Magnet

Lore & Background

The Magnet is a compact, raccoon-sized device that generates a controlled electromagnetic field. In the hands of Sly Cooper and his gang, it transforms ordinary steel beams, ventilation ducts, and vault doors into walkable surfaces, turning vertical architecture into a playground for a four-legged thief. The gadget's range is modest—just enough to reach a key dangling from a hook or a coin tucked into a grate—but its precision is what sets it apart from brute-force tools.

Within the Cooper Gang's equipment locker, the Magnet sits alongside the Grappling Hook and the Jetpack as one of the three pillars of raccoon mobility. Where the Hook pulls you forward and the Jetpack lifts you upward, the Magnet pulls you sideways and downward, letting a thief reposition across a metal wall in a single, silent motion. It is the gadget that turns a flat wall into a ceiling and a ceiling into a floor, a small but constant reminder that the Coopers think in three dimensions.

The Magnet has appeared in every mainline Sly Cooper title, from the PS2 originals through the modern entries. Its core function—adhere, attract, release—has remained consistent, though later games refined the animation, the charge duration, and the range of pullable objects. For the Cooper Gang, it is less a weapon and more a philosophy: if it is made of metal, it belongs to you.

In Their Own Story

The vault door was twelve feet of brushed steel, and the key was on the other side of a ceiling vent, three meters up and six meters across. Sly pressed his palm flat against the wall. The Magnet hummed to life, a low magnetic thrum in his teeth, and the world tilted. His boots found purchase on the steel. He walked upside-down, the city lights of the rooftop far below, and reached out. The key swung free, arced through the air, and snapped into his gloved hand with a soft metallic click. He released the Magnet, dropped silently to the floor, and was gone before the alarm finished its first tone.

Reader's Guide

In every mainline Sly Cooper title, the Magnet is a core gadget available from the start of the game. It does not require a separate unlock or purchase.

Primary functions: Adhere to any metal surface (walls, ceilings, pipes, vault doors) for a limited duration. Attract and pull in nearby metallic objects such as keys, coins, and specific puzzle pieces. In some entries, the Magnet can also be used to pull in or reposition small metal enemies.

Wielders: Sly Cooper, Bentley, Murray, and Penelope can all use the Magnet in most games, though the animation and timing vary slightly per character.

Tips: The Magnet has a limited charge or duration; release it before it expires to avoid dropping mid-wall. Use it in combination with the Grappling Hook to reposition quickly across large metal structures. When a level requires you to collect a specific metal item, the Magnet's pull range is often the only way to reach it without a full traversal sequence.

Variants: The core Magnet mechanic has remained consistent across the series. Later entries (Thieves in Time, Laurel to Thyme) refined the charge duration, pull range, and animation polish, but no fundamentally new Magnet upgrades or sub-variants have been introduced. The gadget functions the same way in each title: stick, pull, release.

Did You Know?

• The Magnet is one of only three core gadgets in the entire Sly Cooper series, alongside the Grappling Hook and the Jetpack.
• The Magnet can be used by every member of the Cooper Gang, not just Sly, making it the most universally shared gadget in the lineup.
• The Magnet's adhesion mechanic is what allows raccoons to walk on ceilings, a signature traversal move that has appeared in every mainline title.
• The Magnet is a non-lethal tool by design; it pulls and sticks rather than damages, fitting the series' emphasis on stealth and trickery over combat.