launch day. They agree on these landmarks, but the dungeon is open, so you may pick things up in a different order.
- Create the game. You give the game a name and can add a password. In offline mode the game tells you that "Password and connectability type are unavailable while the game is in OFFLINE Mode."
- Skip the intro if you have seen it. The prompt is "Hold to Skip".
- Grab a torch at the camp. The dungeon is dark from the first room.
- Light the campfire. It asks you to "Bring Wood to light"; the sticks lying around the camp do the job.
- Eat. Apples and mushrooms grow around the camp. You can eat them raw, but cook them on the fire first.
- Drink. The fountain near the first door gives Clean Water.
- Go through the first door once your stomach is full (see the next section).
- Find the key for the next door. The next door asks for a small key, which you find in the rooms just past the first door.
- Reach the first big room. It has a campfire, a sleeping bag and a chest, and several paths lead on from it, which makes it a good place for your first base.
How to get past the first door
The first door only opens with a full stomach. Your stomach has slots, and the game marks an unused one as "Empty Stomach Slot". Players report three slots, and that water counts as one of them: drink at the fountain and eat two cooked foods, and the door opens.
Raw food is the usual trap. In one launch-day stream the player ate a raw apple, drank, and was still turned away; a cooked apple from the campfire got them through. Players also report that apples and mushrooms keep growing back at the camp, so you will not run out.
Food is not only a key for that door. Each meal raises your health and stamina, and the death screen reminds you of it: "An empty stomach is a lost battle." If you go without, the game warns "You're starving. -1 max health points." Eat before every trip away from camp.
Keep your torch going
You need light almost everywhere. Players report that a torch burns down while you carry it, and the game's own tip is that "New torches burn brighter."
When you stop to cook, sort your bag or work on a puzzle, put the torch in a torch holder on the wall. It still lights the area, and a developer said in the official Discord on February 12, 2026 that a torch in a holder keeps the charge it had. Our items table covers the Torch.
How to save in Deep Dish Dungeon
You do not need to do anything special to keep your progress. Players in launch-week streams see "Saving current game..." and then "Game Saved!" within their first minutes, without opening a menu. When you want to stop, open the menu and pick one of the two exit options:
- "Save & Exit to Main Menu" saves and returns you to the main menu.
- "Save & Exit Application" saves and closes the game.
When you come back, the game shows "Loading saved game..." while it loads. Each save has a name (the menu calls it "Saved Game Name"), and you can remove one with "Delete Saved Game". The game asks first, because deleting is permanent.
Two things this does not cover. Your friends can join the same save over time; our multiplayer guide explains shared saves. And a save from the free demo stays in the demo: our demo guide covers demo saves.
Set your spawn point with a sleeping bag
When you die, you come back at the sleeping bag you chose as your spawn point. Interact with a sleeping bag and pick the first option; the game confirms "Sleeping bag saved as a spawn point!" The first big room past the starting doors already has one, so set it as soon as you arrive. You can also pick a sleeping bag up ("Sleeping bag stored in your inventory.") and take it with you. Our items table lists the Sleeping Bag.
If you get stuck somewhere you cannot climb or swim back from, the game offers a way out called "Starve to Death". It asks: "Do you wish to die of starvation and be granted a second chance in your last saved point?" A developer pointed a stuck player to it in the official Discord on October 14, 2026.
Make room in your bag
Your bag fills up quickly at the start, especially when you play alone. Build storage at your base early.
| Item | Materials | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Small Chest | 2 Wood Planks, 3 Scrap Metal | Store anything you are not carrying |
| Food Basket | 3 Vines | Store food apart from other items |
| Rope | 2 Vines, 1 Stick | An ingredient in other recipes, such as the Backpack |
A third-party tips article published on launch day says food keeps longer in a Food Basket than in a chest. Players also report that sticks, apples and other basics come back over time, so the camp keeps supplying you. Our recipes table has the Small Chest, the Food Basket and Rope.
When something blocks your way
Most early blocks are one of these:
- Roots across a path. Our guide to breaking roots covers what clears them.
- Rusty metal bars or gates. See our guide to breaking the rusty bars.
- The Jaguar Door. Our Jaguar Door guide covers the three Key Pieces it needs.
- A locked prison door. Our Prison Key guide covers where the key is.
Version notes and limits
Still open: what makes the game save and how often, how many stomach slots there are according to the game itself, and whether "last saved point" is always your sleeping bag. We will update this page once the game's code answers these, or if a patch changes saving or spawn points.
Deep Dish Dungeon beginner FAQ
Does Deep Dish Dungeon autosave?
Players see the save message within their first minutes without opening a menu. What triggers it, and how often, is not confirmed yet.
How do I quit without losing progress?
Use one of the two "Save & Exit" options in the menu: one returns to the main menu, the other closes the game.
Why won't the first door open?
Your stomach is not full. Drink at the fountain and eat cooked food from the campfire; players report that water plus two cooked foods fills it.
How do I set my spawn point?
Interact with a sleeping bag and choose the first option. The game confirms "Sleeping bag saved as a spawn point!"
What do I do if I am stuck and cannot get back?
Use "Starve to Death". It ends your life and gives you "a second chance in your last saved point".
Can I delete a save?
Yes, with "Delete Saved Game". The game asks first, because deleting is permanent.
Does my demo save carry over to the full game?
No. Demo saves stay in the demo; our demo guide explains why.
Can I play the same save with friends?
Yes. Friends can join the same save over time; see our multiplayer guide on shared saves.
Sources and version history for this guide: Deep Dish Dungeon sources and versions.
Spot an error or a post-patch change? See how we label evidence and handle corrections in the Editorial Policy.