Potato Please has an unusually complete in-game troubleshooting page: Unstuck, Wheelbarrow and Sack fixes, all on a 60-second cooldown after 1.0.1. That is the first place to look, not the last.
Symptom → cause → fix
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Character walks forward alone / WASD dead | Steering wheel, pedals, flight stick or virtual joystick driver connected | Unplug the device; fixed in 1.0.1 |
| Stuck in geometry | Collision or a bad reset | Pause → Troubleshooting → Unstuck (60s cooldown) |
| Endless fall after a bad reset | A fixed 1.0.2 bug | Update; if it persists, load the last save |
| No controls or HUD after Unstuck | A fixed 1.0.2 bug | Update, then reload the save |
| Empty HUD after an ending | A fixed 1.0.2 bug | Update and load the save; the HUD recovers |
| Game freezes on the opening black screen | Pressing Esc during the intro | Update to 1.0.2 |
| Menus cut off | Ultrawide resolution | Fixed in 1.0.1; update your build |
| Menus or objectives blank | Game data failed to load | Verify game files through Steam (the game now warns you) |
| Machine hopper empty after load | Pre-1.0.2 save behaviour | Update; hoppers keep contents in 1.0.2 |
| Vacuum tank empty after load | Pre-1.0.2 save behaviour | Update; the tank persists in 1.0.2 |
| Supply drop stuck on the crane | A fixed 1.0.2 bug | Update; drops land on ground or snow |
| Snow inside the room after the storm | A fixed 1.0.2 bug | Update; if it persists, verify files |
| Key potato vanished | Vacuum or puppy carried it (pre-1.0.2) | Update; it now waits for you |
| Master Peeler page stuck without reward | A fixed 1.0.2 bug | Load the save on 1.0.2; it recovers |
| Late-game slowdown / crash | Peeled potatoes jamming the channel | Update to 1.0.2; water moves more freely |
| Old save shows the storm early | Pre-storm save loaded after a patch | Update to 1.0.2; the chill and flamethrower no longer appear early |
Compiled from official 1.0.1 and 1.0.2 hotfix notes. Anything not listed there is not a documented fix.
The order to try things
Pause and use Troubleshooting
Unstuck first, then the Wheelbarrow or Sack fix if the problem is with a load. All share a 60-second cooldown, so do not spam them.
Repile
Available in the pause menu. Useful when the pile has formed an arch or physics has gone strange. Formerly bound to holding R; the badge was removed, the action was not.
Load the last save
The game saves often. A reload fixes more states than any other action, especially after an ending or a patch conversion.
Verify game files
Steam → right-click the game → Properties → Installed Files → Verify integrity. The game now prompts you when data fails to load.
Report it
The in-game Troubleshooting page has a report option. The developer asked for reports there in both hotfix posts, and says recordings help for leaderboard disputes.
Performance notes
The 1.0.2 fix targets the specific late-game case where peeled potatoes jammed the water channel. If you still drop frames, reduce the number of loose physics objects in the yard: loose potatoes, unemptied buckets and a full channel are all physics work. The vacuum tank and hoppers are cheaper storage than a floor covered in potatoes.
If the game fails to launch at all, the system requirements start at Windows 10/11 64-bit, an i5-8400 or Ryzen 5 2600, 8 GB RAM, a GTX 1060 or RX 580, and 2 GB of storage. The recommended build is an i5-10400 or Ryzen 5 3600, 16 GB RAM and an RTX 2070 or RX 5700 XT.