RoadCraft Review: A Heavy-Duty Construction Sim That Builds on Patience and Precision
RoadCraft casts you as the owner of a construction company, restoring industrial sites devastated by floods, hurricanes, and other natural disasters across eight 4 km² maps. The core gameplay revolves around operating over 40 heavy vehicles—bulldozers, cranes, dump trucks, pavers, and scout vehicles—to clear debris, rebuild roads and bridges, and deliver materials. Each vehicle has a distinct role, and tasks often require chaining multiple machines together, such as using a crane to load sand onto a dump truck, then flattening it with a bulldozer before paving asphalt.
The game’s physics, powered by Saber’s new Swarm engine, are a highlight. Terrain deformation is persistent, meaning your roads and alterations remain across sessions, creating a tangible sense of progress. Objects like logs, sand, and concrete obey realistic physics, demanding precision—misjudge a crane’s balance, and it might tip over, halting your work until you recover it. This granularity makes every action, from leveling sand to plotting convoy routes, feel weighty and rewarding.
Unlike SnowRunner, RoadCraft shifts away from micromanaging fuel and vehicle damage, streamlining the experience to focus on construction. You can automate tasks by assigning AI-driven trucks to follow waypoints, adding a light strategy layer akin to Transport Tycoon. The game supports up to four-player co-op, which significantly reduces the grind of solo play by letting friends handle different vehicles, making complex tasks like crane loading more manageable and fun. However, solo play can feel laborious, with repetitive missions (e.g., moving materials from point A to B) that may test your patience, especially early on when vehicles are slower “rusty” models.
RoadCraft is a visual triumph, leveraging the Swarm engine (also used in Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2) to deliver photorealistic environments. Forests, deserts, and muddy wastelands are richly detailed, with dynamic weather effects like rain-soaked terrain and lightning storms enhancing immersion. The play of light and shadow, coupled with flora and fauna, creates a lived-in world that feels both desolate and hopeful. Vehicles are meticulously designed, with detailed cockpits and functional animations that make operating a steamroller feel like a childhood dream come true.
The soundtrack is an unexpected gem, featuring plangent guitar melodies that evoke a reflective, almost meditative mood, more akin to a campfire than a construction site. Engine roars, the squelch of mud, and the patter of rain are all crisply realized, grounding you in the experience. However, some players might miss a day-night cycle, which was omitted to avoid the frustration of building in the dark, though the dynamic weather system compensates well.
The narrative is minimal, serving as a backdrop to the gameplay. You’re guided by Kelly, a radio contact from HQ, who assigns main and side missions to restore towns and industries. The story-driven campaign provides context but doesn’t delve into deep character development or emotional stakes, which suits the sim genre but may leave some wanting more. Progression is slow, with missions taking hours to complete, especially solo. Unlocking better vehicles and customizing them with your company’s logo and colors adds a personal touch, but the grind to access high-tier machinery can feel protracted.
With eight expansive maps, a plethora of main and side objectives, and co-op multiplayer, RoadCraft offers dozens of hours of content—estimates suggest 80+ hours for completionists. The sandbox nature encourages creative problem-solving, like dumping sand to bypass a river instead of building a bridge, fostering replayability. However, the absence of SnowRunner’s fuel management or a day-night cycle might disappoint purists who prefer the series’ hardcore roots. Bugs, such as collision issues with plants flinging vehicles skyward, and occasional soft-locks can also disrupt the experience, though patches are likely post-launch.
RoadCraft has been well-received, earning an 84/100 on OpenCritic (“Mighty” rating, top 9% of 2025 games) based on 28 reviews, with 89% recommending it. Critics praise its evolution of the SnowRunner formula, with PC Gamer calling it “a physics puzzler wrapped in a lavish simulator outfit” and Push Square dubbing it Saber’s “best vehicle sim to date.” However, some note interface polish issues and bugs, and a Reddit post lamented its departure from SnowRunner’s driving-focused magic, calling vehicles “toys” in a cluttered sandbox. X posts reflect enthusiasm, particularly for co-op, with users like @thumbwarsluke calling it “addictive” and @xboxera praising its “smart/fun crafting.”
RoadCraft is a love letter to heavy machinery enthusiasts and patient gamers, offering a deeply satisfying blend of physics-based simulation, construction, and strategy. Its gorgeous visuals, realistic physics, and co-op mode make it a standout, easily surpassing Expeditions and arguably SnowRunner in ambition and variety. However, its slow progression, repetitive tasks, and occasional bugs may frustrate those seeking instant gratification or a purer driving sim. If you’re ready to invest time and embrace the grind, RoadCraft is a rewarding, meditative experience that makes you feel like a kid playing with Tonka trucks in a digital sandbox.
