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Machines work overnight and run on energy. Their output depends on Quality, Performance and Efficiency modules, and most effects only change at fixed steps Community. Vending machines, new in 1.0, keep selling after you close Official. Owning 10 machines at once unlocks Industrious Steam data.
Modules: Quality, Performance, Efficiency
Most machines accept modules that raise or lower three stats. Each machine reads them differently, and only thresholds matter, so partial progress toward the next step does nothing Community:
- Quality usually improves the product. On the furnace, every +100% raises ingot purity by one stage. +99% has no effect.
- Performance usually means more output or more work per night. On the furnace it does nothing.
- Efficiency lowers energy use in fixed steps. On the furnace that’s 1 energy per 12.5%. On the security alarm it’s 1 per 25%.
Push one machine to +250 Quality for Cranked to Eleven (1.1% of players) Steam data. For layouts, Discord member hoydoy built a module optimisation tool Community.
Furnace: scrap to ingots
The furnace smelts 2 materials into 1 metal ingot for 8 energy per night Community.
| Recipe | Purity |
|---|---|
| 2 scrap | Low |
| 1 scrap + 1 metal ore | Fair |
| 2 metal ore | High |
| Purity | Ingot value |
|---|---|
| Low | 42 |
| Fair | 50 |
| High | 62 |
| Very high | 75 |
| Perfect | 100 |
- Flux smelting agent raises purity by one stage. It isn’t consumed if the furnace has +100% Quality, or +200% with the blast module.
- Blast module turns 3 materials into 2 ingots. Its first +100% Quality is ignored.
- Junk processing module turns 6 junk into 4 scrap metal. Quality doesn’t matter here. A playtest fix stopped it from secretly drawing twice its listed power Official.
Is the first furnace worth it? 诺布诺布 got a first offer of 180 on day 6, bundled with a 50-charge energy cell and two flux. Dr. Jackson’s regular price was 400. With 10-credit scrap and no modules, they worked out about 22 gross profit per smelt, or 30 with flux, so the bundled power alone doesn’t pay back the 180. Buy one when you have cheap scrap and a buyer for metals Community.
Power and batteries
| Piece | What it does |
|---|---|
| Recharger | Charges batteries stored inside it by 3 energy per night, doubled to 6 with Wild’s upgrade. Needs the power bill paid. Dr. Jackson sells it for 300 Community |
| Powerbloc | Charges batteries touching it, and batteries in machines touching it, by 2 energy per night (4 with the upgrade). Needs the power bill paid |
| Advanced turbo charger | Charges for 5 energy per day and fills a 15-point meter. When full, it makes any machine run one extra cycle during the day. There’s no limit on how often a machine can be boosted |
| Power service | 10 credits per night on days 1–9, rising over time. A blackout or power-shortage event turns it off unless you own the power hijack Community |
From the patch notes: you can swap batteries by dragging one onto another if you own both Official. After you unlock Power Hijack, power is always on and disappears from the end-of-day screen Official. A fixed bug had the Powerbloc failing to charge on its first night Official.
Automation pieces worth knowing
| Machine | Energy | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Vending machine | — | Sells overnight after closing, new in 1.0 Official |
| Vacuum robot | 4 per run (8 with the incinerator) | Moves animal feces into its storage at night, or on double-click. Upgrade with 1 common electronic part to destroy the feces Official |
| Mirage projector | 16 / night | Adds its attractiveness (100% base = +100) to the next day’s store attractiveness |
| Security alarm | 4 / night | Chance to cancel a theft. +50% Performance blocks thefts entirely. The alarm transmitter module gives +1 reputation per night to Security, Black Market, Upper Levels or Revolution |
| Cryptographic desequencer | 10 / night | Works blank keycards into typed disposable keycards. Chipsets need 75–150 work, with 33 work per night at base |
| Bottle printer | 4–11 per bottle | Prints 450 ml bottles. Upgrade with 3 electronic parts for 750 ml, then 6 more (9 total) for 2 L Official |
| Fridge | 2+ / night | Chilled +20%, Frozen or Ice cold +25% on valid drinks and ice cream. Wine and water containers don’t qualify |
| Wine ager | 24 / night | Ages wine an extra day each night. See wine making |
| Aug scanner | 25 per scan | Double-click to check whether the current customer is an aug. See augs |
Machine stats without their own citation come from Machinery and You Community.
Rules from the patch notes
- Machines can’t be placed inside containers. Cage equipment such as the vacuum robot and feed dispenser is the exception Official.
- You can open and preview containers and machines before buying them Official.
- The Hypertech Storage Bay can no longer go inside smuggler bays (1.0.0.1) Official.
- The developer’s warning on buying machines: “Every purchase needs to earn its keep.” Official
Quick questions
How do modules work in Probably Stolen?
Machines take Quality, Performance and Efficiency modules. Each machine converts these stats differently. Many effects only change at fixed steps, for example every +100% Quality on the furnace raises ingot purity by one stage, while +99% does nothing.
What does the furnace do in Probably Stolen?
The furnace smelts two scrap metal or metal ore into a metal ingot overnight for 8 energy. More ore gives higher purity. Community-measured ingot values run from 42 (low purity) to 100 (perfect).
Do vending machines sell while the shop is closed?
Yes. Vending machines, added in 1.0, keep selling goods overnight after you close the store.
How many machines do you need for the Industrious achievement?
Own 10 machines at the same time at the start of a day. About 9.2% of players had it a day after launch.
SOURCES & VERSION
Checked against game version 1.0.0.2. Official = developer announcement or store page; Steam data = Valve's public stats; Community = player-measured, credited to its author. Community numbers can drift after patches.
- official Steam store page — Questing Goose Studio / tinyBuild, 2026-10-29
- official Probably Stolen is OUT NOW! — Official Steam announcement, 2026-10-28
- official Opening October 28: What’s in Store for 1.0 — Official Steam announcement, 2026-10-22
- official UPDATE 049 Patch note – Release Date + New Demo — Official Steam announcement, 2026-09-14
- official Playtest Patch 48.3.12 – The Rat Wrangler — Official Steam announcement, 2026-08-08
- official Hotfix – 1.0.0.1 — Official Steam announcement, 2026-10-28
- Steam data Global achievement stats — Steam Community, 2026-10-29
- community Machinery and You — Steam guide by The Exceptional Fisherman, 2026-10-28
- community 开荒顺序与投资取舍 (Opening order & investment trade-offs) — Steam guide by 诺布诺布, 2026-10-28
- community Module optimisation tool — hoydoy (community tool), 2026-10-28
Spotted something outdated after a patch? Official changelogs live on the Steam news hub, and we track them on the patch notes page.
Official store
Run the shop yourself
Probably Stolen – Cyberpunk Shopkeeper Sim is sold on Steam by tinyBuild. We never host game files — use the official page for the current price and the Supporter Edition.