Tuxedo Labs put Teardown into Early Access on 29 October 2020 and shipped version 1.0 on 21 April 2022. Every wall, pipe and vehicle across its 40 mission campaign is built from destructible voxels, and the heists are designed around that fact. You get unlimited time to carve a route through a site, then 60 seconds to grab the loot and reach the escape vehicle once the alarm trips.
Starting Teardown can feel overwhelming. This guide tells you exactly what to focus on during your first hours so you don't waste time on things that don't matter yet. For the full progression path, see our walkthrough.
What Kind of Game Is This?
Teardown is a sandbox game built around Unlimited preparation, 60 second escape and Destruction that persists into the timer. The core loop involves mastering these systems to progress through increasingly challenging content.
What to expect: Time investment in learning mechanics, experimentation, and gradual mastery. The game rewards patience and knowledge.
Choosing Your First Build
| Build | Beginner Rating | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Tunnel Runner | Excellent for beginners | Balanced approach |
| Plank Bridge Router | Excellent for beginners | Balanced approach |
| Vehicle Extractor | Excellent for beginners | Balanced approach |
| Explosive Demolisher | Excellent for beginners | Balanced approach |
| Quiet Cutter | Excellent for beginners | Balanced approach |
Our recommendation: Start with Plank Bridge Router. It offers the most forgiving experience while teaching core mechanics.
Avoid Quiet Cutter as your first pick. It requires deep knowledge of game systems to use effectively. Once you're ready, check our classes guide for all options.
First Session Step-by-Step
Step 1: Learn Unlimited preparation, 60 second escape
Most campaign missions split into two phases. You can wander and demolish for as long as you like, but touching the first target starts an alarm and a countdown of roughly 60 seconds to the escape point.
This is the foundation. Spend your first 15-30 minutes getting comfortable with how Unlimited preparation, 60 second escape works before worrying about anything else. Our combat guide breaks this down further.
Step 2: Head to Löckelle Teardown Services
The campaign hub and your own company office. The computer here accepts contracts and sells tool upgrades using the money missions pay out, and the yard outside is a free place to test explosives.
Clear the main content here before moving on. Everything teaches fundamentals you'll need later. See our maps guide for all locations.
Step 3: Get Your First Upgrade
Look for Blowtorch: it's the most accessible early upgrade. Melts through metal, which the sledgehammer simply bounces off. Hinges, chains, safe doors, shipping containers and boat hulls all fall to it, and its fuel recharges rather than running out permanently.
Step 4: Understand Destruction that persists into the timer
Damage you cause during preparation stays on the map when the clock starts. Knocking a hole through three warehouse walls early turns a long corridor route into a straight line later.
This is the system most new players overlook. Invest time here early. It pays off throughout the entire game.
Step 5: Push to Lee Chemicals
The opening contract, handed over by Gordon Woo, on a small industrial site. It exists to teach the two phase structure before the maps get complicated.
Essential Mechanics Explained
Unlimited preparation, 60 second escape
Most campaign missions split into two phases. You can wander and demolish for as long as you like, but touching the first target starts an alarm and a countdown of roughly 60 seconds to the escape point.
Destruction that persists into the timer
Damage you cause during preparation stays on the map when the clock starts. Knocking a hole through three warehouse walls early turns a long corridor route into a straight line later.
Tool upgrades bought with heist money
Missions pay cash you spend at the computer in the Löckelle Teardown Services office. Plank count and shotgun ammunition are the two upgrades that change routing the most, so they beat raw damage tiers.
Vehicles as tools and as getaway
Cars, boats, forklifts and cranes are drivable, and several missions require driving a target vehicle out rather than carrying loot. A vehicle also removes fencing faster than any handheld tool.
Level editor with Lua scripting
Teardown ships the same editor Tuxedo Labs used, with Lua scripting and direct Steam Workshop upload. Community maps, vehicles and custom game modes install from the Workshop in one click.
Common Beginner Mistakes
1. Treating doors and stairs as the intended path
Teardown maps have no correct route, and a hole through two walls is nearly always shorter than the corridor.
2. Starting the alarm to find out where the targets are
Walk the whole site first, since the game gives you unlimited time to do exactly that.
3. Spending upgrade money on damage boosts early
Plank count and shotgun ammunition change which routes exist, damage only speeds up routes you already had.
4. Ignoring fire until it reaches the loot
One stray blowtorch spark in a wooden marina building can destroy a target before you collect it.
5. Forgetting the escape vehicle needs a clear path too
A perfect route to the loot is worthless if the getaway is still boxed in by a fence.
First 5 Hours Checklist
- Understand Unlimited preparation, 60 second escape and Destruction that persists into the timer
- Choose Plank Bridge Router as starting build
- Clear Löckelle Teardown Services main content
- Acquire Blowtorch or equivalent upgrade
- Reach Lee Chemicals
- Trigger nothing until the route is finished. Preparation has no time limit whatsoever, and every hole you punch beforehand is still open when the 60 seconds begin.
- Spray can lines survive the alarm. Draw arrows on the floor at every corner of your route, because at full sprint you will misremember which warehouse door you opened.
Tips for New Players
- Trigger nothing until the route is finished. Preparation has no time limit whatsoever, and every hole you punch beforehand is still open when the 60 seconds begin.
- Spray can lines survive the alarm. Draw arrows on the floor at every corner of your route, because at full sprint you will misremember which warehouse door you opened.
- Spend your first upgrade money on plank count and shotgun ammunition. Both create routes that did not exist, while sledgehammer damage tiers only shorten swings you already had time for.
- Vehicles are demolition tools. Driving a forklift or truck through a fence line during preparation clears more material in five seconds than the sledgehammer manages in a minute.
- The blowtorch answers metal and nothing else. If the sledgehammer bounces off a gate, chain or container, switch tools rather than swinging harder.
- Fire spreads through wooden structures and will consume targets you have not collected yet. Keep the extinguisher on a bound key for any map with timber framing, which includes the marina.
- Falling is rarely fatal and usually fast. Cutting a hole in a floor and dropping two storeys beats taking the stairs once the timer is running.
- Planks anchor to anything, including a plank you placed a second earlier. Chain them into a ramp over water rather than swimming, because swimming is slow and limits what you can carry.
- Check target placement before choosing a pickup order. The countdown starts on the first target, so begin with the one furthest from your escape and finish with the closest.
- Sandbox mode hands you every tool with no limits. Learn what a pipe bomb actually removes from concrete there, before you spend a limited charge on a paying contract.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Teardown have combat?
It is a destruction sandbox first. The shotgun and rocket launcher exist to remove material rather than to fight, though the later part of the campaign does add hostile robots that shoot back.
How long is the campaign?
Forty missions in the main campaign, plus the free Art Vandals mini campaign with five more and its own Paperboy Gun and Jackhammer tools. Most players finish the main run in 10 to 15 hours.
Is there multiplayer?
Yes. Teardown supports online sessions for up to 12 people across campaign missions, sandbox maps and community content pulled from the Steam Workshop.
Which tool upgrades should I buy first?
Plank count and shotgun ammunition. Both open gaps and plaster that were previously closed to you, which matters more than the sledgehammer damage tiers sold at the same computer.
Can I mod it?
Yes. Tuxedo Labs ships the level editor it used internally, with Lua scripting and direct Steam Workshop upload for maps, vehicles and custom game modes.
More Teardown Guides
- Teardown Teardown Overview
- Teardown Best Builds
- Teardown Tier List
- Teardown Walkthrough
- Teardown Tips & Tricks
- Teardown Weapons Guide
- Teardown Combat Guide
- Teardown Boss Guide
- Teardown Maps & Locations
- Teardown Crafting Guide
- Teardown Classes & Characters
Similar Games
If you enjoy Teardown, check out these related guides:
- Terraria Beginner's Guide: sandbox game with similar mechanics
- VRChat Beginner's Guide: sandbox game with similar mechanics
- Garry's Mod Beginner's Guide: sandbox game with similar mechanics
