Get ready to wreck and roll
By Paul Hunter
Wreckreation on PS5, from Three Fields Entertainment and THQ Nordic, wears its intent on the hood. It’s an open-world arcade racer that lets you treat the island as a playground, similar to Burnout Paradise and Forza Horizon. I jumped in and was driving within minutes.
The island is huge at over 400 km², dotted with events, collectibles, and routes to chase. Licence Points push your rank up and expand your set of rides, while vehicle discoveries add even more to your garage. The game celebrates contact racing and takedowns, pushing you to keep the boost flowing. It also treats creation as play. Live Mix lets you drop a loop, place a route, or switch rain on the fly.
Is Wreckreation the PS5 racer to reach for when you want arcade chaos and instant tools to shape the world your way? Let’s find out!
Classes choices can make all the difference. Race cars keep pace in sprints, bruisers excel in body-slam events, off-roaders own the rough terrain and hypercars bring serious speed. Some challenges ask for a specific class, so swapping in the right ride becomes part of your plan.
Takedowns feel great, often triggering a satisfying short replay, then you are back firing up the road. Rival bumps are usually fine, but you need to watch out for street traffic, trees and other hazards as even a small clip can cause a crash, sending you back a few race positions.
Racing is one activity of many in Wreckreation. Side activities are everywhere, ranging from red fences to smash, and breaking billboards become little puzzles that need a proper run-up. You can also strive for "Wreckords" with every road on the map tracking seven different types of records, like drifting, air time, near misses and stunts.
The map is dotted with numerous gas stations, which can reset your car damage in seconds and lets you quickly bounce back from a race or collectibles sweep. Meanwhile, parking lots are for switching cars, whether that's for fun or for matching an event’s class requirement without digging through menus.
Live Mix is the game's best feature, allowing you to instantly edit the world in real-time. I dropped a gravity-defying loop onto a coutryside strip and got the momentum needed to smash a hare-to-reach billboard. You can also instantly change the weather, shift the time of day, and flip through radio stations all without leaving the road.
Bottom line, the driving loop is fast, flexible, and built to keep you chasing one more run.
Online race types can vary from point to point, offroad, lap based, or the wild sky tracks that feel straight out of Hot Wheels. The DJ can also get the team to partake in a huge range of Wreckreation Challenges, like causing a certain amount of damage to the world, being the first to hit a large "X" placed in the world, or stunt events focused on barrel-rolls, spins and jumps.
It's tons of fun working with friends to customize the open world. One evening my group spent an evening layering a stunt route along a suburban highway. My friend placed a slope, I added a ramp, and someone else set up a billboard for us to try and smash through.
If you're a solo player, you need not worry as everything is available offline. You can complete the same challenges, or live edit a route using your imagination. One note for PS5 users: at launch, cross-platform play isn’t available, so you’ll be racing with folks on the same platform only.
All in all, Wreckreation's online features are fast, social, and exactly the kind of sandbox arcade fans want.
Time-of-day shifts are a nice touch, with evening changing the mood and lighting while keeping all the race locations and side quests in view. Once you begin modifying the island with your own creations, a loop over a ridge or a pipe across water becomes a landmark you can spot from far away, adding style to your world.
Audio holds up well, too. Your vehicle's engine growls under load, while tire squeals ramp up when they start losing grip. The soundtrack suits your style with a nice range of radio stations blasting disco, electronic, rock, country, pop, and jazz.
Taken together, the presentation delivers nice visuals in dry and wet weather, punchy car sounds and catchy tunes, and fast loading that keeps you on the move.
Final Score: 8/10 - Great
Developer: Three Fields Entertainment
Publisher: THQ Nordic
Genre: Racing
Modes: Single-player, Multiplayer
A key was provided by the publisher.
By Paul Hunter
Wreckreation on PS5, from Three Fields Entertainment and THQ Nordic, wears its intent on the hood. It’s an open-world arcade racer that lets you treat the island as a playground, similar to Burnout Paradise and Forza Horizon. I jumped in and was driving within minutes.
The island is huge at over 400 km², dotted with events, collectibles, and routes to chase. Licence Points push your rank up and expand your set of rides, while vehicle discoveries add even more to your garage. The game celebrates contact racing and takedowns, pushing you to keep the boost flowing. It also treats creation as play. Live Mix lets you drop a loop, place a route, or switch rain on the fly.
Is Wreckreation the PS5 racer to reach for when you want arcade chaos and instant tools to shape the world your way? Let’s find out!
Gameplay and Side Activities
Wreckreation is a fast-paced, full contact racer that thrives on speed and chaos. You trade hits with opponents, bank Wreckage Points, and crack the nitrous to close gaps. The handling is straightforward and responsive. It’s about confident steering, firm throttle, and knowing when to commit.Classes choices can make all the difference. Race cars keep pace in sprints, bruisers excel in body-slam events, off-roaders own the rough terrain and hypercars bring serious speed. Some challenges ask for a specific class, so swapping in the right ride becomes part of your plan.
Takedowns feel great, often triggering a satisfying short replay, then you are back firing up the road. Rival bumps are usually fine, but you need to watch out for street traffic, trees and other hazards as even a small clip can cause a crash, sending you back a few race positions.
Racing is one activity of many in Wreckreation. Side activities are everywhere, ranging from red fences to smash, and breaking billboards become little puzzles that need a proper run-up. You can also strive for "Wreckords" with every road on the map tracking seven different types of records, like drifting, air time, near misses and stunts.
The map is dotted with numerous gas stations, which can reset your car damage in seconds and lets you quickly bounce back from a race or collectibles sweep. Meanwhile, parking lots are for switching cars, whether that's for fun or for matching an event’s class requirement without digging through menus.
Live Mix is the game's best feature, allowing you to instantly edit the world in real-time. I dropped a gravity-defying loop onto a coutryside strip and got the momentum needed to smash a hare-to-reach billboard. You can also instantly change the weather, shift the time of day, and flip through radio stations all without leaving the road.
Bottom line, the driving loop is fast, flexible, and built to keep you chasing one more run.
Online Multiplayer
Wreckreation features 8-player online multiplayer that's as chaotic as it is fun. You can join an existing game, create your own session, or select matchmaking to join racers from around the world. The host becomes the game "DJ", meaning that can choose activities for the group to participate in.Online race types can vary from point to point, offroad, lap based, or the wild sky tracks that feel straight out of Hot Wheels. The DJ can also get the team to partake in a huge range of Wreckreation Challenges, like causing a certain amount of damage to the world, being the first to hit a large "X" placed in the world, or stunt events focused on barrel-rolls, spins and jumps.
It's tons of fun working with friends to customize the open world. One evening my group spent an evening layering a stunt route along a suburban highway. My friend placed a slope, I added a ramp, and someone else set up a billboard for us to try and smash through.
If you're a solo player, you need not worry as everything is available offline. You can complete the same challenges, or live edit a route using your imagination. One note for PS5 users: at launch, cross-platform play isn’t available, so you’ll be racing with folks on the same platform only.
All in all, Wreckreation's online features are fast, social, and exactly the kind of sandbox arcade fans want.
Presentation and Audio
Wreckreation is not a visual stunner, but it still looks decent on PS5. The island holds up in daylight with clear roads, sharp signage and a nice variety of terrain. When rain moves in, reflections and wet sprays look convincing while the track surface is still easy to follow.Time-of-day shifts are a nice touch, with evening changing the mood and lighting while keeping all the race locations and side quests in view. Once you begin modifying the island with your own creations, a loop over a ridge or a pipe across water becomes a landmark you can spot from far away, adding style to your world.
Audio holds up well, too. Your vehicle's engine growls under load, while tire squeals ramp up when they start losing grip. The soundtrack suits your style with a nice range of radio stations blasting disco, electronic, rock, country, pop, and jazz.
Taken together, the presentation delivers nice visuals in dry and wet weather, punchy car sounds and catchy tunes, and fast loading that keeps you on the move.
The Verdict
Wreckreation delivers the arcade racing rush I wanted. It gets you into the action quickly, lets you shape the island with simple tools, and pairs strong audio with visuals that pop in all weather. Online or solo, the loop is laser focused on fun. For anyone who loves contact racing and making routes on the fly, this is the PS5 sandpit to fire up.Final Score: 8/10 - Great
Wreckreation details
Platform: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PCDeveloper: Three Fields Entertainment
Publisher: THQ Nordic
Genre: Racing
Modes: Single-player, Multiplayer
A key was provided by the publisher.