Vehicle sandbox BeamNG.drive has received version 0.39, which its developers describe as the largest update the game has had. PC Gamer reports that the patch is led by what the release calls "massive graphics changes", alongside a rebuild of the interface that has long been one of the game’s roughest edges.
On the rendering side, the update brings more stable shadows, HDR output support on both Vulkan and Direct3D 12, physically correct light attenuation, and dynamic ambient lighting. Volumetric clouds are included, as is a rewritten night sky that the patch notes say is derived from real astronomical data.
The sky is based on real astronomical values, including Milky Way rendering and a constellation database, fully synchronized with latitude, longitude, date, and time of day.
A rebuilt interface
The game’s user interface has been overhauled with a redesigned pause menu, improved gamepad support and a reworked replay UI. The developers also say the new interface is more moddable than the one it replaces, which matters for a game whose community has built a substantial modding scene around it.
The rest of the changelog spans both simulation and presentation. Version 0.39 adds a new aerodynamic physics system, an overhauled photo mode, more realistic vehicle lights, map improvements, memory optimisation and updated ambient audio. New content includes an all-gravel Rally Loop, a freeroam tutorial, and a car: the Cherrier Ardente, which the studio calls a contender for the best-looking vehicle it has produced.
Eleven years in early access
BeamNG.drive has been in early access for 11 years and originally reached Steam through the Greenlight programme, making a graphics pass of this scale a notable piece of maintenance for a game of its age. A PlayStation 5 version is in development, and the studio has said further PC updates are still planned.
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