Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown Gameplay Video Takes You on a Cruise

With the release delayed until 2024, Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown is a long way off. To whet our appetite, Nacon has released a new gameplay video focusing on cruising.

After the initial gameplay video was met with mixed reactions, this new footage is a significant improvement and captures the spirit of the original TDU games.

So, sit back and enjoy a relaxing cruise around the streets of Hong Kong Island in Solar Crown.

Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown The Cruiser trailer

While the initial gameplay video focused on multiplayer racing, cruising is a core part of TDU’s appeal. Away from the intensity of multiplayer racing, taking a relaxing drive and exploring the environment at a slower pace is a lot of fun in TDU.

The video starts in a lavish showroom with the player browsing cars before buying an Alfa Romeo 4C convertible sports car and cruising around Hong Kong Island. It's a great showcase of Hong Kong Island's diversity, from narrow residential streets to docklands and dirt trails.

As you cruise, tapping the d-pad winds the windows down, lowers the roof, and switches on the indicators, headlights, and windscreen wipers. This level of interaction sets TDU apart as you bond with your car.

“Cruising around is still an important aspect of TDU for us, and we're confident that exploring the island at a more relaxed pace will also be lots of fun for all the purists out there,” KT Racing wrote in the latest Solar Crown newsletter.

“TDUSC remains faithful to this vision by retaining what players have always loved about the franchise: chill driving, alone or with others, enjoying landscapes at cruising speed, and using all the various options inside your car.”

It probably didn’t help the multiplayer session increased the risk of lag, but the visuals and frame rate looked rough in the first showing back in July.

Being an alpha build, it was never going to look pristine, but the rough presentation and the session's unfocused structure garnered mixed reactions from the community. After years of anticipation, it was a strange way to show the game to the world for the first time.

Already, the visuals look noticeably better in the new cruising gameplay video, with improved lighting effects and a smoother frame rate at a near-solid 60fps. KT Racing will continue improving the visuals and performance so the final game will look even better.

Frankly, this is how Solar Crown should have been shown off in the first place – first impressions are everything.

Gamescom preview

At Gamescom, our colleagues at Gfinity Esports had a chance to take Solar Crown for a (pardon the pun) test drive. From their playthrough, it's clear that Solar Crown is aiming for a different audience than Forza Horizon.

Don’t expect to access the best cars straight away – unlocking the hypercar class takes 100 hours according to KT Racing. You can find out more in our Solar Crown Gamescom preview.

Originally set for a September 2022 release, Solar Crown is delayed until 2024, with a release date yet to be confirmed. After the last-gen versions were cancelled, KT Racing’s open-world racer will launch on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. A Switch version was also in development but the platform is no longer listed on the official Solar Crown website.