‘Wreckfest 2’, developed by Bugbear Entertainment and published by THQ Nordic, is the highly anticipated sequel to the acclaimed demolition derby racing game, ‘Wreckfest’. The game has entered early access as of March 20th, 2025 and has been added to Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S and MKAU Gaming was invited to take a look.

The ‘Early Access’ version of Wreckfest 2 currently features four maps and four vehicles, but it lacks customisation and campaign options. Whilst the available content offers a solid taste of what’s to come running the same tracks repeatedly can get old after a little while. That being said it still delivers a fun and chaotic experience, showcasing improvements in physics and destruction which the game is based around. I was most interested to hear that the developer’s commitment to listening to the community gives me confidence that the game should evolve quite quickly and to what the community wants. 

Like the first game, the vehicles in Wreckfest 2 aren’t officially licensed, but it doesn’t take a genius to figure out what the real-world cars there based on. The designs are all clearly inspired by classic muscle cars, old-school sedans and some European compacts and when more cars are added I’m sure there will be more variety in the collection.

The maps so far look awesome ranging from high-speed oval tracks to a scrap yard which is pure chaos. It’s going to give players a solid taste of what is to come.

If you played ‘Wreckfest’ you will be familiar with the controls and if you have ever played a racing game in your life you’ll know how it all operates. It’s not quite as simple as your standard arcade racing games as you are constantly dealing with aggressive opponents who are actively trying to take you out the entire time. If navigating the track was not hard enough the more your car is hit the harder the car becomes to drive. 

There is an online option in the Early Access but unfortunately, I’ve been unable to access it due to a server error whose name takes up three lines. I also haven’t been able to test the Multiplayer mode, which I feel would add an extra layer of chaos.

I was impressed with the graphics, especially considering that the main focus of the game is the demolition derby aspect so the model damage is a crucial factor. The developers delivered with incredibly realistic destruction system.

I was impressed with the dents, scratches and crumpled panels and they all looked impressive. The interiors in the cars looked great when bonnets were flapping around made racing a little bit harder cause you could not see squat. I was also impressed with what we have seen on the race tracks so far with the attention to detail on the couple of maps is great. 

I was quite impressed with the minor audio details in Wreckfest 2, especially how the sound design enhanced the overall experience in the game. For example, you could be coming in hot to a corner and hit it a little too hard and the tyres screech as zoom around the corner or when you are hitting the car beside you and you can hear the metal crunching on the car when you make contact. The cars’ engines themselves sound decent much like the first game, If you’ve played that before and if not it’s more or less a generic sounding engine noise.

Overall, so far I’m impressed with what has been released so far, and I hope the developers continue to roll out updates regularly to keep players engaged and the content fresh. The developers have built a strong foundation and the game has a great potential to be a great game as long as there listening during the early access period. 

Written by: Hayden Nelson