City Car Driving 2.0 Review Summary

Improves on its predecessor with excellent graphics and realistic driving, but lacks steering wheel presets, has poor optimization, and broken traffic AI.

Better than predecessor: The game is considered a worthy successor to City Car Driving 1, with many improvements in graphics, controls, and overall quality. It is a significant step forward from the first part.

Good graphics quality: Players consistently praise the graphics, describing them as beautiful, smooth, and excellent. Some minor issues with lights and shadows were noted, but overall the visual quality is very well received.

Realistic driving simulation: Players describe the game as a realistic driving simulator with interactive controls such as turn signals, seatbelt, and handbrake. The driving feel is authentic, and the strict traffic rules enforcement adds to the simulation depth.

Great for early access: Many reviews highlight that the game is surprisingly good for an early access title from a small studio. Players feel supporting the developer is worthwhile given the current quality.

Good performance: Players report good performance with smooth frame rates and no freezes or glitches. The game runs well even in its early access state.

Lack of steering wheel presets: The game has few presets for modern steering wheels, offering mainly older models. Specific wheels like PXN V99 are unsupported, causing key recognition issues and limited compatibility.

Optimization is lacking: The game suffers from poor optimization, with performance issues like low FPS and stuttering, especially without DLSS. Players expect significant improvements.

Traffic AI is broken: Traffic AI frequently stalls at intersections, brakes unpredictably, and fails to navigate properly. Cars freeze, disappear, or get stuck without self-correcting, causing frustration and unrealistic behavior.

Not worth the price: Many users feel the game is overpriced relative to its content and quality. Some suggest a lower price, such as 400-500 rubles, and others note it is not worth the full 30 euro cost.

No FOV adjustment in cabin: There is no option to adjust the field of view (FOV) from the cockpit or cabin view. Players find the view too limited, making it hard to see out of windows.

Driving simulator with rules focus: The game is primarily a driving simulator that emphasizes following traffic rules, including license tests, fines, and penalties. It is designed for learning and training.

Story and mission focused gameplay: The game includes a campaign with storyline missions, such as courier tasks and cargo transport, which some players prefer over a sandbox mode. However, some find the storyline unwanted.

Wheel and force feedback support: The game supports force feedback settings and specific wheel models like Moza R3 and others out of the box, which is valued by simulation enthusiasts.

Early access with planned features: The game is in early access, and users expect continued development including VR support, force feedback adjustments, and a complete feature set. Some features are not yet implemented.

City map and driving environment: The map is based on a foreign coastal city with narrow streets, but some find the city geometry imperfect for learning. The map size is considered small by some.

Widespread performance and optimization issues: A large number of players report poor optimization, lag, and stuttering, suggesting the game is not well-tuned for many hardware configurations. Clusters 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 14, 17, 30, 31 all describe various levels of poor performance.

Inconsistent frame rate drops: Feedback shows that while some players achieve around 60 FPS, they experience sudden drops to 40 or lower around corners or in urban areas. Clusters 2, 5, 14, 23, 30 mention this behavior.

Stuttering when entering city areas: Multiple players note that the game stutters specifically when entering city zones, indicating a possible asset streaming or loading bottleneck. This is reported in clusters 3, 5, 23, 30.

Good performance on some systems: A minority of players report stable performance, especially with DLSS or on high-end hardware, but these reports are outnumbered by complaints. Clusters 6, 8, 11, 12, 15, 19, 33 show positive experiences.

High-end hardware still has issues: Players with powerful GPUs like RTX 4080 Super and RTX 3050 Ti report stuttering or unplayability, indicating the problem is not just low-end hardware. Clusters 2, 18, 34, 35 are relevant.

Not worth current price: Multiple players state the game is overpriced at its current cost (e.g., 1100 rubles, $30, 30 euros) and recommend waiting for a significant discount before purchasing.

Game too unfinished: Several reviews indicate the game is very raw and lacks polish, with many hoping for substantial improvements over the next 1-2 years before it becomes recommendable.

Potential despite flaws: Several reviews recognize the game's promise and recommend buying only if you believe in the project's future or want to support early development, despite current unpolished state.

Mixed audience recommendations: Opinions vary: some recommend for fans of the first game or relaxed driving simulation, while others advise newcomers to wait or skip entirely.

Unplayable on some setups: A user reports the game is currently unplayable on their specific hardware, indicating compatibility or stability issues that prevent enjoyment.

Performance reports vary across VRAM tiers: low-VRAM systems show mixed results with both positive surprises and noticeable stuttering, mid-VRAM systems are dominated by negative feedback including stuttering and low frame rates, and high-VRAM systems have limited but mixed evidence.

Windows <8GB VRAM: mixed. Some users report surprisingly good performance on a large map, while others encounter freezes, poor optimization in urban areas, and laggy experience.

Windows 8-11GB VRAM: negative. Most reviews cite bad performance, severe stuttering, and unacceptably low FPS, with even recommended reviews mentioning the need for DLSS and sub-60 FPS.

Windows 12-15GB VRAM: mixed. One review finds performance acceptable at 50-70 FPS in 4K, while another expresses disappointment with 90 FPS on high-end hardware, indicating mixed expectations.

Linux and Proton: Based on a single review, the game demonstrates excellent Linux performance and would achieve Platinum Proton ranking, but a specific steering wheel is non-functional on Linux, creating a notable hardware compatibility problem.