Power-up

An incomplete Gadget Grid for Sly, as seen in the remastered version of Sly 2.

Power-ups, also known as Gadgets, are a type of equipment that are prominent in all four main games of the Sly Cooper series. Sly Cooper—and from the second game on, Bentley and Murray—are capable of using power-ups. Power-ups vary from elaborate disguises to enhanced forms of attack or even nonlethal methods of escape. Most use a small amount of the Gadget Meter, which is located within the Thief Meter.

In Sly 2: Band of Thieves and Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves, Sly, Bentley and Murray all have their own distinct power-up menus called the "Gadget Grid," which can be accessed by pressing during gameplay. When brought up, most power-ups can be assigned to either , or buttons. Others will have a specific button mapped to it, or simply be passive.

In Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time, many of the power-ups are more passive, but some can still be used actively, like using a smoke bomb, changing ammo types, or unlocking combos. Here, the Gadget Grid is now accessed by holding and will instead allow you to toggle between using variations of a specific type of power-up for each character; use to toggle between the variants and release to finalize the choice.

Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus power-ups

Vault power-ups

These power-ups are obtained by collecting the pages from the Thievius Raccoonus from the vaults scattered throughout the game. All active power-ups are mapped to , so after earning two active power-ups, they need to be toggled with or . Each active power-up is listed under its name on the toggle menu.

Dive – Sly dives forward while twirling his cane, attacking nearby enemies, before ending with a somersault. A later upgrade allows the dive to also be used in mid-air to slam into the ground, while also collecting nearby coins. Invented by Drake Cooper as the Fast Attack Dive, upgraded by Chris Cooper as the Dive Collection.
Roll – Sly rolls at high speeds. A later upgrade will cover Sly in an electric field during the roll that will attack nearby enemies. Invented by Sally Cooper as the Fast Getaway Raccoon Roll, upgraded by Kelle McCooper.
Slow – Slows down gameplay while in the air. A later upgrade allows gameplay to also be slowed down while on the ground. Invented by Dev Cooperinda as the Slow Motion Jump, upgraded by Matthew de la Coopeur as Perpetual Slow Motion.
Coin Magnet - Sly automatically collects nearby coins. A passive power-up. Invented by Karin Coopergiwa.
Mine – Sly throws his hat (and replaces it with a new one), at which point he can manually detonate it with his cane. Invented by Rob McCooper as the Explosive Hat.
Fast – Speeds up gameplay. Invented by B.F. Cooper as Speed Up the Clock.
Water Safety - Sly no longer takes damage from water. A passive power-up. Invented by Suzanne Cooper.
Decoy – Sly tosses a black cardboard cutout of himself to confuse enemies. Invented by Sir Andrew Cooper as the Thief Replica.
Computer Hacking - Allows Sly to bring up the info on every guard in sight while using the binocucom. A passive power-up. Invented by Bruce O'Coop.
Move While Staying Invisible - Upgrades the Invisibility move by allowing Sly to tiptoe while invisible. A passive power-up. Upgraded by Huckleberry Cooper.
Briefly Defy Gravity - Sly no longer takes damage from falling. A passive power-up. Invented by Sir Augustine Cooper.
Stun – Sly strikes the ground with his cane, causing all guards to freeze in time for a few seconds. Will not be available before completing the story. Invented by Colonel Reid Cooper as the Time Stopper.

Plot-essential power-ups

These power-ups are obtained after defeating each boss of the first four episodes. These are also from the pages of the Thievius Raccoonus, but these specific techniques are required to advance further in the game. Except for the last power-up, these power-ups are mapped to .

Ninja Spire Jump - Allows Sly to safely land on small points. Invented by Rioichi Cooper.
Raccoon Rail Walk/Rail Slide - Allows Sly to walk on rail-like structures. Some of these structures instead allow Sly to automatically slide to the other side. Invented by "Tennessee Kid" Cooper.
Invisibility - Allows Sly to turn invisible while standing still. Invented by Slytunkhamen Cooper.
Van Modification - Used to modify the Cooper Van by adding a turret for the top of the van and a battering ram for the front of the van. These modifications only come into play when controlling the Cooper Van in the last episode. Based on designs created by Otto van Cooper.

Sly 2: Band of Thieves power-ups

Sly

Smoke Bomb – Sly sets off a bomb that blocks the enemy's line of sight.
Combat Dodge – When fighting an enemy, Sly can perform dodges by pressing the assigned button.
Stealth Slide – A quiet and faster way to get around.
Alarm Clock – Sly throws an Alarm Clock, which distracts nearby enemies. Required to complete the game's story.
Paraglider – Allows Sly to launch a parachute while in the air. Required to complete the game's story.
Thief Reflexes – Slows down gameplay.
Silent Obliteration – Upgrades Sly's Stealth Slam into a silent and faster way of taking out enemies.
Feral Pounce – Allows Sly to jump longer distances than he can with a normal double jump.

Bentley

Trigger Bomb – A bomb that you can throw and detonate at any time.
Size Destabilizer – Activates the crossbow to make enemies shrink for a few seconds when hit.
Snooze Bomb – A bomb that will make guards around its blast fall asleep.
Adrenaline Burst – Bentley will immediately run faster than normal for a short period of time.
Health Extractor – Bentley will throw out a mine-like item, and activate it near a guard. The guard will be sucked up and a health pack will go to Bentley.
Hover Pack – Allows Bentley to temporarily use a jetpack.
Reduction Bomb – A bomb that makes guards around its blast shrink.
Temporal Lock – Freeze time around the guards temporarily.

Murray

Fists of Flame – Murray will clap into the air, turning his fists on fire. Any enemy hit will be killed instantly.
Turnbuckle Launch – By holding the assigned power-up button, Murray will jump higher.
Juggernaut Throw – Anything Murray throws explodes on impact. A passive ability.
Atlas Strength – Murray can jump and run while carrying a guard. A passive ability.
Raging Inferno Flop – A fiery Thunder Flop that kills guards.
Berserker Charge – Rush straight forward to scatter guards.
Guttural Roar – Roar out loud to scare guards.
Diablo Fire Slam – Murray slams a guard down to trigger a deadly firestorm.

Vault power-ups

These power-ups are unlocked by opening the safe in each area.

Knockout Dive – Sly dives into an enemy to knock them out while spinning his cane.
Insanity Strike – Sly creates a purple aura around his cane so whoever he hits attacks other guards.
Voltage Attack – Sly electrifies his cane so whenever he hits an enemy, they are shocked and die instantly.
Long Toss – Both Sly and Bentley will be able to toss gadgets farther. A passive ability.
Rage Bomb – Sly will throw a bomb that forces enemies caught in the explosion to attack other fellow guards.
Music Box – Sly will throw a music box onto the ground. Guards near it will fall asleep.
Lightning Spin – Sly will spin while doing a shockwave with his cane. The enemies nearby will be electrocuted and instantly die.
Shadow Power – Sly will turn invisible, but can't attack, pickpocket, or run.

Cheat code power-ups

Mega Jump – Gives Sly a very high jump. While it is initially exclusive to a mission in the game's story, it can be unlocked by pausing the game and entering . Only works with 100% completion and must be re-activated after every loading screen.
TOM – Cartoon Network Toonami's mascot gadget. Attracts a guard's attention so that Sly can distract them. Identical in use to the Alarm Clock. Unlocked by pausing the game and entering .
Time Rush – Speeds up gameplay. Unlocked by pausing the game and entering .

Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves power-ups

Sly

Smoke Bomb - Sly sets off a bomb that blocks the enemy's line of sight.
Knockout Dive - Sly dives into an enemy to knock them out while spinning his cane.
Combat Dodge - When fighting an enemy, Sly can perform dodges by pressing the assigned button.
Paraglider - Allows Sly to launch a parachute while in the air. Required to complete the game's story.
Rocket Boots – An updated version of the Stealth Slide. Propels Sly forward with rockets, creating a faster yet silent way to move around, even uphill.
Silent Obliteration - Upgrades Sly's Stealth Slam into a silent and faster way of taking out enemies. Required to complete the game's story.
Feral Pounce - Allows Sly to jump longer distances than he can with a normal double jump.
Thief Reflexes - Slows down gameplay.
Shadow Power (level 1) - Sly will turn invisible, but can't attack, pickpocket, or run.
Shadow Power (level 2) – The evolution of the original Shadow Power, Sly now has the ability to use other power-ups, pickpocket, and attack while invisible.
Treasure Map – A map that guides Sly to treasure. Used during a mission in the game's story, and is also required for the various treasure hunt challenges.

Disguise power-ups

These power-ups are disguises used to fool the guards of a specific location. They are required to complete the game's story.

Venice disguise – Sly wears a disguise that fools the guards in Venice.
Photographer disguise - Sly wears a disguise that fools the guards in China.
Pirate disguise – Sly wears a disguise that fools the guards in Blood Bath Bay.

Charge Combos

These power-ups are charged attacks that Sly can use when not in stealth mode. They do not appear in the Gadget Grid.

Spin Attack (level 1) - Sly will charge up for a triple Spin Attack.
Spin Attack (level 2) - Sly will charge up a quadruple Spin Attack.
Spin Attack (level 3) - Sly will charge up a nonuple Spin Attack.
Push Attack (level 1) - Sly will charge up for a sliding cane push attack.
Push Attack (level 2) - Sly will charge up a stronger push attack.
Push Attack (level 3) - Sly will charge up an even stronger push attack.
Jump Attack (level 1) - Sly will charge up for a jumping cane uppercut.
Jump Attack (level 2) - Sly will charge up a stronger, electric jump attack.
Jump Attack (level 3) - Sly will charge up an explosive electric jump attack.

Cops and Robbers power-ups

These power-ups are available in the Cops and Robbers minigame by picking up a star.

Smoke Bomb - Drops a smoke bomb that forces Carmelita to stop and cough if she is nearby.
Mega Jump - Allows Sly to jump a great vertical distance.
Rocket Boots - Propels Sly forward with rockets, for faster movement.
Shield - Activates a force field around Sly that protects him from Carmelita's shock pistol.