The BeamNG.drive v0.39 update is shaping up to be one of the biggest technical updates for the game this year, focusing on graphics, memory usage, aerodynamics, lighting, and overall driving improvements.
BeamNG.drive is preparing for a major step forward with its upcoming v0.39 update. After a quieter period from the development team, new details have now been shared about what players can expect from the next large update for the open-world driving sandbox.
The update is expected to arrive later this year and will focus strongly on improving the game’s visual presentation. According to the official BeamNG.drive development blog, v0.39 will bring a wide graphics overhaul, including volumetric clouds with shadow support, updated rendering technology, HDR support, sharper texture detail, and improved visuals during nighttime driving.
The developers are also changing how the graphics presets work. Instead of focusing only on higher visual settings, the new preset system should make it easier to find a useful balance between image quality and stable performance. This could help players tune BeamNG. Drive more sensibly for different PC setups, especially when using demanding maps, traffic, or several mods at the same time.
BeamNG.drive’s next update will not only bring changes in graphics and performance. There’s also a new vehicle coming to the game, but the developers have not revealed the model yet.
The update should also change the feel of racing. The team says it is adding slipstreaming, side drafting, and bump drafting to the aerodynamics system, so cars driving in close proximity should interact in a more realistic fashion—particularly when racing at high speeds or on long straight sections. These additions may make overtaking, drafting, and close racing more tactical than they are now.
Online multiplayer is also on the horizon, but the developers emphasize it’s in an early state of development.
There is one more big piece of news beyond the update itself: BeamNG.drive has been confirmed for PS5 and PS5 Pro later this year—the first time the sandbox simulator officially expands beyond PC.
BeamNG.drive v0.39 graphics improvements:
- Atmosphere and sky: volumetric clouds with shadows, multi-scattered sky, improved atmospheric fog, and new altitude-based fog.
- Rendering tech: New Direct3D 12 renderer, HDR support (for modern displays that support it), and a new natural tonemapper that improves both SDR and HDR.
- Lighting and shadows: global and local exposure to simulate eye adaptation, improved dynamic reflections, fast screen-space shadows, and improved shadow quality and stability.
- Surfaces and textures: subsurface scattering, a detailed texturing system.
- Night-time rendering will feature vehicle lights that have realistic calibrated intensity and temperature, enhanced by light cookies—textures that shape the projected light, creating authentic patterns and beam effects tailored to various technologies and market regions.
You can also browse more BeamNG.drive mods and updates on CrashMods.com.
