The Undercut Demo Hits Steam Next Fest — and Closed Beta Begins

The Undercut Demo Hits Steam Next Fest — and Closed Beta Begins

After months of development, two big things are happening at once: a public demo at Steam Next Fest (June 15–22), and the start of our closed tests on Alpha 0.2. Career mode is finally playable from end to end — and there's a long, exciting road still ahead.

A Demo at Steam Next Fest — June 15–22

From June 15 to June 22, you'll be able to download and play The Undercut for free as part of Steam Next Fest. The demo is a focused slice of what The Undercut is becoming. Two things are in:

• A trimmed pre-season phase of career mode — lighter than the final version but enough to make real management decisions: hiring, contracts, early development calls, and the strategic build-up to a season.

• A complete race weekend running on the stable alpha build of the race engine: practice, qualifying, race day, strategy, pit stops, the works.

If you've been following the devlogs about procedural circuits, random driver generation, or the tire model and rubber line — this is where it all comes together for the first time.

Closed testing — Alpha 0.2 Is Live

In parallel with the demo, we're opening the closed beta on Alpha 0.2. This is a milestone we've been working toward for a long time: career mode is finally playable. Not "playable in a tech-demo sense" — actually playable. You can start a career, manage a team across a full season, and feel the long-term arc of the game taking shape. If you want to get involved in the closed beta, join us on Discord — that's where invites, builds, and direct feedback channels live. Join the Discord

The Road Ahead — Roadmap to Early Access

Here's where things go from here. Each alpha release tackles one large system at a time.

Alpha 0.3 — Car Model Update (landing in the demo)

• Visual update of the car model in career mode

• New car stats: Driveability, Complexity, Security

• A Car Trait system

• Full overhaul of car development logic

Decisions should weigh balance, reliability, and how well a car suits a given driver's style — not just "which slider goes up."

Alpha 0.4 — Sponsors, Suppliers, and Drivers Get Real

• Complete overhaul of the sponsors and suppliers negotiation system

• Visual update of the in-game 2D race simulation

• New scouting infrastructure and scouting system

• New non-playable development series (the talent pipeline)

• A Driver Trait system

• Driver contracts and season objectives overhauled

This turns the off-track game from a stat-shopping exercise into something that actually feels like running a racing operation.

Alpha 0.5 — The Living World Update

• A media system

• Track traits with media rating and TV audience modeling

• A news app / in-game news feature

• The world reacts to the state of every simulated racing series

This is the update that takes The Undercut from "a simulator with menus" to "a sport you live inside."

Alpha 0.6 — Early Access Launch

• Mod support at launch

After Early Access, development continues with dynamic weather, rain systems, new career scenarios, and additional playable racing series.

Thank You

If you've been following along — devlog readers, Discord regulars, wishlisters — thank you. Steam Next Fest is going to be a big test, and we want as many of you as possible behind the wall. Full devlog with all the details: Read on our website See you on the grid in June. 🏁