5 Thoughts From Playing Wreckfest 2 In Early Access

As huge fans of the original Wreckfest, we’ve been very excited to try out its sequel here at CT Towers.

This week, Wreckfest 2 launched in Early Access for all to try and we couldn’t resist getting in on the carnage. With a couple of hours under our belts, we’ve had some thoughts…

The handling model is solid

Wreckfest 2 didn’t need to be realistic, nor do we want it to be far too arcadey. The original title struck that balance well, and that’s the same for its sequel.

From early impressions, it feels like Wreckfest 2 has a little more fidelity to its physics. Weight transfer feels a touch more realistic, and the difference in drivetrain types is a little more noticeable. It’s approachable though, and great fun to get it right.

It looks great

We’re pretty impressed with how Wreckfest 2 looks graphically. Light bounces off the dented surfaces of car models beautifully, desctructable track-side objects are brilliantly integrated and offer some nice effects when smashed into. And of course, the damage looks brilliant – if not entirely the most accurately simulated thing.

It seems to run pretty well, too. Although admittedly on quite a beefy PC setup – running a Nvidia GTX 4080 Super for some context – we’ve been pulling a consistent 100fps+ on max graphics settings with full grids. We’re not too concerned about optimisation at this stage.

Most of all, it’s still good fun

It doesn’t matter how good Wreckfest looks or drives if none of it is that fun. The good news is, it is.

We’d have been surprised if it wasn’t given the destruction-heavy nature of the original title has remained playable for years but it’s good to see the core gameplay hasn’t really changed. Hopping into a quick race and quickly smashing things up is as refreshing a break as the original.

Testing Grounds could offer hours of entertainment

One of the new track additions to Wreckfest 2 is Testing Grounds. Seemingly inspired by Beam.NG’s Gridmap, the sandbox-style area is full of jumps, loops, things to crash into and even car flippers.

Once more cars and modes are available in the game, Testing Grounds could prove a bit of a hit. Expect to see some clips of it on your Instagram Reels soon.

It’s too early to recommend it

We’re enjoying what exists of Wreckfest 2 so far, but we don’t think there’s enough right now to recommend spending your cash on it.

If you want some fleshed-out, destruction derby-style fun… we’d suggest picking up the original title for the time being. Right now, you’re limited to a basic selection of quick races and multiplayer lobbies, four cars without customisation and no in-depth modes.

Down the line, we’ll get a proper career mode and more cars to play with but take ‘Early Access’ at face value – this is a very basic experience right now.

If you’re 100 per cent certain you want Wreckfest 2 at some stage anyway, the 20 per cent discount off its £24.99 RRP for the next two weeks might be enough to justify grabbing it. 

Otherwise, we’d hang on for a few more updates. The early signs are promising, though.