Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car
HIGH Excellent driving physics and a thoughtful approach to grinding.
LOW Lack of polish and connectivity issues.
WTF Why was buying a car in real life easier than buying one here?
Test Drive Unlimited is a fascinating series, and its pedigree and influence are felt by the legions of fans who play modern open-world racing games. A spin-off of the legendary Test Drive title, Unlimited was set in a 1-to-1 recreation of Hawaii’s Oahu, focusing on lavish cars, luxurious lifestyles, and plenty of social features. Fairly sophisticated for a 2006 release, it was followed by a sequel in 2011, which expanded on its already-massive open world.
In the years since that last TDU, titans like Need For Speed and the ever-popular Forza Horizon have taken the crown as open-world driving kings. Even last year’s The Crew: Motorfest managed to make its mark and deliver an incredible racer also set in Hawaii. With all of this competition now, it makes the release of Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown — the first TDU in over 13 years — feel even more significant.
Set in a 1-to-1 recreation of Hong Kong, Solar Crown is a racer played from either a third or first-person perspective. Players create a custom avatar and compete in the titular Solar Crown competition, rising through the ranks and becoming the best driver in the city. Navigating this digital rendition of Hong Kong is great, as the staggering size and scope of the map is impressive. Many modern open-world racers tend to fill their maps with a lot of off-road space, but TDU’s world is full of roads to drive on, ranging from a huge highway system to urban areas full of tight corners and sharp turns.
Honestly, nothing else in the genre can compare to how massive TDU:SC feels, and simply driving at high speeds is a thrill. I also loved taking in the sights and discovering new points of interest even though it does look a little rough around the edges, with a few textures looking less-than-stellar and character models a bit weird. But in motion? it’s pretty damn gorgeous. I especially loved rainy nights, blending gorgeous neon lights and reflective surfaces on the asphalt.
Of course, this being a racer, driving is just as important as the world. Thankfully, it feels exceptional, thanks to a solid handling model. There’s a fine balance between simulator-esque weight and physics in each of the cars while retaining the hallmarks of arcade racers, such as how easy it is to turn and drift. Every car feels and sounds distinct, from the powerful roar of a Ford Mustang to the smooth (yet speedy) sensation of a Nissan 370z. This also applies to performance tuning, and I noticed how significant any changes I made felt to the overall impact of driving.
The actual gameplay loop is familiar to those who’ve played racers in the last decade or so. Players are tasked with raising their reputation and completing various events in their journey to be the best. These range from simple circuit races in a closed-off section of the map to time attack modes that task the players with beating a specific time. Nothing necessarily groundbreaking, but the driving is entertaining, and a host of modifiers can adjust the difficulty of every event, such as altering the times needed to complete a race or trial or even adjusting CPU difficulty. There’s a lot of choice in how someone wants to approach the content.
Campaign progression is also fairly straightforward and arguably the most interesting part of the experience, as players are constantly rewarded with “reputation” points. Raising this grants access to new events, the ability to join one of the two major clans, and the chance to buy specific cars, tuning parts and more. Players are rewarded for doing virtually anything, whether it’s partaking in races (both winning and losing), driving through new roads, discovering landmarks, or finding shops. I like this system because it encourages exploration while not penalizing players for losing.
While most racers love to shower players in supercars, Solar Crown makes them work for it, but the effort that must be put in to earn enough resources makes every purchase feel special. Every showroom features fully-modeled cars, down to extreme detail in the interiors. Players can also test drive any car before buying, allowing for some wish fulfillment. It was cool getting into a 2021 Lamborghini Countach and driving around the map for a few minutes, and being able to play with things like the turn signals, windows, and windshield wipers added to an already-overwhelming sense of immersion. As someone who recently bought a new car in real life, it’s a little jarring how much harder it is to get a new one in my videogame, but I look forward to working through it.
Unfortunately, the praise I have for TDU:SC comes with major caveats, and the absolute biggest is the always-online requirement.
When I first booted up and created my character, I was given a notice that the servers were full and I couldn’t play. It took me about an hour to get in, and once I tried a race against NPC racers, I was kicked out due to server issues. In an era where players have legitimately raised concerns over server shutdowns, it’s bizarre that there is no fail-safe to let me play by myself. This always-online component also makes it impossible to simply pause during races. It’s mind-boggling that a game released in 2024 won’t let me pause or simply reset in the middle of a race.
Further, this launch feels a bit too rushed and unpolished, not only due to these server issues, but the limited number of events available got boring, quickly. I enjoyed driving through the world and working towards buying new cars, but I’m hoping that the variety and breadth of content will improve significantly over time.
As an arcade racing fan, Test Drive Unlimited: Solar Crown is an exciting jumping-off point and I can’t wait to see what it looks like down the road. Its driving physics and attention to detail are top-notch, and the unlock system gives me the incentive to work towards something. Unfortunately, I think I’m better off playing other racers at the moment while I wait for post-launch improvements that will likely come. I’m hopeful it’ll turn into something special, but right now it needs a little more work under the hood.
Rating: 7 out of 10
Disclosures: This game is published by Nacon and developed by KT Racing. It is available on PC, PS5, and XBX/S. This copy was obtained via publisher and was reviewed on PS5. Approximately 20 hours were spent in online modes and the game was not completed. There is no single-player offline mode.
Parents: According to the ESRB, this game is rated E10 for Lyrics. According to the site: This is a racing game, set on the island of Hong Kong, in which players race through streets and other open-world environments. Players can explore the island while engaging in races to build a reputation and earn money. Some song lyrics contain the words “Goddamn,” “hell,” and “a*s.”
Colorblind Modes: Colorblind modes are not present in the options menu.
Deaf and Hard of Hearing Gamers: Players can choose to turn on subtitles for cutscenes and some dialogue, but the text cannot be resized. Despite that, there are plenty of visual cues like a GPS to guide players through the map, driving lines to help them navigate where to drive for races, and different menus to browse through. I feel as though it’s fully accessible.
Remappable Controls: The controls can be remapped.
He has a knack for talking about anything he's passionate about, be it movies, games or even sports. If anyone needs an expert on Jim Jarmusch, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, Donkey Kong Country, or the Miami Heat, he’s your guy.
Don’t say we didn't warn you, though.
- Battlefield 6 Review - October 15, 2025
- Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds Review - October 6, 2025
- Mafia: The Old Country Review - August 18, 2025