How to play on the Schedule 1 beta branch for early access to new updates

Sometimes I can’t bear the wait, and I’m ready to try out any new gadgets or gizmos as early as possible through the Schedule 1 beta branch. Fortunately for me (and the rest of you drug kingpin hopefuls), TVGS seems keen to share new Schedule 1 updates days before they go live for everyone through test builds.

Test builds don’t always make for the most stable Schedule 1 experience, but I’ve always had a good time trying out early builds to see what I can expect in the next big update. As long as you back up your save file, then there’s no real harm in swapping over.

Here’s how to play pre-release updates on the Schedule 1 beta branch, along with a quick reminder on how to back up your saves—you can never be too cautious.

How to play on the Schedule 1 beta branch

You can access the Schedule 1 beta branch by opening your Steam library, navigating to the Schedule 1 properties menu, and selecting the appropriate beta from the dropdown menu.

Here’s the step-by-step to access the Schedule 1 beta branch:

1. Backup your save file first
2. Open your Steam library and locate Schedule 1 in the list
3. Right-click Schedule 1 and select Properties
4. Select the fourth option, Game Versions & Betas
5. Select beta from the build list (should have a recent update date)
6. Allow the game to update to the beta build before launching

If you intend to play with a friend, make sure they’ve followed the same steps so you’re playing on the same Schedule 1 build. Different builds don’t play nice together.

Revert Schedule 1 beta updates or change to alternate builds

TVGS typically pushes a new Schedule 1 update into the beta branch a few days before they go live in the main build. When the beta branch is moved to Schedule 1’s main, stable build, simply follow the above steps again and select Default Public Version instead of beta.

Players who experience excessive crashing or other performance hiccups may prefer swapping to Schedule 1’s alternate-beta branch. There’s also an alternate build for the main public version, simply titled ‘alternate‘. Either way, you should have a similar experience with some performance tweaks, so pick what runs best on your hardware.

How to back up your Schedule 1 save file

Before you go jumping between Schedule 1 beta branches, back up your save file either through Steam or Schedule 1’s own save file export utility. Oh, how I love a game that doesn’t force me to go digging around for this stuff in my folders.

1. Launch Schedule 1
2. From the main menu, select Continue
3. Click Export in the far-right corner of your save file
4. Save the zip file somewhere safe when prompted

If something does wind up breaking, all you need to do is visit this same menu again and select Import instead. Find your zip file, double click to select it, and Schedule 1 should load up your old file like nothing ever happened.