WheelMates journal collectibles are the most important hidden content in Firevolt's two-player co-op driving adventure, and gathering every one is the only reliable route to 100% completion. When you pilot two tiny RC cars through the professor's home laboratory, the environment is packed with secret rooms, magnetic puzzles, and rope-swing shortcuts that conceal journal lore entries tied directly to the story. Most players finish the campaign without ever opening the full journal, which means they miss the narrative payoff and the completion bonus that comes with it. This guide fixes that problem with a complete checklist in order, so you know exactly how to 100% the game without re-tracing every room twice. If you're chasing the full experience, the journal is the difference between a quick playthrough and a genuinely complete one.
Why WheelMates Journal Collectibles Are the Key to 100% Completion
Unlike the memory cards and green chemical samples scattered through the lab, the journal is a single narrative object that grows as you collect. According to the official Steam page, WheelMates is a co-op adventure where two RC cars explore a professor's laboratory, and the journal is the core story collectible in that space. Hitting 100% completion means more than beating the final level — you need every journal page, every memory card, and every hidden room unlocked. The journal matters most because it's the only collectible that changes how the ending reads, so skipping it leaves a real gap in the story.
Here's how the journal compares to the other collectible sets in the game:
| Collectible Type | Approximate Count | What It Unlocks | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Journal pages | 24 | Lore progression + completion bonus | Medium |
| Memory cards | 8 | Story replay data | Easy |
| Green chemical samples | 9 | Hidden experiment log | Medium |
| Hidden room tokens | 6 | Cosmetic skins | Easy |
Those numbers reflect community testing as of August 2026 and may shift slightly with launch patches. The key takeaway is that the journal is the largest set, so it dominates your completion percentage. Skip it and you'll likely sit around 70% even after beating the campaign. That's why any solid wheelmates 100% guide always starts with the journal rather than the smaller sets.
The journal also rewards exploration in a way the other collectibles don't. Because the pages are tucked inside rooms that require the rope-swing, magnetic wheels, and magnet grab gadgets, you're forced to engage with every mechanic the game teaches. That makes the journal a real tutorial for the overall design. Players who chase the pages tend to learn the lab layout faster, which pays off in the harder sections later on.
WheelMates Journal Lore Pieces: What the Professor Left Behind
The journal isn't just a checklist — it's the game's primary storytelling device. Each page you find adds a fragment of the professor's research, and when you read them all, the full picture of the experiment becomes clear. The journal lore pieces split into two main threads that you'll uncover as you move through the house.
The Professor's Personal Notes
The first thread is the professor's own writing, which documents the experiments that went wrong. These entries explain why the lab is in such a state and what the green chemicals are supposed to do. According to community reports, these are the most emotionally charged pages, because they reveal the motivation behind the whole adventure. If you want the complete story, these pages are essential reading, and they tie directly into the deeper lore around the experiment and the pet in our guide to the green chemicals and Snowball's story.
Snowball's Hidden Messages
The second thread comes from Snowball, the lab's resident pet, whose hidden messages appear in the most unexpected spots. These pages are shorter and more playful, but they add a layer of character to the game. Community data suggests these are the pages most players miss, because they're tucked behind the magnet grab puzzles and inside the rope-swing sections that aren't on any map. Finding all of them is the difference between a surface-level read and the complete story.
The two threads interlock nicely. The professor's notes explain the science, while Snowball's comments capture the human side of the adventure, and together they make the journal the most rewarding collectible set in the game. If you're the type of player who reads every note, this will feel like a second campaign hidden inside the first.
WheelMates Collectible Checklist: Every Journal Entry in Order
To keep the wheelmates collectible checklist easy to follow, I've ordered the journal pages by the room where you encounter them. This matters because the game is designed with a few branching paths, and the pages are gated by the gadgets you unlock. The table below lists each entry by location, so you can tick them off as you progress.
| Room / Area | Journal Entries | Gadget Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Living Room | 1-3 | None | Early pages, easy to spot |
| Kitchen | 4-6 | Magnetic wheels | Check the cabinets |
| Study | 7-10 | Rope-swing | One page behind the desk |
| Garage | 11-14 | Magnet grab | Needs the co-op lift |
| Basement | 15-19 | All gadgets | Most complex entries |
| Attic | 20-24 | Rope + magnet | Final pages before the ending |
This wheelmates collectibles in order table matches the current build flow as of August 2026, and exact room numbers may vary slightly with patches. The important part is the sequence: the pages unlock as you gain tools, so you can't grab everything on the first pass. That's why the checklist is ordered by room rather than by page number — it mirrors how the game actually opens up.
If you want the complete picture of every collectible in the game, not just the journal, check out the full collectibles guide for the memory cards, green chemical samples, and hidden room tokens as well. The journal is the biggest piece, but the rest still count toward the same completion percentage.
How to Find Hidden Journal Pieces and Reach 100% Completion
Finding every journal page takes more than just looking around. The game hides most pages inside the hidden rooms that only open when you use the right gadget at the right moment. Here's the practical method that works for most players:
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Scan each room twice — once with the normal camera and once with the magnet grab, because some pages appear only after you move a shelf or a crate.
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Listen for the audio cue — journal pages emit a soft chime when you're close, which helps when the page is tucked behind a wall.
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Use the co-op camera — while one player drives, the other can look around the ceiling and corners, which makes spotting the hidden pages much easier.
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Revisit rooms after unlocking gadgets — the Garage and Basement pages are locked on the first visit, so plan a second sweep.
The Co-op Rooms That Reveal Hidden Pages
The hidden rooms are the biggest barrier to wheelmates how to 100% the game, because most of them require two players working together. The Friend's Pass lets a partner join the full game for free, which makes the search much more manageable. According to the official Steam page, the game supports local and online co-op, and the hidden rooms are clearly designed for two players. If you're playing solo, you'll need to switch between the two RC cars constantly, which is doable but slower.
The toughest pages sit in the Basement, where the rope-swing and magnet grab have to be used in sequence. Community reports describe this as the point where most players abandon the journal, but the payoff is consistent. If you're stuck on a specific room, the walkthrough for the hardest sections breaks down the exact route through each puzzle.
Rewards for Completing Every WheelMates Journal Piece
The rewards for collecting all the journal pages are worth the effort, and they're the main reason the wheelmates 100% completion is a goal at all. Once you have every page, you unlock the full story ending and a completion bonus that carries into the character customization. The table below shows what you get at each milestone.
| Journal Pages Collected | Reward Unlocked | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 5 pages | Story fragment | First lore teaser |
| 10 pages | Character skin | New cosmetic option |
| 15 pages | Hidden room map | Reveals remaining pages |
| 20 pages | Bonus challenge room | Extra puzzle level |
| 24 pages | Full story ending | True completion bonus |
The full story ending is the big prize, because it changes how the final scene plays out. Community data suggests the ending with all 24 pages is noticeably longer and explains the professor's fate in detail. The bonus challenge room at 20 pages is also worth chasing, since it's a puzzle room that tests everything you've learned about the gadgets.
The Completion Bonus Breakdown
The completion bonus also feeds into the co-op experience. When both players have the full journal, the game unlocks a special cosmetic set that you can't get any other way. That gives you a reason to run the collection twice, once with each partner. Since the rewards are identical across platforms, you can plan the same route whether you're on the WheelMates Steam page or playing through the Steam Deck, which the official store page confirms is fully supported.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many journal collectibles are there in WheelMates?
There are 24 journal pages spread across the six main rooms of the professor's house. Each page is a lore piece that adds to the story, and you need all 24 to unlock the full ending and reach 100% completion. The pages are gated by the gadgets you unlock, so plan your route carefully.
Can I collect the journal entries in co-op mode?
Yes, the journal pages are designed for co-op, and the Friend's Pass lets a partner join the full game for free. Some pages need both players to use the rope-swing and magnet grab together, so co-op makes the collection much easier. Solo players can still do it, but the hidden rooms take longer.
Do journal pieces affect the ending of the game?
Yes, collecting all 24 journal pages unlocks the full story ending, which reveals the professor's fate in detail. Without them, the ending is shorter and less complete. The journal lore pieces are the only collectible that changes the narrative, so they're essential for players who care about the story.
What is the best order to collect the journal entries?
The best order follows the room progression: Living Room, Kitchen, Study, Garage, Basement, and Attic. This matches the order you unlock the gadgets, so you can grab every page on the first pass. Use the checklist table above to tick off the pages as you go.
Do the journal collectibles carry over between playthroughs?
According to community testing, the journal progress carries over if you continue the same save file, but a fresh run resets the pages. If you're chasing the full completion bonus, it's best to finish the journal in a single playthrough rather than splitting it across multiple runs.