Hello, car enthusiasts!
You know, there are things that are always a little bittersweet to say goodbye to—even when you know it's the right call. Today is one of those moments for us.
Game Update Journal is coming to a close.
But don't let that get you down! News, updates, behind-the-scenes dev insights—none of that is going anywhere. On the contrary: we'll be sharing them as soon as they're ready, instead of holding them for a monthly roundup.
Aaaand—we've got a little gift for you 🎁
Before the redesign, we prepared some gameplay GIFs for our Steam page that didn't make the cut. We've bundled them into a single archive and are sharing them with you. Use them, drop them in chats with friends—let them live beyond our internal folders and into your hands.
Grab the full archive here:
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Let's take a moment to talk about what City Car Driving 2.0 really is.
We're building a city driving simulator. Not a generic car game—a simulator where, behind the wheel, you actually feel like you're driving.
Release is getting closer, and we'd like to share upfront how we're approaching it, what you'll get at launch, and where we're headed next.
🔗 The scale, in brief:
CCD 2.0 represents several years of work and an engine rebuilt from the ground up. Physics, vehicle behavior, urban environments, AI traffic, weather, day/night cycles, interiors—everything has been reworked and integrated to work together. The result is a simulator you can drive in for hours without the experience feeling repetitive.
Now, let's dive deeper into the topics you ask about most often!
🔗 The City
19 kilometers of urban roads and nearly 7–8 km of suburban routes. It's a dense, interconnected area you can explore for dozens of hours and still discover something new: a side street, an interchange, a turn you didn't realize you could cut differently.
We designed it as a living urban environment with logical traffic flow and drivers who react to your behavior.
The map will grow with updates. The first expansions are already in development.
🔗 Traffic
Drivers who behave differently: some will run a red light, others might cut you off, and yes—someone might even cause a minor fender-bender at an intersection. This is the foundational layer of a living city.
More complex events—serious accidents, weather-related incidents, reactions to emergency vehicles—will be added later. First, we want to polish the core AI behavior, then build complexity on top of it.
🔗 Vehicles
The initial release includes three cars. We know how that sounds, so let us explain.
Every vehicle in CCD 2.0 is a dedicated engineering effort: unique physics, distinct steering and road feedback, custom interior animations. We could have launched with twenty cars at once—but they'd all feel like variations of the same thing. That's not the path we chose.
The vehicle roster will expand with updates, and the order will depend on you. We'll ask which models matter most to you and prioritize accordingly. Down the line, you'll also be able to add your own custom vehicles.
👉 What's not in the game—and why
CCD 2.0 is a driving simulator. That means we've consciously chosen to leave certain features out.
🔗 On-foot character controls, appearance customization, or character progression. Each of these systems would require dozens of hours from our team—and dozens of hours of player attention. We chose a focused product. It's a niche decision, and it's exactly what makes the game what it is.
🔗 Police chases with sirens blaring through the city. The moment a "run from the cops" mechanic enters a simulator, the entire focus shifts: the game becomes about the chase. That contradicts the core purpose of CCD. Police as part of the urban ecosystem is a different conversation—we'll cover that separately.
🔗 "Taxi" and "Cargo Delivery" modes. These won't be in the first release. We tried porting them from the previous game and realized: on the new engine, they'd need to be rebuilt from scratch, or they'd feel like tacked-on afterthoughts. They're planned as dedicated updates, done right.
👉 What's in development and coming later
🔗 Damage system. We have working prototypes, but a high-quality damage system isn't just about visuals—it includes post-impact physics, realistic deformation, and stability in dense traffic. We can't deliver it to the standard we want by launch. When it's ready, it'll be added.
🔗 Russian locations and traffic rules. The demand is huge—we hear you. When we started CCD 2.0, we chose a new setting to rebuild the engine and gameplay around modern standards. We will return to Russian maps and regulations; it's a direction we're committed to pursuing.
🔗 Tuning, location editor, Steam Workshop mod support. All on the roadmap. Each of these topics will get its own dedicated update in the coming months.
👉 Why we're launching in Early Access
We could have delayed release by another year and tried to ship a "complete everything" version. But experience—from our first game and the industry at large—shows that the best simulators grew out of Early Access, where developers and the community build the game together. That's the path we've chosen.
At launch, you'll have a solid foundation to drive in for the long haul. From there: map expansions, new vehicles, damage, game modes, locations. Every update will follow a priority list we build with you.
👉 What we need from you
Tell us: what are the three things that matter most to you right now—vehicles, city features, anything at all. We'll collect your feedback, spot the patterns, and move forward accordingly.
And now—drop a comment: which issue of the Game Update Journal resonated with you the most? We'd love to know what stuck with you!
See you on the roads.
The CCD Team 🛠