The Pacific Drive ‘Drive Your Way’ update is a total game-changer

Pacific Drive quickly became one of my favourite games, but it is not exactly brimming with replayability. At least, that was the case. Here is what you need to know about the Drive Your Way update.

While I am still having nightmares about impending radiation-based doom, Pacific Drive is a game for which I will chuck money at the developer for more content. Well, maybe not the customisation packs.

For now though, I am here to tell you about the latest free Pacific Drive content. Known as the Drive Your Way Fall 2024 update, it includes a feature to adjust just about every variable in the game for a new playthrough. Or choose from seven customisable presets. So you really can drive it your way.

Alongside the standard Pacific Drive experience, there is Scenic Tour. Here, crafting requirements, driving difficulty, hazards, dangers, storms and damage are either reduced or disabled, while death is impossible. Great for younger players or those who want less stress.

Joyride, meanwhile, is akin to the standard Pacific Drive experience but with reduced focus on gathering, crafting and research, making this one of the most tempting options. Then there is A Sunday Drive, in which you get ‘minimal interruptions’ in the Olympic Peninsula. While I am here, feel free to checkout my Pacific Drive review.

Now we get to the presets for those who want to increase the stress, the challenge and misery or joy, depending on your opinion of pain. Nuclear Journey fills every map with harmful radiation, storms are faster and stronger while hazards and damage are more plentiful.

Mechanic’s Road Trip, meanwhile, is about making car survival more challenging. Repair items are more costly to craft and cannot be made on a run. Meaning the mantra ‘failing to prepare is preparing to fail’ strongly applies.

Good luck, breacher

Then we get to Olympic Gauntlet. Simply put, the developer says this preset makes ‘all aspects of the game much harder’, ensuring only the most experienced players have a chance of making it to the end.

Still not tough enough for you, ya battle-hardened psycho? The last premade preset is for you. It is called Iron Wagon and has major No Man’s Sky survival mode vibes. Because not only are all aspects of the game ‘much harder’, failing a run results in the deletion of your game save. Scary, huh?

In other words, you could be ten metres from the end of completion and die, resulting in the need to start over. Not going to lie, as someone who has completed Pacific Drive on foot, I am a little intrigued by this mode. Maybe one for a video series in the future – we shall see.

Each preset can be customised or you can make your own mix from scratch using 50 new settings in addition to the existing options.

Pacific instructions

The Drive Your Way Fall 2024 update also brings with it new customisation in the form of paintable bumpers and wheels, allowing you to make your own designs. There are also two new collectibles to find, the first an antenna topper and the second something to hang from your interior mirror.

Coolest of all, in my opinion, is the ability to play your own music through the game – something many original Xbox games could do. Simply stick WAV, MP3, OGG, M4U and M3U8 files into the directory on screen. Then enjoy them through the in-game jukebox or station wagon speakers.

Music file directory: %localappdata%/PenDriverPro/Custom/Radio/

You can even select to have a mixture of your own music and the original soundtrack or just your own beats. Or utilise an external internet radio stream if supported. Yes, you can finally escape from radiation while torturing your ears with Taylor Swift. That is, if you play on PC. Sorry, console folk.

Finally, we come to the Pacific Drive Anomalous Cosmetic Pack, which costs £4.29 or equivalent and includes the Mailbox Bunny bobblehead, Sawblade hood ornament, Tourist shifter, Anchor steering wheel, Vacation sticker pack and Anomaly decal kit.

That and the squishing of numerous bugs and fixing various UX issues, including improving performance on PC and PS5, round out the 1.7.1 update. Feel free to use the link in the description to see exactly what has been changed.

Will you be revisiting Pacific Drive or going for your first drive? Let me know in the comments, subscribe to the Tribe, like, donate and keep eating those vegetables.

‘Drive Your’ Way update notes