Carmageddon returns: Rogue Shift is a roguelite combat racer—full reveal on December 4

The cult classic Carmageddon brand is roaring back with Carmageddon: Rogue Shift, a roguelite combat racing game in development for PC by Italian studio 34BigThings (Redout, Redout II). The twist: daytime runs pit you against hostile drivers in a collapsing city, while nighttime floods the streets with zombie swarms known as The Legion. The goal is to survive a chained sequence of lethal runs—“the Carmageddon”—and break out beyond the mountains. A full reveal is slated for December 4 at the PC Gaming Show: Most Wanted.

Early blurbs point to a procedural campaign where the city behaves like a living arena. Expect a dynamic day–night cycle, shifting hazard profiles, and runs stitched together into escalating gauntlets rather than tidy circuit races. Between runs you’ll upgrade and re-arm your ride, then dive back in for a tougher sequence. The structure emphasizes survival, destruction, and build crafting over lap times: pick routes, manage risk/reward, and decide whether to barrel through a short, lethal alleyway or play it safe for resources and repairs.

What does “roguelite” mean—and what’s with “rouge elite”?

You may see the typo “rouge elite” floating around; the correct term is roguelite (or “rogue-lite”).

• Roguelike: classic permadeath—when you die, you lose everything and start fresh (heavy procedural randomness).

• Roguelite: still run-based, but you keep some meta-progression after death (unlocked upgrades, parts, perks), so each new run starts stronger and enables build experimentation over time.
  Rogue Shift fits the latter: persistent upgrade paths + destructive, high-variance runs.

The loop at a glance

• Chained survival runs across varied districts and modifiers.

• Day favors car-vs-car brawls; night turns into crowd control and escape against The Legion.

• Loot & parts fuel new weapons, armor, engines, suspension—tuned for smash-ups and crowd clearing.

• Route choice and risk management shape each run’s tempo and payout.

Platforms, launch, and what’s next

The game is currently announced for PC (Steam) with launch timing TBA. Details on console versions, business model (premium vs. F2P), and multiplayer modes have not been confirmed. A redacted Steam page and teaser campaign outline the roguelite combat-racing focus, day/night split, zombie swarms, and the December 4 showcase for the full blowout.

Bottom line: Rogue Shift aims to make Carmageddon relevant again by swapping lap perfection for survival-first destruction and long-tail meta progression. If 34BigThings brings its Redout-grade tech to crunchy physics and gratifying wreckage, this could be a sharp pivot that suits the brand’s chaotic DNA.

Sources:
– Gamekapocs – New Carmageddon announced for PC
– Gematsu – Carmageddon: Rogue Shift announced for PC
– Steam – Carmageddon: Rogue Shift (store page)
– YouTube – “Drivers Must Die” teaser