over the hill is a slow, cozy off-roading game from Funselektor, the studio behind Art of Rally. It came out on Steam on October 14, 2026 for $24.99, and until October 28 a 20% launch discount brings it down to $19.99. There is no racing and no timer. You crawl vintage 4x4s through handmade areas in Canada and Algeria, earn Pebbles by finding things, and spend them on tools and upgrades. Up to four players can explore together online.
This over the hill beginner guide covers what to do in your first hours: how the gears, winch and single-use tools work, how Pebbles come in, which vehicle class suits which terrain and where the community has found the unlockable cars. Facts come from Funselektor’s Steam announcements and official FAQ, plus reviews and Steam community guides, all linked below. Prices and review numbers were checked on October 17, 2026 at 22:15 UTC.
Table of Contents
Quick answer
- Price and platforms: $24.99 / €24.99 / £22.49 on Steam for Windows. The 20% launch discount ($19.99) ends October 28 at 17:00 UTC. The game is Steam Deck Verified and runs on GeForce Now. PS5, Xbox Series X|S and Switch 2 versions are due in 2027.
- Driving basics: every car is a 4×4 with a low and a high range and no differential lock. Use low range for mud, snow and steep climbs.
- Your best tool is the winch. It is always equipped and has unlimited uses. Planks, anchors, jacks, repair kits and portable camps are single-use, chosen at the mechanic, and they refill at campsites.
- Pebbles are the currency. You earn them from trails, recovery missions, landmarks, meteorites and wildlife photos. Since the October 16 patch, trails pay out again when you repeat them.
- New cars unlock by finishing specific trails. You start with the Protector, Trailrat and Ding, and the community has mapped 21 vehicles in four classes.
- Co-op is online only, for 2-4 players. There is no local or split-screen co-op.
Is over the hill worth it? Price, platforms and specs
The Steam store page rated over the hill Very Positive when checked: 92.6% of 2,093 reviews were positive (1,938 positive). According to Funselektor’s launch announcement, the base game costs $24.99, the soundtrack is a separate $9.99 DLC and a $9.99 Supporter Edition DLC adds a name tag, exclusive cosmetics, a unique camping site, printable maps and 4K wallpapers. The Supporter Pack bundles all three, and it was listed at $33.57 during the launch sale. You also get an extra 10% off over the hill if you bundle it with any of 16 partner games, including SnowRunner, Pacific Drive, Dredge and Jalopy, even ones you already own.
| Detail | What’s confirmed |
|---|---|
| Release | October 14, 2026 (Steam, Windows) |
| Price | $24.99 / €24.99 / £22.49; $19.99 until Oct 28, 17:00 UTC |
| Steam Deck | Verified on Steam; the developer says it runs via Proton (no native Linux or Mac version) |
| Consoles | PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Switch 2 in 2027; the official FAQ confirms cross-play |
| Players | Solo, or 2-4 online co-op |
| Minimum PC | Core i5-7400 / Ryzen 5 2600, 8 GB RAM, GTX 1070 / RX 5600, 4 GB storage, DirectX 11 (tested at 1080p) |
| Controls | Full controller support (gamepad recommended); steering wheels not supported at launch |
One thing to know before you buy: this is a driving game, not a racing game, and Funselektor says so on the store page. Eurogamer’s hands-on feature calls the pace “glacial” for impatient players. TechRadar’s review found the content runs thin over long sessions. If you liked the free-roam mode in Art of Rally, or the slow problem-solving of SnowRunner, it is aimed at you.
Over the hill beginner guide to driving: gears, grip and damage
The game keeps the drivetrain simple. The official FAQ says every vehicle is four-wheel drive, with a low and a high range and no differential lock. TechRadar’s review explains the trade-off: low range gives better control and traction on slippery surfaces and steep slopes, and high range is for covering ground. The terrain itself shows where grip is poor, with no highlighting. Mud, wet rock, snow and sand all grip differently, and tyre condition and weather change that further. In the right range, careful throttle control matters less than picking the right line.
- Slow down before obstacles. Steering turns and recentres slowly on most vehicles, so a boulder field taken at speed usually ends in a wedge or a rollover.
- Watch your health bar. The car has one health pool. Damage hurts its looks and its performance, and repair kits are limited.
- Use the weather. Rain, snow and sandstorms change grip and visibility. At a campsite you can fast-forward time to wait out a storm or skip the night.
Roof kayaks and other trinkets come from crates found at question marks on the map. Image: Funselektor Labs
Tools: winch, planks, anchor and jack
The tools are what turn a stuck car into a puzzle. The winch is always with you. The rest is a loadout you choose before entering an area, at the mechanic, Crazy Günther. According to the review on racinggames.gg, some tools must first be unlocked with Pebbles.
| Tool | Uses | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Winch | Unlimited, always equipped | Climbs, mud, recoveries. Tap to fire at a tree in range, hold to reel in, slacken to lower yourself down. Manual mode picks the side and the anchor tree |
| Portable anchor | Single-use | Winching where there are no trees, such as desert and above the treeline |
| Planks (pair) | Single-use | Bridging small gaps or adding traction. Line them up with your wheels carefully, or you will slide off |
| Car jack | Single-use | Righting the car after a rollover |
| Repair kit | Single-use | Restoring health, for your car or a friend’s |
| Portable camp | Single-use | A rest stop far from a campsite |
Single-use tools refill whenever you visit a campsite, so you can use them freely between camps. The trade-off is loadout space: TechRadar lists tool capacity as one of the upgrade paths. Early on, pack the jack and a repair kit before extra planks. Without a jack, righting a rolled car means improvising with the winch or a slope.
How to earn Pebbles fast
Pebbles pay for upgrades and tools, and most activities on the map give some. Question marks on the map mark points of interest. Eurogamer and TechRadar describe what turns up there:
- Trail routes (challenge trails): chains of checkpoints over hard ground. They pay Pebbles and also unlock vehicles (see below).
- Recovery missions: an abandoned truck you tow back to base.
- Campsites: fast-travel points that also refill your tools. Unlock them early, because they make every other trip shorter.
- Scenic viewpoints, landmarks and crates: crates usually hold cosmetics such as roof kayaks and antennas.
- Wildlife photos: photograph animals to fill the compendium. Eurogamer lists foxes, moose, owls, camels and bears.
- Meteorites: they fall from the sky and are worth chasing.
The first post-launch update (version 26.10.16_57fb763, October 16) changed the economy. Recovery missions and challenge trails now pay Pebbles on repeat completions; at launch they paid only the first time. Meteorite spawn points were also moved in every area so currency is easier to collect. Replaying a trail you know is now a legitimate way to grind for an upgrade.
Trail routes often funnel you toward a single crossing, like this bridge over a canyon river. Image: Funselektor Labs
Upgrades: what to buy first
Each vehicle has upgrade tracks for engine power (speed and climbing), tyre grip, protection and tool capacity, according to TechRadar and racinggames.gg. Two details shape how you should spend:
- Upgrades do not carry over between vehicles (racinggames.gg). Settle on a main car before you put a lot of Pebbles into it.
- The tracks are short. TechRadar found it maxed out a vehicle fairly quickly. Some points of interest are blocked until your car is upgraded enough to reach them (Eurogamer).
Grip and engine help on almost every trail, so they are a sensible first buy. Protection matters more once you take on boulder-heavy routes and repair kits start running low.
How to unlock cars in over the hill: every vehicle class
Vehicles unlock by completing particular trails, not by buying them. A community vehicle guide on Steam lists 21 vehicles in four classes, using stats from the unofficial OverTheHillDB database. Funselektor has not published a vehicle list, so treat these numbers as community data. The game itself does not show vehicle stats.
| Class | Vehicles | Strengths and weaknesses (community data) |
|---|---|---|
| Trail | Protector, Trailrat, Ding (starters); Brick, Bull v1, Tinny, Wombat, Lynx, Polyana | Tight steering, average elsewhere. The Polyana has weak grip and small wheels, and one player called it “awful” fully upgraded |
| Wagon | Trail Burner, Cumbre, Roamer, Woodman, Grand Woodman | Best torque-to-weight once upgraded, but short suspension travel: good on climbs, worse on broken ground |
| Workhorse | Burro, Timberbox, Blast Wagon, Boar, Rust Ox | Blast Wagon and Boar have strong grip, slide resistance and big wheels. The Rust Ox has the most suspension travel but the smallest wheels |
| Expedition | Mammoth, Marshal | Strong grip, suspension, wheels and torque: the all-rounders |
Some unlocks, according to the same guide:
- Trail Burner: Windy Joe Trail. Burro: Hermit Trail. Both are at Emerald Lake.
- Blast Wagon: Windcall Gorge Trail. Brick: Bridal Veil Falls Climb. Both are at Gimli Ridge.
- Mammoth: Lower Midgar Trail. Grand Woodman: Asulkan Lake Highline. Both are at Asgard Mountain.
- Cumbre: Jazira Ascent. Roamer: Kalaa Ulya Track. Both are in the Aurès Mountains.
- Boar: Tarfa Ascent. Marshal: Shabah Ascent. Both are in the Tassili n’Ajjer Desert.
Canada has three areas (Emerald Lake, Gimli Ridge and Asgard Mountain) and Algeria has two (the Aurès Mountains and the Tassili n’Ajjer Desert), which matches TechRadar’s count. The pre-launch FAQ gives about 4 x 4 km per hand-made area, and you can travel between areas without going back to the menu. If you started on a Next Fest demo save, note that the October 16 patch fixed some achievements that demo players could not unlock.
Multiplayer: how co-op works
Online co-op takes up to four players. Per the official FAQ, progress is personal: friends can help you reach an objective, but each player has to reach the checkpoint to complete it. Progress moves between your solo and multiplayer games. TechRadar adds that you can winch onto each other’s vehicles. That is the fastest recovery in the game, and also a way to drag a friend into a river. Anyone being winched can detach. Fast travel is per player, so the group can split up and explore on its own.
Up to four players can explore together online; rain and darkness cut grip and visibility for everyone. Image: Funselektor Labs
Since the October 16 update, a streamer mode in the HUD settings hides the room code in the lobby and pause menu. The same patch fixed clients loading forever after taking a portal following a camp in the same session.
Fixes for common launch problems
- Invisible terrain on older GPUs (GTX series): fixed for everyone in the October 16 update. Before that, the workaround was the Steam launch option
-msTessOnce 0, which you can now remove. - Trails not paying Pebbles a second time: fixed in the same patch.
- Awkward camera in tight spots: the camera collision logic was reworked in that update.
Funselektor says more bug fixes, quality-of-life changes and features are in progress. No roadmap has been published.
If you are after more relaxed games to play next, see our games like Stardew Valley list. For when the console version lands, our best cozy games on Switch 2 roundup covers what is already there. Next Fest demos start Monday, October 19, and our free games this weekend and Next Fest roundup has the dates. If you prefer car tuning to trail crawling, try the Pixel Car Racer tuning guide.
FAQ
Is over the hill coming to PS5, Xbox and Switch 2?
Yes. Funselektor confirmed PS5, Xbox Series X|S and Switch 2 versions for 2027, and its FAQ says cross-play is planned. There is no console release date or price yet.
Does over the hill have local or split-screen co-op?
No. The FAQ says local co-op isn’t feasible right now. Multiplayer is online only, for up to four players.
Does over the hill support steering wheels?
Not at launch. Funselektor prioritised gamepad and keyboard and said wheel support was not planned for the initial release. A controller is recommended.
Does over the hill have mods?
The pre-launch FAQ said Funselektor wanted to support livery mods at release, with anything more depending on how the game sells. No mod tools have been announced since launch.
Sources: Steam store page (price, reviews, specs, checked Oct 17, 2026 22:15 UTC); Funselektor Steam announcements: launch (Oct 14) and update 26.10.16 (Oct 16); official FAQ; TechRadar; Eurogamer; racinggames.gg; Steam community vehicle guide.
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