There's a lot of confusion these days about what Alpha and Beta mean.
We subscribe to a simple (and somewhat traditional) idea:
Alpha = Feature-Complete. All the major systems & features required for this game are functional.
Beta = Content-Complete. All the "content" is there-- every level, every character, every car, every weapon.
People are often shocked when we show them the game and say it's Pre-Alpha, but that's the consequence of our dedication to depth + quality.
Fortunately, we won't have to say it much longer. Alpha is almost completely finished! All that's left:
Finish 2 more Story Levels by replacing the old dialogue / character art with new stuff.
Add a handful of additional Racetracks to make the racing mode more fun
Refinements on the Vehicle AI + Road & Terrain systems
Polish + Bugfixing
And it's gonna be done in time for Oak City Indie Games on October 24, where we'll be showing the demo in-person once again! Visit if you're in the RDU area.
The game was shown at Game & Geek Expo 2026 recently. Considering all the last-minute changes and improvements, there were surprisingly few issues in the build!
SHOW ME THE GAME!
OK, you deserve it!
Here's a new story level, with all-new character art by Mikoe, in which you try to get through a mountain road (touge if you're Japanese) as fast as possible.
Please forgive the bugs / issues in this video, we're hoping to fix them before shipping Alpha. Check it out!
View game page
In the Alpha Demo, this level will also be available from the Main Menu under "Time Trial."
Time Trial mode skips the dialogue so that you can grind the course for the fastest time.
Steam Demo?
I'll probably wait until the Beta is done before releasing a Steam Demo.
I want to make sure the Steam Demo is very similar to the final game experience.
In the mean time, if you really can't wait to show your friends, you can download the old Vertical Slice demo in the 🚗💥💥 Discord Server.... and soon, the Alpha Demo will be available too!
Discord Link Here: https://linktr.ee/TeamKDGames
Publisher?
While I love working on the game, I would rather bring in more hands to make a better game in a shorter time. That means I'll be doing another round of talks with publishers + potential funding partners as soon as the Alpha Demo is complete.
Of course, we won't partner with anyone unless they agree to let the game keep its integrity. No micro-transactions, no AI-generated art, no BS.
A Physical Game?
Inspired by certain recent news about physical games, I produced a few physical copies of the old Vertical Slice demo.
We're big fans of physical games, especially ones that don't require any kind of Internet / Updates to play.
Aside from printing custom DVD's, I also created an Install Wizard to make it easy to install the game directly from the DVD.
It's a silly little side project that probably won't make any money, but I opened an Etsy store for similar discs in case other indies want physical discs. I can even provide them with data burning and their own install Wizards if they like.
https://teamkdgames.etsy.com/listing/4554043921/custom-indie-game-pc-discs-physical-cd
If it's in the cards, 🚗💥💥 will be on Switch. I'll do everything I can to make that happen.
Of course, it will be released on Steam regardless of whether there are any console ports.