I’ve said it before, but 2024 really was the year of the survival game. We had megahits like Palworld and Once Human, and excellent genre entries like Enshrouded and Abiotic Factor. Then there was Soulmask, The Forever Winter, and even Infection Free Zone. There were so many I wouldn’t be surprised if there are loads you still plan on getting around to playing. So if Pacific Drive is one of the games on your ever-growing list, now’s the perfect time to play it. If not, then consider this your introduction.
Pacific Drive isn’t your typical survival game. Instead of exploring lush forests with nothing but a stick and a dream, you’re trapped in the Olympic Exclusion Zone – a mysteriously abandoned area of Washington brimming with scientific anomalies. With just a collapsing station wagon to your name, you need to explore, scavenge, and upgrade your ride with retrofuturist technology. Every pedal, dial, and gearshift is supremely tactile, making your car feel like a true extension of yourself.
Nat’s very own Pacific Drive review sings the praises of the game, highlighting how its roguelike loop keeps every run feeling fresh. Sometimes you’ll cruise between the trees and occasionally stop for extra supplies, only for your next foray into the Zone to be filled with dangerous anomalies and adverse weather conditions. Pacific Drive is unpredictable, but that’s what makes getting behind the wheel just one more time so addictive.
Developer Ironwood Studios has also released a handful of free updates for the game since launch, so if you’re setting out for the first time you’ve got plenty of options. One update added a photo mode and overhauled your shabby station wagon, while another introduced new difficulty and cosmetic options alongside the ability to play your own music on the in-game radio. You can even kit out your garage and come up against newer anomalies, if you’ve got what it takes.
A new sale is offering Pacific Drive at quite the discount, and this has driven hundreds more to give the game a try. Since Pacific Drive went cheap, the player numbers have risen to a concurrent peak of 2,000, and it might go even higher.
Ironwood Studios is selling Pacific Drive at a 40% discount on Steam until Thursday January 20, so you can expect to pay $17.99 / £14.99. Get involved here.
If you want something with even more spooks be sure to check out the best horror games. Otherwise, the best story games will keep you just as gripped as Pacific Drive.
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