You get tattoos in SCUM in two places: choose them while creating a new prisoner, or visit the barber trader in a safe zone to add them to the prisoner you already have. Since the November Update on November 11, 2026, every player has more than 60 designs to choose from, with no DLC needed.
Below we cover both methods step by step, every part of the body a tattoo can go on, how the tattoo screen works, how to remove a design, and what happened to the paid tattoo packs Gamepires had planned.
Tattoos Are Back in SCUM
“Tattoos are making a grand comeback!” is how Gamepires opened the tattoo section of its November Update notes. The revamped system gives “every player access to more than 60 tattoo designs within the game,” with an expanded placement system “for all prisoners.” The designs are skulls, animals, roses, pirates, weapons and Japanese-style art, going by the grid in Gamepires’ own screenshot.
The same post spells out the two ways in: “Choose your tattoos during character creation, or visit the barber trader in a safe zone to give your existing prisoner some fresh ink!”
How to Get Tattoos on a New Prisoner
- Start a new prisoner. Tattoos are part of character creation, alongside the rest of your prisoner’s look.
- Open the tattoo screen. In Gamepires’ screenshot it is titled Tattoo Room.
- Pick a body area. Use the arrows under Body Area to cycle through the spots a tattoo can go. Gamepires’ clips show areas such as Chest, Left upper arm and Right upper leg, so each arm and leg is picked on its own side.
- Choose a design. Click a design in the Tattoo Designs grid to put it on the selected area, and scroll the grid for more.
- Adjust and repeat. Two boxes sit under the body area, Scale Down and Hide Hair. If you are placing a design on the back of the head, Hide Hair is the one to try. Move to the next body area and repeat.
How to Add Tattoos to Your Current Prisoner
You do not need a fresh character to get inked:
- Travel to a safe zone. Safe zones are the protected trader outposts on the island.
- Find the barber trader. The barber has handled your prisoner’s hair and facial hair since well before this update, and now handles tattoos too.
- Open the barber’s options and go to the tattoos.
- Pick a body area and a design the same way as in character creation, then confirm your new look.
Gamepires’ notes do not say whether the barber charges for tattoos, so bring some money in case.
Where Tattoos Can Go
The November Update notes list every placement area:
- Face
- Torso
- Abdomen
- Back of the head
- Upper arms
- Lower arms
- Upper legs
- Lower legs
- Hands
Left and right limbs are separate spots, so you can ink one arm and leave the other bare.
How to Remove or Change a Tattoo
The tattoo screen has a Remove tattoo button next to the Tattoo Designs heading in Gamepires’ screenshot. Select the body area, press Remove tattoo, and either leave it bare or pick a new design. On an existing prisoner, that means a trip back to the barber.
The Free Library and the Tattoo Packs
The tattoo plan changed late. In its October preview, Gamepires planned “a starter selection of more than 40 tattoos” for everyone plus two optional paid tattoo packs. The November notes say “that plan has changed”:
- The Yakuza-themed pack is free. Its designs are now “part of this update’s expanded tattoo library, available to everyone,” which helps explain how the free set passed 60.
- The second pack is on hold. It is not in the November Update, and Gamepires says it will “share more once its release plans are confirmed.”
- Supporter Pack 2 owners get three face tattoos. Photo Mode used to come with Supporter Pack 2, and since it is now free for everyone, owners receive “three exclusive face tattoos as replacement content.” The pack’s store page now lists them as “Added 3 new Face Tattoos.”
Other Character Fixes in the Same Update
If you are making a new prisoner for the tattoos, two character creation fixes landed alongside them: mustache and beard colors now match the hair color you pick instead of staying black, and dark green hair on the Type 14 male character no longer comes out gray or white.
The same update made Photo Mode free and added controller support, which our guide SCUM: Does It Have Controller Support? Answered covers. It also came without a server wipe; our guide to when the next SCUM wipe is has the official plan, and our news story on the November Update has everything else it changed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are tattoos free in SCUM? The 60-plus designs are available to every player with no DLC. Gamepires’ notes do not say whether the barber trader charges in-game money for them.
Can you get tattoos after creating your character? Yes. Visit the barber trader in a safe zone to add tattoos to your existing prisoner.
Can you remove tattoos in SCUM? Yes. The tattoo screen has a Remove tattoo button. Pick the body area first, then remove the design.
Where is the barber in SCUM? The barber trader is in the safe zones, the protected trader outposts. The November notes do not list which outposts have one.
Can female prisoners get tattoos? Yes. Gamepires says the placement system is for all prisoners, and its own clips show tattoos being placed on a female prisoner.
Do Supporter Pack 2 owners get extra tattoos? Yes. Pack owners get three exclusive face tattoos to replace Photo Mode, which is now free for everyone.