Wreckfest

 PlayStation 4
User Score
7.2

Mixed or average reviews- based on 198 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 127 out of 198
  2. Mixed: 30 out of 198
  3. Negative: 41 out of 198
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  1. cheesetheman
    Aug 27, 2019
    9
    Brings me back to the testdrive eve of destruction days.. Wreckfest is super fun and well worth $40
  2. Marconobi
    Aug 27, 2019
    9
    This game really shines and give you the Destruction Derby feeling. The AI is great and hard. The physics and cars looks great. Only downside is somewhat the loading times. But hey, when the green light goes on its hell of a fun.
  3. 3DGisawesome
    Aug 28, 2019
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Beautiful game! I had been waiting for 5+ years at this point for this game to release on consoles and it hasn’t disappointed me in any way. This game is seriously everything I could’ve asked for and more (minus a few unrealistic expectations).

    Graphics: Good! Nicely detailed car models and fair environments.

    Music: Hands down has to be the best soundtrack Bugbear has put in any one of their games! Good mix of some bouncy metal/core, and more lighthearted fun tracks.

    Gameplay: Impeccable. The translation from PC to console was done beautifully! The gameplay is so freaking addictive and I couldn’t possibly get enough of it. I’m honestly not even mad when I get wiped out in the last turn of a race ‘cause that just means I get to go again! The tracks are a lot of fun, and it was definitely cool to see some FlatOut throwbacks/inspired tracks in there too! There’s not a single track that I don’t like. The handling can be a little funky at first but all you need to do is adjust some of the advanced steering settings to your liking and you’ll be good to go! It still does take some getting used to though as the driving isn’t exactly as tight as you’d hope, but what can you expect from a demo derby game! GAMEPLAY AND FUN WAS NOT SACRIFICED FOR THE SAKE OF REALISM WITH THE DAMAGE MODELING - remember that. Oh, and seeing your driver get flattened out and deformed with the car is probably one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen in a game. Customization: Great! Was admittedly a little worried in this department simply because of the nature of the game, but I was not disappointed! You can customize and add armor to pretty much every part of the car, with a few cars being excluded from customization options; but once you see what those are it makes sense. You can definitely make some badass combos. Physics: B. E. A. U. T. I. F. U. L. The cars deform so incredibly, and with the realistic damage setting turned on, that’s dialed up to 11! It’s a really nice detail too to see the world fall apart around you as well. Certain walls or barriers will crumble into bits when you hit them, mounds of tires will explode when you make contact, signs break in spectacular fashion; pretty much, if you can see if and if it looks breakable, it is! All without a noticed dropped frame on PS4 Pro.

    Performance: Amazing! With all the incredible stuff going on on screen at once (especially this game’s impeccable particle effects), I haven’t noticed a single performance dip, which is more surprising to me than just about everything. No matter how much carnage you’ve got on screen at once, the game can handle it, and it handles it VERY well. Load times can be a little extensive at times, but when you take into consideration what this game engine can do and the things that can happen in a single race, it’s nothing more than a measly annoyance (if you’re not used to the PC version that is). And also, when you’ve loaded into a race, everything is instantaneous from there one. Starts, restarts, doesn’t matter; just like the FlatOut games, no matter how late you are in the race, or what kind, or how much carnage you strew about the track, you’re ready to go immediately after the initial loading screens. UI: Admittedly, this is one of my very VERY few gripes with this game, the UI at times does not feel very intuitive. There are some hang ups and you can immediately tell that the menus are running at 30 fps or below. There are quite a few UI glitches in the game right now, such as certain liveries not working properly, getting doubles of the same customization part in the menus, or the pause menu not working too great at times. But it’s nothing that can’t get ironed out in later patches. Glitches/Bugs (PlayStation 4): Yes. There are some glitches, most of which are UI bugs from what I can tell. Sometimes when you load in to the pre-race screen, your wheels will be clipping into the ground. On the farm plow demo derby, there were some issues with the lighting breaking. Sometimes you won’t do any damage or near enough to somebody even after hitting them really hard and clearly seeing their vehicle get smashed up. That’s just breaking the surface; but again, these are fixable issues that are too be expected from fresh releases. Consensus: Seriously one of the most fun games I have ever played and it’s definitely up there in my top 10 favorite games of all time already. The glitches and other issues don’t even come close to taking away from the gameplay experience with this game, not a lot of games can be in that position. This game has a lot of time to grow, and hopefully Bugbear will get the funding and support they need from THQ Nordic with how well this game is being received. Pretty much all the negative reviews are from people who bought this game for all the wrong reasons, do not heed their words.

    I could go on and on all day about this game! But sadly, I’m limited to 5,000 characters :p    … Expand
  4. Tornado130
    Aug 28, 2019
    10
    Definitely the best racing game on ps4. Chaotic and very fun. Not for anyone looking for a serious racer with fast cars, but great for those looking for a casual and fun racing game.
  5. AndyX1
    Aug 27, 2019
    9
    This game so much FUN. Online and and offline dedicated Severs online aswell
  6. ohiowreck5007
    Aug 28, 2019
    9
    One of the best racing games i ever played/ hands down best derby game. I've been waiting a long time for this game, it didn't disappoint. so far there are a few issues. long load times, a small glitch while crashing once. but all in all the game is awesome
  7. Nocto26
    Aug 28, 2019
    10
    Very good game. Well done BugBear. Ive Never played a game like this one ! ')
  8. Juspeezy
    Aug 29, 2019
    10
    This game is awesome brings back memories, user interface sucks and load times are bad even on ps4 pro but the attention to details really shine. To play with friends you have to join the Browser servers and join the same lobby. But a 10/10 after all the updates
  9. Azathehustla
    Sep 4, 2019
    9
    Great game, pure fun and adrenaline loaded action...ANYONE who loves racing/demolition games needs to play this...gets tough on the higher difficulty levels, which is when it is at its most fun for me...nothing better than completing a race/event/series after numerous failed and close attempts...GET IT, especially at the £35 price it was released at...bargain! ☺️
  10. TallDarknWavy
    Sep 1, 2019
    10
    This game is the most fun you can have with your pants on!
    The weight and feel of the cars is absolutely perfect! Finally, a perfect demolition derby game!
    The tuning is perfect, it's balanced to where you can adjust what you want in a simple way without being overly complex like a sim racer. Want to have higher top speed or faster acceleration? Want to corner better on pavement or mud?    This game is the most fun you can have with your pants on!
    The weight and feel of the cars is absolutely perfect! Finally, a perfect demolition derby game!
    The tuning is perfect, it's balanced to where you can adjust what you want in a simple way without being overly complex like a sim racer. Want to have higher top speed or faster acceleration? Want to corner better on pavement or mud? It's simple, easy and perfect.
    You can play as a sofa with an engine and exhaust coming out of the sides, school buses, lawn mowers, you name it! The progression is well designed, the career is great, there are so many different vehicles and non vehicles to choose from, it's insane.
    Don't listen to the imbecilic plebs who are hating on this game. The load times seem super long because of the non linear progression. It goes from 1%, slowly to 2%, slowly to 3%, and then just quickly shoots to 100 after that but it makes it SEEM incredibly long. I've timed them out and they really aren't that bad.

    The graphics are awesome, I've experienced no slowdowns even with a ridiculous amount of carnage and cars on screen at once.

    The AI is very balanced. You can make it as hard or easy as you like. You can make the controls as simulation or arcadey as you like. There are sliders for everything to make it as customizable as you want.
    It's a game that requires some balls, so you must accept that you will be rewarded for spinning out other players, making them crash, t-boning them and running them off the road, and understand they will do the same to you and not crying like a **** if they do.    … Expand
  11. Fzero
    Aug 29, 2019
    10
    Such a fun game to play. Cool music, great graphics and crashed galore make this a game that simply must be played.
  12. MADRICKY97
    Oct 8, 2019
    10
    One of the best derby game on the market in a long time!!!! A must buy !!!! 10/10 !!!
  13. Gorehound
    Mar 10, 2022
    9
    Now this how you make a fun racing game this one reminds me of Destruction Derby that came out back on the PS1 and this has become one of my favorite racing games since Burnout Revenge had more playing Wreckfest then that crappy over hyped Gran Turismo 7
  14. SplitMind
    Mar 31, 2020
    8
    Wreckfest is a game that is long overdue on consoles. Most racing games I've seen are obsessed with simulation, getting everything just right and having cars as realistic as possible. I see just one problem with that - it's no fun!

    Wreckfest is quite a different ball-game. You are definitely encouraged to win, however you are also encouraged to literally wreck any thing in your path.    Wreckfest is a game that is long overdue on consoles. Most racing games I've seen are obsessed with simulation, getting everything just right and having cars as realistic as possible. I see just one problem with that - it's no fun!

    Wreckfest is quite a different ball-game. You are definitely encouraged to win, however you are also encouraged to literally wreck any thing in your path. This along brings immense enjoyment. As you bash your car around the track you can see bits and pieces of it fall off until you may end up on two wheels instead of four and completely wrecked. The graphics are excellent for this, an although the 60fps isn't always there on PS4 Pro, it's there often enough to make a difference.

    The game itself falls a little flat in a few areas; not massively but noticeable enough to make you wonder why the developers didn't change or patch these. First off are the menus. When you first play these are confusing enough, however trying to figure out which cars were eligible for which races is nothing short of maddening. If you misinterpret the restrictions you could end up wasting valuable money on a wrong car. It's surprising they haven't patched this. One other thing - some of the font sizes are ridiculously small!

    Up next is the difficulty and this is where it gets a bit weird. You can set the damage to normal, intense or realistic, with the latter being where cars are at their most brittle. This functions almost like a hardcore difficulty in other action games, because one crash on the realistic setting and if your car isn't wrecked then it'll likely still be in no condition to finish the race. This pushes you to drive 'normally' and avoid crashing into people, which is quite counter-intuitive to the idea of Wreckfest. The other issue I have is that the game is clearly oriented towards winning races rather than destruction, as the rewards are so much greater for coming first than they are for smashing the place up - again more like a typical racing game.

    In addition to the above, I found it almost impossible to win races until I lowered the difficulty, and tuning my car made a surprisingly huge difference too, although this wasn't very clear as I learned to play the game.

    As you progress through the career, the shortage of tracks and cars becomes more noticeable, and again it's both surprising and sad that developers haven't used patches to add in more of a selection. There is one track where you literally go in a vertical loop and it's awesome - I just wish there were more novelties like it!

    Overall, if you get this for less than £20, you could have a hell of a lot of fun for a reasonable amount of money. If you're finding it annoying or frustrating, learn about the menus and start tweaking the options as that made a huge difference for me. I haven't played multiplayer as they want me to pay for it, so they can bugger off with that.    … Expand
  15. TryhardTyler
    Sep 1, 2019
    8
    I enjoy this game. Career is very fun and customization is top-notch. I usually don't buy games w/o checking Metacritic first, but I'm glad I went with my gut.
  16. LAAKSO1000
    Sep 1, 2019
    8
    A fun arcade-y racing/wrecking game with semi-realistic damage modelling. Provides enough of a challenge when adjusting the difficulty and damage settings. The loading times are a bit of a drag and the online race modes should have an option to be restricted to specific car classes (A/B/C etc.) Rubber-banding is also an issue when racing against AI. All in all, good fun with a 40€ price tag.
  17. maliksaleh
    Sep 9, 2019
    10
    Great game to play and to experience. One of the best if not the best car control experience, where you feel real driving mixed with fun. They need to add more cars and maps though.
  18. andy24king24
    Aug 27, 2019
    10
    For an alternative to Burnout this is it. And one thing to remember always restart to make a better go of it. Slightly long load times my only negative. But other than that an over the top, outrageous, stupidly brilliant driving game, at times completely insane but so playable and enjoyable at the same time. Some of the fun I’ve had so far is awesome. I can be on the last lap in firstFor an alternative to Burnout this is it. And one thing to remember always restart to make a better go of it. Slightly long load times my only negative. But other than that an over the top, outrageous, stupidly brilliant driving game, at times completely insane but so playable and enjoyable at the same time. Some of the fun I’ve had so far is awesome. I can be on the last lap in first place and somehow still end up in the middle of it all and not win. But again restart is your best friend! Always restart if your struggling. But a MUST own. Not a massive fan of lawn mowers and the three wheeler but hey I’ll get there. Enjoy driving mayhem.… Expand
  19. Kratos007
    Aug 27, 2019
    10
    Столько много веселья я давно не получал. Музыка восхитительна, повреждение машин изумительное.
  20. mc_sabotage
    Sep 6, 2019
    10
    THANKS BUGBEAR for this masterpiece! Brilliant physics, and crashing model... Private lobby is missing, i hope they will add...
  21. dingobreath
    Sep 13, 2019
    7
    This is a pretty solid racing game, I had fun playing it. Mad by the same developers Bugbear who made the flat out series. The game has a very detailed and complex damage and physics model, you can break almost any part of your vehicle.

    Most of the races consist of racing around dirt tracks or demolition derby events with different vehicles. Most of the vehicles are old beat up cars    This is a pretty solid racing game, I had fun playing it. Mad by the same developers Bugbear who made the flat out series. The game has a very detailed and complex damage and physics model, you can break almost any part of your vehicle.

    Most of the races consist of racing around dirt tracks or demolition derby events with different vehicles. Most of the vehicles are old beat up cars from the 70's and 80's. The gameplay is very good an can be quite challenging, even on easy mode with simple damage physics turned on.

    If I am to criticize this game, my complaints would be as follows:

    1 - no local spilt screen at all
    2 - no character creation or story mode whatsoever, just pick event and go.
    3 - Game is only good in short bursts
    4 - unlockables are uneven. I had level 3 parts with my first car without knowing it.

    The game is a solid purchase IMO. I think Bugbear should be given the rights to make a twisted metal game as their physic engine would work so well in a car combat game!

    7.5 out of 10 for me.    … Expand
  22. Cadet111
    Sep 8, 2019
    10
    Great game for me 10/10, if you like destruction derby then you must have this game. For me it's a mixture of destruction derby plus motorstororm plus flatout.
  23. Koronka1
    Aug 28, 2019
    10
    Great game. Has some glitches that will soon be fixed. Definitely worth $40
  24. prinex
    Sep 3, 2019
    7
    We waited 5 long years for "the flatout successor" ... and all we got is with just racing and great visual damage.
    I have fond memories of playing the flatout games on Xbox and on the PSP. Crazy stunts. Racing thru shopping malls. In the woods. Trying to beat that lap time.
    So I my expectation where big. And big was my disappointment. The first issue: loading times that makes you want    We waited 5 long years for "the flatout successor" ... and all we got is with just racing and great visual damage.
    I have fond memories of playing the flatout games on Xbox and on the PSP. Crazy stunts. Racing thru shopping malls. In the woods. Trying to beat that lap time.
    So I my expectation where big. And big was my disappointment.
    The first issue: loading times that makes you want to switch off the console already. But only when you play solo, if you play online you ADD another mindbogglin 90 seconds countdown before you can finally *start loading* the track.
    And finally you can start the race .... only to discover this is just a normal race with damage. No crazy jumps. No crane arms you can hit to turn them into your opponent face, no shortcuts, nothing.
    Oh but surely you can engage in time trials with the best of the world, beating the ghost of other drivers ... no. No time trials. Racing.
    OK OK but there will be that crazy flatout minigames like catapulting your driver thru hoops and so on ... NO. Did I say there is only racing ?
    Look I'm certain there will be a track where you can face reverse driving traffic ... sorry no. Boring as hell normal tracks.
    Oh and there is a demolition derby, which is entertaining for like 5 minutes. And a campaign where you fight rubber-banding AI with a progression rate that almost looks going in negative.
    So this game ends up in the folder of "I should have gone to dinner for this money". Wreckfest maybe a faithful damage and car wreck simulator, but for me is boring as hell.    … Expand
  25. Visali
    Sep 12, 2019
    4
    I was waiting for this game so much, but it seems a delusion. The idea is perfect, vehicles and destroyable playgrounds are perfect, but in other terms, this game is poor and very amateur.

    Wreckfest is full of unnecessary loading and confirming screens. Why should I check ready after leaving the leaderboard screens to move on? The half of the next map could be already loaded. If I start    I was waiting for this game so much, but it seems a delusion. The idea is perfect, vehicles and destroyable playgrounds are perfect, but in other terms, this game is poor and very amateur.

    Wreckfest is full of unnecessary loading and confirming screens. Why should I check ready after leaving the leaderboard screens to move on? The half of the next map could be already loaded. If I start something in a career, there is a summery screen, then loading, then summery again, then loading again. In multiplayer, even if the next base arena is the same like in previous race, the whole map is loaded again. Why? And what would happen if the next map was loaded when we are in the lobby? Or why can't we set and tune our car during the loading screen? Why are 'microloads' when I am switching between cars in the garage and car change menus? Is it that hard to load some data these days? These are not about programming skills, but simple thinking or at least testing.

    Primary multiplayer things are missing. We can't play with our friends only. We can't set up a room with our own prefered settings by a lobby host. The default ordering in Server Browser screen is the number of players – why is it good to put full 16/16 servers on the first place? Who was thinking this is good idea?

    The handling is buggy as hell. I hit gas then the car is starting to move backward even in perfect condition. Oh, and armor upgrades are useless. I can get dream 'strength' numbers, the car is breaking almost the same way, definitely worse then other cars with the same or less strength rating by default. The game is definitely cheating. When I hit the break in a decent distance from a wall, I am suddenly going faster than like I was hitting the gas so I would crash anyway. There are lags, many times i am sliding back for a moment.

    The game was delayed by one year. I could not imagine how it looked like in November 2018 as it seems still unfinished.    … Expand
  26. MC-X
    Aug 29, 2019
    10
    This game is a must have for any car game lover!!!! Amazing gameplay and graphics! Beautiful destruction!
  27. LCGAMER
    Dec 19, 2019
    0
    This is another game with nothing but a disc and a buggy game. There is nothing to tell you how to play the game but a really bad control layout that doesn't tell you why you car goes backward, stays in reverse, just the basic operation of the game. Its as though they expect you to know everything about it right out of a case that has nothing in it but a disc. I should rate it a zero butThis is another game with nothing but a disc and a buggy game. There is nothing to tell you how to play the game but a really bad control layout that doesn't tell you why you car goes backward, stays in reverse, just the basic operation of the game. Its as though they expect you to know everything about it right out of a case that has nothing in it but a disc. I should rate it a zero but I'll give it a 1.... no, second thought, if I can't use it then it's a zero. I'm returning my copy.… Expand
  28. Buster30003
    Sep 29, 2019
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. So many bugs in this game it's unreal and half the time you cannot get online save your money and spend it on beer… Expand
  29. OnlyOneHere
    Feb 27, 2020
    9
    This is currently the best demolition derby game available on PS4. It has a good campaign and the gameplay is fun. The car damage and physics are godly. The driving mechanics are very satisfying. There is a good selection of cars to choose from with neat customization. There are so many adjustments you can make in the settings to suit your gameplay preference.

    The graphics and sound are    This is currently the best demolition derby game available on PS4. It has a good campaign and the gameplay is fun. The car damage and physics are godly. The driving mechanics are very satisfying. There is a good selection of cars to choose from with neat customization. There are so many adjustments you can make in the settings to suit your gameplay preference.

    The graphics and sound are great. The loading in this game is ridiculous. Despite this, it is amazing how these developers manage to put out a game with AAA quality. The developers clearly put so much work on the AI and the game itself. It is currently $30 and I definitely recommend this game for that price.    … Expand
  30. Madmaz
    Aug 28, 2019
    8
    Good game , a bit arcade'y but still fun , my only grip with this game is the online. You cant set up a private game with friends , all public lobbys. Which is rubbish. Was going to tell my friends to get this so we could hook up, but not now. but still a good game and worth a buy in my opnion.
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Awards & Rankings

27
#27 Best PS4 Game of 2019
51
#51 Most Discussed PS4 Game of 2019

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
82

Generally favorable reviews - based on 23 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 20 out of 23
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 23
  3. Negative: 0 out of 23
  1. GameGrin
    Dec 5, 2019
    90
    A perfect continuation of what Bugbear has done previously with the Flatout series. They may no longer hold the license to that IP, but they definitely still have the spirit of it. This is a perfect blend of customisation and carnage, with something for everyone. I can’t recommend it enough, and it deserves to be just as popular as the games that came before it.
    Read full review
  2. PLAY! Zine
    Oct 8, 2019
    85
    Wreckfest brings a lot of fun to the table and is also a great vent for piled-up aggression from bad day at school or work. If you liked games like Destruction Derby and Flatout, you will love this. Be warned, there are still some bugs in the game, but it looks like the team is actively working on fixing them.
    Read full review
  3. Playstation Official Magazine UK
    Sep 25, 2019
    70
    s. There’s certainly room to experiment and tinker. Yet for all the fun you’ll have in Wreckfest’s sandpit circuits the constant technical hurdles hold it back. [Issue#167, p.92]
See all critic reviews »