Will BeamNG.drive Ever Leave Early-Access?

After nine and a half years on Steam and eleven years since the first tech demo, BeamNG.drive has become one of Steam's most-played racing games. Despite this accolade, the game is still listed as Early-Access. Will we ever see BeamNG leave this state?

Editor's Note: As an avid fan and player of BeamNG for over seven years, I do not think that the BeamNG we know and love today will be released in a 1.0 version. I believe that the game has a long way to go and will be fairly unrecognisable by the time it is ready to hit the shelves in full-release form.


Is there a racing update coming soon? Image: BeamNG.com

BeamNG has so many different and creative avenues and disciplines for driving and racing that there is no limit. This is a blessing for replayability, but a curse for ever fully releasing and finishing the sim. The racing and AI still need a lot of work, but what else is needed before BeamNG can be released?

Vulkan Implementation​

Vulkan is a low-overhead API that allows a balanced usage of CPU and GPU. It works especially well on multi-core CPUs and on BeamNG's bigger and more detailed maps like Utah and West Coast USA, Vulkan can drastically improve performance.

Vulkan reduces the load on your computer's CPU through the use of batching and low-level optimizations within BeamNG. This can greatly reduce the CPU's workload, leaving it free to do more processing or rendering than would otherwise be possible.


DirectX11 comparison to Vulkan's performance. Image: BeamNG.com

The most important thing that Vulkan does is stabilising the game and allowing the sim able to run on lower-end systems. BeamNG is infamous for being difficult to run without a decently-specced PC, but the new Vulkan mode has made this better. This is the software that will power BeamNG into the future. However, for now, it is still in its experimental phase and with each major update the Vulkan mode gets more and more stable.

AI Improvements​

The AI in BeamNG has always been one of the most appreciated features within the title, but for the game to ever be released in 1.0 form the AI needs to be drastically improved. In their current form, the traffic is somewhat capable but lacks any form of common sense and the racing AI has been shelved for a couple of major updates now.


AI Traffic in Utah. Image: BeamNG.com

The reality for BeamNG fully releasing for sim racers to enjoy is that the AI needs to be competent on track. The developers have made it clear in past releases that they are not interested in adding any sort of official multiplayer, so good AI racing is an absolute necessity for this section of the game to survive.

Whilst the lack of official multiplayer is a big hit for some sim racers, others love the idea and have been waiting patiently for years for the big racing update that BeamNG deserves.


BeamNG's fantastic car selection spans road and race cars. Image: BeamNG.com

Will it ever happen?​

Overall, BeamNG is a very long way from being considered 'finished' if that is even possible. However, there is nothing to say that the game won't eventually be released in 1.0; especially with how innovative the game has been in the world of soft-body physics.

The game is loved and treasured by its community and development team, a full release is surely pencilled deep in the calendar. Just do not expect it anytime soon!

Do you think BeamNG will ever release version 1.0? Let us know in the poll above or the comments down below!