BeamNG.drive version 0.39 has launched, bringing substantial graphical improvements, a new playable vehicle, and fresh environments to the popular vehicular destruction simulator. Developed by BeamNG, the update focuses on enhancing the game's visual fidelity and introducing new gameplay elements.
The graphical overhaul includes improvements to shadows, reducing floating artifacts, and stabilizing sunlight rendering. Support for HDR output on Vulkan and Direct3D 12 aims to improve color accuracy on compatible displays. The game's skybox has also been updated with volumetric clouds and a physically-based night sky, which the developers state is synchronized with real astronomical data, including the Milky Way and a constellation database, reflecting the game's in-game latitude, longitude, date, and time.
User interface elements have also seen revisions. The pause menu has been revamped for easier navigation with a controller and to better accommodate modder tweaks. The photo mode has received its own dedicated UI update.
A new vehicle, the Cherrier Ardente, a sporty coupe designed for rallying and drifting, has been added to the game's roster. Developers have described it as potentially the best-looking vehicle yet created for BeamNG.drive. Additionally, all vehicles in the game now feature movable sun visors.
New rally stages set in Utah have been introduced for the game's rally mode. The West and East Coast American maps have also received improvements. A new aerodynamic physics system has been implemented, allowing the airflow from one vehicle to affect nearby cars, simulating real-world drafting and slipstreaming mechanics during races.