Driving is Hard is a brand-new game from the developer Elegant Horse Studios which tasks the player in climbing as high as they can while driving in a car. Driving is Hard is inspired by games like Chained Together and A Difficult Game About Climbing, as it tasks the player with surpassing increasingly hard obstacles to reach a specific objective, but this time the game is accompanied by a story.
Driving Is Hard Lives Up to Its Name and Then Some
Just like the name suggests, driving is very hard in Driving is Hard. The controls are very simple and allow for ease of movement, but that in itself is the problem. Whether you are looking to put the pedal to the metal and ramp the car into the sky or take it slow and carefully to avoid falling off a small beam, it is very difficult to ensure that the car moves exactly how you want it to, which I suppose is part of both the problem and the design idea.
In the beginning, this isn’t too much of an issue, as the game allows you to practice the jumping, driving, and even gliding mechanics, which you will rely on heavily. However, once you begin to climb higher into the game, you will begin to feel the frustration as your jumping, driving, and gliding skills are put to the ultimate test.

Whether it be risking everything on a massive jump that the smallest miscalculation will mess up or by driving too fast and skidding off the edge, there are plenty of risks that the player will have to take, and each of them could ruin your entire run if you aren’t careful.
If you’ve played games like Chained Together and A Difficult Game About Climbing, you may feel prepared for Driving is Hard, and I am here to tell you that you should prepare yourself to be surprised.
Even though Driving is Hard isn’t too difficult, it does have its moments that can cause frustration to even the most well-versed player. This can commonly happen when the car begins to glitch out, as the only solid part of the car is the bath that the player is sitting in. The wheels and suspension can partially move through surfaces and can easily become distorted.
This tends to cause the car to react in an unpredictable way and, in some cases, not achieve the jump I was attempting as the wheels may make the jump, but if the main part of the car doesn’t have anything to collide with, you will sadly fall and your journey will sadly begin all over again.
Each Level Brings Its Own Challenge and Story
Just like Chained Together, Driving is Hard has plenty of levels that the player can explore through and secrets to uncover. However, unlike Chained Together, each location has a connection between the main character Jeff, and his past, which the player will uncover while they complete the numerous challenges set before them.

For a game called Driving is Hard, I was not expecting such an interesting backstory to the game’s main character, especially one with a satisfying conclusion, but Driving is Hard delivered an interesting story that also helped encourage me to push through the challenges to learn more.
Throughout the game, there are plenty of locations to visit, whether it be a forest, a treehouse, a city, or even an icy mountain, with each area providing new challenges for the player to overcome and even some secrets to uncover in the shape of soap bars, seemingly to fit in with the bath car Jeff has constructed.
Overall, my experience with Driving is Hard was very fun due to its challenges and secrets that continued to push me to my limits. Although there were moments when I wanted to destroy my keyboard due to tough sections in the game, it was fun to explore and overcome these obstacles in unique and inventive ways.
Driving is Hard

Driving is Hard is a challenging climbing game that requires you to drive, jump, and climb through multiple levels while experiencing a tough story and exploring unique and colorful locations that are full of secrets and challenges.
Summary
Driving is Hard is a fun experience that may not take too long to finish if you are already well-versed in climbing games like it. Still, thanks to the numerous locations and stories that the game provides, there is plenty to explore and uncover as you climb as high as you can.
HOURS PLAYED: 5
- Challenging puzzles that provide a feeling of success once solved.
- Beautiful scenery that makes you feel at peace.
- A powerful story that ends in a satisfying way.
- Controls are very sensitive, leading to a lot of silly mistakes.
- Many of the obstacles can be quite frustrating and can be annoying to repeat.
- Sometimes the car can glitch and mess up the jump, or simply driving can mess it up.
Driving is Hard releases on the 31st of January, 2025, and is available on PC.
For more Thumb Wars reviews, check out if Sniper Elite: Resistance hit the best shot, or how about our PS1-era remaster of Star Wars Episode I: Jedi Power Battles review? This and every Thumb Wars review is featured on OpenCritic.
I am a long-time writer who enjoys talking about numerous different game genres as well as playing them. My main focuses are games like Helldivers 2, Warframe, and so much more.