We are getting closer to the release of Season 7! In today’s letter we’ll have some details on a new Season 7 vehicle, and more importantly some changes and improvements to the Online Store and the release dates regarding Season 7 in general and the ORC. Let’s discuss this in more detail.
Mercedes-Benz Anniversary Live Event
Season 7 Information
Car Reveal
Online Store Changes
Camera Update
8 Player Groups
Targeted Date
ORC Delay
Other Improvements
Offline
Community Spotlight
Winners
How To Enter
May Theme
Fan Created Stuff
An exclusive Mercedes-Benz style livery is up for grabs in this week's live event which will be ending on July 1, 2026 at 11am CET. Win 100,000 Solar Coins and the ‘No Matter What – Dark’ livery for the vehicle which features the unique start design that the Mercedes-Benz AMG’s feature. Don’t miss this one!
Today we’re going to discuss some of the things our developers are working on behind the scenes.
Not to be confused with the car tease audio in the Discord, the Nissan GT-R R34 Skyline V-Spec II will arrive in Season 7 of Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown as the level 15 reward for the Solar Pass! This car will also have the possibility of removing the wing in the workshop, and we have a special livery with this car too that can be earned in the Solar Pass… but we’ll show that later. For now, enjoy this photoshoot!
We also want to let you know that we have shuffled some vehicles that arrive in Season 7. Previously, we showcased an image of what looks to be a wagon/estate vehicle under a cover, this vehicle will now end up in Season 8, meaning that the previous JDM vehicle that was moved out from Season 7 is now back in Season 7. Here’s what you can expect with the car list:
Dealership - JDM Vehicle (new to TDUSC)
Solar Pass Level 1 - JDM Vehicle (based on existing in-game vehicle)
Solar Pass Level 15 - Nissan GT-R R34 Skyline V-Spec II
Solar Pass Level 50 - JDM Vehicle (new to TDUSC)
Online Store Bundle 1 - Race Spec Vehicle (based on existing in-game vehicle)
Online Store Bundle 2 - Offroad Spec Vehicle (based on existing in-game vehicle)
Online Store Bundle 3 (S7P1) - JDM Vehicle (based on existing in-game vehicle but with special collaboration)
Maybe we’ll tease another JDM vehicle later on in this letter, but here’s everything you can expect for Season 7!
In Season 7, we’ll also be making some changes to the Online Store. One of the most important and highly requested ones is the ability to purchase vehicles as standalone from the bundles. We can confirm that day one of Season 7, you’ll have the ability to purchase all items within a bundle individually.
Next, we’re removing the concept of FOMO from the store. First, we are removing the FOMO from the exclusive items in the Online Store excluding Solar Pass items (which will remain unavailable to players who didn't get the pass during the next season (eg. S5 Solar Pass items available in S7 Store)). Now, the previous exclusive items and bundles of the last seasons from the online store will permanently be available to all players. If new items arrive, they will be added in a cosmetic bundle (without a car) with a theme. You’ll see 3 of these in the mid-season update for Season 7.
The ‘Featured Items’ section will now only feature items on promotion. We think having FOMO on these items and bundles was a bad idea; so players can now find them in the permanent store or on discount in this dedicated section.
We will also be changing the pricing of items within the Online Store. Bundle pricing, the pricing of the Solar Pass, and how Diamond Gifting works, will all be changed. The new pricing for both are shown below:
Solar Pass - previously 600 Diamonds; now 1000 Diamonds (price of level skips and Solar Pass VIP will not change)
Bundles - an overall reduction of ~300 Diamonds for future Bundles
Diamond Gifts - We now have the ability to dynamically change the amount of HC and its frequency throughout the season. This allows us to celebrate special events by temporarily increasing the amount of HC in the Gift. Rest assured, everyone will be notified of these changes in advance to give you plenty of time to log in and collect them!
Though not arriving in Season 7, you can expect to see Diamonds added to the Solar Pass in future seasons.
We mentioned in the last letter we’ll be working on cameras in multiple stages:
New FOV/Height
New Customisation Options
Etc.
With this in mind, the first camera improvement will arrive in the Season 7 mid-season update. Here you’ll be able to see a new FOV/Height for the 3rd person cameras (and possibly some cockpit camera improvements as well). However, for 3rd person, you’ll have the ability to switch between these new cameras, and the legacy version within the settings menu, so even if you don’t like it, you’ll still be able to go back to the original version.
What are your thoughts so far? Oh, we should show some more too!
It’s been a while since we last talked about this feature, and it’s time we’ve given you an update on it! Along with ‘Servers V2’ and the amazing social features of houses, the network team has been hard at work working on 8 player groups. That said, we are planning to release this feature with the mid-season update of Season 7.
Season 7 will be arriving within the last week of August/first week of September.
We have to be honest here. It’s evident that Nacon and KT are facing new challenges at the moment, and we no longer have the capacity to tackle multiple complex features at the same time. That said, right now we are focusing on Housing to give the community the best experience possible. So, even though the ORC is important—and as you can see, we have already started working on it—we have to focus on Season 8 and the Housing development because it is one of, if not the most important features.
We will provide more details on when the ORC will arrive after we release Season 8, which is when we can discuss our plans for Season 9 and onwards.
Despite the delay, you can still find the ORC in the open-world along with an updated track layout with a pit lane!
We have also reworked the loading screens for day one of Season 7. You can take a look at this in the new image below!
Of course, we know the question will be asked, but we can confirm that for Season 8, a new start menu video will be shown with new music!
In Season 7, you'll also be able to find toggles for motion blur (console players have highly requested this), Grain, and Chromatic Aberration.
To follow up on the previous announcement of our work on a future offline mode for TDUSC, here is what Game Director Guillaume has to say!
“We wanted to speak again about the subject of Offline Mode. I think our previous communication was a little misleading, and we want to reassure you that Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown is not coming to an end anytime soon.
Our goal was to let you know that we are actively working on this topic, which has been at the heart of all discussions since the game's launch.
While we don't know exactly what form it will take yet, we are certain of one thing: we don't want this game to be unable to play it if servers eventually shut down. Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown like all Test Drive, deserves to live forever because it holds a special place in our hearts. We don't kill games here!
To achieve this, we need to start working ahead because it is a massive undertaking. It won't be a task that takes just a few months, but rather more than a year. We need time to define it, find the best solution for you, and work on it alongside developing cool new features and content for the game.
So rest assured, the Test Drive Family can continue its journey! It's not the end of the story, it has just begun”
- Guillaume (TDUSC Game Director)
Yup! It’s time to announce the winners for the month of June!
Last month we asked you to take photos to match the theme ‘House Guesser! If you’ve won, it doesn’t mean you guessed where a house will be, but we do love the area you chose! Anyways, here are the top 3 voted photos of the month by the TDU team!
Discord member Axis- wins first place!
Discord member Darnell wins second place!
Discord member Seether wins third place!
Congrats again to the winners! You all win 2,500,000 Solar Coins and 100 Diamonds!
First, join our Discord which can be found at Discord.gg/TestDrive. Once you join our Discord, you’ll see a channel called ‘tdusc-photos’. Here, you can send the best pictures you've taken in TDUSC, but make sure to put %communityspotlight6 in your message post!
Here are the rules:
Each month there will be a theme!
Pictures must be high quality and not edited outside of the game or taken with tools that are not native to TDUSC's in-game photo mode
Only 1 picture is allowed
You are only allowed one post per month; however, you can delete your post and make a new one to replace it.
3 photos will be selected by the TDU team to win each month
The best picture will be showcased in the in-game news section in TDUSC
Note: Posting in this channel means you allow your picture to be used by Nacon/KT for promotional use.
Fun Beach Summer - Your photo must feature a scenic view with or without your vehicle present on a beach in either Hong Kong Island or Ibiza! Good luck!
For the first time in a Solar Club Letter, we also want to highlight cool things that the community has worked on to create new ways to play Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown! Of course, this doesn’t mean we promote modding, and it is still against the Terms of Service to export, modify or inject the game files. However, check out the ‘#🤝︱community-support’ channel in the official Discord server for some of the communities guides, overlays, and projects!
Thanks for reading this month’s Solar Club Letter! We’ll see you again next month for more details on what is to come in Season 7! One more thing, here’s a tease of an upcoming car in Season 7. If you want an extra hint, check out the official Discord for a sound clip of this vehicle!
The TDU Team
p.s - “I want to personally thank the developers for the work that has been done in trying to bring the Test Drive Unlimited franchise back into the hearts of many, and although there is still work to do, I still want to mention I appreciate everything the team has done to improve the game so far. Times are tough right now, it’s clear, but I will be here by the team's side until the day TDUSC is no more, and I give much thanks to those who are at KT, hard at work for the future updates to come. I’m sure we’ve always wished for a better scenario, but I know everyone tried their best, and continue to still do so. Give some thanks to the devs at KT too TDU community, they deserve it, not just for everything done in the past, nor present work, but all of the future features and content they still work to bring to TDUSC over the coming seasons. See you soon!”
- a personal note from the community manager at Nacon Racing, Alex.