In-game screenshot: a red pickup truck with three barrels in the bed drives down a dusty dirt road between green fields.

Co-op · Steam · Early Access 2027

Run a moonshine still with up to three friends, then haul the crates down dusty backroads before the law catches up.

Coming soon to Steam See how a run works

In-game screenshot

One run, four jobs

Everything is done with your own hands, not from a menu. Split the jobs with your crew, or run the whole thing solo.

  1. In-game screenshot, first person: stirring the mash in a wooden mash tun with the paddle, the mash tun checklist in the corner.
    In-gameStirring the mash.

    Job 1

    Run the still

    Shake the sugar into the mash tun and stir it with the paddle. Let it ferment, stock the firebox with logs and run the still. A well-fed fire makes a better batch, and a better batch pays more.

    • Mash
    • Ferment
    • Distill
    • Fill the barrels
  2. In-game screenshot: a farmer carries a wooden crate of corn across the farmyard, with the red barn and water tower behind.
    In-gameHauling the harvest across the farm.

    Job 2

    Grow the farm

    Plant, water and pick corn, wheat and potatoes by hand. Draw water at the well and carry the crates yourself.

    • Sow
    • Water
    • Pick
    • Carry
  3. In-game screenshot, close up: three wooden barrels in the bed of a red pickup on a dirt road.
    In-gameThree barrels, one dirt road.

    Job 3

    Haul the crates

    Load the barrels into the truck bed by hand and drive the backroads to the buyer. Watch the fuel and take the bends gently: rough ground can bounce a barrel out of the bed. Stuck in the mud? That is what the winch is for.

    • Load
    • Drive
    • Off-road
    • Deliver

  4. Dodge the law

    Police patrol the backroads, and every wrong move raises your heat. Roadblocks stop and search a truck carrying cargo. Get the crates to the buyer and the Cash is yours.

    Heat rising
In-game screenshot: the character select, a row of WANTED posters with five bootleggers and their rewards, from Aunt Maude to Skeeter.
In-gamePick your bootlegger from the WANTED wall.

Co-op

A still needs a crew.

Online co-op for up to four players: host, invite your friends and run the operation together.

Playing alone? The whole operation runs solo too: same loop, same payouts.

The Workshop

The crew's Bank pays, the crew level unlocks, and the whole crew gets it. Every level changes the model you work at.

Three machines, three upgrades each

MachineStockLevel 1Level 2Level 3
Mash tunLoad it, stir it 3D model render: the stock wooden mash tun with its lid and paddle.StockAs it came. 3D model render: the mash tun with iron hoops.Level 1Iron hoopsStirring fills twice as fast. 3D model render: the mash tun with a copper rim and a lid wheel.Level 2Copper rim + lid wheel+10% yield. 3D model render: the mash tun with a belt-driven paddle.Level 3Belt-driven paddleThe paddle stays stirred twice as long.
Ferment tankLet it work 3D model render: the stock tall wooden ferment tank.StockAs it came. 3D model render: the ferment tank with an airlock on top.Level 1Airlock+5% yield. 3D model render: the ferment tank with a gauge and a small keg beside it.Level 2GaugeA second slot buffers the next batch. 3D model render: the ferment tank with a copper pipe run and a tap.Level 3Copper pipe runThe pipe feeds the still directly.
DistilleryFeed the fire 3D model render: the stock copper pot still on a stone firebox, with a barrel beside it.StockAs it came. 3D model render: the still with brass fittings.Level 1Brass fittingsThe firebox holds 6 logs. 3D model render: the still with a bigger copper pot.Level 2Bigger potEach log lasts 2 runs. 3D model render: the still with a twin condenser, a chimney and two barrels.Level 3Twin condenser + chimneyPours into 2 barrels at once.

Renders of the in-game 3D models. These models were generated with AI tools and finished by hand.

See it in the game

From the game

The whole game is dressed like the farm office: orders on paper, a ledger for the crew, a map pinned to the wall. Every picture below is a screenshot from the game.

In-game screenshot: the title screen, a farm at golden hour with the Bootleg Buddies sign and wooden Play and Settings buttons.
In-gameThe title screen.
In-game screenshot: the Produce Stand, a paper sheet listing seeds and barrels with prices and Buy buttons.
In-gameThe Produce Stand.
In-game screenshot: the crew skill tree on paper, four columns for distilling, driving, farming and business.
In-gameThe crew's skills.
In-game screenshot: the map, a paper survey map of the roads with a You Are Here tag and a legend.
In-gameThe map.
In-game screenshot: the Crew Books card showing the player's Cash, the crew Bank and the crew level.
In-gameCash and the crew Bank.
In-game screenshot: on foot at the farm, with the cash envelope, the next goal strip, the key legend and the compass in the corners.
In-gameThe farm, on foot.

In Early Access

Coming 2027
  • The farmCorn, wheat and potatoes, sown, watered and picked by hand.
  • Mash and distillLoad the tun by hand, ferment, stock the fire, run the still.
  • Dirt roads, real cargoFuel, mud and a winch. Rough driving can throw a barrel out.
  • The lawPatrols, a heat meter and roadblocks that search loaded trucks.
  • Dirty Cash, clean BankWhoever delivers pockets the Cash. Launder it into the crew's Bank.
  • Grow the businessTruck upgrades, machine upgrades, a gas station and a restaurant to buy.
  • A crew that levels upShared crew levels and a 12-skill playbook.
  • Play your waySolo or up to 4 online, full gamepad support, 3 save slots.

Dispatches

Built in the open by one solo developer.

No.1

First dispatch is on its way

The first devlog post is being written. It will be listed here when it is published.

Press kit

Logo, capsules, gameplay and interface screenshots, machine renders, a fact sheet, the AI disclosure and contact, in one place.

Open the press kit

Straight answers

Bootleg Buddies is planned for Steam Early Access in 2027. No exact date is announced yet. Wishlist it on Steam and Steam will tell you when it launches.

It is a co-op game, and co-op games get better when real crews play them. The full loop from farm to delivery is planned to be playable from day one, with the economy and the chaos tuned against how crews actually play. Expect rough edges and the occasional runaway crate.

The price is set on the Steam page and is not shown here yet. This site never sells the game; Steam does.

Windows PC through Steam, with full gamepad support. No other platforms are announced.

Yes. Solo gets the same loop and the same payouts. Online co-op supports up to four players in total.

Some 3D prop models were generated with AI tools and finished by hand, and AI tools assisted with programming. The game is designed, directed and built by a solo developer.

Yes. Every screenshot on this site is taken in the game. Anything that is not, such as promo art or an interface drawing in the devlog, says so on the picture.

Wishlist Bootleg Buddies on Steam and Steam will tell you when it launches. A devlog and a Discord are on the way and will be linked here.

Ready to run it?

Coming soon to Steam Coming 2027
Next goalComing soon to Steam