Short answer: Early game (Tutorial-Hoodlum): OG Kush 4-mix with cheap additives ($120-150/unit). Mid game (Hustler-Dealer): Premium OG Kush 4-mix with Horse Semen + Mega Bean ($150-170/unit). Late game (Hoodlum V-Kingpin): Cocaine 8-9 mix ($450-717/unit). The decision depends on your available equipment, not just your rank.

This is a decision table -- not a calculator. It tells you what strain to make at each game stage based on available ingredients, equipment, and automation level.

Decision Table: What To Make At Each Stage

Game StageRankBest StrainIngredientsEquipment NeededSell PriceProfit Per UnitProfit Per Harvest
TutorialFresh StartOG Kush (raw)None (grow from seed)1 pot, soil$28-32~$18-22~$36-44
Early IHoodlum ISweet Fruit (3-mix)OG Kush + Banana + Cuke2 pots, 1 Mixing Station$68-75~$60-69~$120-138
Early IIHoodlum III-VOcean OG (4-mix)OG Kush + Cuke + Motor Oil + Battery2 pots, 2 Mixing Stations$145-155~$130-143~$260-286
Mid IHustler I-IIGrandmaster Kush (4-mix)OG Kush + Horse Semen + Mega Bean + Gasoline4 pots, 2 Mixing Stations$165-175~$145-160~$580-640
Mid IIHustler III-PeddlerGorilla Mix (4-mix)OG Kush + Horse Semen + Mega Bean + Donut4 pots, 2 Mixing Stations, Bungalow$150-160~$132-145~$528-580
Late MidDealer-Hoodlum VPremium Cocaine 4-mixCoca seeds + 3 premium additives4 pots (coca), 2 Mixing Stations$200-250~$130-180~$520-720
Late IHoodlum VCrystal 6-mixPseudo + Iodine + 4 additivesLab oven, 4 Mixing Stations$350-400~$200-280~$800-1,120
Late IIKingpin ICocaine 8-mixCoca + 7 premium ingredients5 Mixing Stations, Barn$600-650~$380-470~$2,280-2,820
EndgameKingpin III-VGod Mix (Cocaine 9-mix)Coca + 8 premium ingredients5 Mixing Stations, Warehouse$717~$467-517~$2,802-3,102

Source: Data cross-referenced from PC Gamer best mixing recipes (April 2026), Reddit highest profit strains thread (May 2025), Steam Community mixing database, and Fandom Wiki.

Where To Get Ingredients By Stage

IngredientEarly GameMid GameLate GameSource
OG Kush seedAlbert Hoover ($10)Albert HooverAlbert Hoover (Delivery)Available from start
Green Crack seedN/A (too expensive)Albert Hoover ($20)Albert HooverHustler rank
Sour Diesel seedN/AAlbert Hoover ($35)Albert HooverPeddler rank
BananaGas station ($2)Gas stationGas stationAlways available
CukeGas station ($3)Gas stationGas stationAlways available
BatteryN/A (save money)Dan's Hardware ($10)Dan's HardwareMid-game purchase
Motor OilN/AGas station ($8)Gas stationMid-game
GasolineN/AGas station ($12)Gas stationMid-game
Horse SemenN/AMotel NPC ($20)Motel NPCUnlock at Hoodlum
Mega BeanN/AMotel NPC ($25)Motel NPCUnlock at Hoodlum
DonutN/AConvenience store ($5)Convenience storeMid-game
ParacetamolN/APharmacy/Supplier ($15)SupplierMid-game
PseudoN/AShirley Watts ($70)Shirley Watts (Delivery)Unlock Shirley Watts
Coca seedN/AN/ASalvador Moreno ($50-80)Enforcer+ rank
IodineN/AN/APharmacy ($15)Late game

Expected Profit Per Harvest

This table assumes 4 pots (mid-game) or 8 pots (late-game) and accounts for growth time.

StrainGrowth TimeYield Per HarvestSell PriceGross ProfitNet Profit (After Costs)Profit Per In-Game Hour
OG Kush (raw)~6 hrs2 units$30$60~$40 (seed+soil)~$6.7/hr
Sweet Fruit~6 hrs2 units$71$142~$128~$21.3/hr
Ocean OG~6 hrs2 units$150$300~$274~$45.7/hr
Grandmaster Kush~6 hrs4 units$170$680~$612~$102/hr
Cocaine 4-mix~8 hrs4 units$225$900~$580~$72.5/hr
Crystal 6-mix~4 hrs (lab)6 units$375$2,250~$1,440~$360/hr
Cocaine 8-mix~8 hrs6 units$625$3,750~$2,550~$318.8/hr
God Mix~8 hrs6 units$717$4,302~$2,952~$369/hr

Crystal 6-mix has the best profit per in-game hour ($360/hr) of any non-endgame product because meth production in the lab oven is much faster than plant growth. If you've unlocked Shirley Watts and have a lab setup, Crystal 6-mix out-earns even Cocaine 8-mix on a per-hour basis. The trade-off: meth requires constant Pseudo supply, which means more Dead Drop management.

Decision Matrix: What To Automate

Automation LevelPropertyBest Product To AutomateWhy
None (manual)RVSweet Fruit 3-mixLow ingredient count, cheap setup
Partial (3 employees)BungalowGrandmaster Kush 4-mix2 stations, low cost ingredients, high margin
Full (8-10 employees)BarnCocaine 4-mix + Grandmaster KushDual production line; one per floor
Mega (12-16 employees)WarehouseCocaine 8-mixMax production capacity
Max (16+ employees)ManorGod Mix 9-mixAbsolute maximum profit

Practical Example

You're at Hustler II with $20,000 saved. You have the Bungalow, 2 Mixing Stations, and access to Albert Hoover (Delivery unlocked) and the Motel NPC for Horse Semen and Mega Bean.

Current situation: You're making Ocean OG ($150/unit) with Cuke, Motor Oil, and Battery.

Optimization: Switch to Grandmaster Kush (OG Kush + Horse Semen + Mega Bean + Gasoline).

Why:

  • Same 2 stations, same 4 ingredients
  • Sell price jumps from $150 to $170 (13% increase)
  • Horse Semen ($20) + Mega Bean ($25) + Gasoline ($12) = $57 ingredient cost per batch
  • But you need only 1 of each per mix, and each batch creates multiple units
  • Net profit per unit increases from $137 to ~$153

Result: ~$90 extra per harvest cycle with zero additional equipment cost. Over 10 harvest cycles: ~$900 extra profit.

For the full ranked list of community-discovered strains, see Top 10 Community Custom Strains By Profit.

Community Verification & Resources

Data values may shift with patches. Cross-check against community resources before building your strategy.