| Dead Static Drive | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer | Reuben Games |
| Publisher | Reuben Games |
| Engine | Unreal Engine 4 |
| Platforms | |
| Release | 5 November 2025 |
| Genres | Action-adventure, survival horror |
| Mode | Single-player |
Dead Static Drive is a top-down driving meets survival horror video game developed and published by Reuben Games. It was released on Windows and Xbox One on 5 November 2025.[1] The game has a "retro Americana" graphical style, and involves a road trip that takes a turn into Lovecraftian horror.[2]
Plot
[edit]The main character of the game goes on a road trip to reconnect with their estranged family members, traveling between towns and doing quests in each town where they can freely walk around outside their car.[2] The player realizes that the apocalypse is happening and must fight Lovecraftian monsters and potentially stop the end of the world.[3]
Development
[edit]The game's creator, Mike Blackney, started development in 2014, and 6 months later, in 2015, received a $15,000 Unreal Dev Grant for the game's development.[3][4] Later, he also received funding from the Australian government that enabled him to quit his job as a teacher and continue developing the game, as well as hire an artist and musician.[3] He noted inspiration for the game from the 1981 film The Evil Dead, and horror set in the suburbs and mundane settings, and has described the game as "Grand Theft Cthulhu".[2] Leena van Deventer came onto the project in 2019, as Creative Producer and Writer.
On 27 October 2025, Reuben Games announced via a press release that the game would launch on 5 November 2025.[5]
Reception
[edit]Stephanie Chan of VentureBeat called the game "stylish but also evocative".[3] Adam Smith of Rock Paper Shotgun called the graphics "lovely" and the monsters "refreshingly untentacled", commenting that the game could use some folklore that is not just Lovecraft.[6]
References
[edit]- ^ Nunneley-Jackson, Stephany (March 12, 2019). "Dead Static Drive, Afterparty and other indies coming to Xbox One". VG247. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
- ^ a b c Priestman, Chris (November 23, 2016). "Dead Static Drive to be a road-trip horror in vintage Americana style". Kill Screen. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
- ^ a b c d Chan, Stephanie (March 22, 2018). "The IndieBeat: Dead Static Drive is 'Grand Theft Cthulhu' on Route 66". VentureBeat. Archived from the original on July 29, 2020. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
- ^ Minotti, Mike (March 5, 2015). "First recipients of Epic's Unreal Dev Grants deserve every penny". VentureBeat. Archived from the original on July 29, 2020. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
- ^ Wilson, Mike (October 28, 2025). "Lovecraftian 'Grand Theft Auto' Title 'Dead Static Drive' Rolls Up to November 5 Release". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved October 28, 2025.
- ^ Smith, Adam (November 17, 2016). "Dead Static Drive takes you on a cosmic horror roadtrip". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Retrieved July 29, 2020.