I can honestly say I have never played another game quite like Pacific Drive.
The first time I saw a trailer for the PS5 title, I knew I had to play it. First-time developers Ironwood Studios clearly had a very unique vision for the game, which resulted in Pacific Drive being one of 2024’s most idiosyncratic titles.
Pacific Drive is a first-person survival game that tasks you with escaping the “Olympic Exclusion Zone” by using your trusty station wagon.
While I wouldn’t describe it as a horror game, Pacific Drive is an unnerving, somewhat creepy experience.
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You never feel safe whenever you have to force yourself to step outside of your car, so your vehicle starts to feel like this safe little bubble… until it starts doing random stuff that’s out of your control, like opening your passenger door or honking its horn in the dead of night.
I could waffle about this game for hours, but I don’t want to spoil too much of the fun, so just take it from me; there’s a good reason Pacific Drive has been nominated for the Best Debut Indie Game award at this year's TGAs.
Oh, and good news if you suddenly feel inspired to give the game a go (or alternatively just need an extra reason to replay it), as Pacific Drive just received a free update that’s added a bunch of new content.
The “Trips and Treasures” update is already live on both PlayStation 5 and Steam, which (according to its trailer) adds new “garage customization” options, “a puzzling new activity, and something top secret”.
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The developers also warn that “you want to keep an eye out for [REDACTED]” during your hunt for that “top secret”, and if that doesn’t entice you to give it a go I don’t know what will.
Topics: PlayStation, PlayStation 5, Sony, Steam