Heading Out is getting a physical PS5 release

Red Art Games has announced a physical PlayStation 5 edition of Heading Out, the narrative-driven racing roguelite from developers Serious Sim and Crunching Koalas. Pre-orders are open now through the publisher's official store, with a planned release date of July 23, 2026.

The game originally launched digitally for PC in May 2024 before making its way to Xbox and PlayStation consoles late last year. It is a strange hybrid of genres. The driving segments look and feel a lot like the vehicle missions in Grand Theft Auto, but the entire game is wrapped in a high-contrast, black-and-white Sin City aesthetic.

The road takes a toll

You play as the Interstate Jackalope, an outlaw driver trying to beat a rival across the United States. The gameplay loop is split between two distinct layers. First, there is an overworld map where you plan your route across the country. You have to chart a path from city to city and keep an eye on the roads ahead.

The map layer is where the resource management happens. You have to monitor your fuel levels, maintain the condition of your car, and keep your wanted level low. If the police catch up to you, or if you simply run out of gas in the middle of nowhere, your run ends. You lose your progress and have to start a new trip from the beginning.

The actual driving happens in real time. The art style uses a grayscale world punctuated by bright splashes of color. Rival cars are painted bright yellow, while police sirens and brake lights flash in bright red. The environments get increasingly surreal as you drive further. The game occasionally drops you into massive, stylized ribcage tunnels in the middle of the desert.

Cheaper than therapy

Between races, the game throws narrative choices at you through comic book panels. You meet a variety of hitchhikers, oddballs, and other travelers on the road. The game will pause and ask you to make a decision. You might have to decide whether to pay a ransom, help a stranded driver, or just drive away.

These choices affect your reputation and alter the story of that specific run. You also spend a lot of time outrunning a literal red mist called Fear. It is a very direct metaphor, but it works. We have all tried to outrun our problems at some point, though usually without a muscle car and a four-star wanted level.

The audio design leans heavily into the road trip atmosphere. The game has several radio stations to listen to while you drive. The radio hosts actually react to the narrative choices you make during your run, commenting on your growing reputation as an outlaw.

Physical media

The Red Art Games physical release includes the game on a PS5 disc. Anyone who pre-orders directly through the publisher's website also gets a 44-page art booklet filled with the game's comic-inspired illustrations.

Most physical releases these days ship a disc with a Steam installer or just a download code. Getting an actual game on a disc with a printed booklet is a nice change of pace. Heading Out takes a weird, modular approach to a racing game, and now that weirdness gets to take up actual shelf space.