Monster Trucks Are Coming to Your Living Room This Year

Less than a month ago, I was drooling over the Lucas Oil Stabilizer RC Monster Truck. Buying one for my front yard is on my list for this year. Considering my surroundings, it makes more sense to get one of these than an RC Drift Car. I became nostalgic thinking of the '90s when I used to play Monster Truck Madness (parts one and two) for hours in a row.

I considered plugging in my old laptop (2008 Toshiba) to try and install those games, but I couldn't find the time to do so. Firing up the PS5 for a round of Gran Turismo 7 is much more convenient. I've lost track of Monster Truck-related games over the past 25 years. But that doesn't mean there weren't any around. Think titles like Monster Jam: Maximum Destruction (2002), Monster Jam: Urban Assault (2008), or the more recent Monster Jam Steel Titans 2 (2021). The latter has received mixed reviews from critics, but things may turn out completely different now.

Why is that, you may ask? Well, the Italians at Milestone are part of the project! And what does that say about the upcoming Monster Jam Showdown title? They have been in the industry since the '90s, specializing in racing games. I've become a fan of their work by playing hundreds of hours of Ride 3. Last year, I reviewed their new Ride 5 and MotoGP 23 releases. But they're not exclusively focused on two-wheel action. The company worked on several WRC titles, and in 2021, it released Hot Wheels Unleashed, which got a sequel just last year.

That means the new Monster Jam game may feature more realistic or at least more exciting handling. There is limited information about the whole thing, but the teaser trailer is enough to work up an appetite. It all starts with a shot of the mighty Megalodon, which is always highly popular with the fans of the sport. Judging by the video, you can also take these bad boys out for a drive outside the arenas, which will be exciting. I hope the snow-covered surfaces will provide plenty of sideways action.

Grave Digger also gets some screen time in the trailer, as expected. All 53 trucks competing in the 2024 season should be part of the game. But I would also love to see some retired machines there. So far, people have been praying for things like steering wheel compatibility, an option to build your truck, realistic physics with a proper damage simulation, and multiplayer Free Roam stadium lobbies. I expect the game to come out in a few months, and it will be available on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and PCs. I'm as excited about this new Monster Truck game as I was about Dune Part 2. I might be back with a full review once it goes live.