Let’s be real for a second. Twisted Metal is a weirdly specific vibe that nobody has quite mastered since the 90s and early 2000s. You have the dark, grimy aesthetic, the "be careful what you wish for" Monkey's Paw endings, and that crunchy, heavy vehicular combat that feels like slamming two refrigerators together at sixty miles per hour. It’s glorious. But if you’re looking for games like Twisted Metal today, you’ve probably noticed the genre—officially called "car combat"—is basically on life support.
It’s frustrating.
We had a brief moment of hope with the Peacock TV series, which was actually surprisingly good, but the games? They're scarce. Most modern developers think "car game" means "racing simulator" or "open-world heist." They forget the simple joy of mounting a dual-missile launcher to the roof of a beat-up ice cream truck.
The Identity Crisis of Car Combat
Why is it so hard to find games like Twisted Metal now? Honestly, the industry shifted. In the PS1 and PS2 era, "extreme" was a personality trait. You had Tony Hawk, SSX, and Twisted Metal all sharing this high-octane, slightly edgy DNA. Then, the industry moved toward realism. Suddenly, if a car had a health bar, it felt "arcadey" in a way that AAA publishers stopped liking.
Most people looking for this stuff today end up playing Crossout. It’s probably the closest thing we have to a "live" version of the genre. It’s a free-to-play MMO where you build your own deathtrap from scraps. It’s cool, sure. But it lacks that David Jaffe-style madness. It lacks Sweet Tooth. It lacks the tight, arena-based level design where every corner has a health pickup or a power-up waiting to be snatched.
Destruction AllStars and the Missed Opportunity
Sony tried. They really did. Destruction AllStars was supposed to be the "Twisted Metal for the PS5 generation." It had the budget. It had the flashy graphics. It even had the "hero" characters.
But it failed to capture the soul of the genre because it focused too much on the "on-foot" mechanics. When I play games like Twisted Metal, I don't want to parkour. I want to be the car. I want the car to be an extension of the character’s twisted psyche. Destruction AllStars felt sanitized. It felt like a Saturday morning cartoon when we wanted a Rob Zombie music video.
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The Best Alternatives You Can Play Right Now
If you are tired of waiting for Sony to stop sitting on the IP and actually give us a remake, you have to look into the indie scene and some older gems that still hold up.
1. Wreckfest (The Physics King)
Wreckfest isn't a "combat" game in the sense of heat-seeking missiles and napalm. However, if what you loved about Twisted Metal: Black was the weight of the vehicles and the way metal crumpled under impact, Wreckfest is your best bet.
The soft-body damage system is incredible. You can literally see your car's frame twist and groan as you t-bone an opponent. There are "Demolition Derby" modes that feel exactly like a realistic take on a Twisted Metal arena. It’s visceral. It’s loud. It’s dirty. You can even race as a motorized couch or a school bus. It’s got that streak of chaotic humor that made the original games feel special.
2. Vigilante 8 and 2nd Offense
We can't talk about games like Twisted Metal without mentioning the biggest rival from back in the day. Vigilante 8 was the "70s funk" version of the genre. Instead of a demonic clown, you had disco-dancing truckers and sci-fi lasers.
The physics were actually arguably better than Twisted Metal at the time. You could blow up massive parts of the environment—like the giant radar dish or the gas station—and it would actually change the map. If you have an old console or a decent emulator, Vigilante 8: 2nd Offense is mandatory playing. It’s the only game that ever stood toe-to-toe with Calypso’s tournament and didn’t blink.
3. Carmageddon: Max Damage
This one is for the people who liked the "edginess" of the series. Carmageddon has always been the black sheep of gaming. It was banned in multiple countries back in the day because the primary goal was... well, hitting pedestrians.
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Carmageddon: Max Damage is the modern-ish entry (released around 2016). It’s janky. Let’s be clear about that. It’s not a polished masterpiece. But it has that "anything goes" spirit. The power-ups are bizarre—like giant springs that bounce your car or vacuums that suck up bystanders. It feels like a relic of a time when games didn't care about being "prestige art."
4. Gas Guzzlers Extreme
This is a hidden gem that most people overlook. It’s a combat racer, but the weapons feel heavy and impactful. It’s got a solid progression system where you earn money to upgrade your armor and guns. The humor is... well, it’s "dad joke" level at times, but the gameplay is tight. If you want a game where you can mount a minigun to a classic muscle car and just unload on a pack of enemies, this is it.
Why the "Hero Shooter" Trend Ruined Everything
There’s a theory among genre fans that the rise of Overwatch and Valorant actually killed the chance of a new Twisted Metal. Think about it. Twisted Metal was essentially the first "Hero Shooter," just with cars.
Every car was a "hero."
- Shadow was the glass cannon with a high-damage special.
- Mr. Grimm was the high-skill, low-health flanker.
- Axel was the tank.
Now, developers see those mechanics and they immediately try to turn it into a 5v5 competitive esport. That’s not what we want. We want a chaotic free-for-all. We want 12 psychos in a suburban neighborhood blowing up houses to find a hidden "Mega-Cell."
The Modern Indie Renaissance: Blood Mobile
If you are looking for something that captures the Twisted Metal: Black aesthetic specifically, keep an eye on Blood Mobile. It’s a low-poly, PS1-style game that is a direct love letter to the series.
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The developer understands the "vibe." It’s dark. It’s grainy. It feels like a fever dream you had in 1998 after staying up too late eating Sour Patch Kids. This is where the genre is living right now—in the hands of solo developers who grew up with a controller in their hands and a poster of Sweet Tooth on their wall.
What to Look for in a Modern Car Combat Game
When you’re hunting for games like Twisted Metal, don't just look for "racing with guns." That’s a trap. Most "racing with guns" games are just Mario Kart clones with a gritty coat of paint. You want:
- Arena Focus: The game should have closed-off maps, not just circular tracks. If you can't turn 180 degrees and hunt someone down, it’s not the right vibe.
- Character-Driven Vehicles: The driver needs to matter. If the car is just a stat block, the "soul" is missing.
- Environmental Destruction: Half the fun of Twisted Metal 2 was blowing up the Eiffel Tower. If the world is static, the combat feels thin.
- Dark Humour: The "Calypso" factor. There should be a sense of dread or irony in the world-building.
Is Crossout Worth It?
Honestly? Yes and no.
If you have an itch for vehicular mayhem and you have $0, Crossout is great. The building system is genuinely deep. You can spend hours perfecting the placement of your "Goliath" tracks and making sure your fuel tanks are protected by layers of armor.
But it’s a grind.
It’s a "Games as a Service" title. You’ll hit a wall where you either need to play for a hundred hours or open your wallet to get the cool weapons. It lacks the "pick up and play" arcade feel of the classics. You spend 90% of your time in a garage and 10% in combat. Twisted Metal was the opposite.
Actionable Steps for the Hungry Fan
Stop waiting for a "Twisted Metal 2026" announcement that might never come. Here is how you actually satisfy that craving today:
- Check out Wreckfest on Sale: It’s frequently under $15. Go straight to the "Custom Event" mode, pick a small arena, and set the bots to "Aggressive."
- Explore the "Boomer Shooter" equivalent for cars: Look up Warhammer 40,000: Speed Freeks. It’s free, it’s Orks in Mad Max-style vehicles, and it’s surprisingly close to the arena combat feel we miss.
- Emulate the GOATs: If you have a PC, look into DuckStation or PCSX2. Playing Twisted Metal: Black at 4K resolution with a stable frame rate is a religious experience. It holds up better than you remember.
- Try GRIP: Combat Racing: It’s more of a racer, but it allows you to drive on walls and ceilings. It has an arena mode that is fast, disorienting, and incredibly high-energy.
The genre isn't dead; it's just fragmented. You have to piece together your own "Twisted Metal" experience using bits and pieces of modern physics engines and indie nostalgia projects. The "pure" car combat game is a rare breed, but the spirit of smashing metal and firing rockets is still very much alive in the corners of the gaming world.