0.4.6|Jul 9, 2026
View on Steam↗v0.4.6 Open Beta
3/5 Moderate
BETAFull controller support for Xbox and PlayStation added alongside a massive performance overhaul targeting CPU spikes and rendering efficiency.
Key Changes
- 1Full controller/gamepad support with Xbox and PlayStation prompts
- 2New virtual cursor system with friction and lure mechanics for gamepads
- 3Comprehensive performance overhaul including new light culling and shadow tools
- 4NPC vision adjustments with new player visibility points to prevent cheesing
- 5Ability to pause the game in any state, including vehicles and dialogue
- 6Rebuilt UI for shops, barbershops, and vehicle repainting
- 7Improved stealth mechanics with increased foliage obscuration
- 8Automatic pausing when the game loses focus (alt-tab)
- 9Optimized audio compression to reduce runtime CPU spikes
- 10Staggered property culling to minimize stuttering during movement
All Changes
🎮Input & Controls(7)
- newGamepad: Added full controller/gamepad support
- newGamepad: Added input prompts for both Xbox and PlayStation DualSense controllers
- newGamepad: Added dedicated gamepad-related settings
- newGamepad: Added a virtual cursor for gamepad navigation
- newGamepad: Added virtual cursor 'friction' system to make grabbing items easier
- newGamepad: Added virtual cursor 'lure' system to reduce tedium in click-heavy tasks
- changeUI: Rebuilt the input prompt system to support gamepad buttons
⚡Performance & Optimization(16)
- fixPerformance: Implemented a new light source culling solution
- fixPerformance: Added shadow optimization tool that culls shadows at a certain distance
- fixPerformance: Combined and optimized several building meshes
- fixPerformance: Staggered property contents culling over several frames to minimize stuttering
- fixPerformance: Rewrote the tree shader to be significantly more efficient
- fixPerformance: Adjusted audio file compression to minimize CPU spikes during runtime decompression
- fixPerformance: Optimized interaction physics checks and shadow-casting lights
- fixPerformance: Disabled baked occlusion culling as it was more expensive than standard rendering
- fixPerformance: Stripped shader variants and reduced resolution of unnecessarily large textures to save memory
- fixPerformance: Optimized UI layout calculations and compass rendering
- fixPerformance: Rewrote miscellaneous code to minimize Garbage Collection (GC) allocation
- fixPerformance: Implemented police vehicle pooling instead of constant spawning/destruction
- fixPerformance: Staggered logic for scripts using repeating checks to avoid single-frame spikes
- fixPerformance: Optimized distance checks to use square distance calculations
- fixPerformance: Tweaked texture streaming to minimize low-res textures on buildings
- fixPerformance: Turned off shadow casting for small meshes
🧠Gameplay & AI(7)
- buffPause System: The game can now be paused in any state, including in vehicles or during dialogue
- nerfStealth: Added 'visibility points' at the neck and hips to prevent players from cheesing NPC vision
- buffStealth: Increased the amount trees and bushes obscure NPC vision
- changePolice: Police patrols, sentries, and checkpoints now assign 1-2 officers instead of always 2
- newPickpocketing: Added 'stop arrow' button to the pickpocket interaction
- buffQoL: Pressing 'I'm stuck' now teleports the player's vehicle to safety if driving
- changeNPCs: Converted NPC deal behavior from schedule events to a behavior system
🖥️User Interface(10)
- changeUI: Rebuilt the UI for shops, barbershops, tattoo parlors, and vehicle repainting
- buffPause System: The game now automatically pauses when losing focus (alt-tabbing)
- buffSettings: Display settings now apply automatically without needing to press 'apply'
- buffUI: Increased maximum UI scaling limit to 1.5
- buffManagement Clipboard: Management clipboard object selector now multi-selects by default
- newUI: Your organisation name is now displayed in the pause menu
- newUI: Added 'Inventory empty' notification when pickpocketing empty NPCs
- changeUI: Tweaked UI alignment for the deal screen and counteroffer interface
- changePhone: Visual tweaks made to the phone home screen
- changeUI: Rebuilt the 'new mix discovered' interface
🎨Visuals & Audio(6)
- newVisuals: Added a new high-quality tree 'billboard' shader
- buffVisuals: Created new, higher quality LODs for several buildings and props
- buffAnimations: Improved movement animations for slow or diagonal travel
- changeAudio: Improved audio blending when moving between indoor and outdoor areas during rain
- newVisuals: Added more grime detail to the police station
- removeVisuals: Removed the legacy sky system
🐛Bug Fixes(10)
- fixPolice: Fixed police sometimes not sharing player line-of-sight with other officers
- fixStealth: Fixed bushes not obscuring players properly
- fixVehicles: Fixed jerky vehicle movement in 'kinematic mode' for distant vehicles
- fixNPCs: Fixed suppliers not looking at the player or returning to meeting locations
- fixUI: Fixed cartel influence popup overlapping with compass labels
- fixUI: Fixed quest UI positioning on high interface scales
- fixGameplay: Fixed baggies getting caught on the packaging station hopper lid
- fixVisuals: Fixed z-fighting when building objects
- fixVisuals: Fixed flickering volumetric light beams and tree shadow pop-in
- fixPerformance: Fixed CPU and memory spikes related to audio sources and lens flares
Summary
This Open Beta update for Schedule I focuses on accessibility and technical stability. The headline feature is comprehensive gamepad support, including specialized virtual cursor systems with 'friction' and 'lure' mechanics to improve menu navigation. Under the hood, the game has undergone a significant optimization pass, introducing new light source culling, shadow optimization tools, and a complete rewrite of the tree shader system to reduce CPU and memory overhead. Gameplay has also been refined with more flexible pausing, improved NPC vision mechanics, and a variety of UI rebuilds for shops and services.