About

Schedule I, also referred to as Schedule 1, is a simulation video game in which the player is tasked with establishing, growing and managing a drug empire in a small city. Released into early access in late March 2025, the video game went viral online as it gained popularity with streamers, with users sharing viral clips, memes, and other game-related content.

History

On March 24th, 2025, Australian indie video game developer TVGS released Schedule I, a simulation video game in which the player takes on a role of a rookie drug dealer building their drug empire in a small city from the ground up.^[1] The name of the game is a reference to the list of Schedule 1 substances, which are chemicals with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for misuse.

On March 24th, 2025, the release trailer for the game premiered on YouTube,^[2] where it received over 93,000 views in one week (shown below).

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Gameplay and Features

The gameplay of Schedule I is centered around manufacturing various illegal substances and distributing them among the local populace of Hyland Point. The players are able to experiment to concoct unique substances that produce various effects, and to grow and expand their business by hiring employees to assist them. The game also involves melee and gun violence against competing drug businesses and police.

Reception

The game was met with exceedingly positive reviews from the audiences. As of March 31s, 2025, the game had a 98% approval rating on Steam^[3] with over 29,800 user reviews.

On March 30th, the game reached a peak of 412,000 concurrent players on Steam.^[6]

Popularity With Streamers

Following its release, the game achieved popularity among streamers and YouTubers, with CaseOh, xQc, Nogla and other notable content creators being among those streaming the game and sharing gameplay videos.^[4][5]

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Fandom

In late March 2025, several posts comparing the viral success of the game and its high concurrent player count to that of Assassin's Creed Shadows went viral online. For example, on March 25th, 2025, X^[7] user @Rev_says_desu made a post that received over 1,300 reposts and 30,000 likes in one week (shown below).

Several gameplay clips from the game went viral on TikTok, with users sharing their recipe discoveries. For example, on March 26th, 2025, TikTok^[8] user @shonci posted a video that received over 1.9 million views and 150,000 likes in five days (shown below).

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References