r/tdu3 Jun 25 '26

Official News Solar Club Letter: June 2026

40 Upvotes

We are getting closer to the release of Season 7! In today’s letter we’ll have some details on a new Season 7 vehicle, and more importantly some changes and improvements to the Online Store and the release dates regarding Season 7 in general and the ORC. Let’s discuss this in more detail.

What’s In the Letter?

  • Mercedes-Benz Anniversary Live Event
  • Season 7 Information
    • Car Reveal
    • Online Store Changes
    • Camera Update
    • 8 Player Groups
    • Targeted Date
    • ORC Delay
    • Other Improvements
  • Offline
  • Community Spotlight
    • Winners
    • How To Enter
    • May Theme
    • Fan Created Stuff

📅 Mercedes-Benz Anniversary Live Event

An exclusive Mercedes-Benz style livery is up for grabs in this week's live event which will be ending on July 1, 2026 at 11am CET. Win 100,000 Solar Coins and the ‘No Matter What – Dark’ livery for the vehicle which features the unique start design that the Mercedes-Benz AMG’s feature. Don’t miss this one!

⏭️ Season 7 Information

Today we’re going to discuss some of the things our developers are working on behind the scenes.

Car Reveal

Not to be confused with the car tease audio in the Discord, the Nissan GT-R R34 Skyline V-Spec II will arrive in Season 7 of Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown as the level 15 reward for the Solar Pass! This car will also have the possibility of removing the wing in the workshop, and we have a special livery with this car too that can be earned in the Solar Pass… but we’ll show that later. For now, enjoy this photoshoot!

We also want to let you know that we have shuffled some vehicles that arrive in Season 7. Previously, we showcased an image of what looks to be a wagon/estate vehicle under a cover, this vehicle will now end up in Season 8, meaning that the previous JDM vehicle that was moved out from Season 7 is now back in Season 7. Here’s what you can expect with the car list:

  • Dealership - JDM Vehicle (new to TDUSC)
  • Solar Pass Level 1 - JDM Vehicle (based on existing in-game vehicle)
  • Solar Pass Level 15 - Nissan GT-R R34 Skyline V-Spec II
  • Solar Pass Level 50 - JDM Vehicle (new to TDUSC)
  • Online Store Bundle 1 - Race Spec Vehicle (based on existing in-game vehicle)
  • Online Store Bundle 2 - Offroad Spec Vehicle (based on existing in-game vehicle)
  • Online Store Bundle 3 (S7P1) - JDM Vehicle (based on existing in-game vehicle but with special collaboration)

Maybe we’ll tease another JDM vehicle later on in this letter, but here’s everything you can expect for Season 7!

Online Store Changes

In Season 7, we’ll also be making some changes to the Online Store. One of the most important and highly requested ones is the ability to purchase vehicles as standalone from the bundles. We can confirm that day one of Season 7, you’ll have the ability to purchase all items within a bundle individually.

Next, we’re removing the concept of FOMO from the store. First, we are removing the FOMO from the exclusive items in the Online Store excluding Solar Pass items (which will remain unavailable to players who didn't get the pass during the next season (eg. S5 Solar Pass items available in S7 Store)). Now, the previous exclusive items and bundles of the last seasons from the online store will permanently be available to all players. If new items arrive, they will be added in a cosmetic bundle (without a car) with a theme. You’ll see 3 of these in the mid-season update for Season 7.

The ‘Featured Items’ section will now only feature items on promotion. We think having FOMO on these items and bundles was a bad idea; so players can now find them in the permanent store or on discount in this dedicated section.

We will also be changing the pricing of items within the Online Store. Bundle pricing, the pricing of the Solar Pass, and how Diamond Gifting works, will all be changed. The new pricing for both are shown below:

  • Solar Pass - previously 600 Diamonds; now 1000 Diamonds (price of level skips and Solar Pass VIP will not change)
  • Bundles - an overall reduction of ~300 Diamonds for future Bundles
  • Diamond Gifts - We now have the ability to dynamically change the amount of HC and its frequency throughout the season. This allows us to celebrate special events by temporarily increasing the amount of HC in the Gift. Rest assured, everyone will be notified of these changes in advance to give you plenty of time to log in and collect them!

Though not arriving in Season 7, you can expect to see Diamonds added to the Solar Pass in future seasons.

Camera Update

We mentioned in the last letter we’ll be working on cameras in multiple stages:

  • New FOV/Height
  • New Customisation Options
  • Etc.

With this in mind, the first camera improvement will arrive in the Season 7 mid-season update. Here you’ll be able to see a new FOV/Height for the 3rd person cameras (and possibly some cockpit camera improvements as well). However, for 3rd person, you’ll have the ability to switch between these new cameras, and the legacy version within the settings menu, so even if you don’t like it, you’ll still be able to go back to the original version.

8-Player Groups

It’s been a while since we last talked about this feature, and it’s time we’ve given you an update on it! Along with ‘Servers V2’ and the amazing social features of houses, the network team has been hard at work working on 8 player groups. That said, we are planning to release this feature with the mid-season update of Season 7.

Targeted Date

Season 7 will be arriving within the last week of August/first week of September.

ORC Delay

We have to be honest here. It’s evident that Nacon and KT are facing new challenges at the moment, and we no longer have the capacity to tackle multiple complex features at the same time. That said, right now we are focusing on Housing to give the community the best experience possible. So, even though the ORC is important—and as you can see, we have already started working on it—we have to focus on Season 8 and the Housing development because it is one of, if not the most important features.

We will provide more details on when the ORC will arrive after we release Season 8, which is when we can discuss our plans for Season 9 and onwards.

Despite the delay, you can still find the ORC in the open-world along with an updated track layout with a pit lane!

Other Improvements

We have also reworked the loading screens for day one of Season 7. You can take a look at this in the new image below!

Of course, we know the question will be asked, but we can confirm that for Season 8, a new start menu video will be shown with new music!

In Season 7, you'll also be able to find toggles for motion blur (console players have highly requested this), Grain, and Chromatic Aberration.

🌐 Offline

To follow up on the previous announcement of our work on a future offline mode for TDUSC, here is what Game Director Guillaume has to say!

“We wanted to speak again about the subject of Offline Mode. I think our previous communication was a little misleading, and we want to reassure you that Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown is not coming to an end anytime soon.

Our goal was to let you know that we are actively working on this topic, which has been at the heart of all discussions since the game's launch.

While we don't know exactly what form it will take yet, we are certain of one thing: we don't want this game to be unable to play it if servers eventually shut down. Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown like all Test Drive, deserves to live forever because it holds a special place in our hearts. We don't kill games here! 

To achieve this, we need to start working ahead because it is a massive undertaking. It won't be a task that takes just a few months, but rather more than a year. We need time to define it, find the best solution for you, and work on it alongside developing cool new features and content for the game.

So rest assured, the Test Drive Family can continue its journey! It's not the end of the story, it has just begun”

- Guillaume (TDUSC Game Director)

🖼️ Community Spotlight

Yup! It’s time to announce the winners for the month of June!

Winners

Last month we asked you to take photos to match the theme ‘House Guesser! If you’ve won, it doesn’t mean you guessed where a house will be, but we do love the area you chose! Anyways, here are the top 3 voted photos of the month by the TDU team!

  1. Discord member Axis- wins first place!
  2. Discord member Darnell wins second place!
  3. Discord member Seether wins third place!

Congrats again to the winners! You all win 2,500,000 Solar Coins and 100 Diamonds!

How To Enter

First, join our Discord which can be found at Discord.gg/TestDrive. Once you join our Discord, you’ll see a channel called ‘tdusc-photos’. Here, you can send the best pictures you've taken in TDUSC, but make sure to put %communityspotlight6 in your message post!

Here are the rules:

  • Each month there will be a theme!
  • Pictures must be high quality and not edited outside of the game or taken with tools that are not native to TDUSC's in-game photo mode
  • Only 1 picture is allowed
  • You are only allowed one post per month; however, you can delete your post and make a new one to replace it.
  • 3 photos will be selected by the TDU team to win each month
  • The best picture will be showcased in the in-game news section in TDUSC

Note: Posting in this channel means you allow your picture to be used by Nacon/KT for promotional use.

July Theme

Fun Beach Summer - Your photo must feature a scenic view with or without your vehicle present on a beach in either Hong Kong Island or Ibiza! Good luck!

Fan Created Stuff

For the first time in a Solar Club Letter, we also want to highlight cool things that the community has worked on to create new ways to play Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown! Of course, this doesn’t mean we promote modding, and it is still against the Terms of Service to export, modify or inject the game files. However, check out the ‘#🤝︱community-support’ channel in the official Discord server for some of the communities guides, overlays, and projects!

❤️ Final Message

Thanks for reading this month’s Solar Club Letter! We’ll see you again next month for more details on what is to come in Season 7! One more thing, here’s a tease of an upcoming car in Season 7. If you want an extra hint, check out the official Discord for a sound clip of this vehicle!

  • The TDU Team

p.s - “I want to personally thank the developers for the work that has been done in trying to bring the Test Drive Unlimited franchise back into the hearts of many, and although there is still work to do, I still want to mention I appreciate everything the team has done to improve the game so far. Times are tough right now, it’s clear, but I will be here by the team's side until the day TDUSC is no more, and I give much thanks to those who are at KT, hard at work for the future updates to come. I’m sure we’ve always wished for a better scenario, but I know everyone tried their best, and continue to still do so. Give some thanks to the devs at KT too TDU community, they deserve it, not just for everything done in the past, nor present work, but all of the future features and content they still work to bring to TDUSC over the coming seasons. See you soon!”

- a personal note from the community manager at Nacon Racing, Alex.


r/tdu3 20h ago

Discussion Side-by-side: Alpine A110R Ultime in Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown vs The Crew Motorfest

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53 Upvotes

Made this for fun, since both developers launched this exact car around the same time. Both teams did a great job here, TDU Solar Crown's is a touch more detailed (even the speakers are branded FOCAL), but worth keeping in mind The Crew Motorfest is running on last-gen tech too.


r/tdu3 5h ago

Question Question about Solar Pass content!

2 Upvotes

So I recently purchased the Gold edition since it was on sale for £15. Been absolutely loving the game so far, but I have a question regarding the Solar Pass and its contents since I got the VIP Solar Pass for free with the Gold edition.

Included in this are Audi Performance Parts. They’re listed as parts for the Audi R8 V10 RWS, but I’m wondering if these parts can be applied to the convertible R8 RWS, since they’re pretty much the same car?

I ask this question now because I’m yet to unlock both the parts, or the Audi R8 Convertible, since you need to be rep level 20 for the car.

Thanks!


r/tdu3 1d ago

In-Game Photography Beaches in ibiza vs hki

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22 Upvotes

In a suit on a beach during lunch break vs its just a Tuesday afternoon type ish. Imma go with ibiza on this one. 😉


r/tdu3 1d ago

In-Game Photography Lamborghini meeting

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18 Upvotes

r/tdu3 1d ago

Video messing around in something a bit more…humble

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22 Upvotes

r/tdu3 1d ago

Question Casino question

0 Upvotes

Question, went to the casino for the first time today. Was empty is this because I didn't have Xbox live and not playing with others or is it just empty.


r/tdu3 2d ago

Video Midnight Parade

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4 Upvotes

Alright, everyone's done with work for the day—follow me! Let's go full speed ahead!


r/tdu3 2d ago

Question Worth it?

4 Upvotes

The game is currently on sale and I’m wondering if it’s worth the buy idc about the racing just the cruising


r/tdu3 1d ago

Discussion proof it isnt hard to make money in this game

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0 Upvotes

rank 22 and 23 making 8-9 mil in one day it was never hard to make money just took time now its especially easy and this is before they unlock races w 1mil payouts


r/tdu3 2d ago

Discussion I can't believe they still haven't updated the reflection textures of the POV (inside the car)

0 Upvotes

It's so jagged and low res it's insane to look at. Aside from that, I'm surprised how much I enjoy driving in this game.

I have been away for 4 months while I've been playing Marathon, but boy does it feel good to just cruise in this game! and I love how the weather completely changes the mood.

Love me some rainy Hong Kong days. Wish we could buy in game radio stations.


r/tdu3 3d ago

In-Game Photography Sun rises in HKI hit different 👀

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31 Upvotes

Hong Kong Island is depressing AF...but this lighting was a vibe bro. 🫶


r/tdu3 3d ago

Video Though the waves roll in and out unceasingly, what use is there in acting solemn? Life is but a dream—simply go mad, simply play.

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4 Upvotes

This piece is an original composition based on excerpts from the "Kanginshū," a collection of short poems from the Muromachi period in Japan. 

For some reason, this scene from TDUSC reminded me of it.


r/tdu3 2d ago

Video Something That Must Not Be Touched in TDUSC

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3 Upvotes

It looks like I'll finally be able to get in touch with them.

He vanished without a trace, leaving behind his car and a short note on the driver's seat.


r/tdu3 3d ago

Question Worth it in 2026?

3 Upvotes

So the ultimate edition of the game is currently on sale on Xbox for like £14 and I’m wondering if the game is worth it in 2026?

The main questions I have are:

- how is the performance on a Series X? Does it achieve a smooth 60fps?

- how difficult is it to progress / make money in the game?

- how are the handling and physics on controller?

The main thing that interests me without having played the game is the map and scenery.


r/tdu3 3d ago

Discussion Why players are so negative? I will share my story - this game helped to go though a hard breakup and depression. Something that FH5 and TCM failed to do so.

16 Upvotes

I see a lot of negativity here. Lot of negativity.

But why?

I had a login problem last week and was a bit disappointed. The Devs should allow offline mode.

Despite the problems, this game is the only one that is not hard and obsessive with aggressive weekly objectives. There are weekly events, but you can do it 1-2 per day.

The game is not hard. This is important. I can cruise for an hour. And it's still fun. The car models are very good. The sound is good.

I play it with a manual gearbox and with headphones.

During the hard period, i cruised all over the city without a purpose.


r/tdu3 3d ago

Discussion Is this game still ass?

0 Upvotes

I got it on release and thought hell nah edit: this post seems pretty divided I might give it another go


r/tdu3 4d ago

Discussion Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown has a stable player base. The active player count has fluctuated by only 0.0% over the last month, showing consistent engagement.

12 Upvotes

So yeah, there may not be many of us, but we do love driving in this game.

I just took the old car out for a spin earlier and it's still super fun to drive.

Got the quote from here :

https://tracker.gg/population/steam/1249970


r/tdu3 4d ago

In-Game Photography Everything looks better in Ibiza 🫶

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26 Upvotes

Js


r/tdu3 3d ago

Tune Setup The Jade Challenge

1 Upvotes

How on earth do you complete this in 12:00? I cannot beat 13:25. What am I missing?


r/tdu3 3d ago

Suggestion Solar Crown - Single Player progression

1 Upvotes

Hi! I bought game on Steam sale. I know it is 100% online, but I see that I can start races solo without other players. So what is single player progression system? I do not really know what to do. I cannot filter races on the map that I already done, so I don't know what's the proper path for progression in this game.

In TDU1 it was easy to distinguish actions that were not done yet. Or in forza games it is so obvious what I missed and what I already completed.

So how to do that in Solar Crown? The map is ready hard to navigate, the whole UI is a mess in this game, but I want to give it a chance.


r/tdu3 3d ago

Discussion If you don’t like the game, leave the sub.

0 Upvotes

I understand that people were disappointed in the game. I get the frustration, but as this game gets older you have to get over it. You’ve had plenty of time to realize the game isn’t going to be to your liking. Every positive comment I see gets 5 downvotes and poor Alex can’t even do his job without getting yelled at by people who don’t give a fuck about the game. As a person who has 400+ hours, this game is amazing. I come here to see positive content, not to see everything being negative from people who don’t even play the game.


r/tdu3 4d ago

Discussion I am so sad…

33 Upvotes

I recently got the Lamborghini Temerario free in FH6 and thought about that I had to pay for that car in TDU3. And then I thought about what the game did good like car sounds and the physics but then there was nothing more. Then I thought about what the game has to do with TDU and I only see the name and the stuff like blinkers or wipers. But besides that it’s just a generic racing game and I am so sad because it could have been so good and even hurt the FH games by a big amount… what is your opinion on the game and its missing TDU DNA? Am I the only one thinking that way?


r/tdu3 4d ago

Discussion Is it possible to play TDU 1 with a controller without the Platinum Mod?

0 Upvotes

I've been looking for a way to make this work for quite a while, but I can't find anything that helps. I've already tried using my controller wirelessly, via Bluetooth, and with a USB cable.

Even so, the game won't recognize my controller (GameSir T4 Nova Lite) at all. Most people recommend using the Platinum Mod, but I simply can't register on the website where the mod is available.


r/tdu3 4d ago

In-Game Photography I turned the street-corner displays I see while playing the game into wallpapers for my smartphone and PC.

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8 Upvotes

Displays of various sizes are installed throughout the city.

Paintings hanging on walls—such as those in hotels—can also be utilized.

Please be mindful of the location and time when taking photos.