Your start in Probably Stolen is not a class pick — it is a whole economic situation: a trade, a stock, a set of permissions, and a different way the station leans on you. The demo's scenario browser is unusually honest about what is coming: it lists eleven starts today, most of them locked until launch. This guide separates what you can play now from what October 28 adds, using the demo screen itself and the developers' official 1.0 scenario list.
1. What the demo actually lets you play
The demo store page promises three starting scenarios and a hardcore mode. The browser screen backs that up in an interesting way: all eleven starts are visible with their full descriptions, but selecting a locked one — the Gunsmith page above is the clearest example — replaces the start button with the words "Unavailable in Demo Version." You can window-shop your launch-day run; you cannot play it yet.
Two starts are confirmed playable by direct evidence. The Water Merchant is named on the demo's own store page (you begin with the water testing and purification kit), and the Apprentice is the default first run — a demo save file in the community pool is literally an Apprentice run on day
24. The hardcore mode traces back to the playtest, where the developers introduced Rock Bottom as the Hard Mode scenario; it was one of the playtest's most popular additions.
2. Perks are a second-run system
The start screen's other tab is worth knowing about before your first run: starting perks exist, and the game locks them on run one — "Starting Perks are not available on your first run," in the screen's own words. The 1.0 notes add that new starting perks arrive with the full release. Treat your first run as the tutorial the game intends it to be, and expect your second start — scenario plus perks — to be the first real build decision.
3. The 9 launch scenarios (official list)
The developers published the full 1.0 roster in their October announcement. These are their own one-line positionings:
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| Scenario | The official pitch |
|---|---|
Apprentice | Best for beginners; a generalist who upgrades as you play |
Water Merchant | Test, purify, relabel — or don't; liability is yours, in a place where pure water beats gold |
Fence | A dealer in stolen goods; move fast, stay invisible |
Rock Bottom | Start with nothing, from zero, at maximum difficulty |
Hydroponic Farmer | Crops in tight spaces; starts with hydroponic machines and farming supplies; gene-modified crops are the endgame |
Gunsmith | Weapons and mods; high margins, Security inspections; starts with a Class 1 weapon permit and a stock of firearms and ammunition |
Chemist | Profitable chemicals and guarded recipes; starts with laboratory equipment |
Rat Wrangler | Can you grow a healthy 2x3 rat? |
Aquafarmer | Starts with tilapia stock and a recirculating system; water quality, food, and environment decide the fish |
Read the roster as economies, not costumes. The Gunsmith's permit is a license to hold the station's most inspected inventory; the Fence's whole start is priced around moving stolen goods quickly; the Aquafarmer extends the fish-tank system the demo added in October into a full opening.
4. The three you cannot have yet
The demo browser also lists the Junker, the Organ Dealer, and the Street Food Vendor — and the 1.0 announcement is explicit that these three are post-launch additions, alongside a story expansion and an Expedition feature. They are in the menu to be read, not played. If a guide anywhere describes playing them at launch, it is inventing things.
5. Difficulty: four options, names unpublished
After picking a scenario, the full game offers four difficulty options — shown in the announcement as an image, with the individual names not published. The start screen also carries its own toggles: Skip Intro, Hard Mode, and Endless Mode checkboxes sit under every scenario in the demo browser. Until the names and exact effects are public, the honest advice is structural: normal difficulty for a first launch run, Rock Bottom or Hard Mode once the economy makes sense to you.
6. Which start should you pick?
First ever run: Apprentice. It is the generalist start the developers position for beginners, and perks are locked anyway.
Demo runs before launch: Water Merchant, to learn the water economy — testing, purifying, bottling — that anchors the early game.
Launch day, experienced: Gunsmith or Chemist for a production-first run; Fence if the grey economy is the game you came for.
Challenge runs: Rock Bottom — nothing, from zero, at maximum difficulty — once you can already beat the rent clock.
FAQ
How many scenarios are in the demo?
Three starting scenarios plus a hardcore mode. The browser lists eleven starts, but the locked ones are marked unavailable in the demo — Gunsmith's page shows the notice directly.
Are demo saves compatible with the full game?
Yes, but the developers strongly recommend a fresh start to avoid potential bugs — and with nine scenarios and new perks at launch, a fresh run is the better tour anyway.
Which scenario is the hardest?
Rock Bottom, by the developers' own description: start with nothing, maximum difficulty. It began life in the playtest as the Hard Mode scenario.
When do the Organ Trader, Junker, and Street Food Vendor arrive?
They are planned post-launch content, confirmed in the 1.0 announcement — not launch-day starts, despite appearing in the demo's browser.