Developer Update #1

Welcome to Pocket Racer Shop Sim!

Posted by: That One Guy Loki from That One Game Studio

Hey folks! Loki here — solo dev, night owl, and long-time lover of shop sims and small-scale racing chaos. I’ve been quietly working away on Pocket Racer Shop Sim, a game about running your own hobby shop, cracking open part packs, tinkering on tiny race cars, and hosting race nights with your friends… all wrapped in a chill, cozy shop sim vibe.

Thanks for checking out the project — I figured the first post should be a proper introduction to both the game and myself, so let’s jump in.

What IS Pocket Racer Shop Sim?

At its core, it’s a blend of:

• Shop Simulator – Stock shelves, set up displays, decorate your workspace, and keep your customers happy.

• Car Builder / Tinkerer Sandbox – Hunt for parts, open booster packs, compare stats, and build the perfect little racer.

• Track Designer – Use the editor to create simple or wild race tracks that demand different builds to win.

• Small-Scale Racing – Fast, fun, and a little chaotic. Tune your car, test your setups, and watch them tear around your tracks.

• Multiplayer Social Hangout – Bring your save file and your cars to a friend’s shop, race together, and show off your builds.

It’s cozy, creative, and just competitive enough when it matters — on the racetrack.

Open Packs, Find Parts, Build Your Dream Racer

One of the most addictive systems already in place is the part pack opening. You’ll rip open randomized packs to find motors, gears, wheels, batteries, chassis, and more — all with stats that change how your racer handles.

Looking for that higher-tier gears? Hunting for the perfect balanced wheels? Chasing a specific rare motor pull?

Welcome to the rabbit hole.

And once you’ve got the parts…

You can build, tweak, tune, and test your creations.

Race on Tracks You Build

The track designer is already taking shape, and even in its current state it’s surprisingly powerful.

• Mix and match pieces

• Build large sprawling tracks or small tight circuits

• Make tracks that encourage specific car setups

The goal is that every player can build something fun and unique — and share it with friends in multiplayer.

Multiplayer — the Heart of the Experience

This is the part I’m most excited about.

At any time while playing singleplayer, you can host your save and invite friends into your shop.

Your friends bring:

• Their cars

• Their inventory

• Their progression

And inside your shop they can:

• Buy packs

• Upgrade their cars at your workbench

• Race on your tracks

Think of it like inviting friends over to your real-life hobby shop to swap parts, talk builds, and run race nights together.

It’s social, it’s chill, and it’s already working in the playtest.

Right now multiplayer is aiming for 4–8 players depending on testing, but even with 2–4 it already feels like a fun hangout.

Roadmap (High-Level & No Deadlines)

I’m not committing to dates — I work nights, and the motto around here is “It’ll be ready when it’s ready.” But I can give you a look at what’s cooking for the future:

Demo-Focused Content Being Developed

• More track pieces (ramps, corners, straights, special sections)

• Loads more car parts to expand tuning depth

• More pack types including higher rarity tiers

• More shop furniture & décor to improve Ambience and creativity

• New shopper models & shopper personality traits

• Rent dues system for a touch of shop-management strategy

• Deeper shop customization tools

• Car Rating System to help compare builds and progression

Long-Term Vision

• Hirable staff for your growing shop

• Track-based leaderboards

• Player emotes for multiplayer personality

• Market events (sales, shortages, specialty parts, etc.)

• Player model customization

• Weather systems to change the shop vibe

And Something Else Is Lurking…

On the subject of “What’s coming next”… let’s just say someone keeps sitting on the checkout counter.

Let’s Build This Thing Together

Pocket Racer Shop Sim is currently in a closed playtest, but I’ll be expanding access as things stabilize and as I move toward a public demo. Stay on the look out for future updates as I open it up to more testers.

If this whole vibe seems up your alley:

Please Wishlist the game — it helps SO much! Would love to hear your thoughts and opinions as we build this game together, so hit that Discuss button and leave a comment.

Thanks for being here. Can’t wait to share more soon.

— That One Guy Loki That One Game Studio