Keep Within Reach of the Bartender
All the things you should read
before you spill your first drink.
Pour. Mix. Slide. Survive.
Keep this behind the bar.
You’re going to need it.
Start with your first shift, or look up a task.
Instructions reviewed October 13, 2026. The pictures and pouring clip are from September builds. Controls and balancing may change before release. The prompts in your build take priority.
Thirty nights. One family dive bar. Your name on the deed if you can keep it together.
The first rule: acknowledge the person waiting.
These are the default controls. Each lesson lists keyboard and controller inputs together. Inside a station, some buttons have a different job.
| Action | Keyboard & Mouse | Controller |
|---|---|---|
| Move | W A S D / arrows | Left stick |
| Run | Hold Shift | Hold LT / L2 |
| Go flat out | Hold Shift + Ctrl | Hold both triggers |
| Jump | Space | A / Cross |
| Use a station | E | Y / Triangle |
| Check an ID | C | RB / R1 |
| Take order / serve / settle tab | R | X / Square |
| Charge a drink slide | Hold F | Hold R3 |
| Read tonight’s cards | N | Directional pad up |
| Wait while standing | B | B / Circle |
| Pause menu | Esc | Start / Options |
For help, press F1 on keyboard. On a controller, press Start / Options and choose Controls. See Recipes and Practice for the book.
A greeting buys you more time than a perfect drink nobody asked for.
Seat numberWho it belongs to
Item nameWhat they asked for
Drink iconWhere to make it
Read the label. Watch the marks. Know when to let go.
| Action | Keyboard & Mouse | Controller |
|---|---|---|
| Select an item | Arrows / W A S D / click | Directional pad / left stick |
| Pour / use selected item | E (hold to pour) | Y / Triangle (hold to pour) |
| Set drink down | R | L3 |
| Dump drink | F | R3 |
| Pour water | Hold H | Hold LT / L2 |
| Add ice | I | RT / R2 |
| Leave the station | Esc | B / Circle |
These are common station actions. Selection and special tools have their own prompts. Use the wine station for wine and bubbly, or the cooler for packaged drinks.
Plain water is safe to offer even when a guest ordered something else. It does not replace their pending drink, earn money or tips, or cause a wrong drink penalty. Their drink and food patience pause while they sip, then resume without a refill. If they ordered water, it completes that request normally.
Clear empties and attend to spills before the rush. A dirty bar affects the mood and your tips. If service stalls, check the glass stock before assuming a station is broken.
The glasses don’t wash themselves.
Usually.
Fruit bins run out. At the cutting board, choose fruit with the direction keys, mouse, directional pad, or left stick. Use Keyboard: EController: Y / Triangle to place, slice, and store it as prompted. Check the stock before trying to finish a recipe that needs fruit.
A full room is nice. A paid rent bill is better.
Watch the Strike Mugs.The bank is the money available for rent, supplies, and upgrades. Tonight’s takings are only one part of the picture. Check the register and read the due amount before spending in the market.
Wrong drinks, ignored orders, and other service failures can add strikes. Some mistakes add part of a mug. The starting limit is three full mugs; cards can change it. Reaching the limit ends the run even if you have money left. A guest leaving over slow service may still accept an apology before reaching the door. Use the serve action while they are in reach.
Rent comes due every five nights. If the bank cannot cover it, the run ends. Paying rent forgives up to one full strike, but it cannot rescue a run that has already failed.
After earning the deed, you can keep playing. The bills become operating costs and still come due every five nights.
Read tonight’s cards before you open.
Read the nightly conditions before you open. Crowds, prices, equipment, and your usual routine can change.
Check what a card does, how much it costs, and how long it lasts before buying it.
The rack holds five Wild Cards. At daybreak, you can bench and equip owned cards. A full rack means making choices; selling a card frees room when you want to replace it.
The Night Market offers more ways to shape the run. Compare an upgrade with the rent money you will need. A reroll also costs money.
On keyboard, Tab opens recipes directly. With either device, visit the standing bookshelf and press Keyboard: EController: Y / Triangle, then choose the recipe book. Recipes are discovered through play and rewards; you do not start knowing every cocktail.
Follow the well’s recipe card as you build a drink. Check the ingredients, proportions, ice and finish before serving. The separate Test Your Pour drill is currently unavailable.
Learn it slow.
Pour it fast.
The TV, music, decorations, and the people who turn up give the room its character. Watch what is happening on the floor while keeping an eye on service.
Regulars remember how you treat them. Guests form friendships and grudges, and familiar staff remember earlier shifts. When you hire help, watch their duties and breaks as well as your own orders.
Recipes, equipment, bar games, and other discoveries arrive as you play. Some fixtures and actions will not be available on a fresh save. Follow the prompts and take a look around between busy spells.
When the bar is quiet, wash, restock, or explore. While standing still, press Keyboard: BController: B / Circle for wait mode; repeat it for faster time. Moving or interacting returns the clock to normal.
The game saves locally and has autosaves. Save at the payphone before leaving, and let the saving indicator finish. Keep backups of saves you care about. Steam Cloud, where enabled, is managed in Steam.
Open the pause menu with Keyboard: EscController: Start / Options for setup, sound, accessibility, and controls. Options include reduced motion and flashing, subtitle sizing, contrast, and brighter dark rooms. Adjust music and effects separately.
The Frequently Asked Questions pages cover common problems with drinks, controls, and recipes. We will add answers as more questions come in.
Still stuck? Send playtest feedback with your build, platform, and what happened. Our privacy policy explains saves, Steam services, and information you choose to send.
Answers to common questions at the bar.
Check for a clean glass, an empty keg, or a packaged drink still in your hand. At the taps, select a beer before holding the pour button. At the well, choose a glass before adding ingredients.
Pouring a BeerCheck the seat number, the remaining order items, and what you are carrying. Stand near the matching patron and use the serve action. If a request has several items, the check stays open until you finish it.
Serving Your GuestsSome controls change when you enter a station. On the floor, R on keyboard or X / Square on a controller serves a patron. Inside a station, R or L3 sets a drink down. Follow the prompt shown in your build.
The ControlsAnswers to common questions at the bar.
Glass stock is limited. Served glasses return through the sink, so check the dirty pile and work through the wash and drying stages. Clean glasses go back into circulation. Keep the types needed for your next orders supplied.
Wash the GlassesWalk up to the standing bookshelf and press Y / Triangle. Choose the recipe book there. On keyboard, Tab opens recipes directly, or E opens the bookshelf. There is no separate controller shortcut for the recipe book.
Recipes and PracticeYes. The recipe book freezes the shift while it is open. To take a break, open the pause menu with Esc on keyboard or Start / Options on a controller. The separate Test Your Pour drill is currently unavailable.
Recipes and PracticeTry not to lose the bar.
Pour. Mix. Slide. Survive.
Sticky Floors is developed and published by Super Basic Studio.
© 2026 Super Basic Studio. All rights reserved.
Development edition · Subject to change.
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