Game profile
Pacific Drive
An atmospheric survival game where a lovingly repaired station wagon is the key tool for surviving a supernatural exclusion zone in the Pacific Northwest. Between drives through anomaly infested wilderness and tinkering in the garage, players build a close bond with their car.
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What kind of game this is
At its core this is Survival / Simulation, set in a world after the collapse. Visually it is going for realism, and the overall tone stays dark throughout. The world is open, so wandering off and ignoring the main path is part of the deal. It rewards long uninterrupted stretches more than quick check-ins.
The difficulty is moderate and fair, demanding attention without punishing you for it. The story matters and gives the mechanics a frame, without taking over. It is a single player experience from start to finish. It runs on 3 platforms. It sits in the mid price bracket.
What stands out
- Car as central companion
- Supernatural exclusion zone
- Tinkering and repairs
This fits you if
- exploring for its own sake is the point for you
- you actually want to be scared
- levelling, looting and optimising a build is your kind of loop
- you can sit down for a proper long stretch without interruptions
- you like getting lost and ignoring the main objective for hours
- you play alone and want a complete experience without other people
Look elsewhere if
- you only ever get short bursts of play time
- you want something light and easy going
- you want to play it side by side with someone
- you prefer a stylised look over realism
How long is Pacific Drive?
About 25 hours in total. At three evenings a week and two hours each, you will be busy for roughly 4 weeks, or 13 sessions.
How the rating ranks
Critics settled on 84 out of 100, which puts it above 52 percent of the 1276 games here and at rank 587 overall. That is mid-table for this database. Not a standout at the top, but solidly rated.
For comparison, Survival averages 80 points across the database, so this one sits 4 points above its own genre. The figure rests on 81 collected ratings.
Released in 2024 and 2 years old. Recent enough to look and run modern, old enough to be patched and often discounted.
The facts
- Release year
- 2024
- Genres
- Survival, Simulation, Horror
- Playtime
- approx. 25 hrs.
- Difficulty
- Moderate, fair
- Story weight
- Present and relevant
- Play with
- Solo
- Setting
- Post-apocalyptic
- Visual style
- Realistic
- Price bracket
- Mid price
- Platforms
- PC, PlayStation, Xbox
- Critic rating
- 84 / 100
Direct comparison
| Genres | Release year | Playtime | Critic rating | Price bracket |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pacific Drive | 2024 | approx. 25 hrs. | 84 | Mid price |
| Once Human | 2024 | Endless game | 76 | Free-to-play |
| Darkwood | 2017 | approx. 15 hrs. | 80 | Budget |
| Dying Light: The Beast | 2025 | approx. 25 hrs. | 82 | Mid price |
If you liked this, try these
- 76/100 Once Human Shared: Survival, Horror, Post-apocalyptic, longer
- 80/100 Darkwood Shared: Survival, Horror, Post-apocalyptic, shorter
- 82/100 Dying Light: The Beast Shared: Survival, Horror, Post-apocalyptic
- 76/100 The Sinking City 2 Shared: Survival, Horror
- 83/100 Sons of the Forest Shared: Survival, Horror
- 77/100 Dying Light 2: Stay Human Shared: Survival, Horror, Post-apocalyptic