THQ Nordic and Bugbear Entertainment have announced that the action-racing game Wreckfest will be coming to PlayStation 5 with a host of enhancements. The release will take place on June 1, 2021. There will be a paid upgrade from PlayStation 4.

Unlike the Xbox Series X and S versions, the PlayStation 5 version will be a full console adaptation of the game. The developers will significantly tighten the graphics – they will not only improve textures and effects, but, for example, add dynamic dirt to vehicles. On this generation of Sony systems, racing will run in 4K at 60fps, and downloads will be faster. In addition, the capacity of the lobby in online modes will increase to 24 users.

Full list of improvements:

• dynamic mud on transport;
• improved shadows, particles and lighting;
• increased texture resolution;
• denser vegetation;
• twilight rays;
• new effects of the brake wake;
• tactile effects of the DualSense controller;
• faster downloads.

The PS5 version will be released in digital and disc versions for $ 39,99, € 39,99, or £ 34,99. For owners of the PS4 variant, the update will not be free, but they will be offered a 75 percent discount (taking into account the cost will be $ 9,99, or € 9,99).

On the Xbox of the current cycle, the game ran in 4K (on the Xbox Series X – at 60 fps, on the Xbox Series S – at 30 fps) in mid-March. The update also brings a new Woodland Dash tournament, Pinehills Raceway routes, a free Hammerhead RS car, a number of balance improvements and technical fixes.

Wreckfest is the newest project of Finnish Bugbear Entertainment, which created the famous FlatOut series, as well as the Rally Trophy car simulator and the Ridge Racer Unbounded racing action movie. Development of the game, which the authors describe as the spiritual successor to FlatOut and Destruction Derby, began in 2012 (at the time, it was temporarily named Next Car Game). In 2013, the studio launched a Kickstarter campaign, but after 22 days canceled it due to the obvious impossibility of achieving the goal. Funds for the production of the project were partially raised thanks to pre-orders through the official website.

In late 2013, the creators released an early version of Wreckfest, and in January 2014 it appeared on Steam Early Access. In just a week, the version for the Valve store brought in over $ 1 million.The final release on PC took place in June 2018, and in August 2019, the race was released on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Shortly thereafter, THQ Nordic, the publisher of the game, announced the completion of the studio’s purchase process. Wreckfest has very positive reviews on Steam (84% of 18,6 thousand reviews are positive), and its Metacritic rating is 81-83 / 100.

In 2016, Bugbear announced work on a new racing action game called Stuntfest.