Can 'Em All deadlock fixes

Resolve Can 'Em All deadlock confusion with exact achievement checks, hidden tube and Grinder steps, feed milestones, and progression fixes.

A Can 'Em All deadlock is best treated as an achievement that looks finished but has not met the exact condition the game checks. The phrase sounds technical, but the fixes usually come down to tighter setups: the right object in the transport tube, a living creature in the Grinder, ten kills from one explosive bullet, or the correct feed counter. This guide breaks down all 12 unlocks so a Can 'Em All deadlock does not turn into guesswork.

What a Can 'Em All deadlock Means for Unlocks

Can 'Em All has 12 Steam achievements, including four hidden ones. The achievement list does not define a separate deadlock mechanic; for this guide, a Can 'Em All deadlock means an unlock that appears stuck because the obvious action misses the final condition. That distinction matters because several achievements punish near-misses: a body near the tube, a dead creature in the Grinder, or ten kills spread across multiple explosions all look close but fail the check.

Use this checklist before treating a Can 'Em All deadlock as a bug or repeating a long production run.

Achievement	Exact unlock condition	First thing to verify
First Blood	Kill your first creature.	A creature was actually killed; buying the First Blood permanent upgrade is separate.
Feeding the Future	Feed 100 children.	The CHILDREN FED counter reached 100.
Not a Can (Hidden)	Send a dead creature’s body into the transport tube instead of a can.	The body was unprocessed and actually entered the tube opening.
Collateral Damage	Kill 10 creatures at once with an explosive bullet.	All 10 kills came from the same explosion.
Ending World Hunger	Feed 10,000 children.	The CHILDREN FED counter reached 10,000.
Special Delivery (Hidden)	Throw yourself into the transport tube.	You jumped into the canned food tube yourself.
Fresh Meat (Hidden)	Grind a creature while it is still alive.	The creature was alive when it entered the Grinder intake.
A Fresh Start	Sell your factory for the first time.	The sale was confirmed; an offer alone does not count.
Human Meat (Hidden)	Grind yourself in the processor.	You entered the meat processor, not the transport tube.
World's Greatest Humanitarian	Feed 100,000 children.	The CHILDREN FED counter reached 100,000.
The Perfect Employee	Purchase every permanent upgrade.	Every node in the Permanent Upgrade Tree is purchased.
Freedom at Last	Discover the game’s ending.	You reached the ending, not merely bought an upgrade named Freedom.

The four hidden achievements cause most confusion because their descriptions are vague. The feed and progression achievements are easier to read, but they still require the right counter or the right permanent tree.

Fix Hidden Transport Tube and Grinder Deadlocks

The transport tube and Grinder account for four hidden achievements. They are also the easiest place to create a false Can 'Em All deadlock because the game checks the object and its condition, not just the machine you used.

Transport Tube: Not a Can and Special Delivery

Not a Can requires a dead creature’s body, not a living creature and not a finished can. Kill a creature on the factory floor, collect the body before it enters a Grinder, then carry or launch it toward the canned food transport tube. The body must enter the opening. Holding it nearby is not enough.

The exact odd delivery is throwing an unprocessed creature’s body into the transport tube. The tube may reject the body and throw it back out; that reaction is normal because the tube is built for cans. A Grinder pass or an ordinary can delivery will not unlock Not a Can. This is easier early, before automated systems start handling most bodies.

Special Delivery uses the same tube but checks your character instead. Jump directly into the canned food transport tube. The interaction ends the workday, and the company sends an Unauthorized Tube Usage warning afterward. Finish urgent deliveries first, since the workday ends without another chance to collect those cans.

Route	What enters the tube	Correct action	Common miss
Not a Can	A dead, unprocessed creature body	Kill, collect, aim with the Vacuum, and throw the body into the opening.	Holding the body near the tube, sending a can, or sending a living creature.
Special Delivery	Your character	Jump directly into the canned food transport tube.	Throwing an object inside or entering the Grinder instead.

Grinder: Fresh Meat and Human Meat

Fresh Meat checks whether a creature is alive when it enters the Grinder. Processing a dead body does not qualify, even though the machine performs its normal job. Leave at least one creature alive near an accessible Grinder, avoid shooting it, and get it into the intake. Keep the target alive until it enters the processor.

A Can 'Em All deadlock around Fresh Meat usually comes from sending a corpse after clearing the area. If the Grinder intake is crowded with bodies, separate the living target or wait for a clearer moment before pushing it in.

Human Meat requires your character to enter the meat processor. This is separate from Special Delivery: jumping into the transport tube does not complete Human Meat. Find an accessible Grinder and enter its processing opening. The company can then send a You’re Not Food email explaining that employees are not approved for processing.

The warning email is a consequence of entering the machine, not a separate collectible. Since you are deliberately entering dangerous machinery, finish important work for the day before trying it.

Achievement	What enters the Grinder	Condition that matters	Common miss
Fresh Meat	A living creature	It must still be alive when it reaches the intake.	Sending a dead body or killing the target too early.
Human Meat	Your character	You must enter the meat processor.	Jumping into the transport tube and expecting both hidden achievements.

Clear Collateral Damage and Feed Counter Stalls

Collateral Damage asks for 10 creatures to die at once from an explosive bullet. This is not the same as killing 10 creatures during one workday, and it is not the same as gradually clearing a crowded factory with ordinary shots. The regular upgrade tree includes a chance for bullets to explode. Once that effect is available, a tightly grouped delivery gives you the setup.

Let a truck deliver a large group, avoid spreading the creatures across the factory, and fire into the cluster. Aim for one blast that kills at least 10. A successful attempt can happen soon after unlocking the explosion effect; you do not need every late-game weapon.

Symptom	Why it fails	Better attempt
Ten kills across several explosions	The achievement requires a single event.	Save a fresh group and trigger one blast.
A large explosion with survivors	Only creatures actually killed by that explosion count.	Let 10 or more cluster before firing.
Ordinary-shot kills before the blast	Those kills are not part of the explosive-bullet total.	Avoid chipping the group before the explosion.
Other explosive weapons or effects	The requirement names an explosive bullet.	Use the regular bullet explosion upgrade.

For feed-based Can 'Em All deadlock cases, watch the CHILDREN FED counter, not the SLAUGHTERED counter. These achievements track children fed through canned food production. There is no separate NPC or feeding location to visit; keep producing and delivering cans until each milestone appears.

Achievement	Children fed	What to watch	What does not count
Feeding the Future	100	CHILDREN FED reaches 100.	Creatures killed on the factory floor.
Ending World Hunger	10,000	CHILDREN FED reaches 10,000.	Cans that never reach delivery.
World's Greatest Humanitarian	100,000	CHILDREN FED reaches 100,000.	The SLAUGHTERED counter.

If the number is barely increasing, check whether finished cans are actually reaching the delivery system. Grinder bottlenecks, conveyor setup, and production upgrades matter more than firing faster at creatures. A completed delivery is the progress event, not a kill.

Unlock Progression Achievements Without Losing Progress

The final three achievements are tied to major decisions rather than machine tricks. They are easy to confuse because the factory’s ordinary upgrades, permanent upgrades, and ending are separate objectives.

Achievement	Unlock requirement	Does not count	Prep before attempting
A Fresh Start	Confirm your first Sell Your Factory transaction.	Receiving the purchase offer.	Check what you keep and lose after the sale, since ordinary factory progress restarts.
The Perfect Employee	Purchase every upgrade in the Permanent Upgrade Tree.	Completing all regular factory upgrades or holding unused points.	Check every permanent node; earn more points through the factory-sale and permanent-upgrade route if needed.
Freedom at Last	Reach the game’s ending.	Buying the final upgrade named Freedom.	Pay off the debt, return to the upstairs exit, and leave the factory.

A Fresh Start does not require the permanent upgrade tree to be finished. The confirmed sale is the trigger, and selling restarts ordinary progress, so review what changes before you accept.

The Perfect Employee is stricter. It requires purchasing every node in the Permanent Upgrade Tree. Regular factory upgrades do not count, and unused Permanent Upgrade Points are not enough. If the achievement remains locked, scan the permanent tree for an unpurchased node.

Freedom at Last requires the ending, not the Freedom purchase alone. After paying off the debt, return to the upstairs exit and leave the factory. If the door is still locked, check the Freedom purchase and exit conditions before trying again.

FAQ

Is Can 'Em All deadlock a real bug?

The achievement list does not define a separate deadlock state. In this guide, Can 'Em All deadlock means an apparent progression stall; retry with the exact condition before assuming a bug. For example, a body near the tube is not the same as a body inside it.

Why did Not a Can fail after I used the transport tube?

Check that the object was a dead, unprocessed creature body and that it actually entered the tube opening. Holding it nearby, sending a living creature, sending a can, or using the Grinder will not unlock it. The tube may also reject the body; that rejection is normal.

Do Special Delivery and Human Meat unlock together?

No. Special Delivery requires your character to enter the transport tube. Human Meat requires your character to enter the meat processor. They are separate hidden achievements with separate machines.

Why is Collateral Damage stuck after 10 kills?

The 10 kills must happen at once from one explosive bullet. Kills spread across several explosions, ordinary shots before the blast, survivors in the same blast, and other explosive effects do not satisfy the requirement. Keep a fresh delivery grouped and try for one clean explosion.