Monster Jam Showdown is a New Unreal Engine 5 Monster Truck Game From Milestone

Milestone is best known for its annual MotoGP games and, more recently, the Hot Wheels Unleashed games based on the popular toy car line.

Now, the Italian studio is branching out to monster trucks, with the surprise announcement that a new official Monster Jam game called Monster Jam Showdown will hit PC and consoles this year as part of a new collaboration.

Monster Jam Showdown coming this year

Players will get behind the wheel of 66 official Monster Jam trucks, with 40 included in the base game and 26 being added in free and premium DLC.

The announcement trailer shows iconic monster trucks like the shark-themed Megalodon and Grave Digger thundering across off-road circuits. Over 140 paint jobs can also be unlocked to personalise your truck.

Replicating the real-life Monster Jam events, players will compete in three venue categories: American Football fields, baseball stadiums and speedways, with a mix of rectangular, diamond and oval layouts. Alongside the real-life venues will also be three fictional environments set in Death Valley, Colorado, and Alaska.

Across ten game modes, players will compete in official head-to-head and freestyle competitions alongside fictional events. These fictional events will include traditional off-road racing with multiple opponents, which is shown in the trailer.

Developed with Unreal Engine 5, Monster Jam Unleashed promises “lifelike environments never seen before in a Milestone game,” with realistic lighting and detailed trucks and environments.

As for how these juggernaughts will handle, don’t expect Monster Jam Showdown to be a realistic simulation like Teyon’s Monster Truck Championship. Milestone describes the gameplay as “arcade” with “truthful physics” delivering an “approachable yet rewarding gaming experience.”

A suite of driving aids will help players perform wild stunts, but Monster Jam Showdown will hopefully still offer a challenge for experienced players.

Release date

Monster Jam Showdown will launch in 2024 on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam and Epic Games Store, but the release date is yet to be confirmed.

Monster Jam has a long history of official games dating back to Monster Jam: Maximum Destruction in 2003. Before Milestone took over the license, THQ Nordic's Rainbow Studios helmed the series with the Monster Jam Steel Titans games.

Monster Jam Showdown is seemingly filling the void of an official Monster Energy Supercross game this year. Instead, MX vs ATV Legends (also developed by Rainbow Studios) is being drip-fed official Supercross riders and venues alongside the 2024 championship.

After being associated with bike racing games, it’s great to see Milestone diversify its driving games portfolio following the success of Hot Wheels Unleashed. Milestone is no stranger to off-road racing games either, having developed the official WRC games before KT Racing’s reign and the underrated GRAVEL inspired by Sega Rally.

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