The Plainspoken Review

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Your first evening with Laser Thief: the first 30 minutes, step by step

Published on . Written by The Plainspoken Review team. About 5 minutes to read.

In short

  • The first start has three parts: choose your room, the intro film, Thief Training.
  • The film lasts about 90 seconds, and the training has five short lessons.
  • After that you play your first real level. Mistakes cost you nothing.
  • Plan breaks and stop after about 30 minutes.
A VR headset resting on a sofa cushion next to a cosy floor lamp in the evening

You have bought Laser Thief and want to try it for the first time this evening. Lovely. This guide walks you through the first 30 minutes. Afterwards you will know what to expect and can start feeling relaxed.

What you need

  • Your Meta Quest headset, charged and with Laser Thief installed.
  • A clear room. The store recommends at least 3 × 3 metres. Smaller rooms work too, with slightly fewer lasers.
  • Good light. The headset sees better with its cameras when the room is bright.
  • Comfortable clothes and sturdy slippers or socks with grippy soles.
  • A glass of water outside the play area.

What it costs

On 10 October 2026 the game cost a one-off £7.99 in the UK Meta Store. There are no further costs for your first evening. According to the store page there is no subscription and no advertising. You can see the current price on the Laser Thief page in the Meta Store.

Preparation: 5 minutes

  1. Clear the floor: bags, cables, toys, rug edges.
  2. Put anything breakable out of reach of an outstretched arm.
  3. Move pets into another room.
  4. Put a chair at the edge, but outside the play area. You can sit on it during breaks.

Minute 5 to 8: choose your room

  1. Put on the headset and start Laser Thief.
  2. The game first says “SCANNING YOUR SPACE…”. It loads the data for your room. BLIP, a small flying robot, asks you to hold still for a moment.
  3. Then “CHOOSE YOUR HEIST SITE” appears. There you see cards for every room your headset already knows. They are called things like “MY ROOM 1”.
  4. Choose the room you are standing in. The game briefly draws the walls into your real room.
  5. Press “CONTINUE”.

If your headset does not know a room yet, choose “SCAN MY ROOM”. The headset then measures your room with its cameras. This is called a room scan. If you do not want a scan, choose “QUICK PLAY”. The game then uses an area of 3 × 3 metres directly in front of you.

Minute 8 to 10: the intro film

The film takes place in your own room and lasts about 90 seconds. A laser appears to cut a window into your real wall. Behind it you see a city at night: Neon City in the year 2089.

The film asks you to do three small things:

  1. Wave. BLIP asks whether you really are the famous laser thief. Wave with your hand raised. Or press a button on the controller.
  2. Touch a glowing orb. It appears in front of you. After that you wear the “laser glove”. With it you can sense the lasers: they hum when you get close.
  3. Duck. Two red beams come towards you. Bend your knees. If it does not work, that is fine. You lose nothing.

If you do not want to watch the film, a “SKIP INTRO” button floats at the bottom left. Press it twice in quick succession.

Minute 10 to 20: Thief Training

The training has five short lessons. BLIP explains each lesson. First the game measures your height so the lasers sit at the right level.

Before it starts, arrows on the floor point to the start pad. Stand in the glowing ring until it turns green. Every round begins and ends there.

  1. DUCK: a red beam at chest height. Duck underneath it.
  2. GRAB & ESCAPE: grab a diamond and bring it back. A yellow-orange laser switches on while you do. So the way back is different from the way there.
  3. MAGENTA BLINKS: pink lasers blink. Walk through when they are dark.
  4. CYAN = SLOW: light blue lasers. They only trigger if you move quickly. Walk slowly.
  5. GREEN HUNTS: a green laser slowly turns towards you. Keep moving.

If you touch a laser, there are sparks and a red flash. Then you go back to the start pad and try again. Nothing more happens.

Minute 20 to 30: your first real level

After the training you see the home screen. A wheel with five worlds turns at the top. Below it is a big golden “PLAY” button.

  1. Press “PLAY”. The game selects the first level of the first world.
  2. Next to the list you see a small model of the level. In it, all the lasers move in their real colour. So you know in advance what is coming.
  3. Press “PLAY” again at the bottom.
  4. BLIP reads you a tip. In the first level it means roughly: step over the low beam, duck under the high one.
  5. Stand on the start pad and wait for the countdown.

After the level the game shows your stars. There are up to three: one for finishing, one for no touches and one for a fast time.

Good to know

  • Take a break: press the MENU button on the left controller. Time stops.
  • Repeat the training: under “GAME MODES” you will find the “HEADQUARTERS” area. There you can start the training and the film again.
  • Your feet do not count. Only your head, upper body, arms and hands trigger lasers. You step over low beams.
  • Stop after 30 minutes. That is enough for your first evening. Your progress is saved automatically.

If something goes wrong

  • The game asks for “Room access”: allow access. Otherwise it cannot use your room.
  • You are standing “outside” the room: the game asks “MY ROOM?” and warns you. Move to the middle of the room you chose.
  • The start pad will not turn green: stand exactly in the middle of the ring. Your head must be above the pad.
  • You feel dizzy: take off the headset, sit down and have a drink. Try again another day, for a shorter time.

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