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2024 has been one hell of a year for survival game fans, but many follow the same formula – make a character, walk around harvesting resources, keep yourself fed, warm, and watered, and build bases. One game that dared to do something different was Pacific Drive, which makes a beat-up station wagon the star of a freaky, supernatural adventure. While it certainly had some kinks to iron out at launch, it’s only gotten better throughout the year with a series of free updates. Now, in its latest patch, it adds a mysterious new threat to the Olympic Exclusion Zone, a puzzling new mechanic, and the ability to customize your garage alongside your car.
While it might not have all the multiplayer bells and whistles and shared worlds that some of this year’s best survival games have, nothing feels like Pacific Drive does. With the Pacific Northwest transforming into a harsh land full of strange, unstable anomalies, it’s up to you to keep your vehicle fuelled, replace broken parts, and get it back to the safe haven of your garage at the end of each expedition. Up until now, the garage has lacked the same level of personalization and attachment you feel with your car, but Pacific Drive’s Trips and Treasures update finally puts an end to that.
When out exploring the Olympic Exclusion Zone, you’ll now be able to find 23 new cosmetic items that are solely for your garage. 30 different mount points have been added to your home base for you to place these new items, which range from neon signs to electric guitars. The range of cosmetic options for your station wagon has also been expanded, with a new gearshift item and sticker added for free. A winter-themed customization pack is also available as a paid add-on.
However, Trips and Treasures isn’t just skin deep. Goldshells – which look like giant, paranormal cocoa beans – can now be found around the map and they contain some valuable items, including these new car and garage cosmetics. However, each one requires you to solve a puzzle in order for it to be opened.
Developer Ironwood Studios is also teasing a curious new anomaly that awaits you in the Zone. All information on it is redacted at this point, so it’s up to the community to venture out and find it. Pacific Drive excels at providing addictive exploration and a constant sense of supernatural mystery, so adding new secrets like this is exactly what it needs.
This update also includes an engine upgrade to Unreal 4.27, which Ironwood says will improve performance and prevent some rare but frustrating crashes.
The Trips and Treasures update for Pacific Drive is available to download for free right now. If you want to learn more about the game or pick it up for yourself, head to its Steam page here.
Make sure you also give our lists of the best single-player games and best horror games a look to find some similarly spooky titles.
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