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Banned game Carmageddon is on the streets again with Rogue Shift, coming in 2026

Hyper-violent vehicular combat franchise Carmageddon, the first edition of which was banned in Brazil and censored in the UK, is launching a new entry with less-human, more zombie adversaries

News by Grant DeArmitt, Staff Writer

Published on Thu Dec 04 2025

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Remember when "violence in video games" was the topic of every third news story? When Parent-Teacher Conferences the world over would get together to worry over the content they found in Grand Theft Auto, Mortal Kombat, and those Satanic Pokémon critters? (Worth a Google, trust me.) Earning a respectful spot on the list of those innocence-ruining bloodbaths was vehicular combat PC game Carmageddon, which racked up censorship in the UK and Germany and an outright ban in Brazil for its depictions of vehicular manslaughter. Well now, Carmageddon is back with an all new entry, Rogue Shift, details of which follow below.

But first, check out the very first trailer right here.

Carmageddon: Rogue Shift taps into the classic mayhem of the original game for an all-new roguelite experience, but brings along a bunch of new tricks to pimp this proverbial ride. Among them are 15 upgradeable vehicles, 13 weapons classes, intense boss battles, and a permanent progression system to work through the game's new plot, described in a statement released by development studio 34BigThings.

"In this new edition of the classic franchise," reads the statement, released December 4, "Carmageddon: Rogue Shift blends the signature metal-on-metal carnage of the classic series with modern roguelite depth and silky arcade handling. Whether you live for stylish drifts, tactical loadouts or pure destruction racing, every run dishes out new combos and highlight-reel moments. By day, the skyline smolders; by night, zombie hordes - the Wasted - flood every avenue and turn them into kill-zones. Your only way out is to win the Carmageddon: a chain of lethal underground races whose champion earns a shot at the last spaceport beyond the mountains."

OK, so maybe Carmageddon is a franchise with some miles on it, but that plot sounds straight off the show floor. Violence in the name of escaping a poverty class is essentially the core of megahits like Squid Game, or what should have been megahits like The Running Man (for real, HOW did that movie not blow up??). So as you're pulverizing the Wasted next year, remember you're also taking part in a piece of class commentary.

"We are bringing something fresh to the franchise and the racing genre" said the game's director, Giuseppe Enrico Franchi, "Carmageddon means explore, experiment, paint the streets red and crumple up opponents. We want our players to adapt, upgrade, and unleash destruction on zombie hordes with glee behind the wheel of a killing machine. Rogue Shift will hit with those who fondly remember the legendary series, and those who are discovering it for the first time - reignited, reinvented and more thrilling than ever."

Carmageddon: Rogue Shift is expected for Steam, EGS, Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, XBOX Series X|S, and GeForce NOW in early 2026. We'll let you know how Brazil feels about it.

The gaming industry has come a long way since Pong blew all our minds in the 70s. We've got everything you need to know about the next big thing in games. Of course, Grand Theft Auto VI is going to be the big game of 2026, but there are plenty of other games coming out between now and then. Here is our starter guide for every gamer:

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Grant DeArmitt: Grant DeArmitt (he/him) likes horror, comics, and the unholy union of the two. In the past, and despite their better judgment, he has written for Nightmare on Film Street and Newsarama. He lives in Brooklyn with his partner, Kingsley, and corgi, Legs.