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BeamNG.drive for Windows

  • Paid

  • In English
  • V 0.31
  • 4.3

    (6005)

Open-world vehicle simulation game

BeamNG is the developer of this open-world vehicle driving simulation game, BeamNG.drive, which saw an initial release in 2013 before entering Early Access in 2015. It followed the success of the off-road truck simulator Rigs of Rods. There are several soft-body physics components at play, granting users great control over car crashes and offering superb design dynamics.

Besides the lifelike driving mechanics, BeamNG.drive also offers top-notch car customization. Players can choose from a plethora of vehicles, from compact cars to massive trucks, and modify their chosen ride’s moving parts accordingly.

Vehicle simulation long in the making

Development of BeamNG.drive began in 2011 when some Rigs of Rods developers moved onto a new project. They were looking to build a new drive physics engine that could handle collisions. 

While they started working on the game with CryEngine 3, it eventually moved over to Torque. The latter was better equipped to handle the soft-body physics that was unique to the current project. The cars’ internal design resembled ‘beams,’ which the team derived the name from, followed by ‘NG’ for New Generation.

In 2013, the car driving simulator had a soft release with some Alpha testing, followed by an Early Access launch in 2015, that contained additional features for a new platform. The year 2018 saw a new partnership with Camshaft Software where players can export vehicles crafted in the tycoon game Automation into the driving simulator.

BeamNG.drive gameplay mechanics

There are a few gameplay modes, most notably Campaign and Time Trial. You’ll find various scenarios to play in the former whereby you need to complete different objectives for rewards. Meanwhile, the latter lets you select a map route, vehicle, and level, testing you against the system’s best and your personal best times. 

Free roam is also available for players who want to experience the feeling of crashing their cars into anything and everything that comes their way. The soft-body physics doesn’t only apply to your vehicle, but also to any unfortunate object you happen to collide with during your chaotic adventures. Furthermore, this mode lets you manipulate the environment and even change weather conditions.

While the game was ultimately designed to be a single-player experience, players can install mods to enable multiplayer modes. For example, you can install BeamMP to join friends and online gamers. There’s also support in case you need assistance with any issues. Although, while these extra modifications are usually free, you’ll still need to buy the base game before you can download and install any of them.

Top features of BeamNG.drive 

One of the top features of the game is that any players who signed up for Alpha and Beta testing will receive the vehicle simulator game free during and after Early Access. Furthermore, these players will also receive all the latest items and cars once they already own the title.

Whether you prefer playing on a keyboard or a gamepad, both are possible. At the moment, 14 vehicles are available to crash and drive anywhere on the map, with more to come through further development. There’s also an option to set your alert preferences for the messaging app.

Aside from having more than ten terrains for you to explore, the game also allows modding so that you can create new maps, vehicles, or scripted gameplay. You’ll also have access to an advanced editing tool where you can refine or adapt any of the design details. The options include 3D modeling, as well as terrain, image, and text editing.

The base game’s single-player mode doesn’t require authentication or an internet connection. You can drive around and cause as much offline chaos as you wish. However, you’ll need the internet if you installed any multiplayer mods and want to play online with your friends.

Will BeamNG.drive be free?

In its Alpha and Beta testing stages, the game was free to download and install. Users who had signed up for those testing stages should have been able to enjoy the game’s earliest version without having to shell out anything. However, since its early access stage, the game must be purchased in order to play. Currently, the developers seem to have no plans of releasing it publicly for free.

What device can I play BeamNG.drive on?

BeamNG.drive can be played on any PC that meets the minimum or recommended requirements. While it can be played with the device’s keyboard, it’s highly suggested that players utilize a gamepad as well. It’s also available on mobile with BeamNG.drive Mobile.

Can I play BeamNG.drive without Steam?

Some users say that it’s possible to play the game even without Steam running in the background. However, it must be acquired through legal means and that can be done so by purchasing it from the game store.

Comparison with similar games

Many gamers compare BeamNG.drive with the original game that featured soft-body physics, which is Rigs of Rods. On the one hand, players love that Rigs is free, whereas, for Beam, you need to pay. Furthermore, Rigs has better handling and mechanics for trucks, while BeamNG.Drive’s design caters to lighter cars.

Another fan favorite is Wreckfest. The top advantage of this racing game is that there’s online multiplayer without the addition of modifications. BeamNG.Drive, however, takes the win here for its physics engine, massive maps, and thrilling car chases.

Finally, you may want to try out SPINTIRES. It has a broader focus on off-road vehicles, with linear objectives that expect you to carry cargo from Point A to B. The game also employs soft-body physics.

 

Festive Freight in BeamNG.drive v0.31

The Festive Freight in BeamNG.drive's v0.31 update is an elaborate array of enhancements and additions focusing primarily on the Gavril T-Series. It includes a comprehensive overhaul of this iconic truck with new variants, mechanical improvements, and an expanded lineup for a more immersive driving and freight-handling experience. Players can enjoy the new cover variant, advanced aerodynamic sleeper variants, and a more realistic coupling system.

It introduces new trailers like the Container Trailer and the Frameless Dump Trailer, enriching the logistical aspects of the game. These trailers come with innovative features such as extendable chassis, customizable load configurations, and lightweight designs, broadening the gameplay possibilities and challenges. The festive update also extends to the game's environment, with the expansion of the West Coast USA map, new missions, and comprehensive improvements across various vehicles.

It also brings substantial enhancements to the experimental VR mode, aiming to provide a more intuitive and engaging virtual reality experience. With improved vehicle triggers, resolution control, and several other VR-specific tweaks, the festive update ensures a more robust and enjoyable simulation, making the festive freight in BeamNG.drive v0.31 a significant and exciting development for players.

BeamNG.drive system requirements

Determining the specifications for games is crucial. You want as much detail as possible without the software eating at your computer’s resources, specifically the memory and storage space. It helps if you have a good PC for BeamNG.Drive, but you can play it on lower specs or a laptop. The main effect is lower performance and unsatisfactory graphical detail. Even the soft-body physics won’t appear as realistic, and you’ll feel somewhat disappointed.

The minimum requirement is Windows 7. However, for the ultimate experience, you’ll want to play BeamNG.Drive on Windows 10.

Here are the recommended specifications or system requirements for BeamNG.Drive on Windows 10 based on a resolution of 1080p:

  • Processor: AMD Ryzen 7 1700 3.0Ghz / Intel Core i7-6700 3.4Ghz (or better)
  • Memory: 32 GB RAM
  • Graphics: AMD R9 290 / Nvidia GeForce GTX 970
  • Storage: 50 GB available space

 

If you plan on installing BeamNG.drive mods, you’ll need more resources. Also, the developer recommends using a gamepad.

Drive and crash to your heart’s content

Many players enjoy the exhilarating experience that BeamNG.Drive offers. The soft-body physics gives off a sense of realism as you watch body parts fly everywhere around you. While there are several alternatives to the vehicle simulation game, this one delivers in a way that few others can match.

A dynamic soft-body physics vehicle simulator

BeamNG.drive is a realistic, immersive driving game offering near-limitless possibilities. Our soft-body physics engine simulates every component of a vehicle in real time, resulting in realistic, dynamic behavior.
The driving feel is authentic and visceral, and crashes are realistic and violent; yet the physics are accessible enough to drive with a keyboard or gamepad while still being authentic with a full racing wheel with uncompromising realism.

Environments and vehicles in BeamNG.drive are hand-crafted with passionate attention to detail. With years of meticulous design, research, and experience, we authentically recreate the feeling and excitement of real world driving.

We are a small team from around the world with no obligations to publishers or outside interests. Our users and modding community are our first priority. Help us make BeamNG.drive the ultimate driving experience and discover what an open and uncompromising soft-body vehicle simulator can be.

Why is BeamNG.drive the game for you?

As an open world vehicle simulator, BeamNG.drive will cover a large array of vehicular disciplines - everything from a delivery mission in a box truck to a high speed rally race or a destruction derby. The vehicle customization and detail will allow you to make your car or truck all your own - fix it up, upgrade it, or strip away body panels to reduce weight. There are a lot of different types of gameplay we want to implement beyond just racing and crashing, such as police chases, stunt challenges, and other specialized minigames. Eventually we would like to have some kind of single player open world career mode, with persistent vehicle ownership and procedurally generated used vehicles to buy and events to run them in.

In some ways, BeamNG.drive is about doing anything you want with a car or truck - the stuff other games don't let you do. You can go off-roading in a family sedan or hurl a delivery truck around a racing circuit, all with beautiful soft-body simulation physics. You can mod those same vehicles to be racing beasts, derby monsters, or off-road behemoths - or just thrash them stock. At the end of the day, BeamNG.drive gives you the gameplay you want, and doesn't force you to do anything that you don't think is fun or interesting.

The future of the game and our physics engine

As we optimize our game and computer technology improves, the amount of vehicles which can be simultaneously simulated at a smooth framerate will increase. Right now you can run 4 to 6 cars at one time on a high end quad-core processor. Each vehicle has around 400 nodes and 4000 beams, all being simulated 2000 times per second. We hope to expand the number of simultaneous vehicles possible to at least 8 with a mid-range processor.

We will also look towards having multiplayer in the future, but it may be some time before we can create the multiplayer experience everyone is expecting. We are well aware of the demand for multiplayer and we want it just as much as you, but for the short term we are focusing on the single player career mode, various driving events, fixing bugs, and creating more content. It is feasible that we could implement local and/or same PC multiplayer in the interim.


Also, the possibilities extend beyond land vehicles. Users in our community have already made planes and helicopters that fly purely with the existing vehicle aerodynamic physics, with no cheating whatsoever. BeamNG can simulate aircraft in a very authentic way due to its soft-body physics. All the flex that happens to a real plane's airframe arises naturally in BeamNG, and the consequences of excessive stress are also modeled. Fly too fast and your wings will start to bend and rip off. The potential for the BeamNG physics engine is huge.

PROS

  • Enhanced graphical detail
  • Regular updates with new items
  • Free for testers
  • Massive maps with several game modes

CONS

  • Requires mods for multiplayer modes

Also available in other platforms

Program available in other languages


BeamNG.drive for PC

  • Paid

  • In English
  • V 0.31
  • 4.3

    (6005)

User reviews about BeamNG.drive

  • Liz&Dan Nunya

    by Liz&Dan Nunya

    hi

  • Mineleague360

    by Mineleague360

    It's not supposed to be free...

  • Mineleague360

    by Mineleague360

    Guys, it's not SUPPOSED to be free. You have to pay for a paid game!

  • BTEXEPRO

    by BTEXEPRO

    IS PAID GAME DO NOT BUY THIS GAME IS A SACM AND FIX THE LINK IS PAID GAME TO BUY THE GAME AND IM DONT WANT TO BUY THE GAME FIX THE LINK DOWNLOAD OR IM More

  • Henshaw William

    by Henshaw William

    it has good graphics.

  • Henshaw William

    by Henshaw William

    i love it.


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