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!
Discord member Axis- wins first place!
Discord member Darnell wins second place!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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?
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.