Okay, some games just grab our attention instantly and make us obsessed. Keep Driving is another example, which launched in February 2025.

It’s only out on Steam and is by Gothenberg-based Swedish indie devs YCJY. It merges classic RPG turn-based combat with strategic resource management and… a road trip! It’s all very cool and we dig this one, man.

Take a Road Trip and Destroy Fellow Road Users in Keep Driving

This is why we love indie games, as we really can’t think of anything else quite like Keep Driving. Its a glorious mishmash of old-school management RPGs with a pelting 2000s indie soundtrack.

Players take control of a young male or female, names them, picks their car, character type, and then you hit the road. The goal? To reach a music festival.

As you drive alone (the game does most of that bit) you can take in the views, listen to some music (there are several CDs to switch between), muse on life, and contemplate your future.

It’s a love letter to anyone who was young around the 2000 mark.

However, mixing up the action are threat events. There’s emerge as road-based hazards that are the unique turn-based battle moments, including fending off:

• Potholes
• Slow road users
• Angry bikers
• Coppers

Oh and, yes, you can also pick up hitchhikers! Huzzah! They bring with them extra abilities, although the kid you pick up keeps needing to go for a leak (which is annoying). Another one is a bride fresh out of legging it from her wedding.

All of which may leave you wondering… what is the game here? Well, no denying it’s unconventional. But it’s hard to resist its easy charms and pixel art graphics. Behold!

As you can see, lots of atmospherics going on. It just has that road trip vibe, like you’re Harry and Lloyd in Dumb and Dumber nailing it across open stretches of land.

The combat sections take a bit of getting used to. It’s about aligning certain things from your glovebox with other things to defeat a road threat, then stopping off at gas stations and food stores to stock up on the things you need to defeat threats.

Impressively, there are lots of different paths to take. You use a map to head off into different directions, which means multiple playthroughs are required to see everything.

One session lasts about two hours, so with three vehicle types and many routes to take and you’ve got a lot on offer here.

Oh, and the soundtrack by various local Swedish indie bands populates the CD player you have. Our favourite is Westkust, very indie and from Gothenberg who’ve been playing since 2010 (they sing in English).

Whilst it is an RPG at heart, there are certainly driving simulator elements at play here, too. That’s what is so intriguing—there’s so much going on in a seemingly simple concept.

For example, if you drink a load of beers and go drinking driving the cops will notice and arrest you. All whilst there’s a convicted criminal hitchhiker sitting beside you.

Does it get anymore “them were the days” than that?

Not that hitchhiking has ever been a think in England (certainly not during our lifetime), but in the US (where Keep Driving appears to be set) it was a common thing. Was it? We don’t know, we’re basing that on all the movies we saw growing up.

Anyway, this is a glorious little indie game gem.

There’s so much to explore and keep returning to. It offers chillout vibes, procedurally generated pixel art for an ever-changing backdrop of landscapes, humour, and nostalgia. Floor it one, dammit, as this is what indie games are all about. 🚘