SnowRunner – Regions

by Thomas · Feb 21, 2020

Will you brave the wilds, driver? The SnowRunner experience isn’t only about driving iconic vehicles with authentic off-road physics and environments – it’s also to explore the edge of the civilized world, wrestle the elements, and do the jobs no one else will even attempt. It’s exploration and discovery and struggle.

For this reason, the maps of SnowRunner have been improved drastically in terms of variety, size, and detail, with some being four times larger than MudRunner maps. The size of these maps lends itself very well to co-op, and we’re particularly excited to see what you’ll all get up to in these massive playgrounds. The three regions in SnowRunner are Michigan and Alaska in the U.S., and Taymyr in Russia. While there is a natural progression to provide you with a stable rise in difficulty, you’re free to explore the regions in whatever order you like. Pick any road – or don’t! Whatever you do, you’ll still find easy tasks in the hardest region and difficult tasks in the easiest region. Split into a cluster of four individual maps per region (except Taymyr, where it’s three), the regions will provide you with a huge swathe of land to cover, and they’re all crafted to feel fresh and distinct from each other. Map design, sounds and music, and overarching backstory all work together to set the tone for each place. As you make your way through a map, completing jobs and finding upgrades and vehicles in the wild to expand your fleet, you’ll find that some contracts span across more than one map. To travel between them, you must drive to the edge and use the tunnel that leads to the next. Certain paths might require you to complete a related task in order to pass.

What’s on the other side? Only one way to find out! Michigan Michigan is where your SnowRunner adventure begins (but as mentioned, you are by no means obliged to complete it before moving on to Alaska and Taymyr). From forested valleys to marshes rich in oil, you’ll be taking on a variety of tasks for the businesses competing for land.

This is America like many don’t know it – vast, wild, and dangerous. Not completely devoid of occupation, you’ll come across quiet motels, silent border towns, and lone run-down shacks. While there is no shortage of mud and rough terrain, you’ll find somewhat more well-maintained roads here than in Alaska and Taymyr. Alaska Welcome to The Last Frontier! In MudRunner you experienced mud, rocks, and rivers – in SnowRunner you will experience more. Deep snow, frosty mountain peaks, and iced over lakes and roads. Chain up your tires or risk sliding right off a narrow mountain pass.

While the natural wilderness of Alaska dominates the landscape, you’ll still find the beginnings of human infrastructure here. A dock, truck stop, and even an airport can be found if you look in the right place. The great Alaskan pipeline stretches for miles on end through every map in the region, and you’re here to make sure it gets done. Taymyr The most challenging region in SnowRunner, Taymyr lies in the deep north of Russia, where great swamps and forests hold abandoned Soviet era architecture as it’s slowly swallowed into the ground. As you rediscover the rugged beauty of these remote forests, you’ll be able to take on (among other things) contracts to find oil using a special seismograph module.

The search for oil will take you to places long forgotten. Don’t hold your breath looking for asphalt roads in Taymyr, as most of them will be dirt or even mud paths, requiring the right vehicle and wheels. Bogs, lakes, and forests make up the majority of Taymyr.

Thank you for reading our Regions Blog! We can’t wait for you all to explore these places, alone or with your friends. A lot of time and effort has gone into making these locations varied, authentic, and fun to traverse. Balancing a sense of both freedom and progression was a challenge which we believe we have risen to. We’ll see you in the Snow!