The follow-up to the internet's beloved Finnish car-building life simulator is now released.

      Amistech Games via Steam

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      If you're a PC gamer with an interest in cars or racing, you might already know about My Summer Car, a renowned indie game from 2016 (time has really flown) centered around assembling a project car from scratch in Finland while attempting to survive the experience. A sequel has been in the works for a while, and I'm excited to announce that its early access release day has finally arrived. Prepare for My Winter Car.

      These games function as life simulators, yet the life you strive to experience is neither full nor particularly enjoyable. The official trailer for My Summer Car bluntly states, “This is not a fun game.” Below, I've included a gameplay video of the original game, captured by its developer, to give newcomers an idea of what to expect.

      "As you can imagine, constructing this car from the ground up is incredibly time-consuming," the developer comments while inspecting a cherry red coupe, shortly after his in-game character takes a beer break. "For someone like me, who understands how this car should be built, who knows each bolt size, the right order, and all that jazz, it takes at least two hours to get this car completed."

      That's the nature of the challenge you’ll face here. It’s telling that My Winter Car’s Steam page promotes it as a “first-person survival game with a Permanent Death feature” before mentioning anything about car construction. There’s also “complete car and engine assembly featuring 200 unique parts” to look forward to, along with “body temperature simulation” for the player and “realistic law enforcement that comes after you for reckless actions.”

      What else could you desire? How about grappling with severe depression in a country that experiences a maximum of six hours of sunlight during this season? "Despite all the fun and engaging elements, the harsh cold and darkness of Finnish winters make life perilous, depressing, and exhausting," the description elaborates. "It’s tough to even keep track of the time. The world seems to move forward, but the player is sinking deeper into the pit they began digging in the original game."

      Just to note, My Summer Car was a game that once included a patch note stating "added TV to jail." When—rather than if—your character dies, you'll receive a newspaper article detailing the incident. It would likely make the front page, as nothing else of importance occurs in that area. Check out the sequel's action-packed "cinematic trailer" below:

      Amistech Games suggests trying My Winter Car only if you've played the first one, as this installment is reportedly even more challenging. This makes sense; I can only imagine that doing anything in Finland during winter is tougher than in summer, except for the possibility of freezing to death. You can attempt to avoid that while also constructing a car for the modest price of $14.

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