If you happen to spot someone steering like crazy while sitting inside a parked Tesla, just take a moment to see if they’re playing Beach Buggy Racing 2 before questioning their sanity.
Launched this week as part of the new Tesla Arcade games hub, the Mario Kart-like game from developer Vector Unit lets you use the Tesla’s steering wheel to race along the track as the game plays out on the vehicle’s built-in center screen.
Take note though, Beach Buggy Racing 2 can only be played while the Tesla is in park, a sensible limitation designed to prevent confusion and distraction among video-game-loving drivers as they tool along the highway at maximum speed.
Beach Buggy Racing 2 joins a raft of classic Atari titles — namely Asteroid, Centipede, Lunar Lander, Missile Command, 2048, and Breakout — that began to arrive with the launch of Tesla’s V9.0 software update last year.
The collection also included Pole Position, but that title was recently dropped because the company was unable to resolve all of the rights issues, according to Tesla boss Elon Musk. At the time, Musk promised another racing game was on its way, with the arrival of Beach Buggy Racing 2 fulfilling that pledge.
Another game expected to launch in the next few months for the Model S, Model X, and Model 3 is Cuphead, a cartoony run-and-gun action game from Studio MDHR that first launched for the Xbox One and Windows in 2017.
Musk recently described Cuphead as “a cool game” but added, “It’s insanely difficult … it’s sadistically difficult. It’s a twisted plot. It’s dark. It looks like some cute little Disney thing and you’re like, ‘This plot is very dark.’”
The arrival of Tesla Arcade with this week’s over-the-air update now brings all of the games together in a hub accessible via the main menu.
As part of efforts to promote the new hub, the company is transforming its showrooms into arcades through June 30, encouraging Tesla owners to bring their families and friends along for some gaming fun.
Although the games can be played at any time when the Tesla is in park, the main idea is that they offer easy entertainment while you’re stopped at a charging station waiting for your battery to power up. But just be prepared for some weird looks from passersby when you’re playing Beach Buggy Racing 2.
