How to use the crowbar
Hold a crowbar, aim at a supported stuck or locked door or lid, and hold Pry Open until it gives way. The crowbar works on targets such as room doors, lockers and mailboxes; treasure chests require their matching key.
Follow the Pry Open interaction
- Try the door or lid empty-handed. A blocked target displays “Stuck — use a crowbar” or “Locked — use a key or a crowbar,” identifying why it will not open normally.
- Take the crowbar in hand. You need to hold the tool to use the prying interaction on a supported stuck or locked target.
- Aim at the door or lid you want to open. The Pry Open interaction is the prompt to use for that target.
- Hold the interact button on Pry Open until the target opens. Keep holding through the heaves; a locked target takes more prying than one that is only stuck.
Follow the control shown by your own interaction prompt. You can remap keybindings in Settings, so use the binding assigned to the action in your game. If you have changed your controls, check that assignment before relying on a remembered key.
Which doors and lids accept the crowbar?
Doors, lockers and supported lids can be stuck, locked or both. Their state is set when the world is created, so the same world seed repeats which doors are stuck. Check the individual target's prompt when searching these locations rather than assuming every door needs the crowbar.
| Location | Targets to check |
|---|---|
| Roadside Motel | Room doors, lockers and electrical boxes can have an obstruction that needs prying. |
| Radio Station | Check lockers for locks and electrical boxes for stuck lids. |
| Gas Station | The warehouse door can be locked and accept the crowbar. |
| Container Yard | Shipping-container doors can be stuck and need prying. |
| Other roadside targets | Electrical boxes at commune houses, mailbox lids, toilet-cabin doors and a car-wreck trunk can be stuck. |
Crowbar condition and prying time
A crowbar lasts for five successful pries before it breaks. Each target opened consumes one use, even when opening it takes several heaves; after the fifth successful opening, “Your crowbar broke” appears and the tool disappears. Count completed openings when keeping track of how much use you have left.
| Target state | Prying required |
|---|---|
| Stuck | Two heaves before it opens. |
| Locked | Three heaves before it opens. |
| Both stuck and locked | Four heaves before it opens. |
Save your remaining uses for doors and lockers you actually want to investigate. Decide which blocked targets matter to your current search before working through a stop. Keep a spare crowbar when you find one so you can continue searching after your current tool breaks.
Where to find and keep a crowbar
Search along the road early in your run: a crowbar becomes available within the first 3 km in each direction from the starting area. More can appear farther along the road, giving you opportunities to replace a broken tool. Search the stops you reach within that stretch rather than expecting a particular named building to contain it.
Keep the crowbar somewhere easy to retrieve before you start scavenging. You can place it directly on the inside walls of the Hippie Van or School Bus without a Tool Rack. Items placed on a vehicle stay put while you drive, so return it to a convenient storage spot after use.
Use a matching key for treasure chests
Treasure chests require their matching key, even though they have locks. A Common Chest opens with a Common Key, while a Rare Chest opens with a Rare Key. The crowbar cannot bypass either chest lock, so switch to the appropriate key when opening treasure.
Recover a stuck RV with Unstuck Vehicle
If the RV itself is stuck, open the pause menu and use Unstuck Vehicle. This recovery option needs no item in your hands, so you can use it without finding or equipping a crowbar. Vehicle rescue is a separate interaction from prying open a blocked door or lid.
Why older demo advice describes a different crowbar
The old demo had no doors starting stuck or locked, which is why older players described the crowbar as useless. Early Access has supported doors and lids that the tool can pry open. When playing Early Access, follow the target's interaction prompt instead of using those old demo reports to decide whether to carry the tool.