Released-game troubleshooting
Why Do Zombies Stop Working in Graveyard Keeper 2?
Choose the symptom first. Setup checks come from dated player reports; confirmed bugs are listed with their official patch.
Quick answer
Did it never start, or stop between jobs?
If it never started, inspect the assigned job, tool and mastery requirement. If it stopped after a batch, check supplies, finished output and supplier coverage. If the setup worked before, compare the exact station with the patch fixes below. There is no confirmed universal cause for every idle worker.
PC patch notes do not prove the same version is installed on every console. A five-to-six-item work cap is not a verified rule.
Community checks · September 23–24 and October 8–9
The zombie never starts working
- Open the pause menu’s Zombie Workers tutorial if you missed it.
- Inspect the workstation assignment and selected job. A supply stand and a crafting station serve different roles.
- Check the worker’s tool and whether its mastery meets the selected recipe’s requirement. Players report these as common reasons a worker cannot begin.
Use the requirements shown in your game. These are player-reported checks, not a verified unlock order for every station.
Community checks · October 8–9
The zombie finishes a batch, then stops
- Inspect the next job’s inputs and the nearby chest supply.
- Check whether finished items have been collected and storage has room.
- Check the supplier separately from the crafter. Players describe a separate restocking and collecting role; placing a crafter alone does not establish that the supply chain is complete.
If the worker repeatedly stops after returning output, compare the station with Update 1.009 below. A setup problem and a station bug can look similar.
Version check
It stopped after updating, or still fails on a newer build
Record your platform, installed version, station, recipe and the action immediately before the stop. The official news feed lists Update 1.010 on October 13, including a factory-carrier wall-path fix; this is not a universal idle-worker fix. Earlier station-specific changes are below.
If the same job still fails after checking supplies and storage, report the repeatable sequence in the dedicated bug forum. Include whether the problem began before or after updating.
Source Official patch record ↗
Source Dedicated Steam bug forum ↗
Station-specific fixes
Sawmill, mine, quarry, gardeners and cooking zombies
- 1.009 — sawmill, mine, clay pit and sand pit: workers could return the output and become stuck instead of starting the next job.
- 1.009 — quarry caretaker: getting stuck on quarry objects was fixed. Caretakers can also be picked up or inspected from their station while working away from it.
- 1.009 — gardener: workers now return after a broken harvest; a harvest that repeatedly fails is left for the player. Harvesting an already-gone crop no longer produces the reported error pop-up.
- 1.009 — assigning a zombie: a freeze when the previous worker was invalid was fixed.
- 1.008 — firewood holder: fixed a zombie stuck trying to take items.
- 1.006 — kitchen zombie: fixed ingredients being consumed without producing a dish.
These fixes address different symptoms. They do not establish one best automation setup, an energy requirement or a universal recipe limit.
Confirmed system
Zombies are intended to automate production.
The official Zombies 2.0 diary says undead workers can operate semi-automatic machines, develop skills and take specialised roles. It does not document a five-to-six-item work limit or explain the current stopping report.
Source Official Zombies 2.0 diary ↗
Historical demo report · Player-reported
One thread is a lead, not a verdict.
The September demo thread describes zombies stopping after roughly five or six items. That report remains here for context, but it does not override the later official station fixes or prove a hard production cap.