The Deep Dish Dungeon Prison Key comes near the end of the demo, after the Iron Key. Cast the Iron Key at the big smelter, use it on the door beside the Jaguar Door puzzle, and in our read of the demo's game files the Prison Key sits in a small chest a few steps past that door. The Prison Key opens the Prison Door, and walking into the prison ends the demo.
The developers have said some keys, treasures and passages are randomized, so the chest may not be in the same spot in every game. For what the game is and our other guides, start at the Deep Dish Dungeon guide hub.
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| First door | Opens once your stomach is full. Evidence: The demo's message "Door blocked. You need a full stomach to proceed." (build 23712006). |
| Small Key | Found in small chests; opens the door beside the crates of the main camp, toward the prison. Evidence: The demo's game files (build 23712006) and a developer reply in the official Discord, February 25, 2026. |
| Hammer | In the sewers, beside a metal fence; the only tool that breaks metal fences (the "bars"). Evidence: The demo's game files (build 23712006); route from player reports on Steam. |
| Iron Key | Cast at the big smelter with its key mold, 5 Coal and 10 Scrap Metal. Evidence: The demo's game files and in-game messages (build 23712006). |
| Iron Key door | The door beside the Jaguar Door puzzle. Evidence: A developer reply in the official Discord, February 11, 2026, matched by the demo's game files. |
| Prison Key | In a small chest a few steps past the Iron Key door; opens the Prison Door. Evidence: The demo's game files (build 23712006); some key placements are randomized, the developers said. |
| End of the demo | The "END OF DEMO" screen inside the prison. Evidence: The demo's in-game text (build 23712006) and developer replies in the official Discord, February and August 2026. |
Every row describes the demo, Steam build 23712006.
Every row was checked on October 4, 2026.
The first door out of the starting area stays shut until you have eaten enough. The demo's message is: "Door blocked. You need a full stomach to proceed."
Players on the Steam discussion board report filling their stomach by cooking an apple and a mushroom over the campfire and drinking water. Gather sticks in the same area to make the fire.
Small Keys are in small chests; the demo's game files place a Small Key in three of them, and several doors use one. The door you want is the one the developers pointed to in the official Discord on February 25, 2026: a door beside the crates of the main camp, locked by a Small Key. "The prison is that way," they wrote.
When a door needs a key you do not have, the demo says "Door Locked. Bring the" followed by the key's name.
The Iron Key is not lying around; you cast it. The big smelter has a key mold that makes the Iron Key, and the demo's game files set what the smelter needs before it will cast:
| You need | Amount | Message if it is missing |
|---|---|---|
| Coal in the smelter | 5 | "Smelter is cold. Add more Coal." |
| Scrap Metal in the smelter | 10 | "Smelter is empty. Add more Scrap Metal." |
| A casting mold in place | 1 | "Add casting mold before activating." |
When all three are in place, the smelter uses up the 5 Coal and 10 Scrap Metal, casts the item, and shows "Mold casting performed." The same smelter casts the Key Pieces for the Jaguar Door from their own molds.
Take the Iron Key to the door beside the Jaguar Door puzzle. A developer confirmed in the official Discord on February 11, 2026 that this is the door the Iron Key opens.
Past that door, the demo's game files put the Prison Key in a small chest a few steps away, together with a piece of Rotten Food. That is the chest to check first.
Two cautions. The game files list a second small chest that also holds a Prison Key, in a different part of the dungeon, and we have not confirmed whether you can reach it in normal play. And the developers have said that some keys, treasures and passages are randomized, so if the chest past the Iron Key door is empty, keep searching the nearby rooms.
The Prison Key opens the Prison Door, the cell door named "Prison Door" in the demo. The prison area is reached through the Small Key door from Step 1.
Spider webs hang in the prison area. In the demo's game files, spider webs take damage from the Torch and nothing else, so burn them with a torch to clear the way to the door.
Walking into the prison through the Prison Door ends the demo with an "END OF DEMO" screen. Our Deep Dish Dungeon demo guide covers the whole demo, from what it includes to how long it takes.
The Jaguar Door stays shut in the demo. It needs three Key Pieces cast at the smelter, and in the demo's game files one of the three Key Piece molds is disabled, so we found no way to open it. Roots, goo piles and rock piles can't be cleared in the demo either; our guide to breaking bars and other obstacles explains what each one needs.
The full game opens on October 13, 2026; the Deep Dish Dungeon release date page has the launch time and platforms.
Four items are still open: which of the two Prison Key chests you reach in normal play, finer landmarks for the Hammer and the Iron Key door, how many Hammer hits a metal fence takes, and whether any of this changes in the full game.
When the full game launches on October 13, 2026, we will read its game files and update every step that changes.
In a small chest a few steps past the door the Iron Key opens, beside the Jaguar Door puzzle, in our read of the demo's game files. Some key placements are randomized, so check the nearby rooms if that chest is empty.
On the Prison Door in the prison area. Opening it and walking into the prison ends the demo.
Cast it at the big smelter: put in 5 Coal and 10 Scrap Metal, place the Iron Key mold and start the smelter.
In the sewers, beside a metal fence. Players reach it by climbing along the pipes at the far end of the sewers and crouch-jumping where the ceiling is low.
Only the Hammer. Metal fences ignore every other weapon in the demo, including the War Hammer.
We found no way to. It needs three Key Pieces, and one of the three Key Piece molds is disabled in the demo's game files.
Inside the prison, behind the Prison Door. The screen reads "END OF DEMO". Our demo guide covers the rest of the demo.
Sources and version history for this guide: Deep Dish Dungeon sources and versions.
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