You need a German current account (Girokonto) for rent, salary, insurance and your blocked-account payout.

Two sensible strategies:

1. Online-first (fastest): N26, or the newer app banks, open accounts with just your passport via video-ident — often before your Anmeldung. Perfect as your first account; takes ~30 minutes.

2. Traditional (most complete): Sparkasse, Volksbank, Deutsche Bank, Commerzbank — branches, cash services, and the account German landlords and employers never question. These usually want your Anmeldebestätigung, so they come after registration.

Many internationals do both: online account in week one, traditional account later — then keep whichever fits.

What to compare: monthly fee (many are free with conditions), free ATM network, English support, and whether the card is girocard (some smaller shops take only girocard, not Visa/Mastercard debit).

After opening: update your blocked-account provider (students) or HR (workers) with your new IBAN. And expect your card and PIN to arrive as two separate letters — that's normal.

Red flags:

"Rent out your account" / parcel-forwarding "jobs" / a "friend" who needs to route money through you. That's money muling — accounts frozen, criminal investigation, future banking in Germany blocked. This scam specifically targets international students.
Paying anyone to "arrange" a bank account — banks don't charge for opening and nobody has special access.
No name on your mailbox. The card or PIN letter comes back undeliverable and the account can freeze before it ever worked. Label your mailbox on day one.
Treating the overdraft (Dispo) as credit — 8–12% interest is normal. It's an emergency buffer, nothing more.