Build a Bunker — The first five minutes
About
OverviewBuild a Bunker is a survival game where nuclear bombs fall every five minutes, forcing you to scavenge food, weapons, and supplies from a nearby town and then race back to your bunker before the blast hits. Each wave brings tougher enemies who will tear your bunker apart while you defend. This guide covers looting, fortifying, fighting, and pushing as far as you can.
What is on this page
Contents
The first five minutes — looting the town
Step
As soon as the round begins, head straight into town. Food keeps you alive between waves, so pick it up whenever you spot it. Grab weapons too — you will need them the moment enemies show up at your door. Supplies are what let you upgrade later, so take everything you can carry. Be back inside the bunker before the five-minute mark.
- Search the town check corners and edges where items are easy to miss
- Grab food running out of health between waves ends your run
- Pick up any weapon you find
- Collect supplies they fuel every upgrade you will make
- Return to the bunker be inside before the nuke arrives
Closing the door and surviving the blast
CheckOnce you are inside, shut the bunker door immediately. Enemies will go straight for that door, chipping away at its durability with every hit. Eat food to keep your health up during the fight. If you have a weapon, use it through any gap you can find — every enemy you drop is less punishment on your walls.
- Door is closed before the nuke lands
- Food is on hand to restore health during the wave
- Weapon is ready to hit enemies before they break through
- You are not standing outside when the bomb falls
Upgrading the bunker between waves
TipsThe supplies you haul back from town can be put straight into making your bunker harder to destroy. Enemies hit harder as the days climb, so upgrades you skip early will cost you later.
- Upgrade the door's durability — it takes punishment every wave
- Strengthen walls and windows so enemies cannot punch through a weaker spot
- Build the sell machine, recycler, heater, computer, and satellite when you have the resources — each is a real part of your bunker's setup
Enemy types and how to handle them
TableNot every wave sends the same enemies. Mutants, Cultists, bandits, Sterilizers, and the military each show up at different points in a run. Ranged weapons let you deal damage while staying protected. Close-range weapons drop enemies faster but put you in harm's way.
| Ranged weapons | attack from cover, keeping distance between you and the enemy |
| Close-range weapons | higher damage up close, but you absorb more hits |
| Mutants | one of the raid types you will face; earn the Mutant Defender badge by surviving their wave |
| Cultists | raid the Cathedral area to encounter them and earn the Heretic badge |
| Bandits, Sterilizers, Military | each counts as its own raid type with its own defender badge |
Co-op play
TipsBeating the game with one partner earns the Dynamic Duo badge; doing it with five earns Stronger Together.
- Beating the game with one other player earns the Dynamic Duo badge
- Beating the game with five players earns the Stronger Together badge
Long-term goals and challenge badges
SummaryThere are survival milestones every five days from day five all the way to day fifty. The game also rewards specific playstyle challenges. Hardcore requires a full run without dying once. Pacifist requires beating the game without killing anything.
- Day milestones badges at day 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, and 50
- Raid defender badges survive a wave of each enemy type: mutants, Cultists, bandits, Sterilizers, and military
- Builder badges construct the sell machine, recycler, heater, computer, and satellite
- Hardcore complete the game without dying a single time
- Pacifist complete the game without killing anything
- Co-op badges finish the game with one partner (Dynamic Duo) or with five players (Stronger Together)
Glossary
Glossary- Nuke
- A nuclear bomb that hits the world every five minutes, which is the timer that drives every looting run.
- Bunker
- Your base of operations, built from supplies and upgraded between waves to withstand increasingly tough enemies.
- Wave
- A round of enemies that attacks your bunker after each nuke; enemies grow stronger as the day count rises.
- Supplies
- Items gathered from town that are spent on bunker upgrades.
- Raid
- A wave associated with a specific enemy faction — mutants, Cultists, bandits, Sterilizers, or the military.
- Hardcore
- A challenge condition requiring you to finish the entire game without dying once.
- Pacifist
- A challenge condition requiring you to beat the game without killing any enemies.
Common questions
FAQEnemies keep breaking through my door — what am I doing wrong?
The door is almost always the first thing enemies focus on, so it needs to be your first upgrade every time you have supplies to spend.
I keep running out of food mid-wave — how do I stop that?
Search the town more thoroughly on each run, especially corners where items hide easily.
Is there an actual ending, or does the game just go on forever?
There is an ending — the Hardcore and Pacifist badges both reference beating the game, and the Stronger Together badge rewards finishing it with five players. The day-milestone badges track your progress toward that finish line in five-day steps.
Game updates can change what is on this page. If you spot something, get in touch and let us know.
