Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown’s solo mode requires an online connection

Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown Season 3 was showcased at the Nacon Connect presentation, where a new solo mode was revealed. This much-requested mode will allow players to race against AI opponents only, as well as pause and restart events.

It’s a welcome addition, as races can only be played online. Currently, race events force players to enter lobbies and wait for players to join before they start (an update later added an option to skip waiting for players). Even if no other players join and the slots are filled by AI opponents, an online connection is still required to enter race events.  

There is a catch, though: solo mode still requires an online connection. Although these events are single-player-focused, Nacon has confirmed to Traxion that Solar Crown will still connect online when launching solo races.

Rather than making the game playable offline, solo mode simply allows you to skip the multiplayer lobbies and pause and restart events. Solo mode is also only available for race events, so it’s not possible to cruise around Hong Kong Island or Ibiza Town offline. A separate online option will be available for multiplayer when starting campaign races.

There’s still no word if Nacon and KT Racing plan to add an offline mode, despite the demand from players. An online connection is required to play Solar Crown, meaning the game is inaccessible if the servers go down – as many players discovered during the tumultuous launch period.

In a developer diary last year addressing Solar Crown’s launch issues, KT Racing expressed a desire for solo races but emphasised the importance of the online MMO aspects.

“We are still in an MMO, and we want to maintain that MMO dimension in free roam and in the hubs,” said Game Director Guillaume Guinet. “This means fostering player interactions and continuing to encourage that.”

This suggests there are no plans to make Solar Crown completely playable offline in the short term. However, last year KT Racing told Traxion the studio is working on a solution in response to concerns about Solar Crown’s long-term future after The Crew’s servers were shut down, rendering the game unplayable.

“We don’t expect to shut down the service for now. But we are already working on it,” said Guinet. “We have our solution for now, but maybe people will have an idea about it and we will look at these. I think it’s something [we can] create with the community.”

Solo mode will be added to Solar Crown as part of the upcoming Season 3 update. Set to launch on 19^th March, the new season update sees the long-awaited return of car delivery missions. It also introduces a new navigation mode plus three new cars to drive and collect, including the Aston Martin Valour, DeLorean DMC-12 and Ferrari LaFerrari Aperta. Meanwhile, the Solar Pass level cap will increase from 25 to 50.

Are you disappointed that Solar Crown’s solo mode still requires an online connection? Let us know in the comments below.