Berserk Games released Tabletop Simulator in 2015 as a physics sandbox rather than a game, and that distinction explains everything about how it works. It ships 15 classics including chess, poker, dominoes, mahjong and jigsaw puzzles, seats up to 10 players in one room, and hands you the same building tools its DLC teams use. Almost everything people actually play comes off the Steam Workshop, and only the host needs to own a paid DLC for the whole table to use it.
This walkthrough takes you from your first session to endgame content. Each phase has specific goals, priorities, and milestones. New to the game? Start with our beginner's guide first.
Quick Progression Summary
| Phase | Area | Focus | Build | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Start | Poker Table | Physics driven objects basics | Card games | 1-2 hours |
| 2. Early | RPG Table | Steam Workshop mods mastery | Card games | 3-5 hours |
| 3. Mid | Hexagon Table | Hidden zones and hands + gear | Board games or Card games | 5-10 hours |
| 4. Late | Octagon Table | Build optimization | Board games | 5-10 hours |
| 5. Endgame | Custom Table | Min-max | Board games or Party and social deduction games | Ongoing |
See our maps guide for detailed area breakdowns.
Phase 1: Getting Started (Poker Table)
The felt topped default with correct seating positions and space for chip stacks. It comes preconfigured for card play, which saves setting hand zones up from scratch.
Level/Difficulty: 2 to 10 players Key Rewards: Preset seating, chip and card handling, fastest setup in the game
What to Do in Poker Table
- Learn Physics driven objects. Every card, die and figurine is a rigid body, so pieces slide, stack, topple and fall off the edge like physical objects would. Spend your first session getting comfortable with this.
- Pick Card games as your starting build. See our builds guide for why.
- Only the host needs to own the DLC. If one person in your group owns an official pack like Scythe or Cosmic Encounter, everyone seated at that table can play it, which makes it worth deciding as a group who buys what.
- Acquire your first equipment upgrade: Flick Tool or whatever's available.
- Clear all main content before moving on.
Phase 1 Checklist
- Understand Physics driven objects fundamentals
- Card games selected and functional
- Poker Table main content cleared
- Ready for RPG Table
Phase 2: Early Game (RPG Table)
A larger surface intended for tileset dungeons and figurines. The extra area matters because RPG Kit rooms sprawl fast once you place corridors and multiple encounters.
Level/Difficulty: 3 to 6 players plus a GM Key Rewards: Room for tileset dungeons, space for a GM hidden zone
What to Do in RPG Table
- Work on Steam Workshop mods. The Workshop holds community recreations of thousands of board games, plus tables, backgrounds and RPG tilesets. This system becomes critical from here on.
- Farm for Flick Tool if you haven't already. It's the key upgrade for this phase.
- Lock the board before anyone joins. Right click and choose Lock, otherwise a stray drag slides the entire map across the table and undoing it never quite puts the components back where they were.
- Complete all objectives before pushing to Hexagon Table.
- Consider whether Board games might suit your playstyle better than Card games.
Phase 2 Checklist
- Steam Workshop mods integrated into gameplay
- Flick Tool acquired
- RPG Table fully cleared
- Ready for Hexagon Table
Phase 3: Mid Game (Hexagon Table)
A six sided surface that spreads seats evenly around a central board. Boards keep a consistent size when you switch between hexagon, square, octagon and poker tables.
Level/Difficulty: 3 to 6 players Key Rewards: Even seating angles, consistent board sizing
What to Do in Hexagon Table
- Master Hidden zones and hands. Hand zones hold cards only their owner can read, and Hidden Zones conceal anything placed inside them from other seats. This unlocks a new layer of gameplay.
- Start working toward Gizmo Tool. It's the best equipment and becomes accessible around now.
- Set up hand zones for the exact number of seats before you deal anything. Cards dealt to a colour with no hand zone land face up on the table, which is a game ruining reveal in any hidden information game.
- This area is the main skill check. If you can clear it, you're ready for late game.
- Start investing in Lua scripting for the tactical depth you'll need going forward.
Phase 3 Checklist
- Hidden zones and hands mastered
- Gizmo Tool acquired or in progress
- Hexagon Table fully cleared
- Ready for Octagon Table
Phase 4: Late Game (Octagon Table)
The widest of the fixed shapes, giving more edge space for player areas without pushing everyone far from the centre. Good for games with large personal tableaus.
Level/Difficulty: 4 to 8 players Key Rewards: Generous player area space, balanced reach to the centre
What to Do in Octagon Table
- Finalize your build. You should be running Board games or Card games with optimized gear.
- Gizmo Tool should be your primary. If you don't have it yet, prioritize getting it.
- Use the Gizmo Tool for anything that needs precision. It moves, rotates and scales on fixed axes and works on locked objects, which normal dragging cannot do, and it handles multiple selected objects at once.
- Custom object importing optimization starts here. Small improvements compound into massive advantages.
- Farm this area for the resources needed to push into Custom Table.
Phase 4 Checklist
- Build fully optimized
- Gizmo Tool upgraded to max
- Octagon Table fully cleared
- Ready for Custom Table
Phase 5: Endgame (Custom Table)
Load your own image or model as the surface, or pick None and drop any imported model in as the table. This is what most polished Workshop mods use for their themed presentation.
Level/Difficulty: Any group size Key Rewards: Themed presentation, exact surface sizing for a specific game
What to Do in Custom Table
- Custom Table tests everything. Come prepared with your best build and gear.
- The Flick Tool is what makes dexterity mods work. Select it, click the piece, pull back and release, and the line shown on screen tells you the force before you commit.
- The endgame loop: run Custom Table, optimize gear, push harder content.
- Experiment with Party and social deduction games for a fresh take once you've mastered the standard builds.
- This is where Custom object importing mastery separates good players from great ones. See our tips guide for advanced strategies.
Phase 5 Checklist
- Endgame content on farm
- Best-in-slot gear acquired
- Custom Table fully cleared
- Ready for challenge content
Common Progression Mistakes
- Assuming a Workshop mod matches the current printed rules. Community versions often lag expansions or bake in house rules, so read the mod description before the group commits an evening to it.
- Running a role playing session without hidden zones. GMs end up hiding notes outside the game entirely, when the black GM seat already sees inside every hidden zone on the table.
- Playing on an unlocked board. One accidental drag mid game shifts every piece's relative position and there is no clean way to restore it without a save.
- Hosting custom art on a temporary image service. Links expire, and when they do the mod breaks for every person who subscribed to it, including you.
- Buying it expecting the 15 included classics to be the product. Chess, poker and dominoes are a starting point, and the actual value sits in the Workshop library and the official DLC catalogue.
Key Tips for Smooth Progression
- Only the host needs to own the DLC. If one person in your group owns an official pack like Scythe or Cosmic Encounter, everyone seated at that table can play it, which makes it worth deciding as a group who buys what.
- Lock the board before anyone joins. Right click and choose Lock, otherwise a stray drag slides the entire map across the table and undoing it never quite puts the components back where they were.
- Set up hand zones for the exact number of seats before you deal anything. Cards dealt to a colour with no hand zone land face up on the table, which is a game ruining reveal in any hidden information game.
- Use the Gizmo Tool for anything that needs precision. It moves, rotates and scales on fixed axes and works on locked objects, which normal dragging cannot do, and it handles multiple selected objects at once.
- The Flick Tool is what makes dexterity mods work. Select it, click the piece, pull back and release, and the line shown on screen tells you the force before you commit.
For more advanced strategies, see our tips & tricks guide.
More Tabletop Simulator Guides
- Tabletop Simulator Tabletop Simulator Overview
- Tabletop Simulator Best Builds
- Tabletop Simulator Tier List
- Tabletop Simulator Beginner's Guide
- Tabletop Simulator Tips & Tricks
- Tabletop Simulator Weapons Guide
- Tabletop Simulator Combat Guide
- Tabletop Simulator Boss Guide
- Tabletop Simulator Maps & Locations
- Tabletop Simulator Crafting Guide
- Tabletop Simulator Classes & Characters
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