Indie Game 'Schedule I' Dominates Steam Sales, Surpassing Major Titles

If you’ve been browsing Steam, Twitch, or gaming YouTube recently, you’ve likely noticed Schedule I. This indie drug dealer simulator has claimed the top spot on Valve’s sales charts, outperforming major titles like Monster Hunter Wilds, GTA 5, and Marvel Rivals, fueled by its viral spread across social media.

Schedule I debuted last week and swiftly climbed to the top of Valve’s best-selling and most-played lists. Here’s the official description:

From small-time dealer to drug lord - produce and sell various drugs in the gritty city of Hyland Point. Grow your empire with properties, businesses, staff, and more.

Developed and published by TVGS, known as Tyler, the creator recently shared insights on Schedule I’s meteoric rise on Reddit.

“It’s thrilling but a bit overwhelming,” Tyler stated. “I never anticipated this response! Right now, I’m focused on releasing patches quickly and planning content updates once major bugs are fixed.”

Accordingly, Schedule I’s Post-launch Patch #4 rolled out on March 29, addressing several employee-related bugs and multiplayer issues.

Just how successful is Schedule I? Emerging from obscurity, it’s now Steam’s top-selling game, outpacing titles like The Sims rival inZOI and Assassin’s Creed Shadows. Valve ranks its best-sellers by revenue, meaning the budget-priced Schedule I is generating more income than its pricier, triple-A competitors.

In terms of player engagement, Schedule I reached a peak of 414,166 concurrent players on Steam over the weekend, securing a spot among the top 30 most-played games ever on the platform. At the time of this article, it boasts more active players than Monster Hunter Wilds, GTA 5, and Marvel Rivals.

Players are raving about Schedule I, giving it an ‘overwhelmingly positive’ rating on Steam, with 98% of user reviews being positive. Here are some highlights:

"A woman asked for weed, rejected my price, then stabbed me with a broken bottle. 10/10"

"Really fun game!"

"My RV exploded while dealing drugs."

"Set up shop in a motel and sold some weed."

"Built a meth empire."

"Then played the game."

"Hilarious and addictive game. The gameplay loop is fun, especially with friends. It’s early access, but I’d love more active police (searches, pursuits, faster than players), gang conflicts, and a bigger map. Even now, it’s fantastic. Absolutely a 10/10."

Schedule I is clearly a meme-driven hit, and its longevity is yet to be determined. However, developer Tyler is unfazed, with their life transformed and major content updates in the works.

If you’re diving into Schedule I, check out IGN’s Schedule I Cheats and Console Commands guide, and Schedule I Multiplayer: How to Play Co-Op guide.