How to Play Kingpin

A complete guide to surviving the drug trade, climbing the ranks, and building an empire that lasts.

The Basics

You start as a Nobody at age 18 with a backpack, 10 units of cocaine, and nothing else. Your goal is to trade drugs across 25+ cities around the world, accumulate wealth, and climb through 11 ranks — from Nobody to Kingpin.

The game runs on a day-by-day cycle. Each day you can buy or sell drugs in your current city, fly to another city, ship drugs to a destination, stay put to wait for better prices, or manage your properties and finances.

Trading

The core of the game is buying drugs cheap and selling them at a profit. Every city has different prices for 9 different drugs, and prices change every day. Some cities are source regions for certain drugs — cocaine is cheaper in South American cities, for example.

Wholesale Markup

Small purchases (1-100 units) are at the listed price. Buying 101-1,000 units incurs a 10% bulk premium. Over 1,000 units costs 20% more. This means large-scale trading requires careful margin calculation.

Selling Strategy

Selling your entire stock of a drug gets you the full market price. However, selling only part of your stock while still holding some will crash the local price — the market sees you flooding it. Sell all or be prepared for the price impact.

Tip: Watch for street rumours and tip-offs. When you hear about an event in another city, you have one day to prepare — buy stock or fly to the city to take advantage of the price change.

Events and Tip-Offs

The market isn't static. Major events happen regularly and dramatically affect prices and stock levels.

Warehouse fires and police busts destroy supply, causing massive price spikes — great if you're already holding that drug. Fresh deliveries flood a city with cheap stock — perfect for buying low. Droughts cut supply lines and drive prices up over several days.

You'll receive tip-offs about events before they happen, giving you a one-day window to position yourself. Not all tips are reliable — some are noise. Learn to read the market and act on instinct.

Travel and Risk

Flying between cities costs one day and carries risk. If you're carrying drugs, airport security might detect them. The more units you're carrying, the higher the detection chance — up to 15% for large loads. Getting caught means arrest, potential prison time, and losing your entire stash.

Stash boxes can hide some of your inventory from searches, reducing risk. Alternatively, use the shipping system to send drugs between cities without travelling with them yourself.

Shipping

Instead of carrying drugs through security, you can ship them. Multiple courier options are available — from guaranteed express services to cheap but risky standard shipping with a 50/50 chance of your package arriving.

You can send one shipment per destination city per day. Drugs arrive at your destination and are added to your inventory when you visit that city.

The Ranks

Your rank is determined by your net worth. As you accumulate wealth, you'll rise through the ranks — and each rank unlocks more carry capacity, new properties, and better weapons.

RankStorageNet Worth Required
NobodyBackpack (10)$0
RunnerSuitcase (100)$250K
Corner BoyCar Boot (500)$500K
HustlerVan (2,000)$750K
DealerLock Up (10,000)$1M
SupplierApartment (50,000)$10M
BossSafe House (100,000)$50M
CartelWarehouse (250,000)$100M
SyndicateCompound (500,000)$1B
OverlordFleet of Trucks (1,000,000)$500B
KingpinPrivate Island (Unlimited)$1T
Warning: If your net worth drops below your current rank's threshold, you have a 3-day buffer before demotion. Demotion force-sells at-risk properties at 50% value.

Loan Sharks

Need cash fast? Loan sharks will lend you money — but at brutal interest rates that compound daily. Fall behind on payments and the consequences escalate quickly.

Day 20: a warning phone call. Day 30: a final warning. Day 35: an enforcer visits and takes 10% of your debt or beats you. Day 45: you're kidnapped with 5 days to pay. Day 60: guaranteed death. There are no exceptions.

Never borrow more than you can repay within a few days. Compound interest at 8-12% per day turns a small loan into a death sentence fast.

Police, Gangs, and Crackheads

The streets aren't safe. Police encounters happen when carrying large quantities — you can surrender, bribe, or fight. Gang attacks are more violent, causing HP damage and stealing cash and drugs. Crackheads are minor nuisances that nick small amounts of drugs and pocket change.

Invest in weapons to improve your odds in fights. Higher-tier weapons like the Killer Drone and Call Backup give near-guaranteed escapes but cost serious money.

Properties

Properties serve two purposes: laundering dirty cash and generating passive income. Fast Food Stalls and Laundrettes clean your money (at a fee). Nightclubs generate weekly income deposited into your bank account. Stash Spots give you additional drug storage in specific cities.

Winning the Game

The game ends when you reach age 80 (Day 22,630), get killed, or choose to retire (available from age 60). Your final legacy card shows your complete stats — rank, net worth, units sold, cash earned, near-death experiences, and more.

The ultimate goal is to reach Kingpin rank ($1 trillion net worth) and survive to the end. Very few players achieve this. It requires genuine strategic mastery over thousands of in-game days.

Tips for Beginners

Start by trading in your local city to build up some cash. Don't take loans unless you have a clear plan to repay within days. Pay attention to tip-offs — they're your biggest money-making opportunities. Don't carry large quantities through airports until you can afford stash boxes. Save regularly. And most importantly: don't get greedy. The game punishes overconfidence.

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