Crossout, played and written up

Crossout is a post-apocalyptic vehicle brawler where you build the car yourself out of parts stripped from wrecks. Weapons, armour, movement, power - every one is a physical piece bolted somewhere, and a shot that takes off your cabin ends the match regardless of how much armour you packed elsewhere.

The arena is the feedback loop. You lose, you see which part got blown off first, you go back to the garage and move it. Within a few evenings you stop copying builds from videos and start making decisions, which is the moment the game becomes yours.

Matches are short enough to fit a gap and the economy is generous enough that scrap from losing still builds something. It is the most immediately satisfying entry on this page.

The parts worth the noise

• Craft your vehicle
• PvP arenas
• Deep customisation

Who this is for

Tinkerers first, shooters second. If you enjoyed building things in sandbox games or spent longer in loadout screens than in matches, this is the one.

If you want to be handed a balanced vehicle and dropped into a fair fight, you will find the garage an obstacle rather than a feature.

How to start without wasting a week

Build light and fast. New players bolt on armour until their car cannot turn, and then die slowly instead of quickly.

Keep every part you dislike. The economy runs on scrap, and the ugly gun you scrapped last week is the one the next build needed.