Off-road trucking simulator

Snowrunner is a sandbox-style trucking simulator from Saber Interactive. The second title of the series after Mudrunner, this simulation game will have you travel across a brand new Alaskan environment aboard your cargo truck.  In this game, your job is to pick up contracts, deliver your cargo, and tow other vehicles to reach your goal of building your empire. The meat of the game, however, is the moment-to-moment challenge of juggling different environments and avoiding being stuck in mud and ice as you inch your way up an ostensibly gentle hill. 

Slow-paced but fun

What players need to know about Snowrunner is that it is not a game for the impatient. It is uniquely slow-paced that even when you are making progress, you will be traveling so slow that a continental drift can overtake you. Unlike other driving simulators, time isn’t the enemy here but the hostile and harsh terrain. The game map is unafraid to make you gain every inch of progression. Throughout your drive, you will pass through waterlogged swamps, snow-covered trails, and muddy bogs. 

Snowrunner sets you and your truck in an array of distinct environments—from the snap-frozen Alaska to muddy Michigan and even Taymyr in Russia. The game has a larger map than Mudrunner, so you will have more grounds to cover. Moreover, there will be a vast selection of new cargo types weaved into more varied missions. Outside of your delivery work, you can pick up stranded trailers and rescue broken trucks. Unsurprisingly, every mission rewards you with cash, which you can use to buy brand-new and better trucks. 

Snowrunner offers hours of fun trucking time, considering how hard it is to negotiate a single slippery hill. The biggest drawback in the game, however, is the fact that the handling of smaller and lighter scout vehicles is not that great. They feel disconnected to the ground most of the time. Moreover, the game is slightly let down by the occasionally-aggravating chase camera, some unnecessary menu-shuffling, and illogical upgrade hurdles. However, it’s still a fun game that you can play from start to finish in solo or four-player co-op. 

Addictive and time-consuming game

Snowrunner isn’t the most glamorous driving game you will play. However, it provides a unique and methodical pleasure in besting the elements aboard your battered truck of choice. It is unapologetically time-consuming and tricky yet oddly addictive and rewarding when played. It is not often you will see an authentic slow-paced delivery simulator that does not bore you to death.