Crossout
Crossout is a free-to-play vehicular action MMO where you assemble improvised combat cars from scavenged parts, then bring them into fast, team-focused battles across a ruined wasteland. The hook is simple but compelling, build something that survives long enough to win, then rebuild it better after the next match.
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Publisher: Gaijin Entertainment Playerbase: Medium Type: Vehicular MMO Shooter Release Date: May 30, 2017 (Open Beta) Pros: +Deep, flexible vehicle building sandbox. +Playable across multiple platforms. +Strong moment-to-moment combat. Cons: -Earning and crafting key parts can feel grind-heavy over time. |
Crossout Overview
Crossout is a collaborative project from Targem Games and Gaijin Entertainment (the publisher best known for War Thunder). It drops you into a grim post-collapse setting shaped by two disasters, an alien invasion followed by a genetic research catastrophe that pushed society over the edge. Instead of playing a lone hero on foot, you live and die by what you can weld together, trading, salvaging, and crafting components to turn scrap into a functional war rig.
The overall vibe lands somewhere between improvised wasteland car wars and competitive machine-building shows, with gameplay built around the same “design it, then prove it in combat” loop seen in games like Robocraft and Galactic Junk League. A clever build can matter as much as aim, because your vehicle’s layout determines what gets shot off first, how quickly you lose mobility, and whether you can keep your weapons online under pressure.
Crossout Key Features:
- Harsh Post-Apocalyptic World – a bleak wasteland where survival often means bolting heavy guns and armor plating onto whatever chassis you can keep running.
- Wide Range of Weapons – arm your ride with close-range tools like saws and drills, or lean into firearms and other hardware to match your preferred fighting distance.
- Build-Your-Own Vehicles – assemble a machine from many interchangeable pieces, letting you experiment with shapes, armor layouts, and weapon placement in a true sandbox builder.
- Market-Driven Trading – parts obtained through play can be exchanged with other players, making the economy and crafting loop a meaningful part of progression.
- Workshop Crafting – manufacture components through the workshop and list them on the marketplace, supporting builders who like to specialize.
- Detailed Component Damage – losing specific modules, wheels, or weapons has direct gameplay consequences, so targeting and vehicle layout both matter.
Crossout Screenshots
Crossout Featured Video
Crossout Review
Crossout is at its best when you treat it as two games that feed into each other, a creative building sandbox and a tactical, team-based shooter where your blueprint is your loadout. Before you ever queue for a match, the garage is where most of the real decision-making happens. Weapon placement, armor angles, center of mass, and even how exposed your wheels are can decide whether you dominate a fight or get dismantled in seconds.
Combat has a distinctive rhythm compared to traditional shooters. You are constantly managing momentum and turning arcs, choosing when to commit to a push and when to disengage to protect critical components. Because the damage model is modular, fights often swing after a single well-placed volley that removes an enemy’s main gun, breaks their movement, or strips off key armor. That creates satisfying “earned” wins, especially when a smart design counters a popular build style.
Customization is the headline feature, and it generally delivers. Building feels flexible enough to support many approaches, from nimble, lightly-armored skirmishers to heavier machines built to absorb punishment. The best part is that experimentation is rewarded, you can iterate quickly, learn why a concept fails, then rebuild with better part placement and protection.
Progression and acquisition are where the experience can become more demanding. Getting the components you want can take time, particularly if you are chasing specific modules or higher-tier parts. The player economy and crafting systems help, but they also add a layer of planning that may not appeal to everyone. If you enjoy trading and optimizing resource flow, it becomes a game within the game. If you just want to jump into matches with a steady drip of new toys, the pace can feel slow.
From a presentation standpoint, Crossout leans into its rusted, improvised aesthetic, and the vehicles you encounter often look as chaotic as they are dangerous. The setting supports the gameplay well, it makes sense that every competitor is driving a unique heap of welded metal rather than a standardized military vehicle.
Overall, Crossout is easy to recommend to players who like building and tinkering as much as shooting. If your idea of fun includes spending time in a garage, testing designs, and refining them based on real combat results, the game offers a loop that stays engaging for a long time. If you are allergic to grinding for parts or prefer symmetrical, standardized loadouts, it may take more patience to fully click.
Crossout Links
Crossout Official Site
Crossout Steam Page
Crossout Developer Gaijin Entertainment Page
Crossout Developer Targem Games Page
Crossout System Requirements
Minimum Requirements:
Operating System: Windows XP / Vista / 7 / 8 / Mac OS X / Linux
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 / Amd Phenom II X3 720
Video Card: Nvidia GeForce GT 440 or Radeon HD 5770 or Intel HD 5000
RAM: 4 GB
Hard Disk Space: 3 GB
Recommended Requirements:
Operating System: Windows XP / Vista / 7 / 8 / Mac OS X / Linux
CPU: Intel Core i5-3330 or AMD FX 6300
Video Card: Nvidia GeForce GTX 750 TI or AMD Radeon R7 260X
RAM: 6 GB
Hard Disk Space: 3 GB
Crossout Music & Soundtrack
A dedicated soundtrack section is still pending, but the game’s audio direction fits the setting, with crunchy engines, heavy impacts, and weapon fire doing most of the atmosphere-building during matches.
Crossout Additional Information
Developer: Gaijin Entertainment and Targem Games
Publisher: Gaijin Entertainment
Game Engine: TBA
Early Access Signup Date: May 20, 2015
Steam Release Date: August 24, 2016
Official Open Beta Launch: May 30, 2017
Development History / Background:
Crossout is co-developed by Gaijin Entertainment and Targem Games, two Russian studios that previously partnered on the sci-fi MMO Star Conflict. The project opened early access signups in May 2015, with broader testing planned later that same year. Crossout then launched on Steam in Early Access on August 24, 2016, before reaching its free-to-play open beta release on May 30, 2017. It is also available on Xbox and Playstation.