Wreckfest is an arcade racing game developed by Bugbear Entertainment and published by THQ Nordic on Steam, Origin, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox Game Pass, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X, Google Stadia, Nintendo Switch, Apple Store, Google Play & Galaxy Store.
A sequel was announced on the 2nd of August 2024. Main article: Wreckfest 2
Break the rules and take full-contact racing to the limit with Wreckfest! Expect epic crashes, neck-to-neck fights over the finish line and brand-new ways for metal to bend – These are the once-in-a-lifetime moments that can only be achieved in Wreckfest, with its true-to-life physics simulation crafted by legendary developer Bugbear, who also brought you FlatOut 1 & 2! Burn rubber and shred metal in the ultimate driving playground! Wreckfest is jam-packed with upgrade and customization options. Whether you are preparing for your next demolition derby with reinforced bumpers, roll cages, side protectors and much more, or setting your car up for a banger race with engine performance parts like air filters, camshafts, fuel systems, etc., Wreckfest is shaping up to be the best combative motorsport game out there. Drive hard. Die last. |
store description[1] |
Development[]
Development of the game began in 2012 as Next Car Game. The game was first announced on the 30th of August 2013[2] and launched a Kickstarter campaign on the 1st of November 2013. The Kickstarter goal was raising $350,000 to complete the game and $1,500,000 to create console versions.[3]
Having only raised $81,772, the campaign was in the same year cancelled on the 22th of November, after it was clear that the game wouldn't reach it's funding goal.
Afterwards, efforts were concentrated on a pre-order campaign via the Next Car Game website. Those who pre-ordered received access to Technology Sneak Peek, a playground used by developers to test their ROMU engine, which the game is using.
Receiving a positive response from players, Bugbear released Technology Sneak Peek 2.0 (a version of the original sneak peek with extra features) on the 5th of December 2013. This release was very successful and helped the game raise over $350,000, with the Technology Sneak Peek being released for free shortly after.
To be honest, the success of the Early Access release caught us by a surprise. Just before the holidays, we released the first playable build to our pre-order customers, and by the end of the Christmas week the title had already sold for more than our initial funding goal on Kickstarter. |
Janne Suur-Näkki, Wreckfest game designer[4] |
Early access[]
Following the success of the sneak peeks, the game launched on Steam Early Access on the 15th of January 2014, earning over $1,000,000 in sales in a single week.[5] The game in its earliest stage included three maps (Stadium, Tarmac & Gravel) and two vehicles (American & European).
Later that year, on the 3rd of October, the game was renamed from Next Car Game to Wreckfest, originating from the phrase "wreck fest".[6]
As Wreckfest is all about the madness of colliding cars at breakneck speeds, a term describing the glory of tearing metal is nothing if not apt. |
Jori Virtanen, Wreckfest game designer |
Game release[]
After over four years the game finally left early access on the 14th of June 2018, releasing on Steam and Origin. Around a year later it saw a release on the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 consoles on the 27th of August 2019.
The game was also subsequently released on multiple other platforms listed below, including a mobile version developed by HandyGames.
Platform | Release date |
---|---|
Steam Greenlight | 6th of September 2013 |
Steam (Early Access) | 4th of January 2014 |
Steam, Origin & GOG | 14th of June 2018 |
PlayStation 4 & Xbox One | 27th of August 2019 |
PlayStation 5 | 4th of May 2021 |
Xbox Series S & Xbox Series X | 1st of June 2021 |
Google Stadia | 1st of December 2021 |
Nintendo Switch | 21st of June 2022 |
Apple Store, Galaxy Store & Google Play | 15th of November 2022 |
Game editions[]
There have been multiple bundles containing different content over the game's lifespan. List of them is in the table below.
Name | Content | Availability for purchase |
---|---|---|
Digital deluxe edition | - base game - the Bandit vehicle - exclusive wallpapers digital soundtrack |
unavailable (pre-order only) |
Deluxe edition | - base game - Season Pass |
unavailable |
Complete edition | - base game - Season Pass - Season Pass 2 |
available |
Early access bundles | ||
Weekend smasher | - base game with early access - Technology Sneak Peek 2.0 - exclusive pre-order wallpapers |
unavailable (pre-order only) |
Full-time wrecker | - base game with early access - Technology Sneak Peek 2.0 - exclusive pre-order wallpapers - the Bandit vehicle - digital soundtrack - "Full-Time Wrecker" badge for the Bugbear forums |
unavailable (pre-order only) |
Wacky fest bundle | - base game with early access - Technology Sneak Peek 2.0 - exclusive pre-order wallpapers - Stuntfest "Stunt Trainee" video game |
unavailable (pre-order only) |
Team Bugbear member | - base game with early access - Technology Sneak Peek 2.0 - exclusive pre-order wallpapers - the Bandit vehicle - the Team Bugbear paint - digital soundtrack - "Team Bugbear" badge for the Bugbear forums - an AI player with the buyer's name - buyer's name listed in game credits - Stuntfest digital deluxe edition - console copy of the base game |
unavailable (pre-order only) |
Gameplay[]
Damage[]
Wreckfest features 4 damage settings:
- normal
- realistic
- intense
- extreme
Normal damage is the most forgiving damage setting in the game. The vehicles can survive more crashes and don't get damaged from smaller nudges.
Realistic damage is the closest to real life. The vehicles can get damaged even from smallest impacts and lose health easily.
Intense damage is the same as realistic damage with "attacker's advantage", meaning that the attacking car takes less damage than the victim.
Extreme damage allows for easier vehicle deformation than in other damage modes and has the health bar removed. There are no limits on how deformed vehicles can get, so even parts that normally can't be deformed with other damage settings (e.g. the engine block) can get deformed, thus allowing vehicles to get completely flattened while it still remains drivable.
Losing two wheels on the same axle results in an instant wreck with any setting.
Game modes[]
There are two main game modes - racing and demolition derby, each of which has multiple different variants.
The tournament features multiple unique variants of the events. For more details see the following page: Tournament events
Demolition derby[]
Demolition derby is a game mode playable in arenas. It is about damaging other players' vehicles, while avoiding losing health yourself. There are 3 variants:
- last man standing
- deathmatch
- team deathmatch
Last man standing is a game mode where the last player who is not wrecked wins.
Deathmatch is a game mode where the player with the most wrecks wins. Once wrecked, the player respawns with a full healthbar again. In case of a tie, the total damage dealt decides.
Team deathmatch is a variant of the deathmatch game mode, where players are divided into 2-4 teams. Teams score points for wrecking and dealing damage on the opponent teams' vehicles. The team with the most poins wins.
Racing[]
Racing is a game mode playable on closed circuits. It is about finishing all laps first. There are 4 variants:
- banger race
- elimination race
- team race
- multi-heat
Banger race is a game mode where the player that crosses the finish line first wins.
Elimination race is a game mode where the last player still driving wins. There is a countdown, at the end of which the last vehicle gets eliminated from the race. The timer resets after a player is eliminated. This repeats until there is only one player left still driving.
Team race is a variant of the banger race game mode, where players are divided into 2-4 teams. Teams score points for lap times and positions at the end of each lap. The team with the most poins wins.
Multi-heat (previously known as Sprint cup) is a variant of the banger race game mode featured in career, where there are 3 consecutive races. Players score points based on their finish position and the player with the most total points at the end wins.
In all racing game modes health is present, losing all health points results in an instant wreck and a DNF. If all players are wrecked, the person who got the farthest in the race wins.
Soundtrack[]
The soundtrack features mainly metal music selected largely based on public voting.
Artists could submit their songs through the Audiodraft website and the community could vote for their favorite songs to be featured in the game. Alongside a feature in the game, the winner received $3,500 and the nine runner-ups $1,000 each. The winner was "Doors Will Open" by Hail Sagan.[7]
Digital copies of the featured songs have been included in some game bundles in MP3 format.
Songs by One Desire were added in an update.
Artist | Song |
---|---|
Jay Ray | The Great Art Of Living |
Jay Ray | 137 |
Jay Ray | King Vultures |
Jay Ray | Crucial Fracture |
Blind Channel | Wolfpack |
Blind Channel | Alone Against All |
Cyan Kicks | Gasoline |
Oceanhoarse | The Oceanhoarse |
Oceanhoarse | Fading Neons |
Shiraz Lane | Tidal Wave |
Shiraz Lane | Harder to Breathe |
One Desire | Hurt |
One Desire | Buried Alive |
Hail Sagan | Doors Will Open |
No Man's Valley | The Wolves Are Coming |
A Silent Truth | Chariot |
The Mowex with Matt Litwin | War (feat. Marcus Klavan) |
Black Dali | Judas |
Gorilla Pulp | In Your Waters |
State Of Ember | Denial |
Globalix | Electromechanics |
xceed | Check Point |
studiodamas | Messier77 |
Achievements[]
Main article: Achievements
Promotional media[]
[]
References[]
- ↑ https://store.steampowered.com/app/228380/Wreckfest/
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20141010235222/http://nextcargame.com/welcome-to-next-car-game/
- ↑ https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1470493497/next-car-game-a-motorsport-with-attitude
- ↑ https://www.polygon.com/2014/2/8/5383334/next-car-game-pulled-in-1m-on-early-access-in-just-a-week-devs-say
- ↑ https://www.engadget.com/2014-01-30-next-car-game-earns-1-million-from-steam-early-access.html
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20141020194445/http://nextcargame.com/build-6-live-official-name-revealed-multiplayer-introduced/
- ↑ https://www.thqnordic.com/article/wreckfest-developers-announce-winners-your-music-game-contest