The day has finally arrived – Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown is now in the hands of (some) players as its one-week early access period gets underway. Those that forked out $90 for the Gold Edition of the open-world racing game are getting behind the wheel right now – that is, if they can navigate their way through some frustrating server issues.
While developer KT Racing says it’s working hard to fix these “severe” connection problems, that isn’t stopping the Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown from being bombarded with negative reviews on launch day. The racing game currently has a “mostly negative” Steam user rating, with only 25% of reviews being positive. The game’s Discord server is also awash with players reporting connection issues.
KT Racing has acknowledged these issues in two separate announcement posts throughout launch day. In the latter, it says: “Since the official server launch today at 08:00 AM UTC, many players have encountered severe connection issues with the game, mainly with login, lobbies, and various online features. These issues applies to all platforms: PC (Steam), PS5, and Xbox Series X|S. Our teams are working tirelessly to stabilize the servers so that everyone can enjoy the game as soon as possible.”
As Solar Crown is an always-online, MMO-style racer, it’s not possible to play it without an internet connection, so these server issues are really detrimental. Given that it’s only those who paid for the more expensive Gold Edition that should be getting access, I already predict (and hope) that some form of compensation will be dished out to players, who have missed out on hours of play time today.
The server issues also make me a little nervous for the second stage of early access on September 10, when Silver Edition players will get to join the party, and the full Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown release date on September 12.
It’s a shame that technical issues are letting TDU Solar Crown down on its opening lap, because its surprisingly promising Year 1 roadmap gives me confidence it can go the distance when it comes to content. In just a few months, the game’s launch map of Hong Kong Island will be joined by another – a reimagining of Ibiza, the main location of Test Drive Unlimited 2. That game’s iconic casino is also set to return. Future updates will also add loads of new cars and events.
If exploring a massive shared world sounds like your idea of fun, be sure to check out our recommendations for the best MMOs and best open-world games.
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