Roadcraft, developed by Sabre Interactive and published by Focus Entertainment, is available now on Xbox Series S/X, PlayStation 5 and PC.
In Roadcraft, you are in control of restoring towns, villages and industrial estates after apocalyptic-like storms have ravaged the locations. Players will set out in an array of vehicles, each with various functions, to ensure everything is restored to its original state. Roadcraft overall feels like a giant sandbox in which you are given many objectives with different machines to tackle them. Luckily, a tutorial is provided with each vehicle, making it easy to pick up and play. In the first mission, you’ll get to grips with cranes to build flood defences, scout vehicles to explore the surroundings, dozers and dumptrucks to make sand roads and much more. Making sand roads may sound a little boring, however, if anything, it’s one of the funniest things in the game. In one mission with friends, there was a ruined town, traversing around it was a pain, so I said, “Hey, the town is destroyed anyway, let’s just throw sand on top of it all and make a nice easy shortcut over it”. After around half an hour, the town has a massive sand road through it, blocking all entrances to shops and houses, bad for the civilians, but great for us! However, it wasn’t that great for us because when I was lifting heavy goods, I’d hit a piece of debris and flip the truck. This happened three times in one playthrough, hilarious while also frustrating. Roadcraft is full of these moments of fun. On paper, you may think constructing and fixing places is a bit boring, but Sabre Interactive have made Roadcraft one of the most fun games I’ve played this year, especially with friends.
Roadcraft isn’t just a game full of funny moments; it’s also one that is great for distraction. The tasks are fairly easy to understand, they guide you well, but also give you creative freedom. I found it a good game to relax with. This game isn’t fast-paced; each scenario takes time and patience, but it always results in a satisfying end when you’ve made a difference in these different levels. I feel that there is more to Roadcraft than just a simple construction game; it truly felt unique in how deep its systems go, how each vehicle works, and how the environment reacts to you trudging around it in giant trucks. This is why I feel it was so immersive; everything is constantly changing and being affected by what you do, you really feel like you’re making a difference. The tasks that you’ll be taking on range from building infrastructure points to making sure deliveries get from point A to B successfully, which will involve modifying some roads to help them achieve their goals. The AI can be a bit of a nightmare on this, and you will have to do some fine-tuning, but the developers are aware of this, and it is being updated as we speak. Other tasks range from building bridges, fixing roads, restoring electricity, among other resources, to facilities, exploring surroundings and more. These tasks are quite fun, some take longer than others, but each offers a decent cash and XP reward on completion. The XP you earn helps you level up, as you level up, more vehicles will be unlocked, whether it’s a new vehicle or an upgraded one. The cash is to buy these vehicles or buy resources to help repair/build.
Roadcraft is simply one of the most beautiful games I’ve played in a while. Everything about it, the water, the trees blowing in the wind, the environment, the debris, everything in this game looks stunning. Each scenario looks unique and different from the next, from Eastern Europe to the Desert, the developers have crafted an incredible universe. As mentioned earlier, the game is truly immersive in all its design, from its realistic physics and its looks, every moment is exciting and promotes exploration. It ran well on my 3080 Ti with few issues from launch, with all settings on Ultra, it is a very well-optimised game. The sound design is also on point, from the birds in the trees to the truck tyres going through the mud, there is such attention to detail that I was stunned throughout.
Verdict
I had a blast with Roadcraft, especially with my friends. You can go solo, but teamwork is where this game shines. You’ll be met with fun, confusion, frustration, and so much more. It’s natural to Roadcraft; it stokes so many different emotions, and it is easily the most fun I’ve had in a game in 2025. There are, sadly, a few issues like AI and vehicle glitches, but nothing for me that took anything away from the experience. I hope to see more from Roadcraft and see it get the amount of content updates Snowrunner did because my friends and I are in this for the long haul. For £34.99, you have a game crafted so wonderfully, one that can get exciting in so many different ways. On paper, it might not sound like much, you’re just repairing and driving around, yet it is a game that I cannot put down. I did not expect to have this much fun, nor did I expect to think about the game and how to achieve my objectives when I wasn’t playing it has wormed its way into my brain in a great way.
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