Off-road racing games make a muddy splash at Gamescom

Need for Speed Heat may have received most of the attention at this year’s Gamescom convention in Germany, but it certainly wasn’t the only driving game on display. Two others were revealed, both of which focus on off-roading: SnowRunner and Overpass. Both are simulations, too, and should satisfy the most hardcore off-road fans.

 

We’ll start with looking at SnowRunner, which will be the latest installment in the SpinTires: MudRunner series, a series we’ve featured on our video game streams. It’s an extremely technical and realistic simulation series, tasking players with managing which wheels are engaged, locking and unlocking differentials, shifting gears and often using heavy-duty equipment such as cranes. All of that carries over to the new game, but with additional challenges brought on by snow and ice. Driving in this is all about slow, methodical movements and making sure your cargo gets to the right place.

The game is bigger than previous installments, with the developer noting that it has 15 maps with some 4 times larger than those in the original game. A wide array of vehicles will be on offer from small trucks and SUVs to semis and military vehicles. The vehicles are licensed, too, with an International Scout making an appearance in the trailer. A recent MudRunner game also featured the Chevy K5 Blazer, Ford F-150 and Hummer H1. There’s also a Freightliner visible, and the developer mentions Navistar in its press release. There are single-player modes as well as the ability to play with three other friends in online co-op multiplayer. The game is set to launch next year on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC.

 

If SnowRunner looks a little too slow-paced for you, you may be interested in Overpass. It’s an all-new game without any predecessors, and it focuses on side-by-side-style off-road buggies. The main goal here is to hustle them up various off-road courses in the fastest time possible, dodging rocks, powering through sand and crawling up hills. The developer notes that the game is still a technical simulation and you’ll have to manage tasks such as whether two-wheel drive or four-wheel drive is the best choice. There are 25 vehicles to choose from that are licensed from Suzuki, Yamaha, Polaris and Arctic Cat, as well as 40 different courses to race on.

Overpass will be available this October. Impressively, besides single-player modes and online multiplayer, the game will feature local multiplayer modes so you can play on the couch with friends. There will both be split-screen modes and modes where you pass around the controller. Overpass will be available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC.