If you’d told me a solo dev called Tyler’s Video Game Studio would casually dethrone Grand Theft Auto V and Monster Hunter Wilds on Steam, I’d have laughed, assumed he bribed the algorithm with cocaine and gone on with my day. But here we are—Schedule I is real, and it’s blowing up faster than a dodgy meth lab in an Airbnb.

Let me start by saying this: I’m not the type of guy who’s usually into simulators. Farming? Goats? Power washing a driveway for three hours? Okay, those last two are actually the only simulators I do play—but most sim games move slower than airport Wi-Fi and are about as thrilling as filing taxes. And as a chronically online member of Generation Z, my Twitch and YouTube algorithm has been force-feeding Schedule 1 content, a drug-dealing sim made by one very cheeky solo developer. So I gave in, bought it, and let me tell you, I’ve never been more invested in a life of crime.

Schedule 1 was released in early access on 24 March, and like any good plug, the first taste was on the house via a demo. It didn’t take long for it to start topping Steam’s charts like it had laced its executable file with pure dopamine. Within days, it quickly surpassed the likes of GTA V and Monster Hunter Wilds, peaking at 414,166 concurrent players slinging virtual weed from sketchy motels, and yes—I am absolutely one of them.

Weed, Woks & the Walter White Bungalow

You start small, of course. Just a bit of weed, a rickety motel, and one shady contact. Before long, you’re growing your own stash, dealing from the back of a Chinese takeaway, and mixing meth in your newly acquired bungalow. Classy, I know.

The real magic kicks in when you start experimenting. And I don’t mean the “one puff won’t hurt” kind. You’re mixing drugs with bananas, petrol, and horse semen (yes, really), giving them bizarre names, and flogging them on the streets. The aim? Cook up the most addictive substances possible, hook your customers, jack up the prices, and rake in the cash. Pure capitalism, really—just with more chemistry sets and slightly more moral ambiguity.

Dealers, Dollars & Dodging the Law

Eventually, you’re not even selling the drugs yourself. You’ve got dealers doing your dirty work—passive income, baby. But there’s strategy involved: match the right drugs to the right clientele, don’t send your dealers on a cross-country hike, and maybe don’t carry a duffel bag full of narcotics past a copper during curfew hours (9:00 PM–5:00 AM, in case you’re planning ahead).

It’s not just about slinging drugs either. You can buy businesses, launder money, hire staff, and upgrade to a full-on warehouse of criminal excellence. Want a mixing machine? Got it. Need a fancy oven for your new line of super meth? Sorted. Want to explode yourself with a Bunsen burner because you didn’t read the instructions? Been there, done that.

And yes, the game’s in Early Access. Yes, there are bugs. Sometimes you’ll have to restart a quest because the game has decided your progress is illegal too. But honestly? It’s more stable than most AAA launches these days. And while the polish isn’t quite there yet, the bones are rock solid.

Co-op mode is an absolute riot—I’ve been playing with a friend, and between managing our empire and accidentally setting ourselves on fire, it’s been nothing short of brilliant. Solo play’s just as viable, but everything’s better when someone else is shouting “WHY DID YOU PUT THE DONUTS IN THE METH?!”

So, is Schedule 1 worth a sniff? Absolutely. It’s RM50.00 of pure, chaotic, criminal delight. A drug game that’s smarter, funnier, and more addictive than it has any right to be. And while I can’t legally endorse your new career in narcotics… in the world of Schedule 1, it’s never been more fun to be very, very bad.