Underground Garage is a car mechanic simulation game that blends detailed vehicle tuning with street racing action, set in an urban environment where players build their reputation through repairs, customizations, and high-speed challenges.
Gameplay
In Underground Garage, the core experience revolves around managing a workshop where you repair and tune vehicles. You start by taking on customer jobs, fixing issues like battery problems or fluid levels, and gradually expand to full customizations. Each car consists of numerous interactive parts that you can disassemble, modify, or replace, with realistic damage affecting performance. Tuning choices directly influence handling during races, requiring careful adjustments to elements like engines, spoilers, and decals. Beyond the garage, you explore the city in free roam, scavenge junkyards for parts, and test builds on the streets. The simulation emphasizes authenticity, from checking oil and coolant to dealing with collision impacts on the body and engine.
Progression ties into earning money and prestige through jobs and races, which you invest in garage upgrades or new equipment. The game includes a story element where you navigate the tuning scene, but the focus remains on mechanical depth and the satisfaction of transforming basic cars into racing machines.
Game Modes
Underground Garage offers several ways to engage with its racing side. Practice mode lets you hone skills without pressure, focusing on mastering controls and car setups. Time attack challenges you to beat clock-based objectives on city streets, emphasizing speed and precision. The classic racing mode pits you against opponents in illegal street events, where you can place bets to increase rewards.
These modes integrate with free roam exploration, allowing spontaneous races or duels around town. Quests and hidden secrets add variety, encouraging you to discover shops and complete tasks for extra progression.
Story and Progression
The story mode casts you as an aspiring mechanic entering the underground tuning world. With help from a friend named Deb, you prove your skills, but events lead to rebuilding after a workshop destruction and pursuing those responsible. This narrative unfolds through quests that blend repair work with racing confrontations.
Advancement comes from completing jobs, winning races, and upgrading your garage with specialized workstations. As you gain experience, you unlock new vehicles, parts, and customization options, including 20 authentic cars like sports models and muscle cars, plus 15 detailed engines.
Is It Worth Playing?
Underground Garage suits players who appreciate in-depth simulations of car mechanics combined with racing thrills. It recently left Early Access and reached version 1.0, introducing new vehicles and refined maintenance systems. Player feedback praises the customization depth and realistic tuning, though some note the game still feels rough around the edges in areas like polish and optimization.
If detailed vehicle work and street racing appeal to you, and you're okay with a title that's actively evolving, this one delivers a unique mix. For those seeking a fully refined experience right away, it might be worth waiting for further updates. Overall, it's a solid pick for simulation enthusiasts looking to build and race in an underground scene.
