For those looking to get stuck into a new racing game sometime soon, it appears that Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown will be coming to PS5 and Xbox consoles by Sunday, March 31, 2024 at the latest. Publisher Nacon has revealed that the expansive arcade racer is set to launch in Q4 of the current financial year in its latest earnings report, 13 years after the arrival of Test Drive Unlimited 2. Test Drive fans, the time is nigh.
Though we expected Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown to arrive in the first half of this year, it’s certainly sooner than imagined. Typically a full release date would be confirmed at this point for games arriving within a couple of months – but hey, we’re not complaining. The original Test Drive Unlimited installments remain some of the best racing games to this day, even though they’re now a couple of console generations behind the curve.
The last we saw of Solar Crown in an official capacity was in its ‘The Racer’ trailer, which arrived back in mid-December. During the teaser, we were treated to a look at the stunning Corvette C7 ZR1, as well as the vast amount of customization available for it. The use of in-engine footage tells us developer KT Racing is confident in its current-gen offering, and, considering how good Hong Kong Island looks, we can see why.
It’s been a bit of a slog for Solar Crown’s development. Originally announced at Nacon Connect back in July 2020, the game was first delayed in May 2022. It would still arrive as one of the new PS5 games and new Xbox games, just not for last-gen as KT Racing wanted to hone in on getting the most out of current-gen hardware.
It was postponed once more in July 2023 – its sights now set for this year. The fruits of the studio’s labor were at least briefly enjoyed by those lucky enough to get into its closed beta that month. Now, the time for pushback is seemingly over, and it hopefully won’t be too long before we finally get that full release date confirmation.
According to Nacon’s Q3 2023/24 report, Solar Crown will be joined by Taxi Life, Garden Life; Welcome to Paradize; and Crown Wars the Black Prince. New game sales rose a massive 102.2% thanks to the likes of Robocop Rogue City and Cricket 24 – a feat it will be hoping to recreate when Solar Crown finally arrives.
If you’re planning to up your racing hours this year and are looking to the future for inspiration, then check out Rory’s thoughts on why off-road puzzler Expeditions should be on your PS5 and Xbox wishlist.