It’s pretty likely that you’d forgotten that Wreckreation was in development, given that the last peep from THQ Nordic about the sandbox smash-’em-up was back in August 2023, but not only is it still on the slate it might be with us soon.
Out of pretty much nowhere, Wreckreation was one of the titles featured during the annual THQ Nordic Showcase over the weekend — having skipped 2024 — with new footage that you can see above set to the strains of the Morning Mood prelude from Edvard Grieg’s Peer Gynt.
There’s no fundamental changes to the gameplay as shown in this 41-second clip as far as we can see, with the title remaining pretty much as announced in 2022 (unless you count its earlier appearance as Dangerous Driving 2).
Created by Three Fields Entertainment, a studio set up by three key ex-Criterion staff behind Burnout Paradise and a few Need for Speed titles, Wreckreation is a no-holds barred racing game and open-world sandbox all in one.
Set in a 400 square kilometer (or 155sqmi) map called “MixWorld”, Wreckreation will allow you to build sprawling and convoluted custom race tracks in all three dimensions without being hampered by such considerations as civil engineering or gravity. Or severe injury.
Not only that, you can customize the weather, traffic, the vehicles — which look to be inspired by real-world transport but not officially licensed items — game modes, and pretty much anything you like. You can also share your creations with the community, or enjoy it all offline in solo mode; we’ve not seen any mention of local multiplayer just yet.
The title was originally penciled in for a 2023 launch date, but that one’s clearly in the rear-view mirror now. We don’t yet have an updated launch window, but the official social media accounts for the game suggest that it’s just a case of “adding some extra polish” for the ten-person team, and that players “won’t be waiting long”.
That’s backed up by the fact that you can now wishlist the title on the PlayStation Store, Steam, and the Xbox Store — and although the game trailer only refers to the ninth-gen consoles, the relevant pages suggest that PlayStation 4 and Xbox One are also supported. Given the size of the map and the mayhem within it, that looks like a big ask.
Either way, it looks like there’s some light at the end of the tunnel for Wreckreation, and we look forward to hearing more soon.
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