Wreckreation Review
Release Date: 28/10/2025
Platforms: PS5, XBOX SERIES & PC.
Platform played on: PS5
Hours Played: 60 (100% Completion)
Score: 7/10
Wreckreation is an open world arcade racer from the directors behind Burnout Paradise, which happens to be my all-time favourite racing game. So when this got announced, I was instantly hooked. It has been a long time since we have had something that scratches that Burnout shaped itch.
At its core, Wreckreation feels like Burnout Paradise. It is fast, chaotic, and unapologetically arcade. You are rewarded for driving aggressively and wrecking everything in sight, but this time there are a few new ideas mixed in.
The game takes place on a massive 400 square kilometer island that is open from the start. Scattered across it are events split into a few main types, such as traditional races, Road Rage where you smash as many cars as you can before the timer runs out, and time trials. Outside of that, single player mostly revolves around exploring and collecting the roughly 600 collectibles hidden around the map. Those unlock new cars and tools for one of Wreckreation’s biggest features, the custom track building.
That is where the game diverges from Burnout Paradise. You can stop anywhere in the world, drop props, and create your own Trackmania-style courses, then share them online. It is surprisingly deep, and combined with multiplayer, it is where the game really shines.
Online, you can jump into lobbies with friends or random players, cruise around, and trigger spontaneous challenges. Some are silly co-op moments like jumping over each other, while others have everyone racing to a meetup point before tearing across the island. There are over a hundred of these events, and while they are simple, they create the kind of chaotic fun that feels very true to Burnout.
Then there are the Wreckords. These are dynamic leaderboards that pop up as you drive, showing who among your friends holds the best drift, longest boost, biggest jump, and more. They even update live as you play. It is a small feature that keeps the world feeling connected.
On the flip side, the 144 single-player events can be fun, but they become repetitive after a few. Also, AI opponents are a mixed bag. There is no difficulty setting, but the inconsistency stands out. Most events are a breeze, yet a few are brutally unfair. The rubber banding is extreme, meaning you can drive perfectly and still have one rival glued to your bumper. It keeps things tense, but one crash near the end, especially in faster and trickier races, can cost you everything.
The visuals are one of Wreckreation’s weaker spots. The cars look great, and the detail is there, but the environments are pretty plain. The huge map also feels oddly empty. Burnout Paradise’s Paradise City was dense and alive, while Wreckreation’s island, though large, mostly feels like open fields and mountains with a few small points of interest scattered around.
The soundtrack, however, hits the right vibe. It is upbeat, energetic, and very much in line with Burnout’s tone. Audio design is solid overall, with satisfying engine sounds that you can even customize. Customization in general is one of the game’s stronger aspects. You can tweak almost everything from your island’s name to the weather, number plate, and more.
Still, despite its rough edges, Wreckreation feels special. It was made by a team of around seven people, and that alone makes the scale of what they have built impressive. It is not quite the next Burnout Paradise, but it captures enough of that spirit to make me smile. I will definitely be spending more time online, and who knows, maybe this is just the warm-up lap for their next masterpiece.
