Clutch - upcoming narrative-led open-world driving game from ex Forza Horizon devs, launching spring 2027 on consoles & PC

[FT-1]

Kind of sounds like Need for Speed Heat with the legal by day naught by night type thing. Sounds interesting for sure.

Exactly what I was thinking when they explained the premise.

I’m genuinely excited for this. Since NFS has been on a break, there’s been nothing on the market that scratches that gritty, underground street‑racing itch. And I really appreciate how the cars look properly worn and lived‑in. Like someone pointed out earlier, I can’t think of another game that’s gone this deep on time‑based wear and tear. It adds a whole extra layer of authenticity to the cars and the world.

Definitely keeping an eye on this!

 

[PJTierney]

While there are no scenes where the stickers are clearly visible, and most scenes are blurry, these are speculations, but it seems that logos from K&N, Corbeau (old logo), and Forge Motorsport can be seen.

These were all brands in Codemasters games, very easy to license from what I heard and good picks for a livery editor.

 

[Jimmy Taggart]

Why on earth would I want to "simulate" a messy dashboard? As was previously said we play these games for the driving, not the characters/story. I can't be the only one who wishes there was a skip button in Horizon to get past all the blah blah blah and just get on with the racing.

 

[MagpieRacer]

Why on earth would I want to "simulate" a messy dashboard? As was previously said we play these games for the driving, not the characters/story. I can't be the only one who wishes there was a skip button in Horizon to get past all the blah blah blah and just get on with the racing.

There's a chance that this game just won't be for you then. There's a lot of options for non narrative based racing.

I like the idea of more lived in interiors, lends a bit of weight to the world building of the game which is clearly what they're aiming for.

 

[toastet]

I saw the R4

 

[Hlavco]

Exactly what I was thinking when they explained the premise.

I’m genuinely excited for this. Since NFS has been on a break, there’s been nothing on the market that scratches that gritty, underground street‑racing itch. And I really appreciate how the cars look properly worn and lived‑in. Like someone pointed out earlier, I can’t think of another game that’s gone this deep on time‑based wear and tear. It adds a whole extra layer of authenticity to the cars and the world.

Definitely keeping an eye on this!

Maybe this game will even have a car wash that, you know, actually does something.

 

[seco46]

View attachment 1541819

Twingo!!!!!!!!!

Also Multipla

 

[Downhill Dino]

Maybe this game will even have a car wash that, you know, actually does something.

GT is the only game off the top of my head that does car washes and they do actually clean your car if that's what you mean? You have to drive a good amount for it to get dirty, at least in 5 and 6. I'd definitely like to see something like that for this too, especially in an open world game? Good immersion.

 

[MagpieRacer]

Also Multipla View attachment 1541905View attachment 1541906

Hopefully the likes of the Twingo, Multipla and R4 are more than just traffic cars.

 

[VXR]

Really hope the story allows you to drive more ordinary cars and the racing bit has you in the higher end stuff.

Happy to see the interior customisation, but I can't see this game launching with that many cars, to have this level of options.

 

[mastergracie]

A story in racing games is a red flag for me, especially if you can't even customize your avatar, which seems to be the case here. I just hope that the story doesn't get in the way of the gameplay.

Graphics seemed okay; the level of interior detail looks amazing. Car selection is pretty standard for now.
I hope they have some aces up their sleeve; if not, this is a huge issue. Lately, we've seen some games with a poor car list crash horrendously. Since the location has been done already, it doesn't look good for them. The car list and map/track list are a huge deal for a racing game. If any of these is bad, it's basically DOA.

Hoping for the best still.

 

[TeamCZRRacing]

Need for Fast and the Furious: Horizon

 

[FT-1]

Really hope the story allows you to drive more ordinary cars and the racing bit has you in the higher end stuff.

Happy to see the interior customisation, but I can't see this game launching with that many cars, to have this level of options.

Given the emphasis they've placed on having ‘lived‑in’ cars, I get the sense they want players to form attachments to their vehicles rather than constantly swapping them out. I’m expecting somewhere in the region of 50 to 90 cars at launch, though I’d be pleasantly surprised if they managed to break into triple digits with consistent customisation across the board.

A story in racing games is a red flag for me, especially if you can't even customize your avatar, which seems to be the case here. I just hope that the story doesn't get in the way of the gameplay.

The single‑player aspect seems to revolve around specific protagonists, so avatar customisation appears to be ruled out there. However, given how the multiplayer side focuses on PvPvE missions and races, I wouldn’t rule out being able to customise your avatar for online events.

 

[WanganDream]

Hopefully the likes of the Twingo, Multiplayer and R4 are more than just traffic cars.

Considering that players might get involved in crimes and be chased by the police, there might be story missions where, for some reason, the player's own car is unusable for escape, forcing them to hijack a slow car that happens to pass by and use that to get away.

Such missions would not only offer the novelty of driving a slower model that the player wouldn't normally use, but would also add depth and freshness to the game experience itself, as players would have to figure out how to survive an intense chase and escape in a situation where they can't rely on their car's performance.

And although it's not a story mission, I'm sure some of us have had a similar experience before...

 

[PorscheHD]

I can only hope..... The whole Horizon vibe is not for me anymore after 5 games.

Need something like PGR of Driveclub as arcade racer or this if its good.....

 

[whannel]

This video makes it sound pretty promising, hoping it also has a 'Simulation' setting to be more sim than simcade. I still haven't yet bothered taking a month of GamePass to try FH6...

 

[nonloso17]

I think it's pretty obvious where the game is set but I actually recognized an exact location.
It's the town hall of the village ''La Turbie'' which is located in the hills above Monaco (Monte Carlo).

Here it can be seen in the game reveal (minute 5:00) from the front:



Here's the street view of the exact spot IRL: Front

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This is the backside of the building in the game reveal (minute 3:14):



Here's the street view: Back


I only been there twice, kinda funny to me how i instantly recognized it. The french number plates and the 'Riviera' name and the overall vibe probably helped my brain connecting the dots.

Btw sorry if this was already mentioned, I haven't read the article and comments yet lol

 

[Seikenfreak]

Eh, not really feeling it. I was a bit curious about whatever this was up until they said it had a story and then most of it was kinda downhill there for me. I'm just a boring old man I guess; I don't need all the extra fluff. Once they revealed James Bond-car type shenanigans, that was a hard out for me.

I'm sure there's an audience for this though.

Many of the rims, as shown in the image above, are made by ROTA, a notorious brand known for its shoddy copies of iconic rims from other companies.

Just bought a set of ROTA Slipstreams for my Elise Gimmie $3500+ for some real Regas and I'll throw them on and they'll get beat up just the same.

 

[MagpieRacer]

I think it's pretty obvious where the game is set but I actually recognized an exact location.
It's the town hall of the village ''La Turbie'' which is located in the hills above Monaco (Monte Carlo).

Here it can be seen in the game reveal (minute 5:00) from the front:

View attachment 1541916

Here's the street view of the exact spot IRL: Front

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This is the backside of the building in the game reveal (minute 3:14):

View attachment 1541917

Here's the street view: Back


I only been there twice, kinda funny to me how i instantly recognized it. The french number plates and the 'Riviera' name and the overall vibe probably helped my brain connecting the dots.

Btw sorry if this was already mentioned, I haven't read the article and comments yet lol

The whole vibe of the locale is very familiar to me currently as I've just spent 8 days in the south of France*, in the Var just an hour from St. Tropez, the road markings and environment look very en pointe.

*Slowly ticking into the 9th as I type this whilst sitting on a plane on a Marseille runway that should have departed an hour ago and is currently slated to leave in 35 minutes 😓.

 

[kjb]

I’m genuinely excited for this. Since NFS has been on a break, there’s been nothing on the market that scratches that gritty, underground street‑racing itch.

I agree with that. When I saw the harpoon I was done. In my mind you drive the getaway car a Twingo when you first start and you move up to different cars or you mod your starter car as you are involved in higher stakes capers. With the racing during the day and street racing at night it kinda gives NFS Heat vibes with the day/night thing. Hopefully it works better than it worked in Heat. I wonder if you get caught at night how do it affect your racing career? Are you forced to miss a race or does it not have an impact. I hope it does personally

 

[Jump_Ace]

I was interested until I saw the police chase and the cable-assisted turns #hardpass


Jerome

 

[Gerarghini]

I saw the Rotas and immediately noped out

In all seriousness with the story, if it's anything like NFS Payback that is going to be the mother of all hard passes.

 

[bduddy]

Well its not true.

Titles like Need For Speed Underground 2and Most Wanted has legendary status. Even if you don’t like them they are cult classics now.

Those were both perfectly fine games, but Underground 2 is remembered primarily for the gameplay/open world and MW is remembered primarily for people posting screenshots of it while whining about modern games. I don't think anyone remembers much of either story.

 

[ScottPuss20]

Those were both perfectly fine games, but Underground 2 is remembered primarily for the gameplay/open world and MW is remembered primarily for people posting screenshots of it while whining about modern games. I don't think anyone remembers much of either story.

People do remember the stories of these games mate.

 

[RolexGTP]

After seeing the trailer this game looks like if Forza Horizon and Test Drive had a threesome with Need For Speed. It's got a little mashup of each universe with a few new ideas thrown in. Not bad, could be fun

 

[Ryan81]

Not that keen on the whole underground, illegal street racing vibe. Just reeks of all the recent NFS titles where you meet up with fellow racing "bros/bruhs", install aftermarket parts and turn every single one of your cars into some hideous Fast and Furious monstrosity blaring out rap crap music.
What happened to games like PGR and Driveclub? Why are so many arcade racers going down the same path nowadays?.

 

[Majorlazer]

Those were both perfectly fine games, but Underground 2 is remembered primarily for the gameplay/open world and MW is remembered primarily for people posting screenshots of it while whining about modern games. I don't think anyone remembers much of either story.

Most Wanted had a very memorable story, all my friends and anyone I've met still reminisce about the blacklist, Razor, Cross, the M3 GTR that felt like a character of its own.

 

[PorscheHD]

Yeah i would like something like this but without the whole open world aspect that everyone does these days..... Just like old school point to point and around a like like tracks like Hot Persuit 2 PGR etc liked those games so mutch peak arcade racing that was.

 

[MroczMR]

GT is the only game off the top of my head that does car washes and they do actually clean your car if that's what you mean? You have to drive a good amount for it to get dirty, at least in 5 and 6. I'd definitely like to see something like that for this too, especially in an open world game? Good immersion.

Ekhm. First Race Driver Grid and Grid 2019 and legends

 

[karaokequeen3]

I think it's pretty obvious where the game is set but I actually recognized an exact location.
It's the town hall of the village ''La Turbie'' which is located in the hills above Monaco (Monte Carlo).

Here it can be seen in the game reveal (minute 5:00) from the front:

View attachment 1541916

Here's the street view of the exact spot IRL: Front

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This is the backside of the building in the game reveal (minute 3:14):

View attachment 1541917

Here's the street view: Back


I only been there twice, kinda funny to me how i instantly recognized it. The french number plates and the 'Riviera' name and the overall vibe probably helped my brain connecting the dots.

Btw sorry if this was already mentioned, I haven't read the article and comments yet lol

I’ve seen La Turbie before. It was where the initial assault on the convoy took place in Ronin.