How do you start a game of Probably Stolen?
Pick a starting scenario, spend up to 3 points on starting perks in 4 slots, then choose one of four difficulties. Apprentice is the start the game recommends for new players.
Probably Stolen Guide: How to Play
To start a run in Probably Stolen, you pick a starting scenario, spend up to 3 points on starting perks and choose one of four difficulties. Each day you open the shutter, buy and sell with the customers in line, close the store, then sleep or go out for the night, for example to scavenge at the Dumping Grounds. Rent is due every week; buying the store wins the game.
How to play Probably Stolen: the short answer
For what the game is and every guide we publish, start at the Probably Stolen guide hub.
- First run: Apprentice is the start the game recommends for new players.
- Money early on: scavenging gives you free stock to sell; you get 5 searches a night.
- Demo save: it carries over, but the developers advise starting a new game.
Probably Stolen basics at a glance
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Starting scenarios | 9 you can pick; Apprentice is recommended for new players. Three more are shown as Work In Progress. Source: In-game text; the game's new-game data; the developers' launch announcement. |
| Starting perks | 3 points and 4 slots; negative perks give points back. Source: The game code. |
| Difficulty | Four options, from Price Gouge (Cozy Mode) to Red Ink (Challenge Mode), plus an Endless Mode box. Source: In-game text. |
| A day | Open the shutter, serve the line, close, then go out or sleep. Sleeping saves the game. Source: In-game text. |
| Scavenging | 5 searches a night at the Dumping Grounds; each one can wound you. Source: In-game text; the game code. |
| Addictions | Withdrawal after 3 days without; gone after 20 nights without; a Synaprest Injector cures one at random. Source: In-game text; the game code. |
| Lottery | Drawn every Saturday morning; redeem wins with the lottery representative or at the Commissary. Source: In-game text. |
| Demo save | Carries over; the developers recommend a new game. Source: The developers' October 28, 2026 announcement. |
Starting a new game: scenario, perks and difficulty
A new game takes three screens: first your starting scenario, then your starting perks, then the difficulty.
1. Starting scenario. At launch you can pick from nine: Apprentice, Water Merchant, Fence, Rock Bottom, Hydroponic Farmer, Gunsmith, Chemist, Rat Wrangler and Aquafarmer. The game marks Apprentice "Recommended For New Players": it starts you with more Credits, an extra Storage Bay and a stock of household goods and food. Hydroponic Farmer, Gunsmith, Chemist, Rat Wrangler and Aquafarmer are marked "Advanced Start", and Rock Bottom "Extreme Challenge Mode": you start with nothing but the store. Junker, Organ Dealer and Street Food Vendor are on the list as Work In Progress and can't be picked yet; the developers said on October 28, 2026 that they will come in free updates. Fence, Gunsmith, Chemist and Rock Bottom skip the Mentor's introduction. What each start gives you is in our starting scenarios table.
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Apprentice -
Water Merchant -
Fence -
Rock Bottom -
Hydroponic Farmer -
Gunsmith -
Chemist -
Rat Wrangler -
Aquafarmer
2. Starting perks. You have 3 points and 4 slots. Positive perks cost a point; negative perks give points back (Maimed gives two), so taking a drawback lets you afford another advantage. Some perks rule each other out: picking one locks the other. Colorful Character adds 3 more slots. Every perk is in our starting perks table; the ones that change scavenging and addictions are covered below.
3. Difficulty. There are four, and the difficulty card lists what each one changes. A separate Endless Mode box means "Certain scripted events and customers will not spawn". These values are read from the game's code:
| Rule | Price Gouge (Cozy Mode) | Mark Up (Normal Mode) | Thin Margins (Hard Mode) | Red Ink (Challenge Mode) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail markup when selling | 20% | 15% | None | None |
| Rent increase each time | 2.5% | 5% | 10% | 10% |
| Vendor permit | 500 Credits | 1,500 Credits | 2,000 Credits | 3,000 Credits |
| Upgrade prices | Standard | Standard | 50% more | 100% more |
| Reputation gains / losses | ×1.5 / ×0.5 | ×1 / ×1 | ×0.75 / ×1.25 | ×0.5 / ×2 |
Rock Bottom is a starting scenario, not a difficulty; the developers suggest combining it with a harder difficulty if you want more of a challenge. How difficulty relates to the endings is on our endings page.
Coming from the demo? Your save carries over, but the developers recommend starting a new game so you don't miss the storylines added for 1.0. More on the demo's end is in our guide to the demo and launch.
Your first days in the shop
The tutorial's prompts walk you through a day:
- "Open the Shutter Door" to start the day.
- "Call the Next Customer" from the line. The counter shows how many customers are left.
- Buy or sell at the Negotiation Counter: drag or Ctrl-click the item onto it and the Negotiation Interface appears. The Bargain Interface lets you demand more or offer better prices, which affects a customer's budget and the reputation you gain.
- "Close the Store" when the line is done. You can't end a day while important people are still in line.
- Go out or go to sleep. Nightly services can be toggled on or off each night. Sleeping ends the day, and the game autosaves after you sleep.
The Mentor's notes add the rules behind it. Customers only have a limited budget to spend at your store, and you sell with an automatic retail markup. The Display Case beside the shutter attracts one buyer per day for the type of item you put in it: stock it with mostly food and a food buyer comes the next day, and the total value inside sets how wealthy that buyer is. Stock it before opening each day, and never keep contraband in it, or you will be arrested.
Rent is due every week, and the way to win is to buy the store: our guide to buying the shop covers when the landlord offers it. Selling water and appraising valuables are two of the main trades; we cover them in our guides to water and appraisal.
Scavenging at the Dumping Grounds
After you close, you have time for one after-hours location, and the Mentor's note says you can always return to the Dumping Grounds to scavenge. When you head out, the game asks you to select a backpack to take or to go outside without one; without a backpack you won't bring much back.
At the Dumping Grounds you press "Scavenge" to search, and the screen shows your attempts remaining and your minor and major wound chances. A normal shopkeeper gets 5 attempts a night. Take what you want before you leave: items left on the ground are lost.
Wounds. Any search can give you a minor or a major wound. While you are wounded, the attempts counter reads "Can't scavenge while wounded!", and with a major wound you can't leave the store at all. Untreated wounds get worse, so the Mentor advises carrying a bandage; badly hurt, you won't be able to go out for a few days.
What to carry. Tools only count while you carry them:
- Screwdriver, Wire Cutter, Welder: each makes scavenging yield 10% more of its material: Screws, Wire or Scrap Metal.
- Flashlight: makes you less likely to be injured.
- Scav Scanner: improves your chance of finding valuables; only one counts at a time.
Perks that change it. Proficient Scavenger gives you up to 2 more searches per visit. Careful Scavenger, which costs no points, gives you 2 fewer, but you never get injured. Degenerative Osteoarthritis works normally for the first week, then takes away one attempt every week until you drop below 3 and can't scavenge at all; it starts you with 2 extra Topical Medication Bandages. Maimed and Agoraphobia shut you out completely: Maimed closes the Dumping Ground, and Agoraphobia keeps you from visiting any after-hours location.
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Proficient Scavenger and Careful Scavenger -
Degenerative Osteoarthritis -
Maimed
The cost of going out. After a night out you open late and miss one customer the next day; the Short Sleeper perk removes that. The Dumping Grounds is also where hazardous waste goes; our guide to getting rid of radioactive waste covers it.
How to cure addiction in Probably Stolen
You can start a run with an addiction as a negative starting perk: Nicotine Addiction, Alcohol Addiction, Narcotic Addiction or Gambling Addiction. Each gives back a perk point, and the game says of each that "The addiction can be cured."
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Nicotine Addiction -
Alcohol Addiction -
Narcotic Addiction -
Gambling Addiction
Withdrawal. With a nicotine, alcohol or narcotic addiction you suffer an 8% trade penalty if you don't consume it regularly. In the game's code, withdrawal starts after 3 days without, and the night log tells you: "You are suffering from nicotine addiction withdrawal, resulting in a negotiation penalty!" Consuming the substance eases it, "For now".
Two ways to cure it:
- Go without. Every night you sleep without consuming it counts; after 20 nights in a row, the addiction goes and the night log says "You have overcome your nicotine addiction!" (or alcohol, or narcotic). Consuming it in between eases the withdrawal but restarts the count.
- Use a Synaprest Injector, a "Next-generation treatment for drug addiction". It cures one of your addictions, chosen at random, and tells you "Your Nicotine Addiction has been cured!" or similar.
Gambling Addiction works differently: you always buy some lottery tickets when you can, and all lottery content is unlocked from the start. Going without does not cure it; a Synaprest Injector can, since it picks from every addiction you have.
The Probably Stolen lottery and scratchers
A representative of the Lower Levels Lottery Commission visits your store to introduce it: "It's a weekly lottery drawn on Saturday morning", with smaller prizes besides the jackpot, which he redeems for you. On later visits he asks if you would like to buy some tickets.
The game's leaflet, Lower Levels Lottery Information, sets out the rules:
- The winning numbers are drawn every Saturday morning and announced in the newspaper.
- Six unique numbers from 1 to 49 are drawn, and you win prizes based on how many of your numbers match. All six is the jackpot.
- Redeem winning tickets with your lottery representative. The Commissary can also redeem all of your eligible winning tickets at once, into Credits rather than Commissary Tokens.
Scratcher tickets are the instant version: "Scratch off at least 2 matching symbols to win a prize!" They also come as a Stack of Scratcher Tickets (5). The ticket's prize table:
| Match | Prize |
|---|---|
| Any 2 | 10 Credits |
| Any 3 | 75 Credits |
| 2 Nutrifruit | 30 Credits |
| 3 Nutrifruit | 350 Credits |
Luck plays a part: the game can tell you "Your luck changed this symbol in your favor!", and the Lucky starting perk increases your luck. Winning the jackpot on a scratcher earns the Jackpot achievement.
Version notes and limits
The wound chances, how long wounds take to heal, lottery ticket prices and prize amounts are not read from the game yet, so this page leaves them out. A patch that changes the difficulties, addictions, scavenging or the lottery triggers a recheck, added with the date it was checked.
How to play Probably Stolen: FAQ
What should I pick for my first run?
Apprentice with Mark Up (Normal Mode) or Price Gouge (Cozy Mode). Apprentice starts you with more Credits and stock, and the two easier difficulties keep a retail markup on everything you sell.
What do you do each day?
Open the shutter, call customers from the line and buy or sell at the Negotiation Counter, close the store, then go out or sleep. Rent is due every week.
How does scavenging work?
At night you can go to the Dumping Grounds and search 5 times. Each search can wound you; a flashlight makes that less likely, and carried tools add to what you find.
How do you cure an addiction?
Go 20 nights in a row without the substance, or use a Synaprest Injector, which cures one of your addictions at random. Gambling Addiction can only be cured with the injector.
How does the lottery work?
Numbers are drawn every Saturday morning: six from 1 to 49, with prizes for matching numbers. Redeem wins with the lottery representative or at the Commissary.
Can I carry over my demo save?
Yes, saves carry over, but the developers recommend starting a new game so you don't miss the storylines added for 1.0.
Sources and version history for this guide: Probably Stolen sources and versions.
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