SnowRunner trailer explores the muddy sim's physics, maps and vehicles

I doubt I'll be going outside very much in the coming months, so the imminent arrival of SnowRunner, which will send us out into the wilderness to fight snow, mud and water with trucks, is very comforting. Judging by the overview trailer above, it seems like it could be the perfect panacea to stop me from bouncing off the walls.

It's quite a bit larger than its predecessor, MudRunner, with three regions split up into 11 open-world maps. As we saw in the last trailer, the regions are pretty distinct, and with the change in environments comes different objectives and challenges. Michigan, for instance, looks a bit less inhospitable than chilly Alaska, but it also looks quite a bit wetter.

Mud, water and snow, as well as the rocky terrain itself, will be your enemies, and they all behave differently. You'll have to worry about simulated currents when you cross rivers, and even the water content in the terrain you're attempting to drive over. Vehicle weight, tire spin and what upgrades you've slapped onto your truck all come into play.

Speaking of trucks, you'll have 40 vehicles to play with, and then tweak, upgrade and bedazzle. If you're planning on taking your truck for a swim, you might want to invest in a snorkel, while tire chains will make it easier to deal with snow. Since SnowRunner has 4-player co-op, you might be inspired to do some peacocking, giving your truck a new coat of paint or add some decals and new lights.

If you need some kind of reason to fight nature in a big truck, there are missions and contracts that you can undertake largely in any order, building bridges—which will also make it easier to reach new areas—making the new mega-sized deliveries and rescuing other vehicles with your miraculous winch.

SnowRunner is due out on April 28 via the Epic Games Store, and Saber Interactive is planning to release more vehicles, maps, activities and community modding tools after launch.

Fraser is the UK online editor and has actually met The Internet in person. With over a decade of experience, he's been around the block a few times, serving as a freelancer, news editor and prolific reviewer. Strategy games have been a 30-year-long obsession, from tiny RTSs to sprawling political sims, and he never turns down the chance to rave about Total War or Crusader Kings. He's also been known to set up shop in the latest MMO and likes to wind down with an endlessly deep, systemic RPG. These days, when he's not editing, he can usually be found writing features that are 1,000 words too long or talking about his dog.