Backseat Drivers News

[p]First off: we just want to say a massive thank you. Here goes…[/p][p][/p][h3]THAAAAAANK YOOOOOOUUUUU.[/h3][p]Since the launch of our demo:[/p]

• [p]Over 235,000 players have added Backseat Drivers to their Steam wishlist[/p]
• [p]It's been downloaded more than 1.7 million times[/p]
• [p]1.4 million unique players have tried to escape the parking structure from hell[/p]

[p]That’s way more yelling, oversteering, crashing and passenger-ejecting than we ever dreamed of. You’ve all made this wild little project something truly special, and we couldn’t be more grateful. 💖[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][hr][/hr][p][/p][h2]🏁 Full Release Date[/h2][p]We’re thrilled to finally share it: Backseat Drivers will officially launch on October 9, 2025. [/p][p]Mark your calendars, grab your friends (willing or otherwise), and wishlist if you haven’t already. The full version is just around the bend!![/p][p]👉 Wishlist Backseat Drivers on Steam[/p][p][/p][p][/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p][/p][hr][/hr][p][/p][h2]🏆 New in This Update[/h2][h3]Leaderboards[/h3][p]Which grandma can punch it hardest? Time to find out. Stats are now tracked on global leaderboards.[/p]

• [p]Compete globally! Stats and times are now tracked on the in-game leaderboard.[/p]
• [p]Compare with friends for bragging rights![/p]
• [p]Or, discover you’re slower than an actual grandma![/p]

[h3]Steam Lobby Fixes[/h3][p]We’ve cleaned up a bunch of Steam invite issues so it’s easier to join your friends.[/p]

• [p]Invites should now work more reliably, even if your buddy is hiding “Offline.”[/p]
• [p]No more endless clicking or failed joins.[/p]

[h3]Other Tweaks[/h3]

• [p]General stability + network improvements.[/p]
• [p]Small bug fixes. (Gramma can stop writing complaint letters… for now.)[/p][p][/p]

[hr][/hr][p][/p][h2]❓ FAQ[/h2][p](We’ll keep this updated as we get closer to release — here’s a starter list)[/p]

• [p]When exactly is the game releasing?
  → October 9, 2025[/p]
• [p]How much will it cost?
  → We’re releasing with a launch discount of 20% on a price of $9.99 (with regional pricing adjustments).[/p]
• [p]Will progress from the demo carry over?
  → No, they’re 2 different games — the full release features 8 new levels.[/p]
• [p]Can I still play the demo after release?
  → Yes sir or ma’am, we’re keeping the demo live to give people a taste of the torture of driving with granny, though we don’t have plans to continue updating it with new features from the full game.[/p]
• [p]Will there be more content at launch? → Oh yes! There’ll be 8 new levels, 3 new characters, tons of cosmetics, secrets, surprises, scares, skellingtons, and so much more. [/p]

[hr][/hr][p][/p][p]We can’t thank you enough for the support so far. Whether you’ve been streaming, posting clips, or just shouting at your friends from the passenger seat — it means the world to us.[/p][p]Stay tuned, buckle up, and slap that wishlist button if you haven't yet. The road to release starts now. 🏎️💥[/p][p]– The GhostJam Games Team[/p]

[p]We’re thrilled to announce that GhostJam Games has officially entered a development partnership with Foulball Hangover to help drive Backseat Drivers across the finish line.[/p][p][/p][p]Foulball Hangover, known for their unique and beloved indie titles (Hydroneer & Die Trying), shares our vision for creating games that are both endlessly fun and full of personality. Through this partnership via the Foulball Hangover Developer Fund, they’ve refueled GhostJam with a development loan that will allow our team to expand, polish, and optimize [/p][p]Backseat Drivers ahead of launch.[/p][p][/p][p]With Foulball Hangover in the car, GhostJam has additional support that allows us to:[/p]

• [p]Add more features that the community has been asking for[/p]
• [p]Refine core gameplay to make the experience smoother and more engaging[/p]
• [p]Expand testing to ensure the game launches in the best possible state[/p]

[p][/p][p]From day one, Backseat Drivers has been a passion project fueled by community feedback and our team’s love for chaotic, cooperative fun. Partnering with Foulball Hangover gives us the resources to not only finish strong, but to deliver something truly special.[/p][p]We can’t wait to share more updates in the coming weeks as we head toward release. In the meantime, wishlist Backseat Drivers on Steam and follow both GhostJam Games and Foulball Hangover to see what we’re cooking up together.[/p][p]🚗💨 Buckle up — things are about to get wild.[/p][p]– The GhostJam Games Team[/p][p]
[/p][p]FAQ:[/p][p]Does Foulball Hangover have any creative control?[/p][p]No. GhostJam Games retains all rights to Backseat Drivers and maintains full creative oversight — the final say on the game remains with us. Foulball Hangover, as an indie developer themselves, is an investor on Backseat Drivers, and have exactly the expertise to advise us on a successful launch.[/p][p]Is this a publisher deal?[/p][p]No. This is a development loan announcement. There’s no changes to any developer, publisher, or team structure as part of this loan.[/p][p]Have you been acquired?[/p][p]No. Our parent company is TUSKION which we spoke about here.[/p][p]When is Backseat Drivers coming out?[/p][p]Soon™! We’re looking forward to sharing more on full release in the coming weeks 👀[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Go checkout Foulball Hangover's games![/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p]

[p]
The winter tires are off, the AC is on max … and Gramma and Timmy are still trapped inside the car. They did find time to join the community Discord, though, so you should probably do that too. [/p][p]AND they found the time to give the car a summer tune-up! So here’s the notes for today’s stability and quality of life patch, dubbed the “Summer Tune-Up-date”.[/p][h3]
Car fixes and improvements[/h3]

• [p]Added your very own owners manual for the car. Take a look! It’s got a red cover. It may help explain whatever the heck is going on in there.[/p]
• [p]Replaced the “get out of the parking complex” map with an atlas item which might possibly maybe kinda help with that tricksy keypad puzzle … while also illuminating some of the game world’s rich, deep lore.[/p]
• [p]The gas + brakes’ Q/E swap system wasn’t working right. But now it is. Your brake pedal no longer continues acting as a brake when you attach it to the gas and vice versa. Because why would it? It doesn’t KNOW that it’s a brake. It doesn’t know anything. It’s just a stupid pedal.[/p]
• [p]AC is no longer hovering a lil bit away from the car’s interior, and windscreen wipers now actually touch the windscreen. It’s frustrating enough when they don’t wipe properly in real life so we thought we’d save you from having to relive that horror here.[/p]
• [p]Can no longer see weird clipping from the wheels or when ragdolled because we removed the passenger’s x-ray vision.[/p]
• [p]Headlights now illuminate the environment as expected. You are now free to enjoy our gorgeous artistic vision in full glorious brightness. [/p]

[h3]Level tweaks and fixes[/h3]

• [p]Removed a bunch of redundant meshes throughout the level. Nobody likesh to look at a big messh.[/p]
• [p]The pillars and the cable traps in the plank section all connect properly now. It was ruining everyone’s immersion that the structure was somehow floating so we’ve glued pieces together and it’s now 100% realistic.[/p]
• [p]Adjusted some art on a billboard. Just straight up painted over it like that Jesus fresco in Spain.[/p]
• [p]No more gaps in the ceiling above the exit, and the bottom surface on the spiral/berm turn part is now visible. All the structural engineers who have been writing to us about these can breathe easy.[/p]
• [p]Got rid of the gap in the pipe before the "Here at GhostJam…" billboard. Really had to get this one sealed up. Who knows what was leaking out of there?!?[/p]

[h3]Other performance and QoL improvements[/h3]

• [p]Added an extra category when launching the game: now has the options to launch in base DX11, DX12, or Potato Mode. We’re continuing to explore ways to make the game more accessible, so potato mode disables all that pointless fancy stuff to hopefully allow a better experience for people running the game on their fridge, their GameBoy, their in-car entertainment system (pls don’t do this), etc.[/p]
• [p]Compressed replicated variables. As you can see, this patch note comes from a programmer. After asking 4 times what it means, they simplified it to “netcode good now”.[/p]
• [p]Added a mouse sensitivity setting and a Vsync option. Every game should have these. What were we thinking.[/p]
• [p]Most recently-interacted objects no longer remain highlighted when swapping places. Because when you throw something away, you don’t want to think about it ever again.[/p]
• [p]Optimizations to AI cars. They were being a bit greedy with their calculations so, to teach them a lesson, we reduced their math allowance.[/p]
• [p]Gramma is less jittery when the client is playing as her. She’s picked up her prescription, finally.[/p]
• [p]The keys are now easier to select. Ever have that dream where you’re trying to grab something that’s right in front of you and it keeps slipping through your grasp? Yeah, we made this less like that.
  [/p]

[p]See you on the Discord, and we'll come pick you up when it's time for the next one.[/p][p]
[/p]

We're floored that so many people are continuing to enjoy our demo. We had a peak of 3,472 concurrent players over the weekend, which is sooo many more than we ever expected. We want to give our sincerest thanks again for playing, and for sharing your stories, videos, and feedback. Getting to watch you guys have fun together is what it’s all about. So please don’t stop! Continue to share your feedback on Steam and Discord, and Wishlist the full game here!

Enough mushy stuff, grandma. What’s in the update!?

Well. We’ve given the ol’ girl a tune-up! This is our first larger update for the demo, with a focus on stability and performance (or "Transmission & Suspension"), along with some quality-of-life improvements and about a zillion bugs killed. We think the demo is in a much better state now to facilitate ruining your friendships a fun and engaging experience.

Here’s the headlights highlights from the update:

• Increased the bandwidth limit. Your car and the things inside it will be able to keep up better with the abuse you're subjecting them to. The game will also more reliably understand when the client and host interact with objects, which will help avoid that item duplication weirdness that everyone hates.
  
• Stability improvements! Tons and tons of them. Many tweaks and fixes have made the game more stable, especially on older or lower-end hardware. The car itself is most definitely still classed as "lower-end hardware", though.
  
• Callouts (Forward/Right/Back/Left/Stop) are now represented as icons and arrows, so non-English drivers will understand what the passenger is rambling on about. AND passengers now see a visualization of what they're yelling when using callouts. No more trying to guess what "aktahtapos!!" means.
  
• Lost items no longer always respawn under the driver’s seat in the endless nether-realm. They’re more likely to pop back up somewhere on the floor in the car, so you won’t have to do as much accelerating-and-hard-braking to get stuff back, you lucky thing.
  
• Your mouse won't lose focus on the game when alt-tabbing in the pause/settings menu. Pay attention, mouse! 🐭
  
• Sticky notes will always face upward when removed and then stuck back onto a vertical object in the car (e.g. the seats). You don’t need to strain your neck any more. Unless your monitor is upside-down.
  
• Items thrown inside the car while moving now consider the car's velocity and inertia. Things won't fly off behind you if you try to hurl them at gam-gam to distract her as she determinedly accelerates towards a wall.
  
• More clues around and leading up to that bamboozling keypad puzzle. This one's been a real brain-teaser. Please let us know if it still hurts your head.
  
• Fixed gramma's cardigan. Her shirt shouldn't saucily peek out from beneath it now. Ooh matron!
  
• For clarity, resolution scale is now described as "Screen Percent" in settings. Me? My day's Screen Percent is at 100. Every day. 100%. They won't let me stop writing these patch notes. Seriously please send help I'm located in--
  
• You get an "Are you sure?" prompt when clicking "Restart level" or if you try to quit mid-game now, so that it's harder to toss away all the progress you worked so very hard for.
  
• Windows don't clip through their frames. And in the game!
  
• Lose audio when restarting the level? No you don't! Not any more, anyway. If you do, we'd like to … hear about it. (Little audio joke for you there.)
  
• Tapes in the passenger's mouth are now hidden when he's ragdolled. It'll still be there when he's back in his seat though. You're not getting out of it that easily, young man.
  
• There's a new accessibility setting, "Center Interact", which works on rotating items. You can now consume fewer motion sickness tablets before playing.
  
• The collision blindspot on the front-right footwell has been improved so you can see the crap you keep over there even better.
  
• People were getting flashbanged and had no idea why. No, your car wasn't too hot or too cold! You couldn't see out the windows because of your interior light. We've made the glare FX on the light and windows more obvious so you know what to switch off.
• Connected window rollers in the back won't be phasing through the front seats because they are no longer accidentally made of pure energy.
  

See you on the Discord, and we'll come pick you up when it's time for the next one.

Hello to all drivers, front seat and back!


First, we wanted to express our heartfelt thanks to everyone playing the Backseat Drivers demo. We've been AMAZED by the response so far. Over 30,000 demo players and tons of wishlists is way more attention than we expected on our little game, so THANK YOU for playing, streaming, and for all your videos and your feedback. We've found it incredibly motivating to see so many people having fun with the game, and it's made us all the more excited to navigate our roadmap to a finished product you and your friends will love. If you haven't already, be sure to join the GhostJam discord here to share your experience and suggestions!

We're hard at work on the full game and its levels, features and other content, but in the week since the demo's release we've been listening to your feedback and collecting bug reports to smooth things out for those of you who have had a bumpy ride so far. Here's the patchnotes for our first hotfix:

• This hotfix has a "hot" fix! Some passengers were having a little trouble extinguishing themselves after getting set on fire, so the car's cool AC setting is now more aggressive with extinguishing flames.
  
• We've tweaked the checkpoint after the end of the death-defying plank crossing section to be a little more forgiving — it's now closer to the end of the planks so that players who manage to JUST ABOUT cross the planks (but then accidentally reverse to their doom) don't have to cross all over again. So now if you make backwards progress it's just a skill issue.
  
• Fixed some syncing issues when a seat rolls back. Should be able to push gam-gam back to the steering wheel a little easier now.
  
• Any rolled back seats now reset when restarting at a checkpoint, as if by magic.
  
• Annnnnndd! Grandma's "help I'm stuck looking at the roof because my seat is tilted back ahhhh" rollback animation loop now ends properly when her seat is reset.
  
• Made it easier to invite an antisocial friend to a lobby when appearing as offline or invisible on Steam: there's now an "Offline" category.
  
• Added input/keys overview when accessing the Esc/Pause menu in gameplay, so you can figure out how your own hands and body work even if you've lost all your post-it notes.
  
• Smoother movement for items + physics objects! This is now independent from the host's frame rate/netupdate rate, so you won't see a slideshow of junk flying around when you smash into a wall if you're playing with somebody on a slower connection or machine.
  
• Tweaked the car's collision to help with grandma's "blind spot" (as if everything isn't a blind spot for her). We're still addressing more issues here, so please keep the feedback coming.
  
• We've also tweaked collision of items inside the car to slightly favor visibility over "realism" (lol), so you won't e.g. lose the parking ticket underneath the surface of the center console
  
• We did an evil ritual with some dark spirits and they responded favorably: there should be no more doubled up ghost barriers.
  
• Voice chat has been fixed. When using ingame voice chat, you should no longer hear yourself back, and the other player should now be able to hear you. I mean, come on, voice chat. You had one job.
  

Don't forget to join our Discord here to give your suggestions, feedback and bug reports, and wishlist the game on Steam here!

Thanks again, everybody! We'll come pick you up when it's time for the next one.