Game info
What the Buck demo and save transfer
The What the Buck demo is free on Steam and in the browser on itch.io. It covers the first part of the game, about an hour of play, and your progress carries over: the first time you start the full version, it offers to take over your demo save. confirmed
What is in the What the Buck demo
From the Next Fest post and the itch.io page: confirmed
| In the demo | Full game only |
|---|---|
| $1, $2 and $5 bills, coins | $10, $20, $50 and $100 bills |
| Gold, Electric and Explosive Bills | Collector Bills, Fuel Bills and the flamethrower |
| Shifts and the first prestige upgrades | Diamonds, Investment Papers |
| Auto Swiper, End Shift Shortcut, Frenzy | Second ATM, Idle Mode, the rest of both trees |
| The ending |
The demo’s goal is $100 million. The developer lowered it from $1 billion in October, and you can keep playing after reaching it. confirmed A “true 100%” run of the demo took 73 minutes. confirmed
Where to play the demo
- Steam: the demo button on the store page. confirmed
- itch.io in the browser: the same version as the Steam demo since October. It saves your progress in the browser; before 10 October it lost everything when the tab closed. confirmed
- itch.io downloads: Windows (69 MB), Linux (60 MB) and macOS (91 MB) builds, “name your own price”. confirmed
The browser save does not carry over to Steam. The save transfer works between the Steam demo and the Steam full game.
How to carry your What the Buck demo save over
- Play the demo on Steam on the same account.
- Buy the full game and start it from your library.
- On first start it offers to take over your demo save. Accept, and you keep what you bought and continue from there. confirmed
The achievement catch after a demo save
Some players coming from a demo save saw the achievements tab in the Steam overlay greyed out. confirmed The developer’s fix: close the game, uninstall the demo if it is still installed, and start the game again from the Steam library. Every achievement earned in the meantime, including what you did in the demo save, unlocks at that start. You do not need a new save. confirmed Two players confirmed that uninstalling the demo fixed it. reported
Is What the Buck free?
The demo is free; the full game is paid ($6.99, see price and editions). confirmed The Android version will follow the same model: the first part free, then a one-time unlock. confirmed If you are looking for a free download, the demo on Steam or itch.io is the official one.
Demo history
| Date | Change |
|---|---|
| 9 Jul 2026 | itch.io build fixes rewards over $1,000 being collected at a fraction of their value |
| 27 Jul 2026 | itch.io update adds Electric, Explosive and Golden Bills, dynamic music, phone-call story, localisation |
| By 9 Aug 2026 | Steam demo available (first forum threads) |
| 5–6 Oct 2026 | Fix for the missing Start Shift button after the prestige preview |
| 10 Oct 2026 | Browser demo saves progress; Apply no longer forces fullscreen |
| 19–26 Oct 2026 | Demo in Steam Next Fest |
| 9 Nov 2026 | Full game out; demo saves carry over |
Sources: itch.io devlogs and topics, Steam forum replies and news. confirmed
Sources
Last checked: 10 November 2026. Marks: confirmed = official notes, the store page, the game itself or a recording of it; reported = two or more players; unverified = one source.