In the 2020 remake of Resident Evil 3, the Record Re: Master of Unlocking – named, of course, for the protagonist herself – requires you to find and open all of the safes, lockers, strongboxes, and cheap locks in the game. This sounds like it could be a lot, but there are only 20, and few of them are actually hidden. You can get this without going too far out of your way.
When you get the Re: Master of Unlocking Record, it’s also linked to a 40g Achievement on Xbox One, a Steam achievement, and a Silver Trophy on PlayStation 4.
Each locker/safe/strongbox you can open along the way consistently contains the same items across difficulties and runs, although in the case of items like ammunition, the specific amounts may vary. Notably, the two code locks in the RPD don’t seem to count towards Re: Master of Unlocking.
To open the cheap locks that you can find throughout the game, you first need to obtain the lockpick, which is first found at the electrical substation and is required for further progress. You do have to use up an inventory slot on the lockpick, however, so keep that in mind when you’re planning your next move.
Once you’ve cleared the game at least once on any difficulty, you can also purchase the lockpick (and the bolt cutters) from the bonus Shop to speed up future runs. They’ll be available in the first item box you find, in the subway station office.
Here’s a handy itemized list of locker, strongbox, and safe locations throughout the game, listed in the rough order in which you’d open them on a typical trip through the game. Naturally, this can’t help but involve mild spoilers for the first 75% or so of RE3.
Also notable: the two code locks that you can access in the RPD during RE3 – the same two you can find during last year’s RE2 remake, with the same solutions – don’t seem to count towards Re: Master of Unlocking.
| Number | Location | Reward |
| #1 | Check the storage room above the drug store to find an open diary next to a locked safe. The diary will point you to the Aqua Cure ad on the drug store’s back wall, where three of the digits in the phone number (9, 3, 7) are circled. The combination to the safe is 9R, 3L, 7R. | Red Dot Sight mod (Handgun) |
| #2 | Mandatory. Use your new lockpick to open the door into the breaker area at the electrical substation. | Plot progress |
| #3 | Open the locker on the first floor of the electrical substation. | Handgun Rounds |
| #4 | Check the locker in the garage safe room. | First Aid Spray |
| #5 | Break into Toy Uncle by picking the lock on the front door. | Fancy Box |
| #6 | Check the lockers behind the front desk at the subway control station. | First Aid Spray |
| #7 | Open the locker near the kitchen at Moon’s Donuts. | Hand Grenade |
| #8 | Pick the lock on the briefcase in the subway control room. | Shotgun Shells |
| #9 | Open the briefcase in the subway station safe room. | Shotgun Shells |
| #10 | Break into the locker in the lab in the sewers. | Explosive A |
| #11 | Go up to the second floor of the house behind Kendo’s gun shop and open the briefcase at the foot of the bed. | Explosive Rounds |
| #12 | As Carlos, kill the zombie in the RPD’s courtyard to get the ID Card. Use it to open the strongbox in the RPD’s west lobby. | Assault Rifle Ammo |
| #13 | As Carlos, use the ID Card to open the strongbox in the RPD’s west office. | Scope (Assault Rifle) |
| #14 | As Carlos, check behind the officer’s desk in the RPD’s west office to find a safe. The combination is found in the RPD darkroom in the Internal Memo file (L9, R15, L7). | Hip Pouch |
| #15 | As Carlos, open the strongbox in the weapons locker in the STARS Office. | Assault Rifle Ammo |
| #16 | As Carlos, open the safe on the back counter in the nurses’ office in the hospital. (If you revisit this area as Jill later, you can’t interact with this safe at all.) | Dual Magazine (Assault Rifle) |
| #17 | As Jill, open the briefcase on the west end of the first-floor hallway in the hospital. | MAG Ammo |
| #18 | Open the locker in the staff room on the second floor of the hospital. | Shotgun Shells |
| #19 | Open the locker in the linen room on the second floor of the hospital. | MAG Ammo |
| #20 | Open the locker in the shattered breezeway in the hospital’s emergency entrance. | Explosive Rounds |
If you’ve got any more questions about Resident Evil 3, check out our game hub on the subject:
- How to unlock the “Fuggedaboutim!” Record in Resident Evil 3
- Best and Weirdest Mods in the Resident Evil 3 Remake
- Resident Evil 3 Final Boss Fight Guide
Whether you’ve accomplished the Re: Master of Unlocking Record or not, the lockpick is automatically designated a trash item once you reach the underground warehouse as Jill, and can safely be discarded. You’ve either gotten Re: Master of Unlocking by the time you’ve left the hospital, or you’ve missed it for the time being.
When you do manage to find all 20 locks, in addition to the Re: Master of Unlocking trophy or achievement, you’ll receive 1,000 points to use on the in-game shop, as well as a new piece of concept art and, for some reason, the character model for Dario Rosso. With that done, be sure to check our Resident Evil 3 game hub for more guides, so you can finish off your Records and get that elusive 100% completion, as well as read our official review. If you’ve got something more to say on the subject, be sure to let us know over at our official Twitter: @PrimaGames.
Published: Apr 23, 2020 06:59 pm