New Schedule 1 cartel update adds a dangerous rival to the smash-hit crime sim

Arriving a little later than initially planned, the Schedule 1 cartel update has just brought the deadly Benzies Family to the smash-hit crime sim. Charting your journey from small-time pusher to underworld overlord, Schedule 1 quickly grew into one of 2025's biggest winners with a Steam player count high of almost half a million. Even five months after launch and with plenty of big-name challengers since, it still routinely pulls in 20,000 users daily, and its latest overhaul is a great reason to check back in.

Schedule 1 developer TVGS originally put the contents of the crime game's next big update up for a public vote in June, with more than 440,000 responses cast. The 'rival cartel' was the clear winner, stealing a 64% share away from the other options, a 'police expansion' or 'shrooms.' Now that promised patch is complete and has just dropped, bringing fresh life to one of 2025's biggest indie games.

TVGS does apologize "for [their] lack of timeliness with this update," which arrives about a month later than its original planned launch. They say this is "due to a variety of factors, but mostly me underestimating the amount of work involved in implementing certain features, as well as me deciding to add more stuff (graffiti, pump shotgun, etc) at the last minute." They note that they've also been impacted by moving house and getting through university exams.

The Benzies Family are a "powerful rival cartel" that appear in Hyland Point. Naturally, that means it's time to prepare for some serious trouble: ambushes, dealers being robbed, thefts of your dead drops, and more. However, if you'd rather play nice, there are options to collaborate with the cartel and strike deals - providing you're prepared to stay off their turf.

The update also revamps progression, so while you can continue an old save you're encouraged to start fresh for the best experience. Regions are now unlocked by reducing the 'cartel influence' level sufficiently before progressing to the next area. Complete the new quest line associated with the Benzies Family, whether through violence or cooperation, and you'll have the option to buy a flash new property, Hyland Manor.

Also included in the cartel update is a new SUV, the Hotbox, which most closely resembles a Mercedes G-Wagon. There's a new graffiti system, both for laying down tags and cleaning them up as you wish, and this can impact your influence over the cartel in a region. There's also a pump-action shotgun that provides some serious firepower if you're finding yourself under pressure.

Rounding out the update are three more hairstyles and some extra Schedule 1 console commands that can unlock regions immediately or adjust the strength of gravity. You're now able to pickpocket police, if you're feeling brave, as well as dead or unconscious NPCs if you're not. Stan's shop has been given a proper interface, and you're able to view other players' dialog when talking to NPCs.

The Schedule 1 cartel update is out now. You can read through the full patch notes courtesy of TVGS for a complete list of improvements, tweaks, and bug fixes.

Check our Schedule 1 mixing guide for the best recipes if you're preparing to open shop once more, and be sure to browse our pick of the best Schedule 1 mods as well. If you or someone you know is planning to start for the first time, here are the Schedule 1 system requirements.

Are you coming back for the cartel update, or has another surprise indie won your heart of late? Let us know what you're playing in the PCGamesN community Discord server, where you can share your thoughts with thousands of other readers.