The best start in Probably Stolen is the Apprentice scenario, which the developer itself labels “Best for beginners,” on Price Gouge (Cozy Mode) or Mark Up (Normal Mode), with the tutorial played all the way through. Do not plan a perk build yet: starting perks cannot be picked on your very first run, so they are a second-run decision.
The first week is where most runs go wrong, because rent is due on the first Sunday and the game is still teaching you how to make money. Below is each choice on the new-game screens, then what the Mentor’s tutorial shows you day by day, and the habits that keep a first run alive.
Step 1: Pick the Apprentice
The Apprentice is the generalist start. The developer’s own description is “Be a generalist. Upgrade as you go,” and it comes with the full tutorial: you open the store with the Mentor walking you through every system, one day at a time. Several of the specialist starts skip that introduction and drop you into a trade straight away, which is a lot to learn while the rent clock runs.
Generalist does not mean stuck. Most of the trades the other starts specialize in, from water to chemistry, can be added to a run later as you earn the upgrades. Our guide to the best specialization compares all nine starts for when you come back for a second run.
Step 2: Pick a Difficulty
There are four difficulties, and the official difficulty screen spells out how they differ:
| Difficulty | Mode | What changes |
|---|---|---|
| Price Gouge | Cozy Mode | Lower store price, rent rises 2% each time |
| Mark Up | Normal Mode | Standard store price, rent rises 5% each time |
| Thin Margins | Hard Mode | Higher store price, rent rises 10% each time |
| Red Ink | Challenge Mode | The hardest settings |
For a first run, take Price Gouge if you want room to make mistakes while you learn, or Mark Up if you want the game as designed. Thin Margins and Red Ink are for once you know how to make money. Difficulty also changes other parts of a run, such as how fast Wild’s Favor builds and how much the store costs to buy, which our guide to buying the store covers.
Step 3: Skip Perks for Now
On your first run, the starting perk screen is not available. From your second run on, you get perk points to spend, and negative perks give you more. When that time comes, our guide to the best starting perks covers the picks that protect your money early, and our guide to the best negative perks covers the downsides worth taking for points. The developer has one warning for later runs too: do not take Sentinel Collapse Disorder until you know the game well.
Your First Week, Day by Day
The Apprentice tutorial introduces one or two systems a day. Customers vary between runs, but the lessons come in this order:
- Day 1: the counter. Open the shutter and call customers with the counter bell (since patch 1.0.0.5, B on the keyboard does the same). The Mentor’s notes explain trading and point out that food is the most traded commodity on the station. Open the tablet to check each customer’s Interests on the receipt before you sell. Your last visitor is from Security, who leaves a list of wanted criminals to report if they come to the counter.
- Day 2: wholesale and scavenging. Buying a seller’s whole lot gets you a discount. The Mentor gives you a bag and bandages, which open up night trips to the Dumping Grounds. Each trip costs you one customer the next day and risks an injury, so do not go every night.
- Day 3: counterfeits. You get an identification guide and a magnifying glass. Spot a flaw in a seller’s goods and confront them to lower the price.
- Day 4: labels and insurance. A labeler lets you pass fixed counterfeits off as genuine, best sold to tourists and Upper Levels customers. Joe Wild offers his nightly insurance against theft.
- Day 5: the display case. What you put in the display case, with its neon signs, decides which customers come to your door.
- Day 6: barter and machines. Notes on bartering and upgrades arrive, and Dr. Jackson offers a Furnace to turn scrap metal into ingots.
- Day 7: upgrades and rent. Dr. Jackson brings modules for the Furnace, Jonathan Wild opens his upgrade network, and the landlord collects the first rent.
Week two adds bargaining and reputation, Security inspections, appraisal, food stamps and Augs, and the tutorial wraps up on day 14. Finishing it earns the First Steps achievement, “Complete the tutorial.”
Habits That Keep a First Run Alive
- Always hold back next week’s rent. Rent is due every Sunday, the countdown on the wall tells you how many days are left, and as the store page warns, “rent keeps rising.” Defaulting on rent is one of the game overs in our guide to every ending.
- Stock the display case on purpose. It is your main lever on who walks in, so fill it with what you want to sell, not with whatever is left over.
- Protect the shop at night. Until you can afford better, Joe Wild’s insurance covers theft. Our guide to upgrading your shop covers what to buy first.
- Learn to haggle early. Every deal moves reputation with the customer’s faction, and our haggling guide explains the trade-off.
- Pick one money-maker and grow it. Our guide to making money fast covers the reliable early earners, and once you own a Furnace, our guide to the best modules shows how to make it pay.
The long goal is buying the store, which ends rent for good. There is an achievement, Prodigious, for owning the deed before day 50, but on a first run, surviving comfortably matters more than speed. Every other guide is on our Probably Stolen hub.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best start in Probably Stolen? The Apprentice, which the developer recommends for beginners, on Price Gouge or Mark Up difficulty, with the tutorial.
Can you pick perks on your first run? No. Starting perks become available from your second run.
What is the easiest difficulty in Probably Stolen? Price Gouge, the Cozy Mode, with a lower store price and the slowest rent increases.
When is rent due in Probably Stolen? Every Sunday. The first payment comes on day 7, at the end of the first week.
How long is the tutorial? Two weeks. The Mentor introduces new systems through day 14, when the tutorial ends.
Should you scavenge every night? Not early on. Each trip to the Dumping Grounds costs you a customer the next day and risks an injury.