THQ Nordic's vehicular combat racing title Wreckfest first released in 2014 as an early access game for PC. After a four-year stint as an early access game, Wreckfest fully released in 2018 for PC, and had PlayStation 4 and Xbox One titles delayed until 2019. Now, developers are optimizing Wreckfest for next-gen consoles, but there is a big difference in the upgrade paths for each console.
The latest update for Wreckfest optimized the title for Xbox Series X, enabling the title to run at 4K HD at 60 fps. The Xbox Series S version has also been optimized and will run at 4K, however is still capped at 30 fps, and the Xbox One version also received a number of bug fixes and performance upgrades. PlayStation versions were left out of the update, but now PlayStation 5 owners may not be very happy with the planned upgrade path.
Despite Xbox Series X/S versions of Wreckfest receiving a free update that optimizes the title, the PS5 upgrade will cost $10 to upgrade the title. However, the next-gen version boasts more features than the free Xbox Series X/S updates. The PS5 upgrade features include dynamic dirt on vehicles, improved graphics, Godrays, substantially faster loading times, and DualSense haptic feedback support. Currently, it is not known whether the Xbox Series X/S versions will also receive a paid upgrade, but as of now, will only be available for PlayStation 5 players.
Developers have gone back and forth about whether next-gen titles should cost $70 as opposed to the normal $60 for current-gen titles. While developer Take-Two believes gamers are ready for $70 titles, developers like Ubisoft are still on the fence about whether to raise prices on future titles. The uncertainty of prices may lead to issues similar to Wreckfest, where certain console gamers are subject to paid upgrades while others are not.
The free Xbox update is fairly different than the paid PS5 upgrade, and the PS5 upgrade is described as "the best Wreckfest experience on consoles ever." However, it still seems confusing that one console would receive a free update, and the other will have a required payment for a higher quality update.
It is possible that Xbox players will also be given a $10 upgrade option, but many Xbox players may be content with the free 4K 60 fps update that launched earlier this month. Wreckfest is still available on Xbox Game Pass so owners of the subscription service can hop into the chaotic racing action for free.
Wreckfest is available on PC, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, with a PS5 upgrade in development.