Schedule 1 Early Access Review – A Bold First Step into a Twisted Future
Schedule 1 blends crime and cozy sim fun in a wild Early Access ride. Grow, sell, relax—just don’t expect a full game yet.
If you’ve ever traded your day job for a peaceful farm in Stardew Valley or opened a cozy tea shop in Wanderstop, you know the joy of escaping into a slower life. I didn’t expect to get that same calm feeling from a game about making and selling drugs in a dirty city—but Schedule 1 surprised me. Instead of a wild, violent crime game like GTA, I found myself carefully packaging weed, sharing free samples with the locals, and building a peaceful (yet illegal) business from the ground up.
Across the 40 hours I spent with the game, I enjoyed the laid-back pace and quirky charm of managing my drug operation. It’s still in Early Access, so there are some bugs and the endgame feels incomplete—but the chill vibe of becoming a friendly neighborhood dealer made it easy to overlook the flaws.
Schedule 1 is a first-person business sim where you grow your empire from nothing. You start in a small room growing your own weed, but as your network expands, you can hire chemists, dealers, and suppliers to boost your production. It’s silly, sometimes immature, but oddly satisfying. The game leans into its humor, with customers texting you for their next high and drug names like “Dream Queef” and “Aspen Smegma” popping up thanks to its random name generator.
There’s also a clever layer of strategy. You don’t just sell anything—you learn what kind of high each person wants, then mix ingredients to create the perfect match. Maybe it’s weed and energy pills, or maybe something more… experimental. The more you satisfy your customers, the more your operation grows.
Despite the bugs and unfinished parts, Schedule 1 is already a fun and unique management game with a cozy twist. It’s weird, it’s funny, and somehow, it makes running a drug empire feel oddly relaxing. If you’re looking for something different, this one’s worth keeping an eye on.
Even Simple Tasks Like Harvesting Weed Feel Fun in Schedule 1
In Schedule 1, even the repetitive tasks—like harvesting weed and packaging it into jars—are oddly satisfying. Watering plants, mixing ingredients, and making crystal all create a calming, almost meditative experience. It’s so relaxing that it made me forget I was running a drug empire and breaking the law. Eventually, you can automate much of this process, turning you into an efficiency-driven manager rather than a hands-on dealer, which added a layer of strategy similar to games like Satisfactory.
What’s surprising about Schedule 1 is the lack of serious consequences. The game doesn’t feature aggressive law enforcement or rival gangs. Cops are present but don’t pose much of a threat—they can set up roadblocks or chase you, but their slow pace and inability to catch you make them more of an obstacle than a real danger. This lack of danger keeps the gameplay lighthearted, despite the dark theme.
Is Schedule 1 a Cozy Game?
At its core, Schedule 1 plays a lot like a farming sim. You’re managing plants and products, building relationships with the locals, and optimizing your operation. While the subject matter is dark, the gameplay feels surprisingly peaceful. You might even find yourself skateboarding around town delivering goods or tending to your garden of hallucinogenic plants, which brings a strange but amusing calm to the game.
There’s no real incentive to cause chaos—though you could, in theory, go on a violent rampage, it’s not part of the game’s focus. The joy comes from managing your drug empire, making deals, and growing your business. In a way, it feels more like Animal Crossing than GTA, except instead of helping a raccoon, you’re the one squeezing your neighbors for money. And if you want to make things collaborative, you can even invite a friend to join you in co-op mode.
Early Access Issues
Like many Early Access games, Schedule 1 does have its flaws. After about 20 hours of gameplay, I found myself running out of things to do. Once I unlocked all the available drugs and optimized my business, there wasn’t much left to work towards. The minimal story also loses steam after a while, and the game lacks meaningful endgame content.
Additionally, there are a few bugs and performance issues, such as framerate drops and dealers not selling products. While these are common in Early Access games, they didn’t significantly detract from the overall experience.
Despite its issues, Schedule 1 is a fun and unique experience. The relaxing gameplay, combined with the strange juxtaposition of running a drug empire, makes it stand out from other management sims. If you enjoy games with quirky humor and the satisfaction of optimizing a business, this one is worth checking out—just don’t expect a finished product yet.
Schedule 1 – Pros and Cons
| 👍Pros | 👎Cons |
|---|---|
| 👍 Fun and relaxing gameplay | 👎 Not much to do after a while |
| 👍 Unique and different idea | 👎 Some bugs and glitches |
| 👍 Funny drug names and jokes | 👎 Story feels unfinished |
| 👍 You can play with a friend (co-op mode) | 👎 Police don’t feel like a real challenge |
| 👍 Satisfying tasks like growing and selling | … |
| 👍 Mixing drugs to match customer needs is fun | … |
| 👍 Feels more like a calm sim than a crime game | … |
Conclusion
Schedule 1 is a crime game that mixes dark topics and silly jokes with relaxing management gameplay. It’s a strange mix, but it works. I spent 40 hours growing drugs, meeting funny characters, and building a drug business in a small city.
Even though the game is about crime, it feels calm and cozy most of the time. You grow plants, make products, and slowly turn your small setup into a big operation. The Early Access version does run out of things to do after a while, and there are a few bugs, but I still had a great time. If you want something different and fun, Schedule 1 is worth checking out.
