BeamNG.drive
BeamNG.drive Review
BeamNG.drive is widely praised for its incredibly realistic and detailed soft-body physics, making it a standout driving and crash simulation game. Players appreciate the fluid and next-level physics engine that accurately mimics real-world driving and crash reactions, contributing to highly immersive gameplay. The game offers endless possibilities in an open sandbox environment, enhanced by extensive mod support that allows users to create custom maps, cars, and scenarios. This fosters a strong community and continuous content growth. Graphics are described as beautiful and detailed, with impressive environmental and vehicle modeling. The game is accessible to a broad audience, including teens and adults, with an easy-to-learn but hard-to-master driving experience. However, it requires a relatively powerful PC for optimal performance.
While the game lacks a traditional storyline, its open-ended gameplay and realistic driving mechanics provide long-lasting entertainment. Some minor bugs and performance issues exist, but the developers are praised for active support and responsiveness. Overall, BeamNG.drive is a highly addictive and innovative driving simulator that appeals especially to car enthusiasts and simulation fans.
Highlights
Players consistently highlight the exceptional crash physics and driving realism as the game's core strengths. The detailed soft-body damage models and realistic vehicle behavior under various conditions are highly acclaimed.
The game's open sandbox nature and vast modding community offer limitless creative freedom, enabling players to experiment with stunts, races, and custom scenarios. Graphics are described as beautiful and detailed, contributing to immersion. The game is also praised for its compatibility with steering wheels and VR, enhancing the simulation experience.
Developers receive recognition for continuous updates, community engagement, and improving the game over time.
Criticisms
Some players report performance issues, especially on lower-end or older PCs, with the game sometimes running poorly despite decent hardware.
Minor bugs can occasionally be annoying, though not game-breaking, and some users suggest the core codebase could benefit from optimization or rewriting to handle growing content better.
The game lacks a structured storyline or campaign, which may reduce appeal for players seeking narrative-driven experiences. Multiplayer features require mods and can be less accessible.
Traffic AI and certain gameplay elements have room for improvement to enhance realism and engagement.
Pros
- • Realistic soft-body physics deliver unmatched crash and driving simulation experience.
- • Beautiful and detailed graphics enhance immersion in environments and vehicles.
- • Extensive mod support creates endless customization and gameplay possibilities.
- • Open sandbox gameplay allows creative freedom and diverse driving challenges.
- • Easy to learn controls with a hard-to-master driving system.
- • Supports steering wheels and VR for enhanced simulation realism.
- • Active developer engagement ensures continuous updates and improvements.
Cons
- • Requires a relatively powerful PC for smooth performance at higher settings.
- • Minor bugs and glitches can occasionally disrupt gameplay experience.
- • Lack of traditional storyline or campaign mode may limit appeal.
- • Multiplayer requires mods and can be difficult to access or join.
- • Traffic AI and some gameplay features could be more polished.
- • Some users report long load times or startup issues.
- • Core codebase may need optimization to handle expanding content better.
Rating Criteria
About This Game
BeamNG.drive is an incredibly realistic driving game with near-limitless possibilities. Our soft-body physics engine simulates every component of a vehicle in real time, resulting in true-to-life behavior. With years of meticulous design, intensive research and experience, the simulation authentically recreates the excitement of real world driving. 
Why is BeamNG.drive the game for you?
Soft-body physics: The BeamNG physics engine is at the core of the most detailed and authentic vehicle simulation you've ever seen in a game. Crashes feel visceral, as the game uses an incredibly accurate damage model.
Vehicles: BeamNG.drive offers dozens of refined, totally customizable vehicles for you to experiment with. Whether it's a compact car or massive truck, you can tweak away at all the moving parts to create just about any driving experience you want. Wheels, suspension, engines, and more; everything is under your control.
Environments: There's plenty to discover as you drive. Featuring 12 sprawling, beautiful open-world environments, the terrain feels as vast and diverse as the gameplay options. Test out your new setup through tropical jungle passages, barren deserts, urban boulevards, fast highways, and much more.
More features
Game Modes: This goes far deeper than your standard driving simulator. The range of gameplay options are exceptional, whether that's taking on a simple delivery mission or creating an entire map to test out new car builds.
- Free Roam: Don't want to feel limited? Take any vehicle to your destination of choice and start exploring. Experimentation is also key in this game mode, as objects and environmental conditions can be manipulated. Try revving up wind speeds for a challenge, or altering gravity!
- Scenarios: BeamNG.drive offers loads of scenarios for every type of driving enthusiast out there. You can complete a truck delivery request as fast and efficiently as possible, or outrun police cruisers in a hot pursuit. No matter the situation, the realistic physics engine will engage and immerse you in the experience.
- Time Trials: Choose a vehicle, environment, and route and put yourself to the test! Refine your skills and compete against yourself while improving your best time.
Modding and Community Content: We're proud of our vibrant community of enthusiasts that spark great conversation, while also creating interesting vehicle builds, terrains, and scenarios for others to enjoy. The modding capabilities in BeamNG.drive are vast, allowing you to customize and fine-tune just about anything. With our out-of-the-box World Editor everyone can put a twist on their in-game experience.
Automation: We've partnered with Automation - the car company tycoon game - to allow players to export their creations into BeamNG.drive. If you own Automation, it's a fairly simple process: design your custom car and engine, tailor everything to your specifications, choose the "export" option, start up BeamNG.drive, and you'll be able to find your latest creation in the vehicle list!
Freedom: What sets BeamNG.drive apart from other automotive games is player freedom. It’s about doing nearly anything you can think of with a car or truck and seeing it play out in the most realistic way possible. With our soft-body physics engine and modding capabilities, you can come up with any scenario imaginable. It's not just about the vehicles, it's about taking advantage of the expansive and customizable open world to create the driving experience you envision. Combining industry-leading physics, endless customization, and tight-knit community means that BeamNG.drive is the most comprehensive and flat-out fun vehicle simulator you will ever play.
IGN
“BeamNG's Amazingly Realistic Car Crashes”
Gameinformer
“Amazing Car Crashes + Hilarious Greenlight Trailer = Magic”
Kotaku
A dynamic soft-body physics vehicle simulator capable of doing just about anything.