ICE COLD

Pick a fight with nature in punishing off-road driving sim SNOWRUNNER.

- Andy Kelly

There are moments in SnowRunner when I’m stuck halfway up a mountain, wheels churning pointlessly in the slop, that I wonder if all the struggle is worth it. The more I fight it, the worse it seems to get, and I can’t even winch myself out because the nearest tree or rock is just out of reach.

But, somehow, I always (well, usually) manage to heave my off-roader out of the sludge. Whether through dumb luck, determination, or just sheer pig-headedness, I jostle myself free, and the feeling of victory is immense. At least until I get stuck again down the road, which is inevitable in these wild, unpredictable stretches of mud, snow, and pain.

This is the SnowRunner experience. You’ll feel hopeless, annoyed, and always on the verge of rage quitting, cursing as the broken-down truck you’re towing gets wedged against a rock, or your ill-equipped Chevy pick-up slides off an icy path and digs itself into a mud-filled trench.

But the euphoria, and the relief, of conquering these challenges is what keeps me playing through all of this simulated hardship. SnowRunner is a brutal, uncompromising off-road driving sim that really wants you to fail – which only makes denying it the satisfaction even sweeter.