BeamNG.drive is now available on PlayStation 5, giving console players access to the vehicle simulator’s real-time soft-body physics, detailed crash damage and open-ended driving playgrounds. The PS5 edition costs $24.99 USD and launches in Early Access, with continued updates planned.
The console arrival coincides with the Steam version’s v0.40 update. That update adds a new vehicle, local split-screen functionality and further improvements, while the PS5 edition includes support for FidelityFX Super Resolution 3 on the standard PS5 and PSSR on PS5 Pro. The major caveat for players who know the game primarily as a customizable PC sandbox: mods are not supported on PlayStation at launch, and PlayStation mod-authoring tools are not currently planned.
A driving game where the car is part of the simulation
BeamNG.drive’s defining feature is its soft-body vehicle physics. Rather than treating a car as a single rigid object with a few pre-made damage states, the game simulates the vehicle’s structure in real time. The result is a detailed damage model intended to make impacts, deformation and mechanical mishaps central to the driving experience.
That premise has practical consequences for how players can approach the game. A short run can be a serious attempt at a time trial, a delivery or a pursuit. It can also be an experiment in whether a particular vehicle survives a bad landing, a questionable route choice or the sort of corner entry that would make an insurance assessor abruptly develop a headache. The simulation is not simply decoration around races; it is the point of the exercise.
The PS5 release includes dozens of customizable vehicles and 12 open-world environments. Those spaces support free-roam sandbox play, so players are not restricted to completing a prescribed event sequence before they can explore. The game also offers an in-depth Career Mode with progression, plus scenarios built around deliveries, pursuits and time trials.
That combination matters because it gives the physics model several different jobs. A delivery asks for control and care. A pursuit puts pressure on the same systems at speed. A time trial encourages clean, repeatable driving. Free roam is where the player gets to ignore all sensible transportation policy and see what the simulation does with the consequences.
Local split-screen is a substantial addition
Among the v0.40 additions arriving alongside the PS5 version, local split-screen support is especially notable. Local split-screen means multiple people can play on one system and one display, rather than requiring separate consoles or an online connection. For a sandbox driving game, that creates room for spontaneous side-by-side events, informal time-trial contests and, inevitably, mutual attempts to turn an ordinary drive into an avoidable pile-up.
It is also a feature that fits BeamNG.drive’s variety better than a simple head-to-head racing label might suggest. With scenarios, open environments and vehicles that can be customized, local play can be used for more than selecting a circuit and chasing a finish line. Players can decide their own rules around a pursuit, a route or an endurance challenge, then let the game’s damage simulation make those rules increasingly difficult to honor.
Related coverage includes BeamNG.drive Reaches PS5 With Split-Screen and v0.40 Features.
The new vehicle included in v0.40 expands the available garage, though no further details about that vehicle have been provided here. Likewise, the update includes multiple improvements beyond its headline additions, but their precise scope has not been specified.
What FSR 3 and PSSR support mean for the PS5 editions
The base PlayStation 5 version ships with FidelityFX Super Resolution 3 support, while the PS5 Pro version supports PSSR. These are platform-specific image-performance technologies. Their inclusion indicates that each console version can use the relevant supported rendering approach, rather than treating the PS5 and PS5 Pro as identical technical targets.
It is important not to read more into those names than has been confirmed. No performance targets, image-quality modes, frame-rate figures or resolution figures have been stated. Players looking for exact comparisons between the standard PS5 and PS5 Pro editions will need details beyond the information currently available.
Still, the distinction is meaningful in a game built around continuous physics simulation and substantial vehicle damage. BeamNG.drive’s appeal rests on the interaction between its driving, its vehicles and the environments around them. Rendering support is part of the technical foundation for presenting that simulation on console, but it does not alter the stated feature set: both versions center on the same vehicles, environments, Career Mode, scenarios and free-roam possibilities.
The big PS5 limitation: no mods at launch
Mod support will not be available on PlayStation at launch. In addition, mod-authoring tools are not currently planned for PlayStation. That establishes a clear dividing line between the console edition and the PC ecosystem: PS5 players receive the game’s official Early Access experience and continuing updates, but not the mod support described in connection with the PC version.
For prospective buyers, this is the key expectation to set before choosing a platform. If the attraction is the core simulation—detailed vehicle damage, customizable official vehicles, 12 environments, Career Mode, scenarios, sandbox driving and couch split-screen—the PS5 version provides that foundation. If access to community-made modifications or creating them is essential, PlayStation is not the place to expect that functionality at launch.
It is also worth distinguishing “not supported at launch” from a promise of future support. The current position is more limited: mods are unavailable at launch, and authoring tools are not currently planned for PlayStation. That wording leaves no confirmed timetable or commitment for a change.
Early Access continues on both platforms
BeamNG.drive remains in Early Access on Steam and PlayStation 5, and it is intended to receive continuous updates. In practical terms, that means the launch version should be understood as an evolving release rather than a finished, fixed package. The simultaneous v0.40 update on Steam and PS5 arrival underline that ongoing-development status.
Early Access can be particularly relevant for a simulation-driven game. New vehicles, system improvements and feature additions can meaningfully affect how players use its environments and scenarios. The arrival of local split-screen in v0.40 is a useful example: it does not merely add another menu option, but changes who can participate together in the same session and how the game can be used in a living room setting.
Players keeping an eye on the wider PC release calendar can also find plenty of other Steam-bound projects, including Infested DX’s upcoming Steam launch. BeamNG.drive’s own position is different, however: it is already available on Steam in Early Access, and now brings that evolving simulation to PS5.
Who the PS5 release is for
The new version is a straightforward fit for players interested in driving games that prioritize vehicle behavior and damage over a narrowly defined race structure. BeamNG.drive supplies structured activities through Career Mode, deliveries, pursuits and time trials, but its 12 open-world environments and sandbox design leave considerable space for self-directed play.
It is also a notable option for local multiplayer households because split-screen is part of the v0.40 feature set. Conversely, anyone whose plan depends on PlayStation mod downloads or console-based mod creation should treat the launch limitation as decisive rather than incidental.
For $24.99 USD, the PS5 edition offers BeamNG.drive’s core proposition on console: customizable vehicles, real-time soft-body simulation, detailed damage, open environments and an Early Access roadmap still in motion. Just remember that the most expensive repair bill remains theoretical—unless somebody hands the controller to a friend and says, “Try not to hit anything.”
