WRECKFEST: DRIVE HARD, DIE LAST

8.5 of 10 bananas. The best demolition derby racer of its era: soft body crashes, banger racing, and lawn mower events. Bugbear made metal bend like nothing else. A thin career and long loading times on older versions are the main dents.

By the Alpha. PS5 game listing. Updated Oct 22 2026.

Honest note: This is not a fresh hands-on playtest. I built this verdict from launch reviews, critic consensus, update history, and what is known about the game today. If I put real hours in on stream, I will update the score and say so.

Platforms: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Switch, and PC (Bugbear Entertainment and THQ Nordic, PC release June 2018, PS5 and Xbox Series versions 2021, Switch 2022). The Amazon button is the US PS5 disc, sold and shipped by Amazon.com at 29.94 dollars at my Oct 22 check, about the same as the 29.99 dollar Steam price. Wreckfest 2 is a separate sequel with its own Steam page; this page is about the first Wreckfest.

Sit with me a moment. When two silverbacks disagree, there is a lot of noise and some broken branches. Wreckfest is that argument, with cars, on a dirt oval, twenty four at a time.

What It Wants To Be

Wreckfest is a racing game built around crashing. You race beaten up cars on dirt and tarmac tracks, or enter demolition derbies where the last car moving wins. The damage model is the star: metal crumples, wheels fly off, and a car that took a hit drives differently afterward. There is a career mode with tournaments, odd vehicles like lawn mowers and combines, car upgrades, and online racing.

What Works

The crashes feel real and stay funny. Hitting a rival into a wall, watching a pileup at the first turn, or limping a broken car over the line is joy every time. Driving is weighty but accessible, and the derby arenas are chaos in the best way. The game has an 81 Metacritic score on its Steam page and was Very Positive there, about 88 percent of 41,733 user reviews, at my Oct 22 check.

What Breaks

Listen well. The career is thin once you see every event type. Older console versions were known for long loading times. Online lobbies can be full of players who wreck you on purpose, which is the point for some and a frustration for others. And the PS5 disc is a 2021 release, so the price can move as stock thins.

Who Should Play

Play it if you love destruction derbies, Burnout, or Flatout, or if you want a racer that makes friends laugh on stream. Skip it if you want clean, serious racing.

Related: Need for Speed Unbound, Hot Wheels Unleashed 2, Forza Horizon 5.

Sources: Amazon US PS5 listing, checked Oct 22 2026, Steam store page, Wreckfest on Wikipedia.

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