I started Crime Simulator in debt with nothing but a crowbar and a hideout. Took me a few restarts to figure out the flow. Here is what I wish I knew from the start.

The tutorial teaches the basic loop: find a house, break in, steal stuff, sell it, repeat. It is short but do not skip the lockpicking practice -- I spent my first few real runs fumbling with it and getting caught because I rushed past that part.

Your First Job

Pull up the job board at your hideout. Start with the lowest-risk target -- a small suburban house with minimal security. Before you leave:

• Take the crowbar (your only tool initially)
• Check the time of day (night gives better cover, I get caught less at night)
• Note the house layout from the job description

Approach from the rear or sides. Windows and back doors are quieter than the front. Once inside:

1. Crouch near windows so you do not get spotted from outside
2. Head toward electronics, cash, jewelry first
3. Watch for NPCs inside the building -- they patrol on set routes
4. Exit before the police arrive

Police Alert System

The police system triggers based on noise and visibility. A broken window or a silhouette against a window increases your heat. I learned this the hard way when I smashed a front window in broad daylight and was running before I had even grabbed anything.

What triggers police:

• Breaking windows without silencing them (glass knife helps)
• Using the crowbar on doors (loud tool use)
• Being spotted by NPCs (residents call police)
• Triggering alarms (security systems in higher-tier houses)
• Sprinting in the open where neighbors can see you

What is safe:

• Lockpicking (silent)
• Using a glass knife on windows (silent)
• Crouching while moving (reduced visibility)
• Moving at night (darker = harder to spot)

Selling Your First Haul

Every map has a fence marked with a dollar icon. Drag items from inventory to the sell window. Electronics and jewelry sell for significantly more than household junk -- I grab those first and leave kitchen appliances behind.

A few players on Reddit and Steam suggest keeping one of each common item type early on for item requests. I ignored this advice at first and regretted it when requests popped up for items I had just sold.

Tool Priority After the First Run

With your first payout (around $500-$1,000 based on what I and other players have seen), buy in this order:

1. Basic lockpick set (~$350) -- unlocks locked doors without the crowbar noise
2. Flashlight (~$125) -- I missed loot in dark corners my first few runs
3. Sleeping gas (~$225) -- neutralizes a single NPC without alerting others

First Five Heists Plan

Avoiding the Police

Getting caught means a chase. The Steam guides and Reddit discussions agree on this: break line of sight, hide in a closet or bathroom, stay still until the search timer expires. Do not sprint while hiding -- NPCs can hear footsteps.

Police evasion step-by-step:

1. Stop moving as soon as you hear the police siren
2. Find a hiding spot (closet, bathroom, under bed, dumpster)
3. Stay still and wait for the search indicator to deplete
4. Wait an extra 10 seconds after the indicator is gone
5. Crouch-walk to the nearest exit
6. Do not sprint outside -- walk calmly away from the area

Emergency Save Trick

If you are about to get caught and have not been to the hideout since the start of the run, quit to menu. The game saves at the hideout only. You will respawn with your loot intact. I have used this more times than I want to admit.

Common Beginner Mistakes

• Selling gold bars (they fund basement upgrades, worth 5x more as upgrades)
• Buying hideout decorations before tools (poster vs lockpick -- always the lockpick)
• Ignoring the item request board (50-100% profit premium)
• Using the crowbar on every door (loud and gets you caught)
• Trying to loot every room (greed = arrest)
• Not checking house intel on the job board (know what you are walking into)

Related Guides

• Game Modes and Quota -- mode comparison for new players
• Fast Money Guide -- early-game cash methods
• Loot Locations and Values -- what to grab and what to skip

Crime Simulator has three game modes. The differences are significant -- mode choice determines how punishing the quota is, whether you can die permanently, and how much time you have to explore. Pick the wrong mode and you will restart more than necessary.

Mode Comparison

Standard Mode

Standard is the recommended starting mode. Difficulty is set to Normal. Quotas appear every 3 in-game days with a minimum dollar target. Fail the quota and you get a warning. Fail again and your rank decreases. Fail repeatedly and the game ends.

Quota progression in Standard:

• Quota 1: $500
• Quota 2: $1,000
• Quota 3: $2,000
• Quota 4: $3,500
• Quota 5-10: increases by $1,500-2,000 each step
• Quota 10+: $15,000+

Dying in Standard sends you back to your hideout. You lose the loot you were carrying but keep your rank and upgrades. This makes it forgiving for learning map layouts, alarm patterns, and police response.

Hardcore Mode

Hardcore locks difficulty to Master. Quotas are active with the same 3-day timer, but the penalties are absolute -- miss a single quota and your entire save is reset. Rank, money, upgrades, everything gone.

What changes in Hardcore:

• Police respond faster and patrol denser routes
• Alarm systems are more common and harder to disable
• Fence buy prices are roughly 20% lower (community consensus)
• Residents are more alert -- footsteps and door noises trigger suspicion sooner
• The final score is doubled compared to Standard

Hardcore survival checklist (before attempting):

• [ ] Can you reach Rank 12 in Standard without dying?
• [ ] Do you know which houses have alarm panels and where?
• [ ] Have you memorized the tool upgrade path (costs and unlock ranks)?
• [ ] Can you identify high-value loot containers by sight (laptops in home offices, jewelry in bedroom drawers)?
• [ ] Do you have a reliable escape route from each district?

If the answer to any of these is "no", spend more time in Standard first.

Completionist Mode

Completionist removes the quota timer entirely. There is no deadline -- you explore, loot, and progress at your own pace.

How Completionist works:

• Quotas still exist but they rise by $500 per run, with no time pressure
• Difficulty can be adjusted (the mode does not lock it)
• Objective: complete all available locations by looting everything
• No permadeath

This mode is designed for achievement hunting and map exploration. Without the quota pressure, you can methodically clear every container, test different tool combinations, and figure out the optimal routes for specific loot types.

Quota System Mechanics

The quota is the core progression driver. Understanding how it scales lets you plan ahead.

Quota rules:

• A new quota appears every 3 in-game days (each day is roughly 10-15 minutes real time)
• The target is cumulative earnings from fence sales and job completion
• Items stored in hideout do not count -- only items sold
• Credits earned from completed jobs count toward quota
• Meeting the quota early does not skip the remaining days -- you still have time to loot and save for the next quota

When you fail a quota:

• First failure: warning (no penalty)
• Second failure: rank decrease (-2 ranks)
• Third failure: game over (save deleted on Hardcore)

Which Mode Should You Play?

• First time? Standard mode. Learn the maps, tool mechanics, and alarm patterns without pressure.
• Experienced and want a challenge? Hardcore. It forces perfect execution and punishes every mistake.
• Going for achievements? Completionist. Most Steam achievements are significantly easier without the quota timer.
• Want the highest score? Hardcore. The 2x score multiplier means your leaderboard position depends on surviving Hardcore as long as possible.