The Schedule 1 Steam Deck rating can be seen as a little misleading, at least compared to how Valve has dealt with other games with little to no controller support. You'll need to make some changes if you want to play using the Steam Deck controls; otherwise, a mouse and keyboard are required.
While there's no issue with Valve rating Steam Deck games that don't have the best controller support as playable, it should be called out more explicitly. It's easy enough for someone to just buy the best Steam Deck Dock from our buying guide and hook up a mouse and keyboard to get the full experience, but that defeats the object for players who want to use the Deck as a handheld. Outside of this issue, the Schedule 1 system requirements are super low, which makes running the game on the best gaming handheld a breeze.
Schedule 1 is rated as Playable on the Steam Deck. The reason the game is not yet verified is due to issues with the controls. In fact, Valve has given the game a specific recommendation when it comes to the controls, stating you may need to use the virtual keyboard, touchscreen, or a "community configuration."
This mention of a community configuration isn't common at all, but it is the only way that Steam Deck players can enjoy Schedule 1 on the go unless they want to carry a dock, mouse, and keyboard around with them.
To find a community control layout, head to the Schedule 1 page in your Steam library. Tap the settings cog in the top right, head to Properties, then Controller, and enable Steam Input in this menu.
Return to the Schedule 1 page in your Steam library, this time selecting the controller icon next to the settings cog, move over to the Community Layouts tab, and download a layout with the most downloads, hours used, and upvotes.
Once this is done, the controls will be mapped in-game, saving you from having to find more awkward workarounds. Native controller support is coming at some point, as seen on the Schedule 1 Trello board. Still, it's currently listed in the "smaller additions/improvements" category, suggesting it isn't a major priority.
Now that you're all set up, you can check out our best Schedule 1 settings guide, which covers Valve's gaming handheld as well as advice for those playing on PC.
If you're keen to jump into this business sim, you can check out our Schedule 1 fast money guide to get a head start. Likewise, you can consult our Schedule 1 mixing and recipes list if you want to make some more exotic products.
Should Valve be rating games without any native controller support as playable, or are you fine with potentially needing a mouse and keyboard to play on the Deck? Let us know over on our community Discord server.