- 10 Years of Switchcars! - 4 March 2026
Hello everyone!Today is exactly 10 years since Switchcars was first released! While I'm not entirely ready to accept this shocking fact, I sure am happy to celebrate it with a -75% discount for the next two weeks, alongside a little storefront refresh!There's no new update, as the game was wrapped up in 2021 after all, but there is something cool and new still, that most of you might be unaware of:Remember that a vehicle editor was added in the last 1.1 update, to help keep things fresh? A few amazing members of our community have put it to good use, and created mods with not 100, not 1000, but 2000 (two thousand) vehicles! Above you can see some of my favorites.OrcinusC7, AJdex (MiloBob), YelloLight, MisterKenneth and a few other contributors - thank you! You've absolutely nailed the style, and added a ton of additional fun to the game with these mods.If you'd like to download and/or d…
- After many years, Switchcars is done and has left Early Access - 5 May 2021
Switchcars is a very strange game. One where you run along, throw a hook into cars to speed up, pinch all sorts of vehicles and try to outrun strange alien creatures. Read the full article here: https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2021/05/after-many-years-switchcars-is-done-and-has-left-early-access
- Switchcars 1.1 - Now out of Early Access! - 30 April 2021
More than eight years after work on it began, Switchcars just graduated to a full release alongside its biggest update so far! Switchcars was rather polished at the time of its initial launch in 2016. I kept it in Early Access all this time, however, because I wanted to add more to it. An amount of 15 hefty updates were made in the meantime, and today’s one is the biggest so far: It adds almost 200 new vehicles (totalling to 1305), an editor for players to create their own vehicles and props, a new “Rally” game mode and many smaller improvements and bug fixes. The game is filled with lots of content, polish and replayability. Full changelog of the 1.1 update is available here. The biggest addition is the new editor. I hope to inspire you all to create your own vehicles and props and share them with other players! Switchcars is already in IGCD top 10 for its amount of road vehicles, so s…
- Switchcars 1.1 Changelog Preview - 30 April 2021
In about 7 hours from now, Switchcars will be released out of Early Access! With that you'll get a massive update 1.1, a new trailer, store page overhaul and some extra videos! Stay tuned for the second news post later today! In the meantime, I thought you'd like a tease with the update changelog below. Enjoy! v1.1 - April 30, 2021 Customization: - Added Vehicle Editor - Used to create sets of vehicles, animals and props, in-game - Accessible as a game mode - Features simple icon-selection interface for most object parameters - Features colorized input fields for easy behavior overview - Features sprite browser - Features object operators (copy, delete...), with keyboard shortcuts - Features previewing of sounds (e.g. horns) - Features automatic paint-area and collider settings - Features simple descriptions for every setting - Made vehicle features into pre-installed passive powerups (…
- Progress report - Vehicle editor screenshots, new vehicles - 2 June 2018
Hi everyone, It’s been a long time since Switchcars was last updated, so I want to let you know the current situation. Beta update in development: As many of you know already, the upcoming beta update has been in the works since late 2016. Some of its features and fixes were released in updates 13, 14 and 15, and the most difficult part of it (for me at least) was the integration of Steam API to the Switchcars engine. Being made in Pygame, this actually required some work that no other Pygame game ever did. That work was done by Damir, a friend of mine, over a year ago. One of the update’s major new features are many new vehicles, but also something that was kept a secret until recently - Switchcars will have a vehicle editor as well as Steam Workshop available from within the game! This will allow you to create and share your own Switchcars vehicles, making those original 1000 seem lik…
- Update 15 - Drafting, 2 new car sounds, EBS, win-based unlocks and much more! - 8 April 2017
Hey guys! A new update is here - this time primarily focused on your suggestions from the forum, mainly the Random ideas thread! Thank you everyone for the awesome suggestions - keep them coming! The update includes some not yet visible work too, but more on that in a later update. Drafting effect: Switchcars now features a relatively advanced simulation of drafting! It's an aerodynamics thing: if you tail a vehicle that is clearing air in front of you, you will reach a higher top speed due to reduced resistance. However, when you steer to the side to overtake a vehicle, hitting the air wave will slow you down again. This feature is very analog and varies from situation to situation, as it is calculated using both player's and traffic vehicle's speed, mass and height, as well as their mutual distance at every moment, so understanding it is mainly based on a feeling. Bicycles can take gr…
- Update 15 - Drafting, 2 new car sounds, EBS, win-based unlocks and much more! - 8 April 2017
Hey guys! A new update is here - this time primarily focused on your suggestions from the forum, mainly the Random ideas thread! Thank you everyone for the awesome suggestions - keep them coming! The update includes some not yet visible work too, but more on that in a later update. Drafting effect: Switchcars now features a relatively advanced simulation of drafting! It's an aerodynamics thing: if you tail a vehicle that is clearing air in front of you, you will reach a higher top speed due to reduced resistance. However, when you steer to the side to overtake a vehicle, hitting the air wave will slow you down again. This feature is very analog and varies from situation to situation, as it is calculated using both player's and traffic vehicle's speed, mass and height, as well as their mutual distance at every moment, so understanding it is mainly based on a feeling. Bicycles can take gr…
- Update 14 - Mech, 2 new animals, lane age variants and more! - 20 February 2017
Hey all! The new Switchcars update is up! While it's got a lot of small fixes and a ton of work that's yet to be utilized in the coming builds, here are some of the highlights: Note: Hardcore mode and database entries for four specific powerups will need to be unlocked again, due to changes in the savegame system. Lane age variants: Remember how, apart from vehicles, different eras all looked the same? Now, the year you're in affects the look of the lanes as well! Human-made lanes, such as roads, will look differently in 1950's compared to 2030's. Free Roam now lets you change the year during gameplay, which makes it easy to explore the new lane designs. 3 new "vehicles": Switchcars now has a Mech (a military piloted robot) and two new animals, all animated and with new sound effects! More will be coming soon! Volume control: At last! Thanks to Damir (and this was no trivial task, mind…
- Update 14 - Mech, 2 new animals, lane age variants and more! - 20 February 2017
Hey all! The new Switchcars update is up! While it's got a lot of small fixes and a ton of work that's yet to be utilized in the coming builds, here are some of the highlights: Note: Hardcore mode and database entries for four specific powerups will need to be unlocked again, due to changes in the savegame system. Lane age variants: Remember how, apart from vehicles, different eras all looked the same? Now, the year you're in affects the look of the lanes as well! Human-made lanes, such as roads, will look differently in 1950's compared to 2030's. Free Roam now lets you change the year during gameplay, which makes it easy to explore the new lane designs. 3 new "vehicles": Switchcars now has a Mech (a military piloted robot) and two new animals, all animated and with new sound effects! More will be coming soon! Volume control: At last! Thanks to Damir (and this was no trivial task, mind…
- Announcing a new VR game: Derail Valley! - 8 February 2017
Hey guys, As I wrote in December, something new has been cooking for about 8 months now. Today I’m super excited to introduce you to our new upcoming VR game - Derail Valley! Before I continue, let me just say this - Derail Valley actually already helped fund further Switchcars development! There’s a ton of interesting things to share, but I’ll try to keep it as short as possible and stick to the key points, so please bear with me: https://youtu.be/p5PEKotBNfo What is Derail Valley? Derail Valley is a next-gen train simulation made for VR. You drive a train using your own hands in a virtual cab, tasked to reposition rolling stock between trainyards on time. Derailment is a big part of it and it also brings some advancements to the realistic train sim genre, such as decayed railway simulation. More info on its Steam page and announcement. If you have an HTC Vive, you can try the free dem…
- Announcing a new VR game: Derail Valley! - 8 February 2017
Hey guys, As I wrote in December, something new has been cooking for about 8 months now. Today I’m super excited to introduce you to our new upcoming VR game - Derail Valley! Before I continue, let me just say this - Derail Valley actually already helped fund further Switchcars development! There’s a ton of interesting things to share, but I’ll try to keep it as short as possible and stick to the key points, so please bear with me: https://youtu.be/p5PEKotBNfo What is Derail Valley? Derail Valley is a next-gen train simulation made for VR. You drive a train using your own hands in a virtual cab, tasked to reposition rolling stock between trainyards on time. Derailment is a big part of it and it also brings some advancements to the realistic train sim genre, such as decayed railway simulation. More info on its Steam page and announcement. If you have an HTC Vive, you can try the free dem…
- Switchcars and Altfuture: a look at 2016 and future plans - 20 December 2016
Hey everyone! Only a news update this time - but a rather important one: I made a blog post detailing some key information related to Switchcars, which was never posted so far. It's related to the game's success since release, how it almost never got made, as well as future plans for both the game and the company! Switchcars and Altfuture: a look at 2016 and future plans Just keeping you guys up to date - soon there will be more concrete news on the new features, can't wait to share those! Now heading back to work, and see you next time with another game update. As always if you have any questions, comments or suggestions, feel free to post on the forum! Happy holidays and have a great New Year guys!
- Switchcars and Altfuture: a look at 2016 and future plans - 20 December 2016
Hey everyone! Only a news update this time - but a rather important one: I made a blog post detailing some key information related to Switchcars, which was never posted so far. It's related to the game's success since release, how it almost never got made, as well as future plans for both the game and the company! Switchcars and Altfuture: a look at 2016 and future plans Just keeping you guys up to date - soon there will be more concrete news on the new features, can't wait to share those! Now heading back to work, and see you next time with another game update. As always if you have any questions, comments or suggestions, feel free to post on the forum! Happy holidays and have a great New Year guys!
- Update 13 - Resolution options, Free Roam themes, improved input system and more! - 22 October 2016
Hey all! Before diving into update details, I'd like to announce that I was temporarily joined by a programmer and a friend of mine, Damir Veapi, in solving some technical issues in Switchcars. He already did some notable work prior to release, but also in the previous update 12 and now, 13. His involvement with the project likely won't be long, but it's very meaningful already. In this update, and throughout next several ones our aim is to make the game as stable as possible, so that it will be able to leave alpha and have its development continue in a more mature beta state. This also means that, besides getting more stable, the game might get some awesome new features! I'm not going to announce them just yet - first we want to make sure they work. Now onto the update! Resolution options: Yes! The game now lets you run it at your monitor's native resolution, such as 1920x1080. Alterna…
- Update 13 - Resolution options, Free Roam themes, improved input system and more! - 22 October 2016
Hey all! Before diving into update details, I'd like to announce that I was temporarily joined by a programmer and a friend of mine, Damir Veapi, in solving some technical issues in Switchcars. He already did some notable work prior to release, but also in the previous update 12 and now, 13. His involvement with the project likely won't be long, but it's very meaningful already. In this update, and throughout next several ones our aim is to make the game as stable as possible, so that it will be able to leave alpha and have its development continue in a more mature beta state. This also means that, besides getting more stable, the game might get some awesome new features! I'm not going to announce them just yet - first we want to make sure they work. Now onto the update! Resolution options: Yes! The game now lets you run it at your monitor's native resolution, such as 1920x1080. Alterna…
- Update 12 - 1000+ redesigned vehicles, starting years 2040-2054, and a ton of more improvements! - 24 September 2016
Hey everyone! The new update is up, bringing us the biggest Switchcars changelog yet, not only since launch, but since Switchcars development began in 2012! The shear amount of general small changes is enormous. Here are some highlights, although I recommend reading the full notes too. Note: this update will reset the "config.ini" file which contains your graphics, controls and other settings. 1000+ redesigned vehicles: The update is mainly focused on vehicles. They were all revised, and most of their graphics updated for better consistency, looks and purpose clarity. Some received minor graphical changes, whereas others complete overhauls. For example, nearly all aircraft and future vehicles were remade from scratch, looking closer to how they might look in real life. Magnet and plasma vehicles are now easily distinguishable with featuring cyan or light purple glowing pads underneath,…
- Update 12 - 1000+ redesigned vehicles, starting years 2040-2054, and a ton of more improvements! - 24 September 2016
Hey everyone! The new update is up, bringing us the biggest Switchcars changelog yet, not only since launch, but since Switchcars development began in 2012! The shear amount of general small changes is enormous. Here are some highlights, although I recommend reading the full notes too. Note: this update will reset the "config.ini" file which contains your graphics, controls and other settings. 1000+ redesigned vehicles: The update is mainly focused on vehicles. They were all revised, and most of their graphics updated for better consistency, looks and purpose clarity. Some received minor graphical changes, whereas others complete overhauls. For example, nearly all aircraft and future vehicles were remade from scratch, looking closer to how they might look in real life. Magnet and plasma vehicles are now easily distinguishable with featuring cyan or light purple glowing pads underneath,…
- Update 11 - Hardcore game mode, changelog viewer, battery degradation and more! - 16 August 2016
Hey everyone! A new update is out and brings a number of new things to Switchcars! Hardcore game mode: For all of you who've beaten the game many times a new mode is now available - Hardcore! Hardcore mode, which only becomes available once you've beaten The Run, features 3 stages rather than 10. They are very long and the timer ticks only 5 seconds before not one, but two aliens show up chasing you. The idea behind the game mode was to have a tough challenge from the very start of a round, without the usual build-up present in The Run, yet make it still possible to beat it. Right now Hardcore is quite fun and beating it is highly satisfactory, but it is also in experimental phase, meaning that some things could be changed over time based on your feedback. Please let me know your thoughts about it, and I'm looking forward to seeing hardcore gameplay videos and end-screen captures! Ingam…
- Update 11 - Hardcore game mode, changelog viewer, battery degradation and more! - 16 August 2016
Hey everyone! A new update is out and brings a number of new things to Switchcars! Hardcore game mode: For all of you who've beaten the game many times a new mode is now available - Hardcore! Hardcore mode, which only becomes available once you've beaten The Run, features 3 stages rather than 10. They are very long and the timer ticks only 5 seconds before not one, but two aliens show up chasing you. The idea behind the game mode was to have a tough challenge from the very start of a round, without the usual build-up present in The Run, yet make it still possible to beat it. Right now Hardcore is quite fun and beating it is highly satisfactory, but it is also in experimental phase, meaning that some things could be changed over time based on your feedback. Please let me know your thoughts about it, and I'm looking forward to seeing hardcore gameplay videos and end-screen captures! Ingam…
- Planes, Trains And Everything Else: Switchcars - 15 August 2016
I’ve been mostly absent from the internet for a week, enjoying a holiday that involved as little in the way of online interaction and vidputergames as possible. I did take some time to play a rather splendid game though. I’m not sure if you’ve heard of it. It involves procedurally generated worlds, littered with resources, and you must navigate those worlds in vehicles that run out of fuel extremely quickly. Sometimes, alien slugs will attack. The game is called Switchcars and it’s delightful. …
