How to play Brotato
Updated for Brotato 1.2.0.1 · checked 2026-11-05
The store page is the rulebook I trust for the frame. You aim or you let the potato shoot, you last 20 waves, each wave runs about 20 to 90 seconds, and the shop opens in between. A clear is often under 30 minutes. You can hold six weapons. Local co-op goes to four players on Steam and GOG, and the Switch page says two. Sliders can change enemy health, damage, and speed.
Community guides, including the beginner notes on brotato-builds and the Steam all-character guide, add a shape the store page does not: spend waves 1 to 5 on economy (luck and harvesting), waves 6 to 15 on damage, and waves 16 to 20 on staying alive. They also say to fill all six slots before you pour upgrades into one weapon, and to repeat a weapon tag so that tag shows up more often.
I keep those as community advice under the official frame. They are not patch notes. If you want three starter loadouts written out, use the beginner builds page. If you want one character, open that character.
Related pages
FAQ
How long is a run?
The store page calls a run short. Community timing puts a clear under 30 minutes, with waves of 20 to 90 seconds.
Should I upgrade one weapon first?
The beginner guides I read say to fill six slots before you tier up a single weapon. That is their advice, not a rule on the store page.
Sources
Public pages linked below were compared on 2026-11-05. Rows with one source are labeled; differing catalogs retain their own counts.
- Steam store page for Brotato — checked 2026-11-05
- brotato-builds — checked 2026-11-05
- Steam all-character guide — checked 2026-11-05