Starting Perks

Probably Stolen's starting perks unlock from your second run. You get 3 points and 4 slots; negative perks add points. AllThingsHow's money pick is Savings plus Vigilant or Diplomatic.

Probably Stolen's starting perks unlock from your second run: you get 3 points and up to 4 perks, and picking a negative perk earns you more points.

Positive perks

Costs and effects are as AllThingsHow listed them on Oct 28, 2026.

Perk	Cost	Effect
Vigilant	2	Never robbed at night
Diplomatic	2	Trade reputation gain +33%
Intimidating	2	Crimes leave 33% less evidence
Vending Machine	2	A vending machine outside for after-hours sales
Well Connected	2	+15 reputation with all factions
Working Pipes	2	Water lines from the start, unlimited Rustwater
Savings	1	+150 starting credits
Sawyer's Crew	1	Early Underground Exchange, cheaper cleanup
Model Citizen	1	+30 Security reputation, more for reports
Proficient Scavenger	1	2 extra Dumping Grounds searches
Colorful Character	1	+3 perk slots
Handy	1	Basic toolbox and tools
Lucky	1	Slightly better luck
Makeshift Reactor	1	Off the grid, immune to blackouts, a repairable reactor
Aug Menace	1	Aug content unlocked, more for kills, game over if too many escape
Revolution Sympathizer	1	+25 Revolution reputation, more requests
Secret Admirer	1	Occasional free items at opening
Short Sleeper	1	No missed customers after a night out
Sycophant	1	+15 Upper Levels reputation, bigger Upper Level budgets
Tapehead	1	All cassettes from the start
Tinkerer	1	20% chance upgrade materials are kept
Welfare Program	1	Early Commissary, possible Monday food stamps
Wild's Favorite	1	10% off Wild's Network, 50% off insurance

Free trade-offs

Perk	Effect
Careful Scavenger	2 fewer searches, never injured
Hoarder	Three removable debris piles in your inventory
Prime Real Estate	+1 customer daily, rent +75

Negative perks

Each gives 1 point: Agoraphobia (rest 2 nights after an outing), Alcohol, Narcotic and Nicotine Addiction (8% trade penalty without the substance, curable), Bad Lease (rent +40), Banned from the Commissary, Convict (-30 Security reputation, smaller rewards), Degenerative Osteoarthritis (fewer searches each week), Gambling Addiction (always buys lottery tickets) and Illiterate (cannot read guides). The studio's official images and notes also show perks outside this list, such as Awful Negotiator, which disables bargaining with a 5% penalty, and Sentinel Collapse Disorder, so counts differ by source.

Best picks

1:57 AllThingsHow's money start is Savings plus Vigilant or Diplomatic. GamerBlurb suggests Sawyer's Crew plus Vigilant for water and fish, Intimidating plus Sawyer's Crew for illegal trading, and Model Citizen plus Diplomatic for a Security run. GitM's Rock Bottom used Savings, Sawyer's Crew and Vigilant. ambiguousamphibian's Rock Bottom run in the clip takes Proficient Scavenger, Short Sleeper and Lucky.

Frequently asked questions

How do you unlock perks in Probably Stolen? Finish or end your first run; Probably Stolen's perk screen is locked until your second.

What are the best perks in Probably Stolen? AllThingsHow recommends Savings with Vigilant or Diplomatic for money, and Colorful Character when you want more than four perks.