If you’ve sworn off genAI Crazy Taxi and dislike all the twerking in GTA 6, consider Shifu: Traffic Masters, a jolly open world driving game set in 1990s China
Shifu: Traffic Masters is an upcoming open-world driving game set in northern China during the 1990s, drawing inspiration from Driver and Midtown Madness. Its Steam demo offers a mix of driving jobs and free exploration, giving players a less conventional alternative to newer car games.
Players can haul cargo, pursue criminals, drive taxis and buses, or take part in arcade street races in a city shared with other drivers, pedestrians and cyclists. Weather affects vehicle handling, and the game features low-poly cars inspired by 1980s and 1990s models. Made by solo developer Boxy.Poly, it supports Chinese and English, but has no release date; the article notes that its Steam page makes no mention of generative AI.
- Shifu: Traffic Masters is set in 1990s northern China.
- Its demo features varied driving jobs and open-world exploration.
- Solo developer Boxy.Poly has not announced a release date.
New here? Start with this
Open-world driving games let players travel around a large, freely explorable setting, taking on activities beyond a fixed sequence of races. Driver and Midtown Madness are earlier examples of the genre, which mixes driving with city exploration and varied jobs.
Shifu: Traffic Masters is being made by Boxy.Poly, a solo developer, and is set in northern China in the 1990s. Its activities include taxi and bus driving, cargo deliveries, street races and pursuing criminals, with pedestrians, cyclists and other drivers sharing the roads.
The setting and older-style cars draw on a period when Chinese cities and vehicles looked different from today. The game’s Steam page lists Chinese and English support, but no release date.