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[KyoZz]

Platforms: PS4, XB1, PC (Steam)
Release date: August 27, 2019
Developer: Bugbear
Metacritic​

PS4 Reviews:

GamingAge (9/10):
"As far as console racing games go, Wreckfest certainly feels like one of the best this gen. The various modes, the unique demolition derby events, and awesome destruction modeling on display really make for an entertaining, no-nonsense type of racing game. I’d highly suggest checking it out, you won’t be disappointed. "

IGN (9/10):
"Wreckfest is the long-overdue return of serious, high-quality destruction racing and, in that admittedly slim niche, it’s the king of the crop. It lacks a little spark off the track but out in the thick of it it’s some of the most frantic fun you can have on four wheels. I play plenty of serious racers, but sometimes it’s nice to toss the rule-book into the back seat and get out in the mud and trade some paint."

PlaystationCountry (8/10):
"Wreckfest does a good job of mixing racing and damage dealing but doesn't quite live up to the FlatOut heritage and that's mainly because of it favouring realism over fun at times. However, the racing action is very good and the demolition derby events are as good as any of the Demolition Derby games of the past."

PushSquare (7/10):
"If you’re looking to bring destruction and pandemonium to motorsports, Wreckfest will suit your needs to a tee. The experience is let down by technical grievances far too often, but what’s left after the fact is more than worth your time."

VGChartz (7/10):
"This is the most fun I’ve had with a racing game in years, nonetheless there are just too many weaknesses outside of the game’s USP that frustrate or detract from the fun to give Wreckfest anything like top marks. But anyone who can relate to the thrill of witnessing and narrowly avoiding catastrophically beautiful pile ups between opponents (be they AI or human) in games like GRID, MotorStorm, Burnout, or even Destruction Derby back in the day is guaranteed to have a blast."

PlaystationLifestyle (6,5/10):
"But, for now, Wreckfest just doesn’t live up to the promise of its name. The destruction is technically impressive, but oddly distancing. It awes with flying debris, but rarely exhilarates."



Xbox One Reviews:

MetroGameCentral (9/10):
"Not only one of the best racing games of the generation but for once one that feels genuinely different to any of its major rivals – unless you count spiritual predecessor FlatOut."

Gamespew (9/10):
"It’s fun playing games like Forza Motorsport and Horizon, but Wreckfest offers something that they just can’t: carnage. And that’s enough to make it a must-have."

XboxHub (9/10):
"If you enjoyed the old school Destruction Derby games, want more of the original FlatOut style racing, or simply want to scrap all that clean track racing for something a little more exciting, then Wreckfest is a game you need to be playing. It’s hectic, it’s engaging and it’s complete carnage. In fact, it’s the Wreckfest that we’ve all been waiting for!"

CulturedVulture (8/10):
"There’s a lot to love about Wreckfest, glitches notwithstanding. Bugbear have once again proven they’re the rulers of destructive driving games with arguably their best effort yet, stripping away the unnecessary parts of their previous series and focusing on what works. With a season pass and plenty of free content updates planned, along with some much-needed patches, Wreckfest is only going to get better and better"

XboxTavern (8/10):
"Despite a few odd technical issues, Wreckfest is really rather fun to play. The sheer carnage on display as you smash and crash with your fellow racers is quite the sight, especially in the destruction derby style modes. Those looking for a racer with a little extra edge will no doubt find it here."

Cubed3 (7/10):
"Wreckfest is at its best when you don't take it too seriously. It features a great handling model that's sufficiently deep and rewarding to master. The wild and dirty races tend to be quite enjoyable too. Of course, the chaos can sometimes become frustrating. There are few things worse than getting knocked off the track at the last possible moment. It's even more agonizing when it's not entirely your fault. Those who persevere, despite the occasional bout of unfairness, will get a lot of mileage out of this."

 

[IbizaPocholo]

 

[Hans Bubby]

It’d be nice if Bugbear told me when they’ll be sending me my key since I preordered back in 2016.

 

[Puskas]

Can’t wait for the Deluxe Edition of this game to drop in the mailbox on (hopefully) monday. itsbeen84years.gif

Glad it’s reviewing well Crossing my fingers that it will translate to good sales too.

 

[Anothergamer]

GOOd scores

 

[Hendrick's]

Looks fun as hell.

 

[pr0cs]

Physics are the best part of gaming these days

 

[hunthunt]

I geniunely though that this game had been released years ago but searched for it in my Ps4 and never found it, glad it came to a nice release.

 

[Yumi]

So happy this did well. Can wait to give it a go.

 

[Inviusx]

I geniunely though that this game had been released years ago but searched for it in my Ps4 and never found it, glad it came to a nice release.

It was in early access on PC for a few years, under the name "Next Car Game". They eventually released the full game last year on PC and titled it Wreckfest, so it's been playable for a very long time, just not on console until now.

 

[BusierDonkey]

Good to see this got a console release and is being received well. Stucking to the destruction derby aspect of their games was a good call. The game is a blast.

 

[Rayderism]

This is the game I've been waiting for all generation. Love the gritty crash'n'bash racers. Everyone always raved about the Burnout games, but games like Flatout, Split Second and Motorstorm were my jam.

I watched a couple vids of the PS4 version......those load times are insane. Hopefully they can address that eventually. They are painfully long.

I have it pre-loaded on my PS4 Pro now....15.1GB and it says it's already version 1.03.

Any word on if the Pro has any enhancements over the base model?

 

[Ribi]

This is the game I've been waiting for all generation. Love the gritty crash'n'bash racers. Everyone always raved about the Burnout games, but games like Flatout, Split Second and Motorstorm were my jam.

funny enough this game gives me the burnout feels when i play minus the crazy speed.

 

[dano1]

Haven’t been excited for a game in quite some time. Looks sooo fun!

 

[Farawayfromhell]

Tomorrow will be time of destruction! Finally!

 

[Acidizer]

Pre-loaded and ready to go... in 24 hours.

I like the sound of the realistic damage mode, which means potentially you could be wiped out with one well placed hit - or retire mofos yourself with the same.

Could be frustrating but also seat of your seat stuff. Rival cars in Hot Pursuit on the PS3 started out a bit like this (before they descended into bullet sponge tanks) and it was exhilarating.

 

[TwiztidElf]

I've played about an hour of the campaign on PS4, and I can confirm, the game is fucking fantastic.
I've been waiting a long time for a decent arcade racer like this.
Early impressions from me is that this is the best arcade racer since Blur.

 

[dano1]

What a fun game and the driving physics are better than expected!

 

[KyoZz]

Ok so I tried the update on PC and it is AWESOME guys ! Really loving it Bugbear as made an amazing job.

 

[Ribi]

Tried to install the pc update and the install process was stuck around 1min 30sec until it slowly went up to 100days... That when steam stopped the installation and made me redownload 9.3gb... I did that.. then same thing this time it stopped at 15days. Told me to redownload and this time it was 9.5gb.. So I'm just reinstalling the whole game rip progress

 

[Rayderism]

I think it's wrong to call this strictly an arcade racer, since you can set up the game to be as arcadey or as sim-like as you want. I'm just going to call it a destruction derby racer.

You know, I usually only game on weekends due to work, but this game has me playing for a hour or two every day since release. That really says something. But I may be biased, this is as close to the crash'n'bash racer I've been imagining since the PS4 launched. Still have this issue where I keep trying to hit a non-existent nitro button (X) when I see a car spun out in front of me though. LOL!

 

[sCHOCOLATE]

The Rammer (NASCAR) hairpin grindhouse track is all you need to understand Wreckfest.

 

[VisualFidelity]

Best racer this gen . Challenging races, tons of content, super fun, dynamic crashes and wow moments a plenty, looks great (but wish we had x enhancements), I'm honestly enjoying this way more than Forza 4

 

[G-Bus]

Managed to play for an hour last night and was surprised at how hard the races are right away. I likey.

No experience with playing demolition derbys so I'm pretty shit at that.

Had a few cars a head of me coming into a corner. One car gets bumped and starts to spin around, gets slammed by another and it tips and starts rolling, bouncing in the air as pieces fly off. Pretty damn cool.

 

[Allnamestakenlol]

How dare you assume their gender!

Also, game is great.

 

[Gen X]

I'm surprised not more people are playing this game, or talking about it anyway. I picked this up on earlier in the week and haven't been able to put it down. Probably the best racer on PS4 this gen.

My only gripe is the interface outside on the main game. Not being able to view cars under certain requirements would be a lot easier than going through them all looking for a Euro Class 3 I can afford (not really a problem once you reach 4th tier, but early stages....) or seeing what Stars are needed/completed and a Stat page would be nice, see how long we've driven couches, mowers, rigs, top speeds for each etc.

Still, the actual racing soon clears your mind of any negative thoughts.

 

[xrnzaaas]

I'm playing this on the PS4 and loving it. What surprised me is that I enjoy destruction derby events more than actual races, maybe it's because we get few games allowing for so much damage to the cars. Doesn't mean that the racing itself feels weak, the races can also be exciting especially if you play it dirty and ram into someone before a slower corner. Plus there are tracks made for great opportunities for t-bones and head on collisions.

The singleplayer campaign is great so far, I like the crazy challenges and optional objectives which are a good incentive to go back even if you've scored all the points for race wins. Awesome game overall.

 

[KyoZz]

1: Select a good car
2: Launch a race on the longest map
3: 60 laps, 23 AI and make them use the mower or the sofa
4: KILL THEM ALL
5: Kill yourself
6: Enjoy money and XP

 

[TraceTheTong]

God I think I bought this years ago, played it, disliked it but couldn't refund it. I really regretted that purchase because it was a really bad experience. That's coloured my view of it badly.

Is it really work re-installing it and trying again?

 

[TraceTheTong]

I was wrong.

It's wicked.

 

[rofif]

I wanted this game to be just extended tech demo of destruction and playground. Racing itself is not that interesting.
I enjoyed my time with it for what it was

 

[JLB]

This game gives me some Destruction Derby vibes. Good.

 

[Son_of_Zardoz]

I absolutely love it, granted I'm hoping for some fixes/improvements but that doesn't take away from its overall greatness. Physics are fantastic--not just the wrecks just how you can predictably bounce off of/lean into other cars. I saw where they said they are working on private servers but honestly I'd rather have in-game parties first so you can get into public matches easier with friends. It would also be nice to at least be able to pick your driver's helmet color. Also, I'm about 3/4 done with the campaign and have yet to see the best track in it or in any of the online matches I've played, the Deathloop. They should put some Deathloop only servers up because after trying it in the create an event mode, it's just outstanding.

Okay, so now I'm going to have to play a round, will get back to work in a bit.

 

[KyoZz]

 

[Acidizer]

Finally getting round to this. At first it seemed heavy in a bad way, real sluggish, but after a little progression and experience things are starting to get much more fun.

I play on realistic (not experienced normal) damage and I recommend that because it isn't unfair at all like maybe I'd have thought. I can only assume normal damage is way too forgiving and so "bullet spongey" and I would find that annoying.

 

[Come On Tars]

Can people get launched from their seats like flat-out?

 

[KyoZz]

Can people get launched from their seats like flat-out?

Not from the cars sadly, but on everything else they can

 

[Son_of_Zardoz]

Finally made it to a Deathloop event. Really enjoying some of the other events where I have to drive something different because I've become kinda attached to the Rammer.

 

[pr0cs]

Played the pc version for a few days, love the game thus far. I think the best modes are those that focus on racing but with tracks that encourage carnage. Switchback type tracks, figure 8 and so on. Most racing games aren't my Forte, I can appreciate them but I don't get a lot of enjoyment of trying to shave milliseconds off a lap time like some people do.
I like the Forza series mostly due to the cars and the ability to rescue a race due to a poor decision, bad turn using the rewind option.
Wreckfest doesn't offer that but the sheer randomness makes up for it. Each race can play out so differently that repeating races doesn't feel tedious which is something I don't like about most racing games.
You could argue that "randomness in racing is stupid" but I like it. I've had a lot of fun thinking "welp I fucked up that race but I'll stick with it to see if I can catch up" only to be rewarded by a crash with the leaders that allowed me to snatch victory from the Jaws of defeat. Yes this scenario also ruined a perfectly good race win for me, where a figure 8 cross clobbered me and lost the race but it did give a sense of trepidation when in the lead that another driver would KO me before I crossed the finish line.
For the most part the game runs well, there are a few tracks that for some reason they aren't as optimized but in general the game runs fantastic on pc.
The menus are bland, the music is pretty bad, I wish there was more customization in the cars, something like how Forza has for creating your own paint skins would be fantastic.
I wish the career mode was more comprehensive.

Overall though, as someone who doesn't spend a lot of time in racing games I am enjoying it a ton. It feels like the old days as a kid playing with lego/hot wheels cars, racing, crashing and having fun

 

[Son_of_Zardoz]

I typically play in short sessions here and there. Just made it to the final series in single player--have been enjoying it.

Need to allow presets for vehicles so you can quickly select them (for when you want to armor up or have a lighter/speedier car, etc)
Net code really needs work. 4 out of 5 races online have insane lag for the first 10-15 seconds of the race. Often times the wrong way icon pops up during said lag but will remain long after the lag clears out, sometimes for minutes at a time.

Still loving it, just hope they keep improving it.

 

[DigitalScrap]

Not from the cars sadly, but on everything else they can

While hilarious, those physics make no sense at all.

 

[hariseldon]

I fucking love Wreckfest. Best arcade racer of this generation.

 

[stephenjames]

Wreckfest is amazing