Stuntman is coming back with a new PS5 game

A new entry in the long-dormant Stuntman driving series is headed to the PlayStation 5. Announced via the PlayStation Blog, Stuntman: Hollywood revives the franchise's core concept of performing highly choreographed vehicular stunts for film directors. The game blends the strict precision of hitting stunt markers with the high-speed chaos of modern arcade racers.

The original Stuntman launched on the PlayStation 2 back in 2002. Reflections Interactive built that first game on the bones of their Driver engine. It earned a reputation for brutal, trial-and-error difficulty. You had to follow a strict script, hitting the gas at the exact right frame, drifting through narrow gaps, and launching off ramps at precise speeds. If you missed a single mark, the director yelled "Cut!" and you had to restart the entire run. A sequel called Stuntman: Ignition followed in 2007. The franchise has been completely silent since then.

Borrowing from Burnout and Split/Second

The new game appears to be shifting the physics model away from the punishing simulation of the 2002 original. The developers cite Burnout and Disney's 2010 environmental-destruction racer Split/Second as major touchstones for the project. This is an interesting mechanical pivot. The original Stuntman was entirely about following rules and executing a pre-planned route. Burnout and Split/Second are built around unpredictable chaos and breaking the environment. The goal here is to combine the precision of hitting a stunt marker with the visual spectacle of a massive arcade crash.

You are still driving toward a ramp at top speed while everything around you is on fire. The difference is the underlying handling model. The team wants the speed and control of an arcade racer to make the dense set pieces feel manageable. The pressure comes from the spectacle and the timing rather than fighting the vehicle's suspension.

Universal Pictures catalog

The game is not relying on generic, legally distinct movie sets. The developers are pulling directly from the Universal Pictures and NBCUniversal catalogs. You will be driving through set pieces based on established properties like Fast & Furious and Back to the Future. This integration makes sense given recent corporate history. Universal shut down its internal game publishing division in 2019 to focus entirely on licensing out its intellectual property to external studios.

The Fast & Furious connection is an obvious fit for a driving game focused on absurd stunts. The Back to the Future inclusion is more curious. It opens the door for stunts based around hitting exact speeds before a timer runs out or dodging lightning strikes.

Announced for PS5 with no date

Right now, the game is only confirmed for the PlayStation 5. Because the announcement came directly through Sony's official channels, it is unclear if Stuntman: Hollywood is a true console exclusive or if Xbox and PC versions will appear later. There is no firm release date attached to the project beyond a vague "coming soon" window.