Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown PS5: Features, Gameplay, Release Date, & more

KT Racing is making a long-awaited return with the release of Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown PS5. TDU is set to return after more than a decade away, in which the landscape of racing has changed dramatically.

After blazing a trail in the open-world genre, TDU returns to a world dominated by one game; Forza Horizon 5. Forza is unavailable for PlayStation players, which is why Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown on PS5 is such an exciting concept!

From the location and gameplay details to the release date, here's everything we know so far about Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown PS5.

Latest news - New Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown Trailer Confirms Release Date

Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown's release window was getting closer and closer before its release date was finally confirmed. After two years of delays to both 2023 and 2024, the Release Date Trailer finally confirmed what we were after.

The Explorer Trailer from Nacon Connect confirmed that 2024 would be the year TDUSC will launch, a decision that was definitely the correct one for the series:

Solar Crown will launch worldwide on September 12, but there are a couple ways to gain early access to the game. The first is to pre-purchase Silver Streets, which will grant two-days early access from September 10.

The second is to go all out and pre-order the Gold Edition of the game. This gives you seven days of early access from September 5.

Explorer Trailer

Nacon Connect 2024 brought a new Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown trailer.

The Explorer shows off the off-road driving available in the game, with a Porsche Taycan Sport Turismo seen blasting through the jungles of Hong Kong Island. As the Taycan speeds by, other players are shown also racing alongside.

Check out the new The Explorer trailer below:

Hong Kong Island deep dive

From narrow town streets to wide open highways where you can maximize speed to winding off-road mountain trails, Hong Kong is set to be a brilliant location to explore.

In a recent newsletter update, KT Racing shared visual updates on the map we will all be racing around soon. Hong Kong Island's 370 square-mile landscape is being recreated at 1:1 scale, but it won't be an exact replica.

Credit: KT Racing / Nacon

“To emphasize the fast and smooth driving, for example, the very dense urban network of HKI needed some small adjustments because of certain little streets that were very (too?) narrow,” creative director Alain Jarniou explained.

“Conversely, some light redesign was done to the major thoroughfares to make them more fun and adapted to very fast cars, while respecting the identity of Hong Kong Island.”

Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown PS5

Fortunately for those looking to play the game on the next generation of consoles, TDUSC will be released on the PlayStation 5. A PlayStation 4 version was in development, but the last-gen game was canceled in 2021.

This hopefully means the PS5 version won't be compromised, with KT Racing able to take full advantage of the PS5's power.

PS5-specific features haven't been announced yet, but TDUSC will benefit from faster loading times on PS5 thanks to the SSD hard drive. With TDUSC taking place in a large open world set in Hong Kong Island, fast loading times are essential.

Resolution and frame rate are not confirmed yet, but it's possible that TDUSC will run at 4K. Being set in a large open world, the frame rate will likely be capped at 30fps at this resolution.

However, there may be a Performance mode that boosts the frame rate to 60fps at a cost of a lower 1080p resolution and reduced graphical effects. An ultra-smooth 120fps mode is unlikely given the scale of the game.

Gameplay

So far we have only seen cinematic trailers for the game. We've only seen a small snippet of gameplay in the Together We Drive trailer that only lasts a few seconds.

However, we do know that a few fan-favorite features are returning.

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TDUSC will offer the full dealership experience, making buying your dream car feel like a special occasion.

There will be 14 dealerships in the game selling cars from different brands, from classic cars to luxury models. Ferrari and Lamborghini will have their own dedicated dealerships.

Once you've bought your dream car, you can then customize it in Workshops, with options to upgrade the performance and create your own liveries.

Six categories will feature 13 customisable performance parts for combustion cars. Electric cars will also have six categories but 12 customisable performance parts.

Head-to-head mode was also shown in the announcement trailer. It seems you'll be able to race against another player or AI in a pink slips race and put your car on the line.

The trailer also showed a swanky casino, suggesting there will be a gambling element where you can win or lose your car.

Trailer

Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown was shown at Nacon Connect in a brand new trailer called Together We Drive. While we get a first look at the in-game engine, we still haven't seen any proper gameplay.

Dealerships and car customisation detailed

After a long period of silence, KT Racing is releasing monthly news updates. The first update provided a deep dive into two key TDUSC elements: dealerships and car customisation.

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