Schedule I Beta to Default: How Long Each Update Took
Short version: When TVGS put the first update on the beta branch in April 2025, the plan was to test each update there "for a day or two" before releasing it. For the nine major updates since then, the real gap has been 3 to 23 days, with a median of 11. The bigger the update, the longer it stayed in beta. v0.4.7, a large content update, went into open beta on September 19, 2026 and reached the default branch on October 9, after 20 days.
v0.4.7 reached the default branch on Oct 9, 2026, 20 days after its open beta. In the release post, TVGS wrote: “we expanded the scope beyond our original plans and also had to make some sizeable refactors”. As of Oct 13, 2026, it is still the latest update on Steam. For what changed in v0.4.7 itself, see Schedule I v0.4.7 changes.
The plan: “a day or two”
TVGS started testing every update on the Steam beta branch with v0.3.4, two weeks after the game entered Early Access on March 24, 2025. The v0.3.4 beta post says: “My approach for this update (and all future updates) will be to test it on the beta branch for a day or two and then release it fully.”
What actually happened
Dates are when TVGS posted each announcement on Steam (UTC). Days are counted from the beta post to the default-branch post.
| Version | Update | Open beta | Default branch | Days in beta |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| v0.3.4 | Pawn Shop | Apr 7, 2025 | Apr 10, 2025 | 3 |
| v0.3.6 | Filters, save system | May 22, 2025 | Jun 8, 2025 | 17 |
| v0.4.0 | Rival Cartel | Aug 13, 2025 | Aug 27, 2025 | 14 |
| v0.4.2 | Shrooms | Dec 22, 2025 | Dec 26, 2025 | 4 |
| v0.4.3 | Storage Closets | Jan 22, 2026 | Feb 2, 2026 | 11 |
| v0.4.4 | Weather | Mar 14, 2026 | Mar 19, 2026 | 5 |
| v0.4.5 | Anniversary | Mar 27, 2026 | Mar 30, 2026 | 3 |
| v0.4.6 | Gamepad support | Jul 9, 2026 | Aug 1, 2026 | 23 |
| v0.4.7 | Special customers | Sep 19, 2026 | Oct 9, 2026 | 20 |
Two updates skipped a public beta post: v0.3.5 (Jukebox, Storage Unit) and v0.4.1 (Halloween) went straight to the default branch. The small hotfixes after v0.4.6 did match the plan: v0.4.6f12 took 2 days (Aug 6 to Aug 8) and v0.4.6f13 took 1 day (Aug 13 to Aug 14).
What the pattern says
This is our reading of the table. TVGS hasn’t described it this way.
- Median 11 days, not 1 or 2. Only the two hotfixes came close to the original plan. All nine major updates took 3 days or more.
- Big updates stay longest. The four longest betas were v0.4.6 (23 days, gamepad support; TVGS said “Every menu and input interaction in the game had to be rebuilt or significantly altered”), v0.4.7 (20 days, four customer groups, Hyland Medical and a rebuilt appearance system), v0.3.6 (17 days, which “Consolidated” its NPC, property and business save files) and v0.4.0 (14 days, Rival Cartel). Smaller themed updates like Shrooms, Weather and Anniversary took 3 to 5 days.
- Save changes seem to mean a longer beta. v0.3.6 consolidated its save files and stayed in beta for 17 days. v0.4.7 changed how player appearances are saved and stayed for 20 days.
- Our v0.4.7 estimate held, once. On Oct 3, we wrote that if v0.4.7 followed the big updates, it would spend two to three weeks in beta, roughly early to mid October. It reached the default branch on Oct 9, after 20 days. That is one update, not proof of a rule.
- What’s next: the v0.4.7 release post says TVGS has “been working on two other updates in tandem with this one, both of which will release before the end of the year.” It doesn’t name them or give dates. We’ll add them to the table when their beta and default-branch posts go up.
Should you wait or join the beta?
- Waiting costs nothing. So far, every earlier beta has reached the default branch, the slowest after 23 days.
- Joining: TVGS says anyone can opt in. In your Steam Library, right-click Schedule I, open Properties, then Betas, and pick the beta branch. Before you do, back up your save. The v0.3.6 beta post points to the export and import buttons in the main menu for this.
- Save format changes: the v0.4.7 beta post warned that appearances converted on the beta “will not load properly” if you switched back to the default version. A future beta that changes saves may carry the same kind of warning, so keep your backup until that update reaches the default branch. Going back from v0.4.7 to v0.4.6 is covered in before you roll back to v0.4.6.
- Co-op: play on the same branch as your friends. The notes don’t say whether beta and default players can join each other.