R.E.P.O. Cosmetics: How to Unlock Hats, Outfits & Colors
Cosmetics in R.E.P.O. are not bought with money and not unlocked by levelling up. They are hauled out of the map like any other valuable. Here is the full loop — where cosmetic boxes spawn, how Tax Tokens convert, and how to equip and recolour everything you unlock.
Quick Answer
R.E.P.O. cosmetics come from cosmetic boxes that spawn as physical objects in Headman Manor, McJannek Station, Swiftbroom Academy and the Museum of Human Art. Get a box inside the extraction point, complete the level, and it becomes a Tax Token matching its rarity. Feed that token into the Taxman machine in the shop for a random cosmetic of that tier. Equip and recolour everything from the Customize menu, sorted into head, body, arms and legs, and save combinations as presets.
How to Unlock R.E.P.O. Cosmetics
Every cosmetic in the game travels the same three-step path. Nothing here is bought with in-run cash, and nothing is awarded for completing quotas or achievements.
- Find a cosmetic box in the level — it is a physical, carryable object, not a menu unlock.
- Get the box inside the extraction point and hit the extraction goal with it there.
- Complete the level. The box converts into a Tax Token of the same rarity for every player present.
- Insert the token into the Taxman machine in the Service Station shop to roll a cosmetic from that rarity tier.
Important: a box you found but never extracted gives you nothing. Dying with it, leaving it behind, or failing the level all wipe the reward.
Cosmetic Box Rarities & Tax Tokens
Cosmetic boxes come in four rarity tiers, each with a distinct colour and an in-fiction piece of hardware inside. The tier of the box decides the tier of the Tax Token, which decides the tier of the cosmetic you roll — but never the specific item.
Common
Green — Network Adapter
The box you will see most often, especially early in a run. Green still converts into a Tax Token, so it is always worth hauling to the extraction point.
Uncommon
Cyan — 32PB RAM Cluster
The middle tier. Cyan boxes appear with reasonable frequency once a run passes the early levels and the spawn table weights higher rarities.
Rare
Magenta — Neural Logic Core
The first tier worth reorganising a run around. Magenta is scarce on early floors and becomes a realistic target on deep runs that roll multiple boxes per level.
Ultra-Rare
Yellow — 12x Quantum Drive Stack
The top tier, and the reason players push long runs instead of restarting. Yellow is a genuinely rare sight early on, so protect it once it spawns.
Where Cosmetic Boxes Spawn
Boxes are restricted to four maps. If your run never visits one of these, you will not see a cosmetic box at all — which is the single most common reason players think cosmetics are bugged.
1Headman Manor
The mansion map. Multi-floor and full of side rooms where a box can sit off your normal extraction route — sweep the upper floors before you leave.
2McJannek Station
The station map. Long corridors make box hunting quicker than in the manor, but also make the haul back riskier with monsters around.
3Swiftbroom Academy
The school map. Classrooms and offices hide boxes well, so check the rooms you would otherwise walk past once the valuables are secured.
4Museum of Human Art
The museum map. Boxes blend into the exhibits and display props, which is exactly why players miss them — look for the coloured box shape.
Spawn volume scales with run depth: one box maximum on levels 1-5, up to two on levels 6-10, and up to three from level 11 onward. The odds of the higher rarity tiers climb on the same curve.
How to Equip Cosmetics and Change Colors
Customisation happens entirely outside a run, in a dedicated menu. You do not need to be at the shop and you do not need a lobby open.
Open the Customize menu
Once you own at least one cosmetic, a Customize option appears on the main menu. You do not need to be in the shop — it is reachable before you start a lobby and from the pause menu with Esc.
Pick a body part category
Everything you own is sorted into four categories: head, body, arms and legs. Select a category, then scroll to reach the sub-categories such as hats, shirts and pants.
Equip the item and change its colour
Click any item to put it on your semibot. Most cosmetics ship in several colour variants — use the small palette icon in the upper-right corner of the menu to swap colours on the selected piece. The same palette control repaints your semibot body itself.
Save the look as a preset
Open the Presets tab at the top of the screen and drop your outfit into an empty slot, or overwrite an existing one. Presets let you swap between saved looks without rebuilding an outfit piece by piece.
Cosmetics Farming Tips
Cosmetic farming rewards patience over restarts. These four habits do most of the work.
Push deep runs instead of restarting
Both the number of boxes per level and the odds of higher rarities scale with how far into a run you are. Only one box can spawn on levels 1-5, up to two on levels 6-10, and up to three from level 11 onward. A long run beats three short ones for cosmetics.
The box must be inside the extraction point
Finding a cosmetic box does nothing on its own. It has to be inside the extraction point when you hit the goal, and you then have to complete the level. Treat it exactly like a valuable you are not allowed to drop.
Everyone on the team gets the token
The Tax Token is not limited to whoever carried the box or to the host. Every semibot in the level receives it when the extracted box is secured and the team clears the level — including teammates who died along the way.
Handle boxes like fragile cargo
Cosmetic boxes are physics objects like everything else you carry in R.E.P.O. Dragging one through doorways or panic-throwing it mid-chase can cost you the box entirely.
Keep Reading
R.E.P.O. Cosmetics FAQ
How do you unlock cosmetics in R.E.P.O.?
Cosmetics are not tied to levelling, achievements or enemy drops. They come from cosmetic boxes that spawn as physical objects inside certain levels. You carry a box to the extraction point, complete the extraction goal with the box inside, and finish the level. The box then becomes a Tax Token of the same rarity, which you feed into the Taxman machine in the shop to receive a cosmetic item.
Which levels do cosmetic boxes spawn in?
Community documentation consistently lists four maps: Headman Manor, McJannek Station, Swiftbroom Academy and the Museum of Human Art. Boxes do not spawn on every level of those maps — the chance is low on the opening levels of a run and climbs steeply the deeper you go. If you are farming cosmetics specifically, the correct strategy is to survive as many levels as possible rather than resetting early.
What is a Tax Token and how do I spend it?
A Tax Token is what a successfully extracted cosmetic box turns into. Its rarity matches the box you extracted. You spend tokens at the Taxman machine in the Service Station shop. The machine guarantees the rarity tier of the token you insert, but the specific item you get out of that tier is randomised — so two Ultra-Rare tokens can produce completely different cosmetics.
How do I change my cosmetic colours in R.E.P.O.?
Open the Customize menu, select the piece you want to recolour, then click the small palette icon in the upper-right corner. Most cosmetics come in several colour variants, and the same control also lets you repaint your semibot body itself. Colour changes apply per piece, so you can mix variants across head, body, arms and legs and then save the whole combination as a preset.
What are the cosmetic box rarities?
There are four tiers, each identified by colour and by the in-fiction hardware it represents: Common is green (Network Adapter), Uncommon is cyan (32PB RAM Cluster), Rare is magenta (Neural Logic Core) and Ultra-Rare is yellow (12x Quantum Drive Stack). The rarity mix shifts toward the higher tiers as a run goes deeper, which is the main mechanical reason to keep pushing levels.
Do cosmetics affect gameplay or stats?
No. Cosmetics in R.E.P.O. are purely visual. A hat does not change your health, stamina, carry strength or how monsters detect you — those come from upgrades bought in the shop. The practical value of cosmetics is telling teammates apart at a glance in a dark map, which genuinely helps in a six-player lobby.
Can I buy cosmetics with money or real currency?
There is no cash shop and no microtransaction store. In-run money goes on upgrades and items, not appearance. The only route to a cosmetic is the box-to-token-to-Taxman loop, which means every outfit you see in a lobby was earned by extracting boxes rather than bought.
Are cosmetics shared between my teammates and me?
The Tax Token from an extracted box is handed to every player who was in the level, so the whole squad is rewarded for one extraction. What each player then rolls from the Taxman is independent, so your wardrobe stays your own.