An introduction

SnowRunner isn’t a new game. In fact, this off-road simulation released back in 2020 from Saber Interactive and Focus Entertainment as a follow-on from 2014’s Spintires and its sequel MudRunner. All these games follow a similar formula: players take control of powerful workhorse vehicles, completing objectives in rugged locations, far off the beaten track.

The beauty of SnowRunner, though, is that it’s a game with ageless appeal and playability. It’s something you can keep installed, and visit whenever you feel like virtually retreating into the icy wilderness for some tough but rewarding graft. Sweetening the deal is SnowRunner’s Season 7 update (released on 31 May), which brings with it a next-gen update for Xbox Series consoles and PS5.

Season 7: Compete & Conquer comes with other content as well, such as a new racing/time trial component, a new map set in Tennessee, and two new vehicles. However, it’s the introduction of 4K, 60FPS, plus other performance improvements and functionalities that may tempt new players to jump in, or lure back owners of the original game.

For the record, the next-gen update is free for all Year 2 Pass holders. Meanwhile, SnowRunner can also be played on PC, Nintendo Switch, and the PS4 and Xbox One console generation. Plus, the default edition of the game is available with Xbox Game Pass.

Given the heftiness of the Season 7 update, and the significance of the console generation leap, we decided to get two different perspectives: that of a complete newcomer to SnowRunner, and a veteran player. Here’s what they thought on slipping into the driver’s seat.

Newcomer’s perspective – Noelle Adams

Confession from the outset: I don’t like car games. I normally lose interest, even in high-speed racing challenges, and tap out after the one hour mark. So I went into SnowRunner bracing to be bored. A good few days of play later and the game still has me engaged, to the point of watching YouTube guides on tips and strategies.

Then again, SnowRunner isn’t a typical car game. It’s officially classified as an off-road simulation, with players slogging across remote, weather battered environments in unglamorous vehicles that rarely get beyond second gear. There is little in the way of sleek and glossy genre thrills for motorheads.

That, though, is to SnowRunner’s advantage. It feels like something completely different; offering a unique vehicular experience that is quiet, contemplative and challenging. No cruise control here. SnowRunner makes players work. All. The. Time. One of the game’s taglines is “A world of challenge,” and they weren’t lying. Simply reaching a watch tower to uncover the surrounding map continually involves switching drive modes and using a winch to haul yourself out of bumper-deep mud when you inevitably get stuck.

Now, Snowrunner has plenty of unexpected frustrations too. Particularly aggravating is the map, which has limited zoom functionality. When you can’t even see what direction your vehicle is facing, and don’t have a minimap to reference in real-time, it’s easy to end up on the wrong side of a location – far away from your objective and all-important gas station.

Even when you’re not making unwanted detours, the map is treacherous. What looks like a dirt track is actually a bog, and a lot of the time it feels like you’ll have an easier time ignoring marked tracks and just charting your own course.

Then there’s the game’s user experience design, which lacks in intuitiveness at times. Tutorials and tips are easily accessible, but SnowRunner is so huge a game – a giant slushy sandbox where you can focus on what interests you – that it’s quite overwhelming. At least to start with. Vehicle deployment, as you move freely between the different maps to tackle over 200 contracts, tasks and challenges, is a particularly clunky process. As it’s not explained particularly well in the game, you’ll probably end up seeking out unofficial player guides for a better sense of what to do.

These grumbles aside, what I like most of all about SnowRunner is that while it rarely if ever lets up on the challenge, it doesn’t punish players. With video games, and life in general, you get used to being penalised for your mistakes. You’ll mess up all the time with SnowRunner but you aren’t made to feel worse for it. There is a Hard Mode if you want to pay for every refuel and vehicle recovery, but the game evidently wants you to focus on your goals. For me, it was rescue/retrieval missions and scouting the map.

Progress in Snowrunner is slow and painstaking. Yet, for something so lacking in typical video game bombast, it’s unexpectedly engrossing and soul-soothing, with its own special kind of beauty.

8/10

A seasoned Runner’s perspective – John-Michael Catlin

SnowRunner is pretty great. I especially like that somehow the developers have managed to make such an enthralling game about what is essentially logistics. You can easily lose hours to just customising your truck, and planning your routes, and have a really good time. This is aside from gameplay options like online co-op, which is loads of fun.

SnowRunner is also one of those games that you can dip in and out of. Of course you have fun when you’re concentrating on the gameplay, but you also have the freedom to do other things at the same time. You can easily pause the game while you plan your next move, or play while a movie is on in the background. You’re not locked in.

SnowRunner is definitely challenging but the more you play, the better you get at it. Missions become easier if you do your homework and carefully consider your order of tasks. For example, don’t leap into cargo transport tasks before repairing all the map’s bridges. It will save you a headache later. The hardest part is scouting off-road, especially until you get your vehicle set up in a way that works for you.

As for the new next-gen upgrade, the game definitely feels a lot smoother. The performance dips pre-update are no longer present, or at least I struggled to identify them. Now it’s possible to race through a thick Russian forest at 60FPS with no issues.

As for the exclusive PS5 addition of haptic feedback, that’s a bit hit and miss. It’s a nice touch that sound effects, like gear changes and winch use, are delivered out of the controller (which I think I are a new addition). However, that aspect is more enjoyable than the constant controller vibration, which gets a bit much, especially as it doesn’t vary. SnowRunner combined with haptic feedback seems like a no brainer, but ultimately the feature hasn’t been included with the expected subtlety.

Still, I would always recommend SnowRunner for the many different kinds of enjoyment it provides, especially cerebral.

9/10