REVIEW: BeamNG.drive (2026 Video Game) - on PS5

Review by Jon Donnis

BeamNG.drive is finally available on consoles, and after years of watching PC players enjoy this remarkably detailed driving simulator, I was delighted to get behind the wheel on PS5. It has been well worth the wait, although this is not a game without its frustrations. The physics are exceptional, the freedom to experiment is addictive, and the sheer variety of things to do makes it easy to lose hours without noticing. Unfortunately, awkward controls, a confusing interface and some technical limitations prevent it from reaching its full potential.

What makes BeamNG.drive different from most driving games is its approach to vehicle physics. Rather than treating cars as objects that simply move around a track, it simulates how their individual components react to the road, collisions and changes in weight and momentum. The result is a driving experience that feels remarkably convincing, whether you are negotiating a difficult corner or watching your car fold around a tree after misjudging a turn.

The damage modelling is easily one of the game's greatest strengths. Vehicles crumple, panels buckle and components can break in ways that reflect the severity of an impact. A collision is more than a brief animation followed by a return to the track. Damage can affect how your vehicle drives, turning a minor mistake into a much bigger problem if you are unlucky.

I found myself repeatedly testing the limits of the physics, sometimes deliberately and sometimes through simple misjudgement. There is an undeniable satisfaction in seeing how your vehicle crumples after a crash, although some frustration if you were in the middle of a challenge and are only a few hundred metres from the finish line, and you car will no longer drive straight. The destruction is impressive, but it is the underlying simulation that keeps things interesting.

Thankfully, BeamNG.drive is about much more than crashing cars. The handling is convincing, and different vehicles have distinct characteristics that make them enjoyable to drive for different reasons. A small hatchback behaves very differently from a powerful sports car or a heavy truck, and learning how each responds is part of the appeal.

Drifting and handbrake turns are particularly enjoyable once you become comfortable with the handling. You need to pay attention to your speed, steering and throttle rather than relying on the forgiving physics found in many arcade racers. Off-road driving is equally rewarding. Rally routes, rocky trails and uneven terrain provide a genuine test of your vehicle's suspension and traction, making it satisfying when you finally manage to negotiate a difficult section without getting stuck or damaging your car.

Vehicle customisation adds another welcome layer of depth. There are dozens of vehicles to choose from, with options to modify components such as engines, wheels and suspension. These changes can influence how a vehicle behaves, encouraging you to experiment rather than simply choosing the fastest car available. I particularly enjoyed the freedom to try different setups and see how they performed in situations where the original configuration might struggle.

There is no shortage of places to test your creations, either. The game features more than a dozen open-world environments, ranging from desert landscapes and urban streets to highways and tropical routes. The desert areas are especially attractive, with expansive scenery and sunset lighting that create some memorable views. The graphics are not among the most impressive on PS5, but the environments provide plenty of space to explore, and the vehicle simulation is far more important to the experience than visual spectacle.

Free Roam is where I spent much of my time. You can select a vehicle, choose your destination and drive without worrying about completing a particular objective. It is a relaxing way to explore the maps, but it also encourages experimentation. Environmental conditions and physics settings can be adjusted, allowing you to introduce unusual challenges or simply see what happens when the rules of ordinary driving no longer apply.

That freedom is a major part of BeamNG.drive's appeal, although it will not suit everyone. The game often leaves you to decide what you want to do next, and I enjoyed having the freedom to create my own entertainment. However, players who prefer a clear progression system and a steady stream of objectives may find the experience aimless at times. There is always something to try, but you need to be willing to find it yourself.

For those who want more structure, Scenarios and Time Trials provide a welcome change of pace. Delivery missions and police pursuits introduce specific challenges, while Time Trials allow you to practise a route and improve your best times. These activities make good use of the physics engine, although they are not always as compelling as the open-world sandbox.

Career mode adds further missions and activities, but it is one of the less convincing aspects of the game. The missions can feel disconnected, and the overall progression lacks the cohesion needed to keep everything moving towards a meaningful goal. The insurance and vehicle ownership systems can also be frustrating in a game built around experimentation and destruction. Having to worry about the consequences of a crash sometimes feels at odds with the freedom that makes BeamNG.drive so enjoyable in the first place.

The biggest problem with the PS5 version, however, is its control scheme. BeamNG.drive has a great many functions, and the DualSense controller does not have enough buttons to accommodate them all comfortably. Too many actions rely on button combinations, which can be difficult to remember and awkward to use while driving. I often found that interacting with the game required more effort than it should, particularly when trying to adjust settings or access features quickly. I feel like I need to buy a gaming steering wheel to truly appreciate this game.

The interface compounds the problem. Menus and submenus can be confusing, text is sometimes too small, and unclear icons make certain options difficult to identify. Even basic adjustments can take longer than necessary. It is an irritating distraction in a game that otherwise encourages you to experiment freely, and the console version would benefit enormously from a more intuitive layout and controls designed specifically for the DualSense.

The lack of mod support is another disappointment. The PC version benefits from community-created vehicles, maps and other additions, giving players more ways to expand the experience. PS5 owners do not have the same flexibility, which limits the possibilities for those who want to keep discovering new content. There is already plenty to enjoy, but the absence of mods is noticeable when customisation and experimentation are such important parts of the game.

Performance is generally smooth during ordinary driving, although it can suffer when several AI vehicles are on screen or a scenario places greater demands on the simulation. Frame rate drops are disappointing during these moments, particularly when multiple vehicles interacting with one another can produce some of the game's most interesting situations. The visuals are also relatively modest compared with other modern PS5 releases, although the convincing damage modelling and realistic engine sounds help maintain immersion.

Despite these shortcomings, BeamNG.drive is a remarkable achievement on console. It brings a complex vehicle simulation to PS5 and retains much of what makes the experience so appealing on PC. The controls and interface need attention, Career mode could be more engaging, and the lack of mods limits its long-term potential. Yet the quality of the physics and the freedom to experiment make it difficult to put down.

I am delighted that BeamNG.drive has finally arrived on consoles. It offers something genuinely different from the usual racing games, and its combination of realistic handling, detailed damage and open-ended gameplay gives it an identity of its own. I can spend an evening trying to master an off-road route, testing a modified vehicle or simply exploring, then finish by creating an absurd crash just to see what happens.

There is still room for improvement, but the foundations are excellent. If the PS5 version receives continued updates and improvements, it has the potential to become an even more substantial experience. Even as it stands, I expect to return to it for years to come, not because it constantly gives me something to unlock, but because there is always another idea worth trying.

BeamNG.drive is not the most accessible driving game, nor is it the most polished. But for anyone who enjoys cars, realistic physics and the freedom to make their own fun, it is an exceptional simulator that offers something few competitors can match.

I score BeamNG.drive a solid 9 out of 10.

Out Now on PS5

https://store.playstation.com/en-us/concept/10015321/

REVIEW: Silent Hill: Townfall (2026 Video Game) - on PC

Review by Jon Donnis

Silent Hill: Townfall is an ambitious new chapter for the series, and for much of its running time it feels like a very confident one. Set on the fictional Scottish island of St. Amelia in 1996, it takes Silent Hill away from its traditional American surroundings and gives the series a distinctly British setting. It is a change that works remarkably well. Unfortunately, Townfall also makes some questionable decisions with its stealth and combat, and those weaknesses become increasingly difficult to ignore as the game progresses.

The first thing that stands out is just how well St. Amelia has been created. The fog, deserted streets, abandoned communities and forgotten corners give the island an oppressive sense of isolation, while the recreation of 1990s Britain is one of the game's strongest achievements. Estates and shopping centres in particular have a convincing period feel, making the setting feel tangible rather than simply designed as a generic horror backdrop.

Screen Burn has done an excellent job with the world itself. There is a constant feeling that something is not quite right, even when nothing particularly frightening is happening. Townfall understands the value of atmosphere and small details, allowing the environment to tell parts of its story without constantly pushing information in front of the player.

The decision to present the entire game from a first-person perspective also suits this approach. It makes exploration feel more immediate and places the player directly inside Simon Ordell's experience. The restricted visibility provided by the fog adds to that sense of vulnerability, while the close perspective makes strange noises and unexpected discoveries considerably more effective. 

Townfall's story takes a similarly measured approach. Rather than immediately explaining Simon's connection to St. Amelia, the game gradually exposes fragments of the past and allows the player to speculate about what they mean. That patience works in its favour. There is enough information to encourage theories, but enough uncertainty to keep the mystery alive.

The use of three character perspectives gives the narrative another dimension. Seeing events through different viewpoints makes the story more psychologically complicated than it might initially appear. Themes of loss, consequence and introspection sit naturally within the setting, and the multiple endings give the player's actions additional significance.

The CRTV is perhaps the game's most distinctive idea. The portable television acts as a modern reinterpretation of the series' familiar radio, allowing Simon to pick up unstable signals containing clues, fragments of conversations and glimpses of events. It is more than an alternative way of delivering exposition. It becomes part of exploration, puzzle solving and dealing with threats, giving Townfall a mechanic that feels genuinely connected to its story, even if it feels a bit like the nonsense they use on Most Haunted, or Ghost Hunters.

The puzzles are generally effective for the same reason. Many are rooted in the narrative and the environment rather than feeling like arbitrary challenges placed between sections of the game. Discovering the answer can therefore feel like piecing together another part of St. Amelia's history. A few later puzzles are less successful, however, with unclear solutions occasionally pushing the player towards trial and error instead of deduction.

Audio is another area where Townfall deserves considerable credit. Environmental sounds constantly keep the player alert, while the soundtrack by Pilotpriest dynamically responds to events and helps shape the mood. The combination of music, distant noises and the unsettling sounds of the environment creates some genuinely uncomfortable moments without relying exclusively on conventional jump scares.

Unfortunately, the game's biggest weakness is also one of its most prominent features. Stealth is central to a large portion of Townfall, but the mechanics are not reliable enough to support it. Enemies can sometimes detect or grab Simon despite what appears to be a successful attempt to remain hidden, leaving the player unsure whether they made a mistake or whether the detection system simply behaved unpredictably.

That problem becomes more noticeable because there is relatively little enemy variety. Once the initial novelty has worn off, several encounters begin to follow familiar patterns, and the emphasis on avoiding rather than confronting threats can make certain sections feel considerably longer than they need to be.

The situation is worse in some of the later areas, where enemies that cannot be killed force the player to concentrate almost entirely on finding a route past them. This can produce moments of genuine tension, but the effect does not last indefinitely. Eventually, hiding and waiting for an opening becomes an exercise in patience rather than fear.

The CRTV introduces another problem when Townfall occasionally places enemies into encounters where they cannot be detected through the device. While this can initially seem like a clever way of keeping the player uncertain, it can also feel as though the game's established rules have suddenly changed. The result is an encounter that feels unfair rather than frightening.

Combat does not provide a particularly satisfying alternative. The melee system can feel clumsy, while firearms do little to make confronting enemies especially enjoyable. There are situations where abandoning stealth and simply fighting becomes the less frustrating option, which is not ideal in a game so heavily built around avoiding danger.

These issues are particularly disappointing because Townfall's other systems are considerably more successful. The CRTV gives the game its own identity, the narrative has enough mystery to keep the player interested, and the setting is among the most convincing new environments the series has produced. The multiple perspectives also add something meaningful to the story rather than simply providing another gimmick.

There are also moments when the different elements come together beautifully. Exploring St. Amelia while listening to an unsettling soundtrack, discovering another fragment through the CRTV and gradually understanding what happened there captures the essence of psychological horror far better than some of the more action-focused encounters.

That contrast ultimately defines Townfall. The game is at its best when it slows down and allows its setting, story and atmosphere to do the work. It is at its weakest when it demands prolonged stealth sequences or awkward confrontations with enemies. The former can be genuinely memorable, while the latter can feel like obstacles standing between the player and the parts of the game that are considerably more interesting.

Despite those shortcomings, Townfall does succeed in reimagining Silent Hill without losing the qualities that have made the franchise distinctive. Scotland in 1996 proves to be a surprisingly effective setting, and the game's commitment to atmosphere, psychological storytelling and environmental detail gives it a strong identity of its own.

The problem is that the encounter design is not on the same level as the rest of the game. By the later stages, the stealth-heavy structure has become a slog, and some of the tension created so effectively earlier has been replaced by frustration. There is too much time spent waiting for enemies to move, searching for safe routes and dealing with systems that do not always behave consistently.

Silent Hill: Townfall is therefore a game of considerable strengths and some equally obvious weaknesses. The atmosphere is exceptional, the setting is superbly realised, the story is compelling, the CRTV is an inspired addition and the three perspectives give the narrative genuine depth. Unfortunately, the stealth and combat prevent those strengths from carrying the experience all the way through.

Townfall hits more often than it misses, but when it misses, it can miss badly. There is an excellent psychological horror experience here, buried beneath some frustrating encounter design and an increasingly tedious final stretch.

I score Silent Hill: Townfall a disappointing 6.5 out of 10.

Out Now

UK https://link.amazon/B0j8FF3ps

US https://amzn.to/4z69ca9

REVIEW: Hyper Cars Ramp Crash (2026 Video Game) - on Playstation 5

Review by Jon Donnis

Hyper Cars Ramp Crash arrives on PlayStation 5 with big promises of high speed spectacle and crushing, so called physics driven chaos. It throws you straight into a world of ramps, collapsing obstacles and exaggerated destruction, where every jump is meant to feel dangerous and every landing unpredictable. On paper, it sounds like a gleeful mix of arcade racing and stunt driven mayhem. In practice, the results are far more uneven.

There is some enjoyment to be found, though it tends to surface in short bursts rather than sustained sessions. The freestyle mode stands out as the clearest example of what the game does right. Dropping players into a wide open arena, it encourages experimentation, whether that means scaling oversized structures or simply smashing through objects for the sake of it. There is a simple, almost toy like appeal in knocking over giant blocks or nudging an oversized football towards a goal. It feels loose, occasionally satisfying, and crucially, it gives the player room to create their own moments. The push to complete levels and tick off achievements also provides a basic sense of progression, even if it never becomes especially compelling.

Visually, the game does just enough to pass muster without ever impressing. The cars themselves are serviceable, and the environments, ranging from roads to forests and deserts, offer some variation. That said, nothing here really takes advantage of the PlayStation 5 in a meaningful way. It looks like something that belongs elsewhere, and that impression becomes harder to ignore the longer you spend with it.

The problems begin to stack up once you move beyond that initial novelty. The game carries all the hallmarks of a mobile title that has been moved onto a far bigger stage without the necessary upgrades. What might feel acceptable on a phone in short sessions quickly becomes thin and repetitive on a console. Some levels feel hastily put together, lacking any real sense of design or progression. They exist more as obstacles than as carefully constructed challenges.

The much advertised destruction physics also fail to convince. While cars do crumple and twist on impact, the behaviour often feels erratic rather than realistic. Minor inputs can send your vehicle spinning wildly, as if the game is guessing rather than calculating. It undermines any sense of control and makes the experience feel inconsistent. Instead of rewarding skill, it often feels like you are at the mercy of unpredictable reactions.

Sound design does little to help matters. The engine noise quickly becomes grating, looping in a way that draws attention to itself for all the wrong reasons. Combined with fairly flat effects elsewhere, it creates an audio backdrop that wears thin far too quickly.

There is also a broader question hanging over the release itself. On a platform that hosts some of the most polished racing experiences available, Hyper Cars Ramp Crash struggles to justify its place. It does not push the genre forward, nor does it offer a distinctive twist strong enough to stand apart. Instead, it feels like a scaled up version of something better suited to quick, disposable play.

In the end, Hyper Cars Ramp Crash is defined by that mismatch. There is a flicker of fun in its sandbox moments, and a basic hook in chasing completion, but it never grows into something that feels at home on PlayStation 5. It is a reminder that scale alone does not elevate a game, and that what works on one platform does not always translate to another.

Hyper Cars Ramp Crash earns a 3 out of 10.

REVIEW: FreeStyle Football 2 (2026 Video Game) - Closed Beta Test on Xbox

Review by Jon Donnis

I loaded up FreeStyle Football 2 and my first thought was simple, I loaded it too early and the playtest is not live, ok wait an hour, and.... ok this looks good. The menus are clean, the presentation is smooth, and everything has a bright, street style edge that gives it a bit of personality. On Xbox it runs sharp and sounds great, so before you even start playing it already feels polished and lively, more like a fun arcade kickabout than a serious sim.

The core idea is simple but quite different from the norm. Instead of controlling an entire squad, each player takes charge of a single character in five versus five online matches. Every one of the twelve launch characters comes with their own special skills, whether that is firing off lightning quick passes, lifting team morale, or smashing in a perfectly timed power shot. On paper it adds tactical depth and pushes teamwork to the front. In practice it often does work, especially when everyone sticks to their role and plays with a bit of discipline.

When everything clicks, the game feels fresh. Matches are quick, intense and full of scrappy street football moments. The unique abilities give each character a clear identity, so you start to recognise who should be setting up plays and who should be finishing them. I liked that. It stops everyone feeling the same and encourages coordination rather than just button mashing. Visually, it all ties together nicely. The fields inspired by locations around the world look lively, and the whole thing has a bright, almost festival atmosphere.

There is also a decent amount of content around the edges. A story mode promises ten to twenty hours of single player play, digging into each character's background. You can customise your squad, collect items, and even form clubs to compete in ranked divisions. The companion app features, the management side and the push towards competitive play suggest the developers are serious about building a long term community rather than a throwaway arcade title. Dedicated servers and an eSports focus give it a professional backbone.

Still, for me, the biggest sticking point never went away. I simply do not enjoy football games where you control only one player. The behind the back camera never feels quite right and always leaves me wishing for a wider, more traditional view. Years of FIFA, now EA FC, have set a certain expectation for how football games should handle, and stepping away from that formula feels risky. Instead of feeling immersed, I often felt restricted, like I was watching the action rather than directing it.

Online play also throws up some frustrating moments. I picked a character built to attack, only to find myself placed in defence, which makes those carefully chosen skills almost pointless. It breaks the logic of the system. If most players gravitate towards strikers, which they almost certainly will, you end up with lopsided teams full of people chasing goals and ignoring the rest of the pitch. The concept of one player per person sounds tactical, but in reality it can turn chaotic very quickly.

That leaves FreeStyle Football 2 in an odd place. As a high energy, arcade style take on the sport, it works well in short bursts. Jump in for a few quick matches with mates and it can be good fun. But as something you would sink dozens or even hundreds of hours into, it struggles to compete with the established heavyweights. Outside of the US style arcade crowd, it is hard to see why many players would choose this over the more traditional alternatives.

The training modes were easily the most fun, which is a problem when they are supposed to be there to just get you used to how to play.

Right now, based on the closed beta, it is an interesting experiment with some strong ideas and slick presentation, yet one that never quite fits the way I want to play football games. Unless major changes are made, and the kind of changes needed would alter the very identity of the game, it is not something I see myself returning to at launch.

FreeStyle Football 2 earns a disappointing 5 out of 10.

REVIEW: UFOPHILIA (2026 Video Game) - on PC Steam

Review by Jon Donnis

UFOPHILIA leans into the unnerving investigation type feeling from the very first mission. This first person psychological horror game casts you as an investigator whose obsession with UFO sightings has pushed them into the wild, chasing reports of close encounters and trying to prove, with cold hard evidence, that we are not alone. It is a simple hook, but an effective one.

Each mission begins quietly inside your cramped RV, which serves as both headquarters and safe haven. Screens flicker, equipment hums, and your tools are laid out like a ghost hunter's kit bag. Cameras, motion detectors, EMF readers, magnetic wave sensors and more sit ready to be deployed. From there you select a location tied to sightings, then step out into the dark with only your gear and your nerves for company. It is a strong setup that immediately sells the fantasy of being a lone field researcher rather than a typical horror game protagonist.

The structure is clear and methodical. First you pick the job, then you gather clues and identify what sort of alien might be present. After that you narrow down the spawn zone where it first appeared, before finally facing the thing itself and attempting to photograph it. That final step is where the tension spikes. The game constantly reminds you that this is not just a checklist. Each alien behaves differently and you must understand its quirks before getting close enough for proof. It turns the act of taking a photo into something that feels risky and oddly personal.

Where UFOPHILIA shines most is atmosphere. Missions are unpredictable, with randomised spawn zones and alien types, so you never feel entirely comfortable. One run might involve something curious and almost playful, another might feature something openly aggressive or even prone to abduction. The uncertainty keeps you alert. There are some genuinely sharp jump scares and a steady, lingering unease that follows you from start to finish. It is not constant screaming horror. It is the quieter kind, the sort that makes you hesitate before stepping into the next patch of darkness.

The investigative side is also handled well. There is a satisfying learning curve as the game gradually teaches you how to use each tool and how different bits of evidence fit together. You begin to think like an investigator, cross referencing phenomena back at the RV, trying to narrow down possibilities. Certain devices work better together, and discovering those little synergies feels rewarding. It gives the experience more depth than simply wandering about waiting for a monster to appear.

That said, the whole thing feels rough around the edges. The core ideas are solid, but the execution sometimes struggles to keep up. Movement and general gameplay can feel clunky, which chips away at the tension the game works so hard to build. Instead of feeling scared, you occasionally feel frustrated, and that is never ideal in a horror title.

Lighting is another sticking point. Dark scenes are not just moody, they are often so dark that basic navigation becomes a chore. You end up staring at the night vision screen on your camera just to see where you are going. That might be the intended design, but it is not especially enjoyable. What should be tense becomes fiddly, and the constant reliance on a tiny green display takes you out of the world. 

Then there are the aliens themselves. Despite nine unique types with different behaviours and weaknesses, they can come across as a bit bland. For a game built around discovering and documenting unknown lifeforms, they do not always feel as striking or memorable as they should. The concept promises the unknown, but the reality can feel oddly familiar.

Even so, there is potential here. The mission structure, the randomisation, the use of specialised tech and the uneasy tone all point towards something that could be genuinely special. Right now it feels like a project that needed more time in the oven. Another year of polish and refinement could easily turn it from a decent curiosity into a standout horror experience.

As it stands, UFOPHILIA is intriguing, tense in places and occasionally very effective, but also clearly unfinished. Worth a look for fans of slow burn investigative horror, just with tempered expectations. I score it 6 out of 10.

Out Now on Steam

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3851320/UFOPHILIA/