Carmageddon: Rogue Shift Brings Back The Vehicular-Combat Cult Classic Series

From 1997 to 2005, the Carmageddon series brought an explosive destruction derby to PCs, consoles, and handhelds through a trilogy of games and a couple of spin-offs. In 2014, Stainless Games revitalized the long-dormant franchise through Carmageddon: Reincarnation, and followed it up two years later with Carmageddon: Max Damage, but the series has been quiet ever since. Today, during the PC Gaming Show, that changed, as a new spin-off entry, Carmageddon: Rogue Shift, was announced.

As the name implies, Carmageddon: Rogue Shift adds a roguelite twist to the arcade-style vehicular combat of the series. True to that style of gameplay, you can unlock various weapons, classes, perks, and more as you battle bosses, race through the streets, and choose your path through a branching map. Each run drops you into a world with a day/night cycle with dynamic weather, where hordes of zombies emerge into the streets at night. Your only hope of escape is by winning the Carmageddon street-racing tournament. This entry promises stylish driving mechanics, tactical loadouts, and destruction-based racing. 

"We are bringing something fresh to the franchise and the racing genre," game director Giuseppe Enrico Franchi said in a press release. "Carmageddon means explore, experiment, paint the streets red, and crumple up opponents. We want our players to adapt, upgrade, and unleash destruction on zombie hordes with glee behind the wheel of a killing machine."

The previous two Carmageddon console games, Reincarnation and Max Damage, did not fare well critically, with each holding a Metacritic average score in the 50s. However, Rogue Shift brings in a new developer, 34BigThings. The studio's most recent game, a racing title called Redout 2, has as high as a 78 on Metacritic, with its sense of speed serving as one of the most commonly sung praises in reviews.

Carmageddon: Rogue Shift arrives on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch 2, and PC in early 2026.