After leaking early, the 34BigThings game has finally been officially unveiled to the public, which may be surprised by its new roguelite direction…

The legendary Carmageddon engine roars back to life, reimagined for a new era of vehicular combat. Carmageddon: Rogue Shift returns with brutal roguelite car-combat chaos. Adapt, upgrade, and obliterate post-apocalyptic zombie hordes. The legacy lives on, reinvented and merciless. It is the year 2050, and the world as we know it has become a post-apocalyptic wasteland. Nightmarish creatures, the Wasted, besiege humanity in endless waves. Every night they flood the streets, forcing survivors to barricade themselves inside their skyscraper homes. There is only one way out of this nightmare: the Carmageddon.

These deadly races promise power, prestige, and valuable prizes for those who dare to enter. Most importantly, the champion earns the right to attempt the perilous journey to the spaceport beyond the mountains. It is the only way out, the one chance to escape this dying world. As one of countless drivers entering the Carmageddon, you start with little more than a rusty wreck, some scavenged fuel, and a makeshift weapon. You clash with rival gangs such as the Autoscum and other lowlifes in a brutal fight for survival. Every destructive race is a chance to earn parts and upgrades, bringing you one step closer to the final escape. When night falls, the Wasted take over the streets, and you ride into the darkness with them.

The original spirit of Carmageddon, built on pure vehicular chaos, has been evolved and redesigned. The developers looked to both the past and the present to create a fast, exhilarating, and accessible combat-racing game. There are 15 upgradeable vehicles, including front-wheel drive, rear-wheel drive, and four-wheel drive models, each with unique weight and suspension. Ram, slam, boost, and sideswipe your rivals while making use of 13 weapon classes, ranging from shotguns to railguns, all of which are fully upgradeable. More than 80 perks are available, letting you create wild synergies to dominate the carnage. Dynamic weather and time-of-day cycles keep conditions changing. Rain turns asphalt slick, while fog hides lurking threats. Elite and boss events will challenge you with massive war rigs, corrupt Enforcers, and endless zombie hordes. Windshields, hoods, doors, bumpers, and trunks bend, crumple, dangle, and tear off under stress.

Every campaign offers a unique journey along a randomly generated node graph. Win events and crush your rivals to earn credits. Actions like mowing down Wasted, drifting, landing jumps, and pulling off flicks all grant additional rewards. Plan your route strategically to reach shops. In these safe havens, you can repair your car, swap weapons, and install any of the more than 80 unlockable perks. Adapt to the dynamically scaling difficulty and overcome elite events and bosses. With branching paths, varied objectives, and constantly shifting time and weather, no two runs are alike. But the Carmageddon does not end when your vehicle is destroyed. Another driver takes your place, and the challenge begins anew in a classic roguelite loop. Collect Beatcoins between runs to unlock permanent bonuses and new content on the black market. Discover synergies between these elements to forge the ultimate killing machine: in Carmageddon, the carnage never ends.

Carmageddon is packed with raiders, outcasts, and underworld scum of every kind. Some racers prefer to bolt ahead of the pack. Others hound you from behind, trying to ram you off the road. Some lie in wait, biding their time until they can unleash their weapons. A few are more skilled or better equipped than the rest, and you may recognize some familiar names in the crowd. The corrupt police forces known as the Enforcers enforce brutal laws on those spared from mutation. They will knock you off the road and strip your car for parts and ammo if you let them. Each district of the city is ruled by a particularly vicious boss. These are the biggest, meanest, fastest, and best-armed vehicles you will encounter. Under Carmageddon rules, you must defeat the boss to advance to the next stage. Every race is a brutal skill check that demands mastery of driving, close-quarters brawling, and ranged attacks against a diverse and unpredictable roster of enemies. To succeed, you must constantly work on your car, find your best upgrade and weapon combinations, and perform consistently behind the wheel.

World War III and a series of devastating natural disasters have left Earth in ruins. Amid the chaos, a dietary supplement called MiVis was introduced to address food shortages and soon became an integral part of everyday life. Long-term consumption of MiVis, however, led to horrific cellular mutations, transforming people into the Wasted – monstrous, hollow shells destroyed by the supplement’s side effects. Over time they became insensitive, extremely aggressive masses that stalk survivors after sunset. A lone Wasted is no match for your raging war machine, but things heat up quickly as more of them appear. Plow into swarms of humanoid shells flooding the track and part the waves of Wasted like a Moses on wheels. Just be careful not to get bogged down in the tide: if too many Wasted surround your car, they will tear it apart with their bare hands. Then there are the special Wasted, horrific super-mutations that are even less human. They might explode, shoot at you from afar, leap onto your car, or spring nastier surprises. They are a genuine threat and usually appear late into the night. And beyond them lies the ultimate horror – a rarely seen creature spoken of only in whispers, the monster guarding the sole mountain pass to salvation and your final trial.

Carmageddon: Rogue Shift is set to launch in early 2026 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC.

Source: Gematsu