Start by collecting loose trash and full trash bags, then recycle them at the yellow recycler in the Alien Room and press Analyze. As you unlock equipment, add customer photos, video recordings, probing, automation, and—after the Abduction Update—abductions to your routine. Specific yields and upgrade costs below come from a February 2026 player guide, not a verified current-build test, so check the game’s current version before planning around them.
Start by recycling trash
Pick up loose trash or a full bag and take it to the yellow recycler in the Alien Room. Insert the trash and press Analyze to turn it into Research Points. Power Up Gaming’s February 19, 2026 guide reports about 120 points for a full bag; that is a guide-reported yield, not a guaranteed current value. The guide suggests checking trash cans near pumps and entrances and buying the Trash Bag upgrade to make collecting easier.
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Unlock customer research methods
Equipment opens up additional ways to earn points. These activities require you to observe customers, and the guide warns that being detected can be a risk. Its point figures and comparisons are reported by Power Up Gaming in February 2026, not independently benchmarked.
| Method | Prerequisite or reported cost | How it works and caveats |
|---|---|---|
| Daily-trait photos | Camera: 450 Research Points | Check the alien monitor for daily traits, find a matching customer, and photograph them while hidden. The guide reports 35 points per qualifying photo. |
| Customer action recordings | Video Recorder: 2,500 Research Points | Record a daily action task for 3–5 seconds without being detected. The guide says these tasks pay more than early photo dailies, but provides no exact yield. |
| Probing | Prober: 10,000 Research Points | Complete the Prober minigame; the guide says the result can vary with performance. It recommends targeting distracted customers, but detection remains a risk. |
Use automation when you can afford it
Automation can produce points without repeating every collection or customer-research action yourself. Power Up Gaming’s February 2026 guide lists an Auto-Trashcan for 750 points and an Auto-Prober for 25,000 points. A Cybernetic Walrus developer announcement also names an Auto Trash Can that produces Alien Points, but the announcement does not give a precise rate or cost. Treat the guide’s costs as potentially outdated.
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Try abductions after the Abduction Update
The developer announcement says the Abduction Update lets players brain-hack and abduct up to four humans at a time to gain Research Points. It does not specify how many points an abduction earns, so there is no supported yield to compare with recycling or customer research.
Guide-reported upgrade costs
Power Up Gaming’s guide, published February 19, 2026, lists the following costs. They are a dated secondary-source reference rather than confirmed prices for every current patch.
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| Upgrade | Guide-reported cost |
|---|---|
| Trash Bag | 50 Research Points |
| Trashcan | 300 Research Points |
| Camera | 450 Research Points |
| Auto-Trashcan | 750 Research Points |
| Video Recorder | 2,500 Research Points |
| Bang-Flash! | 4,000 Research Points |
| Prober | 10,000 Research Points |
| Auto-Prober | 25,000 Research Points |
Which method should you prioritize?
There is no established fastest method across all saves, unlocks, play styles, and game versions. Use trash recycling as the starting activity, then add the tools you can afford and the customer tasks you can complete without detection. Automation is a longer-term option; abduction is an additional method in the later update, but its point yield is not stated in the developer announcement.
Quick wins for a faster PC:
Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Roadside Research is in Early Access. Its Steam listing describes its simulation systems as adaptable and modular, with room to expand and connect over time. That makes dated costs and yields especially worth checking against the version you are playing.
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Sources: Roadside Research on Steam; Cybernetic Walrus’s Steam announcement; Power Up Gaming’s February 19, 2026 guide.
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