We can help you find the best Schedule 1 settings for PC and Steam Deck as the game enters a new phase following update 0.4.0, also known as Cartel Rivals. As more new content is added to Schedule 1, performance is also improved, and while it's not the most demanding game we've tested, some minor graphical tweaks are needed to get the most out of its visuals.
You won't need the best graphics card to start playing Schedule 1; this much was confirmed in the Schedule 1 system requirements. Playing on a handheld, however, might be tricky until proper controller support is added, although we have found a workaround if you want to play Schedule 1 on Steam Deck.
Best Schedule 1 Settings for PC
- Quality: Ultra
- Anti-Aliasing: SMAA
- SSAO: On
- God Rays: On
- FOV: 100
- VSync: Off
While there aren't many settings to play around with in Schedule 1, the general performance of the game can be improved if you use the right combination for your gaming PC.
Using the above settings on our RTX 4070 test rig (full specs under How We Test), we averaged 114fps with 1% lows of 90fps, which is great performance for a single-player game. Disabling the god rays would improve performance by around 10%, but visually, the game looks much worse without the setting enabled.
You can see in the image below that there isn't a huge difference between the low and ultra graphics presets, other than distant objects being much clearer, and shadows also have much sharper edges in the ultra profile.
Best Schedule 1 Settings for Steam Deck
- Quality: Low
- Anti-Aliasing: SMAA
- SSAO: On
- God Rays: Off
- FOV: 100
- VSync: Off
We talk about this in greater detail in our Schedule 1 Steam Deck guide, but the controller support in Schedule 1 is currently lacking, which makes playing it on any gaming handheld quite tricky, unless you hook up a mouse and keyboard. We know that controller support is coming as it's currently listed on the Schedule 1 Trello board.
Performance, however, is great on the Steam Deck, so once the right support is added, we can see Schedule 1 becoming a huge hit on Valve's handheld.
Schedule 1 graphics presets
- Low
- Medium
- High
- Ultra
There are only four graphics presets to choose from in Schedule 1, with it not currently possible to change individual graphics settings, and given the basic nature of the game's graphics, it's not expected to be added to the game anytime soon.
How we tested Schedule 1
At PCGamesN, we use dedicated gaming rigs to test the best settings for performance and gameplay in the latest releases. The test rig used to play Schedule 1 includes the following components: Intel Core i7 11700F, Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 12GB, 32GB of DDR4 3,200MHz RAM in a dual-channel configuration, MSI B560 motherboard. We also test using Windows 11 64-bit.
We always run our testing first at 1,920 x 1,080 to identify the best settings for this entry-level resolution, then again at 2,560 x 1,440 using the same setup to gauge the difference in performance. We use CapFrameX to capture frame data and compare testing sessions.
Does Schedule 1 require an SSD?
Schedule 1 does not require an SSD. Despite this, upgrading to one of the best gaming SSD options would really help keep game and map loading times in check, as well as allowing for faster game download speeds.
How to monitor performance in Schedule 1
If you want to keep an eye on performance in Atomfall, we have an easy method that works whether you're using an Nvidia or AMD graphics card.
For Nvidia cards, ensure you have the Nvidia App installed and the in-game overlay enabled, and then hit ALT + R in-game to bring up your performance monitor. With AMD cards, you can enable performance monitoring via the Radeon overlay using the shortcut CTRL + SHIFT + O.
Alternatively, you can download free software such as CapFrameX or Nvidia FrameView, to get a cleaner, more simplified benchmarking tool that works with any graphics card.
With handheld gaming PCs, most will have a dedicated button to access a quick menu from which performance monitoring, sometimes called real-time monitoring, can be accessed.
If you're looking to get more out of your time with this business sim, you can check out the best Schedule 1 mods, or if you're struggling to build capital, we can show you how to make money fast in Schedule 1.
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