From a tiny operation to a criminal corporation in Dirty Business

Crime simulators are having a serious moment, and Dirty Business has arrived ready to build an entire underground empire. Developed by Plan Dirty Games, this first-person management game launched in Early Access with solo play and online co-op for up to four players. Instead of limiting players to a single illegal operation, it throws drugs, weapons, counterfeit money, employees and large-scale deliveries into one increasingly chaotic criminal business.

The obvious comparison is Schedule I, the hugely popular crime simulator that proved players love starting small and slowly building a profitable operation. Dirty Business follows a similar rise-to-power structure, but it expands the idea far beyond drug production. Players can grow different cannabis strains, manufacture LSD, print weapons, create counterfeit currencies and even run evidence-disposal services. It feels less like managing one shady side hustle and more like constructing a complete criminal corporation beneath the city.

From street hustles to a full criminal empire 

You will handle plenty of work personally during the early hours, but the goal is to gradually automate the operation. Botanists, chemists, weapons technicians, counterfeiters and dealers can all be hired and assigned to different jobs. Larger orders also require more creative distribution methods. Small packages can be moved through the building, while major shipments may involve vehicles, secret businesses and even aircraft flying to distant islands.

That ambitious mix helped Dirty Business attract several thousand concurrent players shortly after launch, showing that gamers are hungry for a crime simulator with more variety. Flying cartel deliveries, expanding underground rooms and juggling several illegal industries at once give it a strong identity, even when the Early Access rough edges become noticeable.

Worker behaviour has been one of the biggest community complaints so far. Employees could stop performing tasks, struggle with production routes or require too much micromanagement. The encouraging news is that the developers are already responding quickly. Early patches improved worker logic, added clearer explanations when employees stopped working and introduced repeating tasks that make automation much smoother. Dealer balancing, order fixes and other quality-of-life improvements have also arrived rapidly.

Dirty Business is still clearly a work in progress, but its combination of co-op chaos, factory management and criminal empire building gives it plenty of potential. Anyone who enjoyed Schedule I but wanted more industries, more automation and much bigger deliveries should keep this one on their radar.

Ready to begin your underground empire? Use our price comparison tool to find the best prices for Dirty Business and start expanding your operation for less.