The gameplay is announced to be focused around the creation and subsequent upgrade of the player's vehicle through combat and trade as well as the crafting of new items. Described as a crafting and combat MMO, the game allows players to construct their own vehicles to be used in PvP engagements with real players and PvE missions involving AI participants.
Background
The game depicts a post-apocalyptic setting after a nuclear war and "human genetic testing gone awry", showing some resemblance to the Mad Max universe. Events of Crossout take place in the same universe as Ex Machina’s, which is also a Targem-created game published by Buka in 2005. Crossout aims to depict life on Earth 20 years after the 2027 global disaster, and 200 years before Ex Machina.
Vehicle customization
The game focuses around vehicle combat. Players gain reputation with different factions, gaining access to new blueprints, parts and vehicles. Players gather parts and materials via battle rewards, completing missions, breaking down unneeded equipment, or by purchasing items from other players via an in-game market. Each player's combat vehicle is only limited by the player's imagination and two mandatory parts that need to be integrated into each player's design: cabin and undercarriage. Parts such as armor, weaponry, generators, and auxiliary devices are not required. Different combinations of these items let players custom tune vehicles to their own liking and playstyle. As there are no fixed traditional vehicle "classes" or vehicle roles, players are free to edit and modify their vehicle as they feel, allowing players to customize both the look and the technical aspects of their vehicle, honing their machine’s performance and looks to their liking. Along with vehicle crafting and customization, Crossout implements a physics model. Players must take into consideration the center of gravity, mass, location and placement of parts. A vehicle too top-heavy may roll over if turned too quickly or during movement on uneven terrain. Heavy machinery has more difficulty navigating. Equipment placed too close to the ground may be hit during its movement causing loss of control or degraded movement ability. Large caliber cannons present recoil on both ends of the weapon, being able to flip over a lighter vehicle that fired the projectile, and potentially flipping the player who is hit. This mechanic not only gives players more in-depth customization, but also acts as a self-balancing aspect. Players who just load down a vehicle with heavy armor and large caliber weapons would not be able to function in combat...
Battles
These battles are real-time and involve two teams of players and AI-participants. To win, a team must eliminate the enemy team, capture base or perform other tasks depending on the game mode.
Damage model
Any vehicle is “active” until the cabin is destroyed, before that it may lose other parts including armor, wheels and armament, effectively crippling or neutralizing it. Because of that, it is important to protect vital components on the battle wagon. Some parts, such as generators or fuel barrels, will explode upon destruction dealing damage to the components/vehicles around it.
Vehicle tiers
Matchmaking is currently limited only by the parts used to create the players' vehicles. Armor costs very few points, while guns and cannons cost much more, meaning that players will be matched with relatively equal-tiered vehicles. Because of this, a vehicle's points come mostly from the weapons it uses.
Factions
Engineers: Players start in the Engineers faction, and can join one other faction upon reaching level 10. Motivated by neither money nor ideology, this semi-official faction provides everything and helps train up new survivors. Other than that, there is only the occasional blueprint or extra training given.
Lunatics: High risk, high reward. Psycho Pete's lunatics fight with buggies. Their weapons are mainly focused around explosives, rams and shotguns, while armour is an optional extra. Fast and agile, their vehicles are good scouts.
Nomads: These wanderers are too human to be named the Lost, but are not true humans either. The Nomads use pieces stripped from aircraft, and favour automatic weapons. Their vehicles combine light armour and speed. Faster than the Scavengers, better armoured than the Lunatics, their cars are silver at everything, gold at none.
Scavengers: They scavenge old warehouses and abandoned military bases. What is operational is sold. Anything else is repaired and mounted on their cars. The vehicles are centred around armour and firepower, and use a lot of heavy parts. Slow but dangerous, it is foolish to attack one head on. Their weapons are mainly cannons.
Steppenwolfs: An elite squad of troops, these soldiers have access to the resources and technology of the Brotherhood. They are either decorated war heroes, disgraced agents or ruthless monsters under the death sentence. They prefer to use long ranged weapons to shoot from behind cover. Unlocked at level 10 with the Scavengers.
Dawn's Children: Using cutting edge technology, the Dawn's Children have protected themselves from the Crossout virus using specially sealed suits. Their vehicles use prototype military parts, rover pieces and high tech plasma weaponry. They have also developed hovers for use in battle. Unlocked at level 10 with the Nomads.
Firestarters: Using vehicles closely resembling "Hot Rod" cars, these cultists worship fire and burn all who disagree. With shotguns, explosives and flamethrowers, they are truly a force to be reckoned with. Anyone who questions their capability for magic quickly disappears. Unlocked at level 10 with the Lunatics.
Development
On May 20, 2015, both Gaijin Entertainment and Targem Games announced the development of a new free-to-play mmo set in a post-apocalyptic future. The first alpha tests of the game, called 'Battle Test', were launched in summer 2015. and in the same year, the game made its debut on the E3 2015. Later in the same year, the game was playable in a closed area at Gaijin Entertainment's booth at gamescom 2015, where players got a promo code to participate in further testing. On April 5, 2016, Crossout went into closed beta and was launched into open beta on May 30, 2017, on PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
Reception
MMORPG.com called Crossout “The most innovative game at E3 2015”.
