At the very beginning of 2014, a game that many fans of crazy car racing were waiting for was released — the spiritual successor to the legendary FlatOut series, this time with a rather modest name Next Car Game. The developers from Bugbear, well known to fans of the genre, not only loudly announced the project, but also hit the jackpot — in the first week of sales, they managed to earn more than a million dollars. There was a lot of noise around the new product, and it seemed that the game was doomed to success.

But, as often happens, there was one serious snag — the game was released in early access. And at that time, there was so much content in it that it would have been enough for a demo version. The enthusiasm of the players quickly faded, and Next Car Game was sent to gather dust on the distant shelves of digital libraries.

Years passed. So many that by 2016 even the most patient began to lose hope. The project began to be written off and put on a par with such “eternal waiters” as DayZ and Survarium. It seemed that the game would forever remain in the “almost ready” stage. But unexpectedly, after four years of throwing, doubts and slow, as if in viscous mud, work, Bugbear finally brought the matter to completion.

Next Car Game was replaced by a full-fledged release – Wreckfest. And you only have to launch it to understand: the wait was worth it. This is not just a game assembled in parts – this is a truly cool racing action movie with a soul. Bugbear managed to rehabilitate themselves, and this time – without reservations.

Wreckfest Free Steam Account

Before I tell you what exactly hooked me on Wreckfest, I’d like to first go over the big picture of what’s been happening with arcade racing in recent years – or rather, since the genre started to roll not along the track, but into the ditch. Since about 2013, almost all major projects seem to be competing not in being interesting, but in who will show more horses under the hood on the cover and who will paint the shiniest paint. We are inundated with open worlds the size of entire countries, huge lists of cars and tracks, and, of course, incredibly detailed graphics. But here’s the most important thing – physics – many developers seem to forget somewhere along the way. The result? The cars behave as if you are driving a mine cart with frozen wheels on an oily track. Whatever you do – brake, turn, accelerate – it all looks and feels the same. It’s as if there’s a dummy at the wheel, not a player.

Against this dull background, Wreckfest appears like a breath of fresh air. This is especially noticeable after playing the first The Crew or the later Need for Speed, where the controls often left much to be desired. And after the beta version of The Crew 2, where driving was more annoying than enjoyable, the contrast is especially sharp. In Wreckfest, you again feel like you’re driving not a plastic dummy car, but a real heavy and massive piece of metal. The car “feels” – it takes turns with difficulty, skids, feels every hit and every bump.

The damage system is a whole separate topic. Here you don’t just get a couple of dents for show, like in other races. No, here your car suffers for real. After a serious collision, the front of the car looks like a broken toaster, the wheels turn inappropriately, and the hood is just a memory. A whole garland of indicators pops up on the screen – the engine is damaged, the transmission is failing, the suspension is cracking at the seams. But you still keep driving. And not just because you have to get there – because you want to. Because it’s fun. And at that moment, when your car looks like it’s been through two hurricanes and a wedding procession with no brakes, you suddenly understand: it’s not broken. It’s just camera shy. And maybe it likes it too.

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Physics Wreckfest

Good physics are just the foundation. They set the tone, make the controls lively and exciting, but without a decent wrapper, this is not enough. And here comes the career mode, which turns “just racing” into a full-fledged adventure. The developers did their best: a variety of tracks, simple but exciting, a cheerful and appropriately selected soundtrack, and also a pretty smart AI that does not let you yawn. But the main thing is the unusual and crazy races that are remembered for a long time.

One of these races is a real trash attraction: you are given control of a three-wheeled van that behaves like a wild boar on ice, and released onto the track, where your rivals are 23 massive school buses. Sounds like suicide? That’s about it. You do not so much participate in the race as survive. Later, the roles change – now you are pressing the gas in that very bus, and the vans are spinning around, trying not to get under your wheels. It’s crazy, but in a good way. Fun, bright and unconventional – exactly what you expect from an arcade racer.

However, despite all the advantages, the career has obvious weak points. Progression is built on a system of stages – there are five of them. To move on to the next one, you need to collect a certain number of points, which are given for participating in championships. The higher the place – the more points. It seems logical. But in practice, it turns into an endurance race.

Firstly, the requirements for completing are too high. If you do not win almost every race, sooner or later you will hit a wall. And then you have three options: either re-run the races and try to squeeze out the maximum points, or spend time grinding money to buy a more powerful car, or completely refuse to upgrade the current car in order to save up for a new one. All three options are not about fun, but about routine.

Secondly, closer to the end, the game literally starts to mock the player. Some championships require you to drive 6 laps on each of the 8 tracks – and this is within the framework of one tournament. At first, you can still survive this, but when you ride a yellow three-wheeled monster for the third time, which behaves like a shopping cart from a supermarket, and with a flat tire, all the fun evaporates. Instead of drive – boredom. Instead of pleasure – fatigue. Instead of “one more run” – “when will this end?”.

So Wreckfest knows how to give joy and fun, especially in moments of chaos and madness, but, alas, too often it drowns itself with inconvenient progress. Career could be ideal if not for the constant excesses, from which even the most passionate players begin to lose interest.

Wreckfest Gameplay

If you suddenly feel that the career in Wreckfest is not captivating you, don’t worry, the game does not end there. The custom mode is no worse here, and in some places even more interesting. Want to race on your favorite track? Please. Want to arrange an epic massacre on wrecks with maximum weather brutality? No problem. In this mode, you can choose the track yourself, customize the rules of the race for yourself and arrange the show exactly the way you want to see it. The only limitation is that you cannot get behind the wheel of cars that you have not yet purchased. But for each race you still get a decent cash reward, so progress is going on even if you ignore the career.

And now for the real madness. Steam Workshop. This is a whole world of content created by players. Want to race on real tracks like the Nürburgring? Please. Do you prefer flying islands, tracks with rings in the style of “Hot Wheels” or a level in the form of a blender? We have that too. Here you will find everything from redesigned car models and alternative physics to the ability to change the names of bots. Who hasn’t dreamed of crashing into a car with “Takumi Fujiwara” written on it and sending it into a ditch? And yes, sometimes the mods are so wild and absurd that you can’t help but smile: “Well, this is already brilliant madness.”

Now a little about the hardware on which everything is based – about the cars themselves. Here, everything is not so clear. For example, there is no way to arrange a test drive before buying, and, what’s more offensive, you can’t sell an already purchased car either. This, of course, limits freedom a little. In addition, the basic fleet of cars is only about 25 models. If you do not take into account modifications, special versions and all sorts of bizarre units like a combine or lawn mower, the choice seems modest. But do not judge by quantity. Each car here is truly alive. Thanks to the fine-tuning of physics, they behave differently: one holds the track perfectly, while the other skids from the slightest turn of the steering wheel. There are cars that are better suited for derby, and there are those that are made for speed. And even despite the not very extensive list, you won’t get bored.

The customization system is also pleasing. Although it does not shine with crazy variability in terms of external tuning, it allows you to deeply customize the car’s behavior to your playing style. The emphasis is not on external glamour, but on practicality. Modifications are divided into three types: performance, visual improvements, and armor. And if the first two are clear without explanation, then armor is an interesting feature. In the old Flatout, the protection was, to put it mildly, decorative. Yes, you supposedly installed armored parts, but in fact the car drove the same way, and visually nothing changed. In Wreckfest, everything is different. The reinforced armor here really affects the gameplay: the car becomes more durable, but loses speed and control. As a result, before each race you have to make a choice – fly at full speed to the finish line, risking falling apart after a couple of collisions, or assemble into an “armored car” and simply crush opponents on the way to victory.

It is details like these that make Wreckfest special. This is not just an arcade about crashing. This is a race with character. And depending on how you go through it, it reveals itself in a new way every time.

Pros and Cons of Wreckfest

If we talk about serious shortcomings of Wreckfest, the first thing that comes to mind is multiplayer. Surprisingly, the game released in 2018 still does not have the usual matchmaking and normal dedicated servers. Instead, you are offered an old-fashioned server browser. Want to play with others? Welcome to the list of rooms: scroll, choose something to your liking and hope that the connection is stable. Of course, there is ping filtering, but it does not save you from lags and unstable play. And if you suddenly decide to create a closed lobby and invite friends – get ready for disappointment. It often happens that the room simply does not appear in the list for others. Apparently, this is some kind of relic of the past: only the one who created the room has the right to see it. Seriously?

But it is worth distracting yourself a little from the technical hassles, as you begin to notice why Wreckfest really catches your attention. This is not just an arcade racer — it is a kind of Flatout successor, and closer to the first part. Yes, there is no nitro, no driver figures that could be launched at targets. But the game has not lost its essence — it remains exciting, action-packed and in places truly hardcore. The main difference is the balance between fun and challenge. Wreckfest is both about fun madness and about careful cornering, where the slightest mistake can cost you victory.

This is especially felt in the custom mode. If the main career seems too straightforward or simply does not arouse interest, you can always go on a free voyage. There you will find dozens (and with mods — hundreds) of tracks created by both the developers themselves and the crazy, but damn talented community. There are levels that you will not see even in the most daring games — from real copies of real racetracks to wild winding hells of debris, pits and jumps. Personally, I spent hours there — much more than in the career. And it’s nice that you still get money for participating in races, even if you haven’t bought a car. So you can upgrade your garage without any connection to the main storyline.

Wreckfest is a racing action game in which almost every aspect commands respect, albeit with reservations. To make it clearer, here’s a brief overview of the pros and cons:

Pros:

• Excellent damage model – destruction looks spectacular and feels realistic
• Addictive physics – every accident is felt by the body
• Exciting custom tracks from the community
• Balance between arcade and complexity
• Pleasant music, albeit in small quantities

Cons:

• Muddy multiplayer without matchmaking
• Small car fleet
• Limited customization
• Problems with private lobbies

But despite these cons, the physics in the game are a real treat. Crashing, flipping, squeezing through piles of debris – in Wreckfest it’s not just fun, it’s awesome. There is no fakery, no scripts: if you crashed into someone, then you really crashed into them, and there will be consequences.

So yes, Wreckfest is not a huge blockbuster or a project with loud trailers. But this is a genuinely made game, where the developers put gameplay above everything else. They gave us honest physics, scope for madness and freedom of choice. And in this, in my opinion, there is much more value than in a hundred licensed supercars.

My final rating is a solid 7 out of 10. Not ideal, but a very worthy project that you want to return to.

Wreckfest System Requirements

How to play Wreckfest for free on Steam via VpeSports

Are you drawn not to perfect turns, but to the screeching of metal and the sound of hoods flying into splinters? Welcome to Wreckfest – here the races are more reminiscent of a street fight on cars than a time trial. Forget about accuracy: throw the car into a turn, break through rivals at full speed and enjoy how everything that gets under the wheels really breaks and bends. This is not just a race – this is a show of destruction, where each run can become legendary. And most importantly: you can dive into this adrenaline chaos absolutely free.

We made everything as simple as possible: go to the site, register, log in to your profile – and Wreckfest is ready, waiting for you with short and clear instructions. Yes, even if you use a free Steam account, everything starts without unnecessary fuss. No dancing with tambourines – just you, the steering wheel and the endless rumble of metal.

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