RoadCraft Next Fest Demo Preview - Natural Disaster Relief With A Helping of Physics

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While I saw many cool games at Gamescom last year, RoadCraft found a way to stand out to me. I am a sucker for physics-based games, and RoadCraft is exactly that. Watching how the truck was able to move around, change the terrain, and interact with any hills or bumps that came its way was a joy. I have played past games from Saber in this series, including Snowrunner and Expeditions, but I like how this one has a more clearly defined goal for rebuilding destroyed sites. A Steam Next Fest demo is also coming, and I was lucky enough to try the game out a bit early. After playing it, I can only say that this is a demo you won't want to pass up on trying out.

Usually, I can get a little frustrated with games like RoadCraft. The in-depth truck and terrain simulation can be a little frustrating as you slowly go over terrain that wouldn't be the most suitable, but I never really reached that point. It was kind of like a strategy moment, figuring out the best way to get through the mud or dirt as it contorted around my wheels, utilizing All Wheel Drive and Differential Lock to help navigate. It took some time and investment, but it felt rewarding.

Unlike the previous games, RoadCraft is all about restoring specific sites that were destroyed by natural disasters, so there are multiple different specialized vehicles you will be using, like Asphalt pavers and Dozers. In the demo, I was able to try three different missions: Rebuilding roads, creating logistics pathways, and fixing a power grid. I ended up enjoying my time with each one and having a blast seeing how I could interact with the world.

It feels like every part of RoadCraft is dictated by physics and accurate simulation, and I love it. From the way you dump sand on the ground and pave it to trying to lift up logs to carefully place them all in my Log Forwarder, it was all quite satisfying to control and see how the objects would interact with their surroundings. Was it always easy? No, not at all. But that's part of the charm. The realism is what makes this series so great, and that extends to this entry as well.

Personally, my favorite mission was the second one, where you have to rebuild a road. I loved watching the sand hit the ground and seeing how the Dozer would flatten it to create an easier pathway for trucks and other vehicles to follow.

The game is segmented into these more specialized, accessible missions with their own objectives in a unique area, but there are some side objectives and infrastructure requests you can take on that are off the beaten path of the main mission. Along with resource collection and online multiplayer, I can see myself returning and playing this game with my friends to complete missions. I love playing simulation games like this with friends and working together to try to solve issues that arise. I loved doing it in MudRunner and SnowRunner, so I am more than ready to do it again.

Unfortunately, whenever I tried playing RoadCraft on the Steam Deck, it would crash before it could load into any level. With how well Expeditions, the last game in this series ran on the Steam Deck, I do have hope for the full release.

I can't wait for RoadCraft to be released and see what else I will be doing to help repair the damages that natural disasters have caused. You can pre-order the game now for $39.99 ahead of its May 20th release date. You can also try it out for yourself when the Next Fest demo goes live on February 24th!

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