--- title: "New Test Drive Unlimited Game Will Go Back to Ibiza Soon After Launch" description: "TDU Solar Crown finally releases on September 12, but just three months later, players will be treated to an entirely new, yet familiar map." date: "2024-08-30" modified: "2024-08-30" authors: - name: "Adam Ismail" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/adam-ismail" url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/new-test-drive-unlimited-game-will-go-back-to-ibiza-soon-after-launch" categories: - "Culture" - "News" - "Video Games" --- # New Test Drive Unlimited Game Will Go Back to Ibiza Soon After Launch ![Off-screen footage of Ibiza gameplay in TDU Solar Crown.]() *\Nacon via YouTube\* It's been a very long wait, but the release of *[Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown]()* is finally just around the corner, set for September 12. Developer KT Racing provided some insight into its post-launch content plans in a recent video, and one of them is a huge surprise: an entire additional map, to supplement the Hong Kong Island locale that the title will launch with. What's more, longtime fans will be sure to love it, as it'll take the championship back to Ibiza—the familiar backdrop of *Test Drive Unlimited 2*. Ibiza will launch during the game's second in-game "season," which arrives in late December. The footage shown comes with a disclaimer that it's a work in progress, but you'd imagine with four months between now and the release of an entirely new open world, what we see has got to be close to what will ship. It's certainly not the most stunning representation of a place like this that I've seen in a racing game, but it's a very different vibe than Hong Kong, and the déjà vu for *TDU2* fans will probably be immense. Additionally, a character from that game has been teased as making a return on Ibiza in *Solar Crown*, if you're really into *Test Drive Unlimited* lore. The video goes into other content plans, covering new avatar apparel, car exterior upgrades, and reward cars available through *TDU's* own version of battle passes, called the Solar Pass. It's one of those systems where, if you play enough during a set period and meet certain parameters, you get goodies. Typically you have to pay to gain access to these, but it seems for *TDUSC* they'll be free for the first two seasons. Eventually, the game will add a casino—another *TDU2* staple—and KT shared that it'd like to bring motorcycles to the game and give players the ability to buy houses and apartments sometime in the future. https://youtu.be/b_6hzDhBWis?si=nHOk6eGqVzZPqCZ9&t=168 Personally, none of that really appeals to me, aside from riding motorcycles. The rich person fantasy conceit of *TDU* was never what I liked about the original game, set in Hawaii—I just got a thrill from exploring that immense map and shopping for and driving cars. But with all these extraneous, non-gameplay additions, it's clear that KT is gunning to make *Solar Crown* a sort of *[Grand Theft Auto]()*-lite, specifically for gearheads and, you know, without all the sex and violence. I'm sure there's a market for that, but at the end of the day, I'm looking forward to hitting the streets. *TDU Solar Crown* releases September 12 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series consoles, and PC. There's supposedly been a Switch version in development, but [given how the last-gen ports were canceled in 2022](), it's hard to imagine how the game could still reach Nintendo's ancient handheld. *Got a tip? Email us at tips@thedrive.com* ## Author Adam is a Senior Editor at The Drive, concentrating on curating and developing the site's slate of daily journalism, from initial pitch to final copy edit. When he's not at his desk researching leads and working with writers, he's testing vehicles or reviewing racing games, new and old. He joined The Drive in 2023, following seven years of covering consumer technology and cars. A car lover and gamer since his earliest memories, Adam came to know the automotive world through video games. First it was Daytona USA, Sega Rally, and Ridge Racer; then came Need For Speed, which inspired an encyclopedic knowledge of '90s supercars, and, of course, Gran Turismo. If not for them, he'd assuredly be doing something else right now. Adam is based in the suburbs outside Philly, where there are ample roads for his hot hatch to stretch its legs. In his car, he's probably listening to indie rock, drum and bass, or Yankees baseball. ### Author social links [Bluesky]() [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()