SYNTHALGIA: Retro Arcade Racing

About this game

Latest news

• Announcements·26 Aug 2026Official

  Returning From The Shadows

  Exactly 1 Month From Today, The Game Will Release!⏱ September 25th 2026First off, I want to thank you all for your patience, remembering this project and wishlisting the game.It’s been two years since I posted an official update. While I’ve been quiet, development hasn't stopped.The last update announcement I made the decision to scrap Early Access release. I knew it wasn't ready.Not just that, it was built on aging technology, accumulated constraints and too many compromises.Some Things I've Been Working On Over The Past 24 Months:Complete rebuild of the game ground up, to have modern performance and meet expectationsReduced loading screens to zero — yes that means no waiting, no loading screens at allIntroduced actual V10 and V12 engine audio mixing, replacing generic engine audioRefined the gameplay into a clear, concise, focused and intuitive gameplay loopCar handling reworked completely to feel properly smooth and responsiveOptimization to support over 100 active cars on the roadVehicle physics reworked for better road physics chaosIntegrated Steam Leaderboards Integrated Steam Achievements Integrated new device input framework to support more than just Xbox controllersIntegrated physics framework for future destruction systemsBrand new shiny chromatic car paint shadersIntegrated physically based realistic skiesBeautiful lighting atmospheres across day, sunsets and nightThe remaining month is focused on final polish, optimization, bug fixing, testing & balancing.Over the coming weeks, I will finally begin showing the game properly, as it nears towards its release.Thank you all so much!
  Read full article on Community Announcements (SYNTHALGIA)

• Patch Notes·10 Jul 2024Official

  Development Update | Roadmap To V 1.0

  {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40663625/9e4f1479de7513823cd4a7299a38d7010bdd35d4.png Exciting Update for Retro Arcade Enthusiasts! After carefully reviewing the feedback from the recent festival Demos and considering what's best for players, I've made a thrilling decision: I’m gearing up to launch Version 1.0 of the game. I'm skipping the Early Access phase to deliver the complete, polished experience you deserve from day one! The Early Access banner has been removed and some updates have been made to the store page to celebrate this update and show a more current state of the project. As always if you wanted to get your hands on the game and access it early you can still do that through the Demo which will be updated 2-3 more times before release, the last update will reflect the full game. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40663625/88df0973f8d637959fadb303aac57e2475eab39f.png Demo Version 3 is on its way, completely dedicated to implementing your feedback and adding more features. Here’s what I’m working on behind the scenes for the upcoming Demo 3: squashing bugs left and right to ensure a seamless experience fine tuning gameplay balance for maximum fun and less difficulty integrating your feedback across interface and gameplay completing more features to enhance your experience performance is getting optimized for smoother uninterrupted gameplay interface updates for more accessibility and choice of preferences ramping up content production and polishing the existing content localization and compatibility testing to ensure everyone can enjoy the game From alpha to beta to release and beyond, I’m working on crafting an experience that's not just fun but a true reflection of the nostalgia of retro arcades racing delivered in a modern fashion. I started refining in late 2023, now in 2024 the playable Demo is in your hands and in 2025, you'll finally be able to dive headfirst into the full retro arcade experience!
  Read full article on Community Announcements (SYNTHALGIA)

• Patch Notes·26 Jun 2024Official

  Demo Patch

  06/25/2024 - made varying speeds on left and right lane - reduced oncoming opposing traffic speed - made it easier to recharge nitro - hud opacity increased - removed interface distortion - rolling intro framerate doubled - some small geometry optimizations - replaced widescreen finishline display with jumbotron - reduced size of fueltruck hitboxes easier for full refueling 06/26/2024 - runtime optimizations - transcoded video files for better compatibility - master volume ceiling reduced
  Read full article on Community Announcements (SYNTHALGIA)

• Announcements·23 Jun 2024Official

  New Demo Released!

  Originally intended for the Steam Endless Replayability Festival this demo brings in more features that'll be present in the final release. While this demo is a closer representation of the vision, it's important to note that it's not the final product and much more will be added for the release version. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40663625/e77d44e0d7157a48accf301ca7387cf4b6a6076f.png Download the demo now and let me know what you think! Any criticism is good criticism to help bring the game to a final better release product. There is lots of patches and updates in the backlog getting ready for release but any feedback on this current demo would be very appreciated.
  Read full article on Community Announcements (SYNTHALGIA)

• Announcements·12 Apr 2024Official

  Thank You For Playing The Alpha Demo!

  Thank you so much for everyone who attended the February 2024 Steam NextFest and played the Alpha Demo. Your feedback is being implemented and the game in its current state is not reflected by the Alpha Demo anymore which is heavily outdated. The trailer is going to be coming out very soon now! To all old and frequent players if you really enjoyed the demo and wanted to ask why it couldn't be updated its because the Demo was a separate project branch and keeping both file systems up to date takes up too much time away from core development for a one man production - and the Febuary Alpha Demo by itself does not represent the release product for new demo downloads since the NextFest. If you would like to ask questions or want more frequent development updates you can join the Discord I post more often in the dev-screenshots channel. https://discord.gg/zwGBQtWwvk Thank you all again so much for your valuable feedback and have a happy Friday!
  Read full article on Community Announcements (SYNTHALGIA)