Reasons My Winter Car Often Feels Like a Survival Game, Not a Simulator

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My Winter Car is all about buying and repairing a car, but it’s surprisingly challenging. It often feels more like a survival game than a simulator because your character requires a lot of attention and care. It’s actually quite common to spend more time taking care of yourself than fixing the car, which is a funny twist for a game focused on vehicle repair.

My Winter Car is a notoriously difficult game, even though it’s still in development. But that’s also what makes it so fun! It’s not every game where you can literally die from a full bladder, after all.

7. The Problem Meter

It’s a Problem on its Own

Okay, so there’s this thing in the game called the Problem Meter, but it’s actually tracking how much my character needs to drink! Seriously, if I don’t go buy and drink alcohol regularly, the meter goes up and I can actually die. It’s kinda funny (and scary) because the game tells you that you died of dehydration! The idea is simple – just go to the pub or PK and grab a drink – but it’s way harder to manage than it sounds. You really have to stay on top of it!

The ‘Problem Meter’ needs to be lowered with several bottles, which makes the screen distort and movement harder. Fortunately, you can quickly reset it by drinking one alcoholic drink at home, then immediately drinking water from the sink. This empties the meter fast and prevents your character from getting too drunk.

6. No Inventory

You Can Carry One Item at a Time

It’s really annoying and disruptive to deal with this, particularly when you’re beginning a new game. A smart first step is usually visiting the gas station to stock up on food and drinks, which will help you survive. You might also want to focus on repairing your vehicle by gathering the necessary parts.

It’s common to use grocery bags for smaller purchases, but larger items are a different story. This often means struggling to carry everything at once or making several trips from the checkout to your car. And the effort doesn’t end there – you still have to carry everything up to your apartment. It’s definitely annoying, and it can be even worse if you have trouble with your car and end up walking to and from the store multiple times.

5. Temperatures

You Have to Care About Heating

Because My Winter Car is set in snowy Finland, the cold weather is a major factor in the game. Your car might not start if it gets too cold, so it’s best to plug it in when you’re parked. You’ll also need to watch your Temperature Meter, as you can actually freeze to death in these conditions!

Using radiators to heat your apartment will increase your energy use, but being too cold makes it hard to sleep. It’s important to consider how long it takes to warm up your rooms and how that affects your energy costs. The game feels very authentic, perhaps a bit too realistic if you’re familiar with cold winters.

4. Prison Sentences

The Time is Based on Real Life Hours

If you commit a crime in the game, whether on purpose or by accident – like running over a pedestrian – you’ll probably have the police show up at your location. There’s no escaping arrest; they’ll block all your exits. You’ll need to accept your consequences and serve your full prison sentence, as there are currently no ways to escape early.

Each day of your sentence requires you to spend two full hours confined to your cell. Depending on the severity of your crime, you could face many days in prison. If the sentence is extremely long, it might be easier to start a new game, as a lengthy sentence can effectively prevent you from making progress.

3. Limited Job Options

You Have to Balance Money and Time

My Winter Car focuses on one primary task, but offers several side jobs you can do either alongside it or as alternatives. Each option has its own advantages and disadvantages, making it difficult to choose the best way to earn money – money you’ll need to survive and ultimately repair your car. Fortunately, you begin with some unemployment benefits, though they don’t provide a substantial income.

Your primary job will earn you the most money, though it takes up a lot of time. Other options include driving a taxi or delivering flyers. If you prefer smaller tasks, you could cut and sell firewood. While avoiding the main job means less income, it frees up more time to work on your car.

2. The Main Job

Designed so You’ll Never See the Sun

This job primarily involves packaging items as they come along a conveyor belt. It’s a shift-based position requiring consistent attendance – you’ll need to be there Monday through Friday for the entire workday. Frequent absences or lateness will result in termination, and you won’t be eligible for future employment.

On top of working long hours, the main job requires a long commute each day. It’s a frustrating and repetitive task, so it’s understandable that players often prefer other ways to earn money. Many choose taxi driving because it offers a reliable income without the downsides of the primary job.

1. Permadeath

If You Die, You Have to Start Over

My Winter Car doesn’t typically feature permadeath, and it’s not known for being a brutally hard survival game. The game doesn’t explicitly warn you about permadeath, which might lead you to think you can reload a previous save after dying. However, that’s not the case – once you die, that save is gone.

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It’s really annoying when this happens, especially after you’ve played well for a while. A simple mistake, like running out of time or being hit by a character while driving, can end your game. And when that happens, you have to start all the way from the beginning. The fact that it’s so easy to fail, combined with how much effort it takes to get ahead, is what makes permadeath so challenging.

If you enjoyed My Summer Car, you’ll likely have fun with My Winter Car. However, it’s a challenging game where survival is key. You’ll need to plan ahead and focus on staying alive if you want to successfully build a car.

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2026-02-09 16:40