Game Review | Badlands Crew
Image Credits: Runner Duck, Badlands Crew
I’ve played all the Crew games, and Badlands Crew might be the one I stick with the longest. It’s like Mad Max got mixed with Bomber Crew and turned into a modular war truck sim—and yeah, it’s as chaotic and fun as it looks.
A Messy, Glorious Sandbox
The best part? You get to build your own battle rig from the ground up. Slap on turrets, armor, engines, medical bays—whatever you need to survive the wasteland. The building system can be a little awkward at first (rotating pieces under layers is clunky), but once I figured it out, I couldn’t stop tinkering. Every mission made me want to tweak something new.
Driving your rig feels a bit weird at first, momentum-heavy and floaty, but once I switched the default controls to WASD, it actually felt good. You’re not racing, you’re managing chaos while trying not to flip off a cliff. I’ve done both. Multiple times.
Crew Management Hits Harder Here
Missions are classic Crew-style crisis juggling. Fires break out, raiders board, systems go down—you’ve got to keep your team alive and your rig running. What’s different here is how much more freedom you have. You can explore, pick your fights, and decide how you want to play. I’ve built tanky slow rigs, fast glass cannons, even a music-blasting morale machine. It all works, and it’s fun to experiment.
There’s real tension when a veteran crewmate gets injured mid-battle and you’re scrambling to patch them up before your engine explodes. It’s frantic and rewarding, and it nails that “one more run” feeling.
The Atmosphere Is Dead-On
The world is full of little details (or huge ones like the dang worms) that show this game was made with care. The Citadel has a live band. The factions feel distinct. The day-night cycle makes the desert feel alive. The soundtrack hits at just the right times, especially when everything’s on fire and your crew is screaming. It’s goofy, stylish, and surprisingly atmospheric.
Final Thoughts
Badlands Crew feels like Runner Duck took everything that worked in Bomber Crew and Space Crew and cranked it up with a big, flaming engine strapped to the roof. It’s not perfect (some UI stuff still needs polish) but it’s the most fun I’ve had with a Crew game so far. If you like building, driving, and trying not to die while doing both at the same time, it’s an easy recommendation. I’ll be playing this one for a while.
GamerBlurb Rating: 8.8/10
Review Written by Andrew Hamel
Recommended | View all Badlands Crew
