Ever since its early-access launch in 2015, BeamNG.drive has stood as one of the most advanced soft-body physics simulation games on the PC games market. With the landscape of sim racing and simulation titles evolving and demand for console ports of PC-exclusive titles growing, could BeamNG.drive ever find itself available to console gamers?
BeamNG.drive has been pulling in fans for years, especially sim racers looking for the next big thing. The new rally and drifting update hints give us hope for the future, but what about the console racing crowd? Some have been waiting years for a BeamNG.drive release. Is it ever going to materialize?
BeamNG.drive on low settings still showcases impressive lighting and shadows.
The open modding ecosystem is an arguably essential aspect of BeamNG.drive, where players can create and share custom cars, maps, scenarios and apps. To shoot another arrow into the console crowd's hopes of seeing BeamNG.drive on their platform of choice, a console version would need to introduce built-in mod support or implement a curated content system—an almost impossible task on the scale of the BeamNG.drive mod repository.
BeamNG.drive on low settings still showcases impressive lighting and shadows.
The PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X boast significantly upgraded CPUs and GPUs, but they are still incapable of handling BeamNG.drive's advanced physics calculations. In a world where the game could run on consoles, an additional SSD storage would have to be included to help with loading large maps and assets, making the gameplay experience even less seamless, something that attracts millions of payers to consoles in the first place.
Off-road Autobello Piccolina configuration. Image: BeamNG.drive
The hardworking and passionate team behind BeamNG.drive has slightly slowed down its update cycle and, according to our sources, is seeking collaborations in several areas across the company, including Cross-Platform UI/UX Solutions and Licensing.
This could mean that the team behind BeamNG.drive is considering creating a separate entity for a console release, which resembles BeamNG.drive but has console-friendly running requirements.
At this point, BeamNG.drive remains a PC-exclusive title with no official confirmation or expansion on a console release. However, as technology advances and player demand increases, the possibility of seeing this popular physics simulator on PlayStation and Xbox is not entirely out of the question, albeit in another form.
Multiple vehicles could cause serious performance issues on consoles. Image: BeamNG.drive
This is purely speculation, the product of a late Saturday night spent piecing together jigsaw puzzle pieces that could eventually lead to nothing. However, one thing is clear: console gamers are ready to experience the thrill of soft-body physics simulation, and the team behind BeamNG.drive could be the ones to offer that in the future.
Would you play BeamNG.drive or an equivalent title on consoles? Let us know your thoughts in the comments down below!
BeamNG.drive has been pulling in fans for years, especially sim racers looking for the next big thing. The new rally and drifting update hints give us hope for the future, but what about the console racing crowd? Some have been waiting years for a BeamNG.drive release. Is it ever going to materialize?
BeamNG.drive on low settings still showcases impressive lighting and shadows.
The challenges of a console port
While the idea of BeamNG.drive on consoles excites many current and potential fans, there are several significant obstacles. The game relies on an incredibly advanced physics engine that demands high computational power that asks a lot of high-end PC setups. The game can push modern computing hardware to its limits, especially if it is not top-of-the-line, so a port of BeamNG.drive to consoles would have to be a severely diluted interpretation of the sandbox simulator.The open modding ecosystem is an arguably essential aspect of BeamNG.drive, where players can create and share custom cars, maps, scenarios and apps. To shoot another arrow into the console crowd's hopes of seeing BeamNG.drive on their platform of choice, a console version would need to introduce built-in mod support or implement a curated content system—an almost impossible task on the scale of the BeamNG.drive mod repository.
Next-Gen Consoles: Why are they not a turning point?
Even with the current processing power of the latest generation of consoles, such as the PlayStation 5 Pro, a BeamNG.drive port is still far from a technical standpoint.BeamNG.drive on low settings still showcases impressive lighting and shadows.
The PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X boast significantly upgraded CPUs and GPUs, but they are still incapable of handling BeamNG.drive's advanced physics calculations. In a world where the game could run on consoles, an additional SSD storage would have to be included to help with loading large maps and assets, making the gameplay experience even less seamless, something that attracts millions of payers to consoles in the first place.
BeamNG.drive to console: An impossible mission, or simply a façade for something new?
While the developers at BeamNG.drive have remained largely silent on a console port, they have expressed interest in expanding the game's reach. In past Q&A sessions, they acknowledged the demand for a console release but cited technical challenges as the primary hurdle in making feasible progress.Off-road Autobello Piccolina configuration. Image: BeamNG.drive
The hardworking and passionate team behind BeamNG.drive has slightly slowed down its update cycle and, according to our sources, is seeking collaborations in several areas across the company, including Cross-Platform UI/UX Solutions and Licensing.
This could mean that the team behind BeamNG.drive is considering creating a separate entity for a console release, which resembles BeamNG.drive but has console-friendly running requirements.
At this point, BeamNG.drive remains a PC-exclusive title with no official confirmation or expansion on a console release. However, as technology advances and player demand increases, the possibility of seeing this popular physics simulator on PlayStation and Xbox is not entirely out of the question, albeit in another form.
Multiple vehicles could cause serious performance issues on consoles. Image: BeamNG.drive
This is purely speculation, the product of a late Saturday night spent piecing together jigsaw puzzle pieces that could eventually lead to nothing. However, one thing is clear: console gamers are ready to experience the thrill of soft-body physics simulation, and the team behind BeamNG.drive could be the ones to offer that in the future.
Would you play BeamNG.drive or an equivalent title on consoles? Let us know your thoughts in the comments down below!
