The Undercut Demo Hits Steam Next Fest — and Closed Beta Begins

After months of head-down development, two big things are happening at once: a public demo at Steam Next Fest (June 15–22), and the start of our closed beta on Alpha 0.2. Career mode is finally playable from end to end — and there’s a long, exciting road still ahead.

A Demo at Steam Next Fest — June 15–22

From June 15 to June 22, you’ll be able to download and play The Undercut for free as part of Steam Next Fest. This is the first time the game is going out to the world, and we couldn’t be more excited (or nervous) about it.

The demo is a focused slice of what The Undercut is becoming — not the whole game, but enough to feel its shape. Two things are in:

A trimmed pre-season phase of career mode, lighter than the final version but enough to make real management decisions: hiring, contracts, early development calls, and the strategic build-up to a season.
A complete race weekend running on the stable alpha build of the race engine: practice, qualifying, race day, strategy, pit stops, the works.

If you’ve been following the devlogs about procedural circuits, random driver generation, or the tire model and rubber line — this is where it all comes together for the first time.

Wishlist on Steam to make sure you don’t miss the demo drop.

Closed Beta — Alpha 0.2 Is Live

In parallel with the demo, we’re opening the closed beta on Alpha 0.2.

This is a milestone we’ve been working toward for a long time: career mode is finally playable. Not “playable in a tech-demo sense” — actually playable. You can start a career, manage a team across a full season, and feel the long-term arc of the game taking shape.

There’s still a lot left to build — the rest of this post is the roadmap to early access — but the foundation is in. If you want to get involved in the closed beta, join us on Discord — that’s where invites, builds, and direct feedback channels live.

The Road Ahead — Roadmap

Here’s where things go from here. Each alpha release tackles one large system at a time. The order isn’t arbitrary: each block unlocks the next.

Alpha 0.3 — Car Model Update (landing in the demo)

The car becomes a real character.

Visual update of the car model in career mode
New car stats: Driveability, Complexity, Security
A Car Trait system
Full overhaul of car development logic

The point of this update is to push car management beyond raw performance. Decisions should weigh balance, reliability, and how well a car suits a given driver’s style — not just “which slider goes up.” A complex car might be faster but harder to develop and more punishing to less adaptable drivers; a high-driveability car might lose tenths but unlock consistent results.

Alpha 0.4 — Sponsors, Suppliers, and Drivers Get Real

This update is the negotiation overhaul, paired with major progression on the driver side.

Complete overhaul of the sponsors and suppliers negotiation system
Visual update of the in-game 2D race simulation
New scouting infrastructure and scouting system
New non-playable development series (the talent pipeline)
A Driver Trait system that adds depth to management and simulation
Driver contracts and season objectives overhauled

Together, this turns the off-track game from a stat-shopping exercise into something that actually feels like running a racing operation: scouting young talent in feeder series, negotiating with personalities — not numbers — and managing relationships with the partners who fund you.

Alpha 0.5 — The Living World Update

The world starts reacting to you.

A media system
Track traits with media rating and TV audience modeling
A news app / in-game news feature
The world reacts to the state of every simulated racing series

This is the update that takes The Undercut from “a simulator with menus” to “a sport you live inside.” Storylines emerge from the simulation. Tracks have personalities. The press has opinions.

Alpha 0.6 — Early Access Launch

This is the version that ships.

Mod support at launch

After Early Access drops, development doesn’t stop — it broadens.

Post Early Access

Continuous balancing across all systems
Dynamic weather and a full rain system
New career scenarios and additional playable racing series
And more to be announced

Why This Matters

A racing manager isn’t a game you build in six months. The systems have to interlock — drivers, cars, money, media, weather, the world — and each one has to feel honest before the others can lean on it. We’ve spent the past year making sure the foundation is solid. Alpha 0.2 is the first time it all stands up at once.

If you’ve been reading along, thank you — devlog readers, Discord regulars, wishlisters. Steam Next Fest is going to be a big test, and we want as many of you as possible behind the wheel.

Wishlist The Undercut on Steam · Join the Discord

See you on the grid in June.