Scam With Your Friends Hits 29K Players, AI Calls in Sick
Scam With Your Friends entered Steam Early Access on October 15, 2026, reaching 28,983 concurrent players on its first day. Almost 29,000 people voluntarily signed up to work in a fraudulent call centre, manipulating fictional AI-controlled victims into surrendering computer access, information and money.
It's a fantastic premise for a crime game, but the launch hasn't been entirely smooth. AI connectivity, speech recognition and multiplayer issues have already prompted two hotfixes, while early Steam reviews remain positive but divided. Should you buy it? At $9.99, or $8.99 during the introductory discount until October 29, it's an intriguing Early Access gamble, particularly with friends. If you're expecting reliable AI conversations, waiting would be sensible. Before beginning your career in telephone fraud, you may first need to contact technical support. An unfortunate position for someone pretending to be technical support.
Your fraudulent call centre needs IT support? Try a criminal enterprise that actually lets you exploit workers and bribe cops. Our Scam Center Simulator: Prologue verdict covers another spectacularly unethical career choice. This one's free.
Congratulations, you're a criminal. Your boss wants to discuss your performance.
Most crime games let you rob banks, steal cars or assassinate people. Scam With Your Friends has decided that sounds unnecessarily energetic. Why arrange a getaway vehicle when you can persuade somebody to hand over their savings without leaving your chair?
You work in a fraudulent call centre in Kolkata, India, where conversations with AI-controlled callers are supposed to be the actual criminal mechanic. Usually, deception in games involves selecting one of three dialogue options, often with the correct answer conveniently highlighted by your charisma statistic. Here, you have to do the talking. Can a believable explanation work better than an aggressive demand? Can you recover when someone becomes suspicious? Will an utterly ridiculous story somehow succeed? These are the questions that make the premise exciting, although how freely and consistently the AI handles them still needs proper testing.
Successful scams contribute to your earnings, with remote computer access and other tools helping complete the operation. Meanwhile, scambaiters, viruses and police interference threaten your work. There are also daily quotas and an increasingly demanding boss. Hold on. Quotas? You've abandoned honest employment for organised fraud, presumably to escape the soul-destroying machinery of corporate life, and somehow ended up having your productivity reviewed by a supervisor. Imagine telling your family you've finally escaped the office, only to get summoned into a meeting because your identity-theft figures are disappointing. Somewhere on that wall is probably a motivational poster insisting there's no I in TEAM, although there are several in identity theft.
Solo play is supported, alongside online co-op for up to eight players. Custom AI callers and Steam Workshop support could add variety, but their long-term value remains unproven. The idea of coordinating eight scammers sounds tremendous, particularly considering how difficult it already is to get eight gamers to agree on which door to open. At least nobody has to drive the getaway van.
Tired of scamming people over the phone? Open a crooked shop instead. We played Probably Stolen, where wanted criminals are customers, honesty is negotiable and the greatest threat to organised crime might actually be inventory management.
Nearly 29,000 players turned up. The AI needed support.
According to SteamDB, the game peaked at 28,983 concurrent players on October 15. The developers also claimed more than 600,000 Steam wishlists before launch. Clearly, the concept has an audience. Its first reviews, however, suggest enthusiasm doesn't automatically produce a functioning call centre.
October 16 showed 553 positive reviews out of 766, approximately 72.2% positive. SteamDB's separate adjusted rating stood at 69.19%. Positive feedback highlights absurd conversations and co-op chaos; criticisms concern AI access, speech recognition, performance and how much depth remains after the novelty wears off. The technical complaints matter particularly because the game lives or dies by its conversational systems.
The developers issued a hotfix on October 15 addressing speech crashes, voice downloads, multiplayer difficulties and AI access. A second followed on October 16, reducing speech-recognition delays, improving failure messages and addressing further lobby problems. Typed dialogue remains an alternative to speaking. These are welcome responses, although developer-reported fixes aren't proof that every problem has disappeared.
And here's the interesting distinction. If a fictional victim misunderstands your elaborate deception and becomes suspicious, that could be brilliant. You've made a mistake and now have to talk your way out of it. If the software misunderstands you, however, you're arguing with a microphone. You've spent ten minutes constructing a convincing criminal identity, only to repeat the same sentence to a machine with the listening skills of a garden shed. The victim hasn't outsmarted you. Your equipment has.
The October 16 update also introduced a browser privacy confirmation following concerns about the in-game browser. That change is worth reporting, but it doesn't establish allegations of player-data theft or misuse. Those would require separate evidence.
Is Scam With Your Friends worth buying now?
There's something genuinely exciting about a game where deception is something you perform, rather than a dialogue option you select. The initial player numbers and entertaining early reactions support that appeal. They don't yet tell us whether the AI can consistently deliver it, or whether conversations remain interesting after several evenings.
CRIMENET hasn't played the release, so this isn't a hands-on verdict. At its modest asking price, it's a reasonable experiment for co-op groups comfortable with Early Access problems. Anyone primarily interested in sophisticated, dependable social engineering should wait for more fixes and mature impressions.
The developers have already started dealing with the technical mess. Now they need to prove that telephone fraud remains fun once everyone has stopped laughing at the first ridiculous conversation. Preferably before the fictional supervisor schedules another meeting about disappointing scam targets.
Telephone fraud not ambitious enough? Our 25 Best Crime Games of 2026 offers considerably worse career decisions, from bank robbery to building a criminal empire. Some even let you escape middle management by shooting it.
Scam With Your Friends FAQ
When did Scam With Your Friends release?
Scam With Your Friends launched in Steam Early Access on October 15, 2026, for Windows PC.
Can you play Scam With Your Friends solo?
Yes. You can play alone or in online co-op with up to eight players.
How much does Scam With Your Friends cost?
The regular price is $9.99 on Steam, with an introductory discount bringing it to $8.99 until October 29, 2026. Regional pricing may vary.
Does Scam With Your Friends use real AI?
Yes. The game uses AI-powered conversations with fictional victims, allowing players to attempt scams through spoken or typed dialogue.
Is Scam With Your Friends worth buying?
It's a promising Early Access experiment, particularly with friends, but launch problems involving AI connectivity, speech recognition and multiplayer mean players wanting a polished experience may prefer to wait.
Does Scam With Your Friends have voice recognition problems?
Yes. The developers acknowledged launch issues and released hotfixes on October 15 and 16. Speech-recognition delays and other technical problems have received fixes, although their complete resolution hasn't been independently confirmed.
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