Test Drive Unlimited

 PC
User Score
8.1

Generally favorable reviews- based on 189 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 136 out of 189
  2. Mixed: 43 out of 189
  3. Negative: 10 out of 189
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  1. jkk454
    Mar 29, 2012
    8
    So much better than TDU2!

    Although the graphics look a bit dated, they still look better than TDU2- which quite frankly sucks!

    Theres no stupid storyline, or championship mode. Just detailed cars racing round a well made island, that has clearly taken ages to develop.

    8/10 from me, simply because of the graphics its not as immersive or accesiable
  2. ireviewthings1
    Mar 4, 2015
    9
    I usually only deal with the hardcore sim racing stuff like rfactor or Assetto Corsa. But this is a little gem. The best open-world driving game on PC to this date.

    It has some faults: -driving physics are... arcade. Not NFS arcade, you still thing you are operating something with tyres but it is not the games strong suit -it is generally too easy if you manage to avoid running into    I usually only deal with the hardcore sim racing stuff like rfactor or Assetto Corsa. But this is a little gem. The best open-world driving game on PC to this date.

    It has some faults:

    -driving physics are... arcade. Not NFS arcade, you still thing you are operating something with tyres but it is not the games strong suit
    -it is generally too easy if you manage to avoid running into things repeatedly.
    -engine sounds are lackluster.
    -it doesn't have a contextualizing story or career scenario, if you need this to keep paying attention.

    But!

    +it doesn't have a contextualizing story or career scenario, because who needs that crap annoying crap anyway!?
    +1000 miles of open road on O'ahu, Hawaii no less.
    +125 cars and bikes you actually want to own. No 50 Nissan Skylines or VW Fox to be found here.
    +the process of buying cars is well done. you actually go to a official dealership and put your car together. Rims, paint, interior. way cooler then cycling through a lifeless menu.
    +Little details like clothes and house shopping.

    Most importantly though the game nails the freeroam aspect. I hate being called by npc's all the time trying to dictate where to drive next like in the crew or forza horizon sometimes. just leave me be! no distracing challanges like getting points/cash for drifts, near misses and so on. Just you, car, road. The graphics have aged surprisingly well and the ambient sound just gives you a nice summerly feeling when the engine happens to be not running.

    The feeling of this game is it's major appeal. Drive your Gallardo convertible in a summer holiday environment like you know you always wanted! The licenses are a bit old. it is from early 2007. but don't let that put you off. You will find timeless machinery in every class you will race in.

    Word of advice: stay away from TDU 2, buy TDU 1!    … Expand
  3. dlcatalin
    Jul 12, 2020
    5
    5, i couldn't force myself to finish the game. The roads have straight angles in them on valleys and hills, you literally dig in the road with the nose of your car and crash, or you get lift off and lose traction. The handling of the cars is HORRIBLE. The only good thing are the graphics.
  4. Luka1998010
    Jul 1, 2020
    8
    +The biggest open world map for a racing game ever
    +The cars, there are some I have leaned that exist just because of this game
    +Houses +Character customization +Exploration +Milestones (Such as driven distance on the odometer) +Wheel support +Dealerships -The handling is not the greatest but I love the game either way -The cops, oh god, the cops... Its literally impossible to    +The biggest open world map for a racing game ever
    +The cars, there are some I have leaned that exist just because of this game
    +Houses
    +Character customization
    +Exploration
    +Milestones (Such as driven distance on the odometer)
    +Wheel support
    +Dealerships
    -The handling is not the greatest but I love the game either way
    -The cops, oh god, the cops... Its literally impossible to enjoy a cruise around the map without being chased... Its impossible
    There is a bug in the game that Eden did not fix... When you are driving at a free road, sometimes you will be stopped by an invisible object, which automatically starts a chase
    Also, the cops are impossible to avoid and escape after 1 star... When you are just beginning the game, and you get chased, you can lose all your money if the cops catch you and they intend to ram you, which increases the fee...Not only that, if there is no cop present and can`t see you, and you hit a traffic car, you will get a wanted level... Its pure stupidity to include cops into the game !    … Expand
  5. Sultanyegah
    Feb 17, 2020
    10
    I've played racing games since Test Drive and Grand Prix (by Accolade) in 1986. I've played most of anything that went out. NFS, Gran Turismo, Forza and so on.

    Test Drive Unlimited was a superb game and it kept me coming back more than the others. The atmosphere, the driving, the scenery, the design... I just finished it from scratch again and I am happy I did. It brought back nice    I've played racing games since Test Drive and Grand Prix (by Accolade) in 1986. I've played most of anything that went out. NFS, Gran Turismo, Forza and so on.

    Test Drive Unlimited was a superb game and it kept me coming back more than the others. The atmosphere, the driving, the scenery, the design... I just finished it from scratch again and I am happy I did. It brought back nice memories.

    (Just remember using a 60 FPS limiter if you try to play the game today, because otherwise you'll have invisible police cars and erratic AI behavior due to the 300 FPS your game will get with newer Graphics Cards).    … Expand
  6. ManuelT.
    Jul 24, 2007
    10
    Best driving game ever, giving a superb sensation of driving expensive hot cars. Wainting for more of these!
  7. Trollosaurus
    May 6, 2017
    5
    Great open world with nice graphics, npcs are smart enough, nice driving physics, etc which wasn't really that common back in a day when this game was released. The PC version lacks the soundtrack but I listen to winamp anyways so it's pointless for me to a PC game have a soundtrack. I suggest everyone to do the same as me. Nice amount of cars but the bunch of dlcs kinda killed it for me,Great open world with nice graphics, npcs are smart enough, nice driving physics, etc which wasn't really that common back in a day when this game was released. The PC version lacks the soundtrack but I listen to winamp anyways so it's pointless for me to a PC game have a soundtrack. I suggest everyone to do the same as me. Nice amount of cars but the bunch of dlcs kinda killed it for me, all those cars should be in the base game. Nothing really to do in this game but to race. It's a single player game but without internet connection you wont be able to start any races. It gets race options and data from the cloud. So on that part it's a fail. Keep in mind I played it back in a day when it came out and today this game is a dead fossil, the servers are down and there are no patches.… Expand
  8. JonTheHorrible
    May 4, 2007
    0
    It doesnt work, theres no patch, and the bits that do work or need fixing get boring very easily. Whats the point of making an online racing game you cant either get online with or when you can, everyone has connection problems so you cant race them. Steer clear (pardon the pun) unless it gets fixed. By the way the lyrics to the installation music go- This is an excuse that we're It doesnt work, theres no patch, and the bits that do work or need fixing get boring very easily. Whats the point of making an online racing game you cant either get online with or when you can, everyone has connection problems so you cant race them. Steer clear (pardon the pun) unless it gets fixed. By the way the lyrics to the installation music go- This is an excuse that we're making we're making, Is it good enough for what you're paying you're paying It's just another excuse Is this song about Atari's support? ... Say no more… Expand
  9. RenanK.
    Jun 4, 2007
    9
    An incredible game with a fantastic and new idea, but it lacks in multiplayer gaming. Anyay if you get an wheel joystick the game will reveal you its full engine power, with stunning physics and an awesome realism that can be compared to RACE 2.
  10. morfil
    Nov 7, 2013
    8
    It's such a great racing game, I totally love it, though it has many glitches. But I tried a few fixes and the game runs perfectly. The landscapes are great, the cars are various, all time favorites there, girls are sweet (although based on the same woman model!!!), could you ask for more?! I'm still playing it and it passed almost 1 year
  11. iddqd4
    Feb 13, 2018
    6
    این متن برای نمره ای است که در نمایه من نمایش داده می شود.
  12. Prenny
    Mar 8, 2014
    9
    Best Racing Game for PC! Amazing Cars, Huge Island to explore, character customization, missions and much more! this game is definitely better than Need For Speed!
  13. Marick
    Jan 17, 2015
    7
    Test Drive Unlimited is an open world racing game appeared in 2006. The game has over 125 licensed cars and motorcycles registered. The game lacks a great story, maybe not at all. You start in an airport where you must choose the character you want. Then it is put on a plane and sent to the world of Test Drive Unlimited to become the best racer and had a famous collection of cars. The gameTest Drive Unlimited is an open world racing game appeared in 2006. The game has over 125 licensed cars and motorcycles registered. The game lacks a great story, maybe not at all. You start in an airport where you must choose the character you want. Then it is put on a plane and sent to the world of Test Drive Unlimited to become the best racer and had a famous collection of cars. The game is quite long if you want to do and the extra (actually you'll need a few for money).… Expand
  14. Conkeydon1312
    Sep 27, 2019
    10
    Отличная атмосфера, разнообразные задания, хорошая графика даже спустя время
  15. burakelestiri
    Apr 27, 2020
    9
    I think this game is best because;
    1-Car sounds is awsome
    2-Car design is awesome
    3-Roads is nice
    4-You buy car and drive I love it

    but have bad things;
    1-Dont have a story
    2-Race is maybe bad I dont know
  16. edwardg
    Oct 20, 2009
    9
    best game of it's kind. would be off the hook with more cars and updates. please update. peace
  17. Bullett
    Jul 20, 2007
    8
    It's not perfect but it's good fun. I had a very hard time getting this running on my 1st PC, to such an extent that a gave up until I had upgraded. I'm glad I did as it's great. The racing in single player is pretty easy and the online stuff is either laggy or anoying but then you get a moment of joy and it's all worthwhile for that alone. Best with a wheel and a It's not perfect but it's good fun. I had a very hard time getting this running on my 1st PC, to such an extent that a gave up until I had upgraded. I'm glad I did as it's great. The racing in single player is pretty easy and the online stuff is either laggy or anoying but then you get a moment of joy and it's all worthwhile for that alone. Best with a wheel and a beefy PC though.… Expand
  18. ChrisH.
    Apr 2, 2007
    9
    This is a great racing game, don't see many on the Pc so I would suggest picking this up! The gameplay is surprisingly arcadey, with tasks varying in content, ie straight forward racing to dropping pretty girls around town, but then penalized for giving them a bum ride! Other side missions like delivering cars etc add as a pleasant and rewarding distraction from the main element of This is a great racing game, don't see many on the Pc so I would suggest picking this up! The gameplay is surprisingly arcadey, with tasks varying in content, ie straight forward racing to dropping pretty girls around town, but then penalized for giving them a bum ride! Other side missions like delivering cars etc add as a pleasant and rewarding distraction from the main element of the game. You will certainly require a good PC to play this at a full detail. I max the lot with FSAA 4x to boot and get an average of 40fps on the flat screen view (best for this game). My specs are AMD X2 AM2 3800+, 2gb DDR800, SATA, Radeon X1950 Pro 512mb. You are warned!… Expand
  19. Tom
    May 30, 2007
    10
    This game is awesome.Yes it's an arcade game but much much better than last 2 NFS titles.
  20. TuomasH
    Aug 22, 2009
    10
    Awesome game! It has almost everything that a fast cars liking human can want. The only bad thing is that the island could have more life and more things to do, like going to bar and control the character inside.
  21. yota234
    Jun 10, 2011
    9
    This game has very good free roam. You got one big island. It's Hawaii. It is very nice made. This game has got pretty nice graphics and I like that there are many car dealers. The bad thing is that they are too many. Why all Ferrari's can't be in one place? I know that this is realistic but they are too many. Not many this sort of racing games got bikes. Although the graphics are good seaThis game has very good free roam. You got one big island. It's Hawaii. It is very nice made. This game has got pretty nice graphics and I like that there are many car dealers. The bad thing is that they are too many. Why all Ferrari's can't be in one place? I know that this is realistic but they are too many. Not many this sort of racing games got bikes. Although the graphics are good sea looks quite bad. I know it's nothing big but I found some bad things in this game. Sometimes this is too hard and you have to be a pro game-driver.… Expand
  22. sinadoom
    Sep 29, 2011
    8
    Get a steering wheel and a decent graphics card and this game will not fail to impress. There are issues with online account management since it's done by GameSpy and not GFW LIVE, but if you manage to get it working the game is a joy to play. The only problem is that there is no real motivation to play it- it's the kind of game you go on just to make yourself feel as if you're on holiday.
  23. gracjanski
    Aug 5, 2020
    7
    There are no story, no music, no voices, just a sandbox where you drive some competition on an isle.
    The graphics looks old of course, a pity, but there are mods to improve it. The setting on the isle is great, so sometimes the graphics looks nice nonetheless.
    Gameplay sounds a bit boring in the beginning, but the focus of the game is to collect cool cars and drive them on a tropical    There are no story, no music, no voices, just a sandbox where you drive some competition on an isle.
    The graphics looks old of course, a pity, but there are mods to improve it. The setting on the isle is great, so sometimes the graphics looks nice nonetheless.

    Gameplay sounds a bit boring in the beginning, but the focus of the game is to collect cool cars and drive them on a tropical island. The driving is focused a bit more on simulation than on arcade and you are lead to drive with few mistakes. This is a lot of fun in contrast to arcade games. But the handling is aweful later on, when the cars are faster.
    I didnt encounter any frustrating moments with the police or invisible items yet.
    In addition you can beam yourself to a place, you ve been before, so the timesink is low. On the other side I miss a "try again" function in the middle of a competition.

    Overall a fun game, especially if you think about the year it was released, but a bit outdated.    … Expand
  24. modimagic
    May 28, 2022
    5
    + Good graphics.
    + Really big open world for us to drive.
    + Customizable character avatar. - Really bad car handling. - Really bad physics. - Bad city planning. Placement of poles is really irritating. - Going off-road deducts points!! Why? - Irritating traffic and police behavior, devoid of any logic. - I wish ther was mor choice with characters: Men r too short, ugly & the    + Good graphics.
    + Really big open world for us to drive.
    + Customizable character avatar.

    - Really bad car handling.
    - Really bad physics.
    - Bad city planning. Placement of poles is really irritating.
    - Going off-road deducts points!! Why?
    - Irritating traffic and police behavior, devoid of any logic.
    - I wish ther was mor choice with characters: Men r too short, ugly & the girls r too tall & big-boned.

    I just could not force myself to finish the game.    … Expand
  25. danielder03
    Nov 9, 2019
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Отличная игра в открытом мире. Игра очень сильно передает свою атмосферу гонок вокруг острова.… Expand
  26. Dispreacher
    Jan 20, 2021
    10
    This game is incredibly good. Not only for its time but still today.

    The roads, the distances, the 1-1 scale Hawaii Island of Oahu is fantastic, circumference of the island is 200 km and that is easier said than imagined. For scale, Forza Horizon 4's island area is around ~100 km^2 while TDU's is ~3000 km^2. Not all of this has roads on it but you can drive there regardless although    This game is incredibly good. Not only for its time but still today.

    The roads, the distances, the 1-1 scale Hawaii Island of Oahu is fantastic, circumference of the island is 200 km and that is easier said than imagined. For scale, Forza Horizon 4's island area is around ~100 km^2 while TDU's is ~3000 km^2. Not all of this has roads on it but you can drive there regardless although there isn't much point of doing so. The roads though, they are so long so plentiful so beautiful.

    The choice of cars and bikes are beautiful and plentiful. I love that bikes are also in the game and they play perfectly. Graphics are a bit dated for now but great for its day.

    The sound is beautiful. The heard sound change of your engine when you open/close your windows is perfect. You can add your own radio.

    Driving is excellent, the most realistic driving in an arcade racing game ever, think of games like NFS: Porsche Unleashed but better.

    The game doesn't have a silly undercover cop storyline. Instead it's just you driving, doing missions(like driving top models around and delivering vehicles without damage), races and time trials for money and buying houses to put cars in and buying lots of cars. Also you can fully customize your character and buy clothes from various clothes shops on the island. There are some 100 houses and you put your cars in garages of these, it's beautiful.

    The best free roam driving game of all time when it came out and only surpassed by TDU2 and the Crew games and nothing else still today. No other game like NFSs or Forzas even comes close to its length of roads and driving area. One of the best games ever made.    … Expand
  27. Duesterberg
    Nov 21, 2020
    10
    I bought it when I was 14 years old but never finished it. I don't know the following TDU2 and 3 but I loved and still adore the huge amount of also very rare cars which hardly appear in other racing games from this time like Wiesmann for example.

    Also I love the huge map and the graphics are very adorable for its age. There are also Motorcycles, a huge number of oldtimers, you can    I bought it when I was 14 years old but never finished it. I don't know the following TDU2 and 3 but I loved and still adore the huge amount of also very rare cars which hardly appear in other racing games from this time like Wiesmann for example.

    Also I love the huge map and the graphics are very adorable for its age. There are also Motorcycles, a huge number of oldtimers, you can choose from a huge amount of houses and clothes.

    I always call it the Forza Horizon of my childhood :) in this time next to Need for Speed MW and Carbon and Midnight Club my favourite racer.    … Expand
  28. vova22379
    Dec 18, 2021
    1
    ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
  29. Aryandrn
    May 6, 2021
    9
    This game is very nice but have some bugs.
    I played this game for 8 years .
  30. The_D4RknesS
    Jul 24, 2022
    8
    the game is good but only in the first hours, after that i lost interest in the game and abandoned it (The destruction of cars is sorely missed.)
  31. Nk_What
    Aug 15, 2022
    8
    this game is good but after a few hours it gets boring. The advantages of this game are a lot of cars, clothes, and activities and more. Cons: everything that I have listed gets boring after a few hours, but I still recommend this game
  32. MarekZalipski
    May 25, 2023
    7
    It,s ok the only car-centric game in which I preferred to ride a motorbike, also the size of the map was ... wow
  33. DharcSlayer
    Jun 9, 2023
    10
    Really underrated game here. A 2006 game that has a bigger map than some other open world racing games you'll see in 2010-2020s era, it's set in a real world island, 1:1 scale, has quite a decent amount of cars, challenges that were really challenging, a full 110 mile race to the whole island of O'ahu, and just overall a great game to cruise on a real Hawaiian Island.

Awards & Rankings

43
#43 Best PC Game of 2007
49
#49 Most Discussed PC Game of 2007
48
#48 Most Shared PC Game of 2007

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
79

Generally favorable reviews - based on 18 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 16 out of 18
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 18
  3. Negative: 0 out of 18
  1. PC Gamer UK
    87
    TDU's MMO elements are slight compared to quest-and-kill fare, but it's still the greatest advancement of the driving-a-pretend-car concept in years... A car fancier's wish-dream. [Feb 2007, p.74]
  2. PC Zone UK
    80
    TDU still offers a massive, inviting, and involving world for racing fans to gather in and share their love of cars. All with a cocktail on the side, too. [Mar 2007, p.64]
    Read full review
  3. PC Format
    90
    A triumph...An expansive environment, expensive cars and plenty of company to race against make for an intoxicating Hawaiian cocktail. [Mar 2007, p.62]
See all critic reviews »