There’s something wrong with this town; it’s immediately apparent as soon as I arrive. I’ve recently fled my humble desert hometown after my uncle was raided by the cops and his criminal enterprise was seized. I’m working on rebuilding the empire here in the sleepy town of Hyland Point, but there are a few problems to deal with. First of all, I need to learn the ropes of how to grow weed, cook meth, and maintain a customer base. Secondly, a rival criminal organization firebombed my RV. Finally, the cops remain a constant hassle. That’s just life in Schedule 1, a surprisingly expansive drug dealing simulator with some wacky twists, all created by a solo developer.
Schedule 1 has risen through the Steam ranks and maintains popularity because it has a really satisfying core gameplay loop. Much like Palworld, the first big surprise hit of 2024, Schedule 1 liberally borrows from other simulator games and different genres. I can play single-player, in which case I handle every element of the operation: growing, packaging, selling, expanding. Or I can rope in up to three friends and we can each handle part of the business.
Every part of the Schedule 1 drug empire is built around a minigame, most of which are satisfying. For instance, I don’t particularly care for cooking meth, but I find managing the supply chain to be satisfying. If I run into any downtime during gameplay, no worries — I stole a TV from my motel room and it has some minigames on it, like Snake, Pong, or a game where I play an egg in sunglasses with his balls hanging out. Now this is gaming.
Image: TVGS via viraltrendingcontent
Early on, the main obstacle I have to worry about is the police. Occasionally, an officer will search me, looking for anything illegal. They set up blockades between neighborhoods, demanding to search my vehicle if I hit one. The cops are barely a problem for me, though; I have a 100% success rate at just sprinting away from them at top speed. Even if I shoot an officer, they’ll forget everything after a couple of minutes. Weirdly enough, the thing they are firmest on is the town curfew. After 6 p.m., everyone has to get inside, or risk being arrested. I’ve found myself hiding in a bush or scared off my patio by a police patrol, who treat curfew-breaking as the worst possible sin. It’s like living in a weird Footloose town, except everyone’s constantly smoking a joint.
Life in Hyland Point feels like a very simplified take on the Grand Theft Auto franchise, complete with crass jokes. For instance, a local dining establishment across from my starting motel room is called Taco Ticklers. One customer is tragically dubbed “Peter File.” These jokes are so unsophisticated, they’re single entendres. If you’re not a fan of cheap, lazy jokes, then you’ll likely find yourself irritated by Schedule 1. The other night, I buckled down to experiment with mixing variants and creating new weed strains, most of which had names like “Big Cum” or “Magic AssBlaster.” The graphics are similarly simplified and cartoony, like a basic claymation setup or a 3D episode of South Park.
A lot of work has gone into designing the steps of creating drugs via Schedule 1’s minigames, but an opening screen warns me that none of it is accurate to real-world processes. Regardless, it’s satisfying to tinker in my workshop, creating weed with incredible new properties. Eventually, I become a living god in Hyland Point, and my disciples are smoking the dankest blunts imaginable. Some let me sprint faster than any car, and one strain variable even lets me fly. I can buy cars from the local auto dealership, but there’s not much point when I have a pocketful of magic weed.
Image: TVGS
Much like the aforementioned Palworld, I think this game will eventually become stale and I’ll put it back on the shelf. Schedule 1 is an early access game that just came out, and so there are things that just feel incomplete. The police are toothless, the rival syndicate who blew up my RV in the start of the game has yet to reemerge, and the developer maintains a Trello that lists potential ideas ranging from “sewer network” to “weather” to “cartel fighting.”
I suspect I’ll find myself returning to Schedule 1 as it receives patches, since the core gameplay is so satisfying. While my co-op server has gotten relatively far into creating illicit substances like high-end meth and cocaine, my solo game has stalled as I save up enough money for a larger property. Eventually, I’ll have conquered everything Hyland Point has to offer. For now, I’m just enjoying the ride, and I expect that trip will only grow richer in time.
Schedule 1 is available on Steam for $20, and there’s a demo available for free. I’ll continue to follow its developer, who goes by Tyler’s Video Game Studio, as this game already has a lot of strengths. Even if the novelty will eventually wear off, I’m content for now to let Tyler cook.
Schedule 1 was released March 24 in early access on Windows PC. The game was reviewed on PC using a download code purchased by the author. Vox Media has affiliate partnerships. These do not influence editorial content, though Vox Media may earn commissions for products purchased via affiliate links. You can find additional information about viraltrendingcontent’s ethics policy here.
