Fake “Schedule 1” Game Appears on PlayStation Store, Misleading Players

A counterfeit version of the hit indie game Schedule 1 has surfaced on the PlayStation Store, deceiving users into purchasing a game that has no affiliation with the original studio.

The imposter listing, titled Schedule 1 Drug Dealer, mirrors the name and styling of the widely praised Schedule 1 developed by the Australian indie studio TVGS. However, TVGS confirmed that the game has had no official PlayStation release and is not endorsed by them.

This isn’t the first time such a scam has occurred: as of April, several clone titles bearing the “Schedule 1” name began appearing on the platform. Sony even removed multiple scam developers along with their catalogs in a sweeping ban earlier in the year, but the issue persists with new entries continuing to slip through storefront filters.

In one instance, a title named SCHEDULE (missing the “1” from its name but paired with eerily similar artwork and logo) appeared on PS5 in late April 2025. That listing received more than 1,600 negative reviews, tanking its rating to approximately 1.28 out of 5. Despite backlash, the listing was subsequently rebranded as WEED DRUG EMPIRE, though the visuals remained unchanged, leading many to suspect the shift was an attempt to evade takedown. Later titles like Schedule I: Dope Empire and Schedule 1: Syndicate continued to propagate the confusion, further complicating the issue.

The reaction from the gaming community has been fierce. On Reddit, one user lamented, “I guess I should have checked reviews before buying; this has been an unfortunate loss.” Another added, “Yeah, I fell for this one, but Sony did too. The title and art are ripped straight from the real game.”

Schedule 1 itself launched in early access on Steam in March 2025 and soared to indie-game stardom, drawing nearly 460,000 concurrent players at its peak and maintaining the No. 1 position on Steam for over two weeks. The business-simulation title tasks players with building a drug-dealing empire, starting with marijuana and advancing to meth and cocaine, in a tycoon-style gameplay model reminiscent of Drug Dealer Simulator and Grand Theft Auto Online.

TVGS has reassured fans that any game listed on the PlayStation Store bearing the “Schedule 1” name is not connected to them. The studio also expressed a desire to eventually port the game to console, stating: “I’d love to port Schedule I to console when the game is at the right stage for that,” and promising any such announcement would be communicated directly with the community well in advance.

As long as these unauthorized clones continue to appear, players are urged to exercise caution. Sony’s moderation and curation of its digital storefront have come under fire, calling into question their ability to prevent misleading listings from reaching consumers.