Solar Club Letter: June 2025
Hello TDU community and welcome back to another Solar Club Letter! Last month we teased what you will be seeing in the Season 4 update. You learned about our improved vehicle distribution where we have added a vehicle to the Solar Pass system, improved ranked vehicle distribution so you can now buy what was previously a ranked reward vehicle day one at the start of the season, future economic improvements, the Casino redesign to look more ‘TDU’, and more!
If you want to catch up on last month's letter, CLICK HERE, but now let’s go into the details of this month's letter!
WHAT’S INSIDE THE LETTER?What’s Next?Offline Mode TopicSeason 4 Further DetailsFeedback TopicsDeveloper DiaryCommunity Spotlight
⏭️ What’s Next?Season 4 for TDUSC will be launching in the 2nd half of July. This will feature the Casino, new cars, new quality of life improvements, and more. Before the launch of the season, you will see our biggest asset created for TDUSC so far. What is it? Well, last week, we were at Kylotonn’s Paris office to record the upcoming Season 4 and Year 2 Developer Diary. Of course as the name suggests, this will go in detail on what you can expect to see in Season 4, Season 5, Season 6, Season 7, and Season 8 of TDUSC. We will cover more of this in detail later on in the letter.
If you haven’t seen it already, we have created a new page called Nacon Racing. This is where you’ll be able to find future livestreams, gameplay, trailers, and more related to TDUSC. Be sure to follow the socials here for more details:XInstagramYouTubeTwitchLike we did last Season, you’ll be seeing the Patch Notes for the game go live before the update, and of course a Launch Article to celebrate the release of the Season. This will be our first ‘Solar Club Letter: Season Launch’ article too, and although of course the topic will be what is coming in the mentioned Season, Season 4 will recap the Dev Diary and Y2 as well. As we mentioned above, stay tuned on our socials for more details as we get closer to Dev Diary and the launch of Season 4!
🌐 Offline Mode TopicAs we said before, a big part of improving Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown is making sure we take the community’s feedback. Offline has been a topic we have seen mentioned often, and it’s something we briefly discuss in the Dev Diary too, but we want to let you know what our plans are for the game’s offline ability sooner, than later, so let’s discuss this now.Currently, TDUSC is an online focused live service game, and a lot of the games features are associated with the games networking. That said, to disassociate the games features from the networking system to bring a fully offline experience requires an extensive amount of development, which would take away from the other improvements and features of TDUSC. This isn’t us saying offline isn’t important, but it's us saying that we need to work on improving the game and its TDU DNA so that when offline is something we can bring to the table, the game has an incredible offline experience to offer. We already started this by bringing solo mode to races, Navigation Races, Delivery Contracts, Casino Slot machines, and so much more, some which you will learn about in the Year 2 Dev Diary! We, of course, are even thinking on ways to improve the solo gameplay experience beyond Year 2 too!Another reason why players mention offline is because we encountered many server problems from launch. This is something we are going to continue to improve over the next Seasons to make sure things like group play in races, freeroam, and other areas of the game work more efficiently. We also want to remind you in Year 2, we have an exciting way to improve the matchmaking for regular, and ranked races in TDUSC. You’ll again learn about this in the Season 4 and Year 2 Dev Diary.To reiterate, we will continue to improve the networking functionality on the game and we are looking into the possibility to make sure when the game's life does come to an end, it will be fully playable when the time comes and when it does, we will be able to detail this more, but for now, let’s continue to improve TDUSC and bring the glory back to the TDU name!We really want players to enjoy the improvements we have made to TDUSC over the next Seasons and future, and the TDU legacy for the years to come. This is why we call it our passion project.🎰 Season 4 Further DetailsAlthough we teased what you can expect in Season 4 last month, there is still much to tell! We won’t spoil everything, that’s what the Dev Diary is for, but let’s go a little bit more in-depth.First let’s discuss the Casino. As we said in the last letter, the Casino features no augmented reality as we move forward to bring a more TDU immersive feel with our interior designs; and we’re excited for the community to see more of this in the Dev Diary!. As for the content, at launch, the Casino will have slot machines day one, and then another casino gameplay feature and more slot machine styles at the mid-season update. The mid-season update will of course also include further bug fixes and quality of life improvements too.Don’t forget you’ll be able to find a dedicated clothing store and car part store in the Casino, but the Casino isn’t the only thing you’ll see at the launch of Season 4. We will be increasing the reputation level from Level 60, to Level 70 too! Further, you will be seeing UI improvements, new vehicles, new race restrictions, quality of life improvements and more! We will also reintroduce SARD into TDUSC, and we will detail this a bit more in the Dev Diary.We want to inform you that unfortunately due to restrictions on ratings and gambling, the Casino will not be available in all countries where TDUSC is playable. We will cover this in a dedicated letter next month for the launch of Season 4. For a similar reason, the ability to cashback money at the Casino will not be possible at the launch of Season 4 either. We apologise for this but rest assured, you WILL be able to cashback your Casino winnings at a later update, and we will communicate this to you once implemented.
Now let’s talk about the Solar Pass. We’ve completely redesigned the Solar Pass to make it more rewarding, more accessible, and more exciting to complete. Previously, when you purchased the Solar Pass, you’d get the level 50 vehicle right away. While that was intentional, it didn’t create the best sense of progression or value throughout the season. So, starting Season 4, we’ve realigned the pass to be better for everyone, with three vehicles to unlock, and a more balanced structure between the free and paid tracks.
Here’s what’s new: At Level 50, all players can unlock the signature vehicle of the season. If you own the Solar Pass, you’ll get even more: At Level 1, instantly unlock an exclusive vehicle the moment you buy the Solar Pass.At Level 15, you can grab another vehicle. (This vehicle can also be obtained instantly with the VIP Solar Pass)And at Level 50, join everyone in unlocking the signature vehicle of the SeasonBut that’s not all—we’ve also improved the progression system based on your feedback. In Season 3, completing the Solar Pass could feel a bit too long and repetitive. So, for Season 4, we’ve made it more than 30% faster to complete, making your progression smoother and more rewarding. We are increasing the XP income from daily challenges too!
Since Season 4 introduces the first paid Solar Pass in TDUSC, we also want to inform you it will be available through our brand-new currency called Diamonds. Diamonds can be purchased in-game through various packs, and CANNOT (AND NEVER) be used to buy Solar Coins, ensuring fair progression and healthy game balance.The Solar Pass costs 600 Diamonds, and as a special welcome offer for Season 4, our Starter Pack gives you 500 + 100 bonus Diamonds for just €4.99 / $4.99, which is just enough to unlock the pass.This bonus offer is only available during the Season 4 period. You can also speed up your progression or complete your Solar Pass at the end of the season by purchasing individual Solar Pass tiers whenever you like!If you bought the Silver or Gold Edition, you’ll be able to redeem your included bonus: Silver Edition: Claim a free Solar Pass for any season Gold Edition: Claim a free VIP Solar Pass with 20-level skip
Fun Fact! You can choose to use your bonus for this Season or save it for a future season!
If you have any questions, feel free to discuss with us on Discord!
📈 Feedback TopicsWe also wanted to discuss some feedback on two topics we see often on the Discord and other social media. To start, we want to let you know we do hear player concerns on being able to buy past Solar Pass vehicles, Ford GT 2006 DLC, or other items. We can’t answer this now, but we are looking for a way to allow this. We will keep you posted as usual over the next Solar Club Letters.
We also wanted to let you know we understand the frustration from players regarding sticker rewards from Live Events in TDUSC. Although this is something you will see in Season 4 and there will be a mix of stickers, liveries, and clothing (because clothing/lifestyle is a part of TDU), we are actively looking into how we can improve the rewards and perceived value of Live Events in future Seasons, and even how the events are played and the types of events possible, and we’ll communicate this to you in a future Solar Club Letter. That said, to remind you, we even have a Season in Year 2 dedicated to improving Live Events, Solar Pass, and the matchmaking in TDUSC, which as usual, you can expect more information on this in the Dev Diary.
📹 Developer DiaryNow, let’s talk about the next big communication we are currently editing, the Season 4 and Year 2 Developer Diary!
The Dev Diary will be releasing mid-July, before the launch of Season 4, and over the next coming weeks, you’ll see some teases on our social media. We know you’re probably wondering what will be covered in the Dev Diary, so let’s discuss that a bit.
The Dev Diary is going to be our biggest asset ever created, even at Nacon as a whole. The video will be long, and was shot using multiple Sony FX3 cameras as we discuss Season 4 and Year 2 around KT’s Paris studio. Of course, you’ll learn about each feature coming in Season 4 with interviews from many developers working at KT. You’ll then learn about each major feature coming in each Season for Year 2, but we didn’t want to stop there. In Year 2 for TDUSC, there are many things we are working on that we don’t have an exact date for, but it’s something we are working on. This will be known as the ‘important topics’ section of the Dev Diary. As you can probably guess, this means we are cooking quite a lot more than each ‘TDU-DNA’ themed Season!Remember, we have already mentioned you can expect more contracts (also known as missions), housing, improvements on matchmaking, and of course, more Asian vehicles! Speaking of vehicles, we have at least 5 NEW licensed brands that will be teased in the Dev Diary coming in Year 2. Some of them won’t be mentioned by name, but make sure you pay attention to the video and what’s in the background! By the way, although a few are, not all of the newly licensed brands will be Asian… maybe we are bringing some previous TDU car manufacturers back too… sì, sì, sì! Outside of vehicle licensing, we also have some surprise collaborations with some brands you can expect to see in Year 2. Shoutout to our amazing licensing team!Those of you who are into the technical improvements of TDUSC with the Season 5 improvements of the KT Engine will also be interested in the Dev Diary. You’ll meet Edouard and Fabien, as they discuss lighting improvements, time cycle, weather, shaders, shadows, and more! We will be sure to include updated gameplay and before and after shots of this too! You’ll also learn more details about our next steps after Season 5 as well.Beyond the above mentioned, you will be able to find so much more about the future of TDUSC, but even then we couldn’t fit everything in the Dev Diary; and it's going to be more than 40 minutes long, that is for sure! Continue to look out for our monthly Solar Club Letters for more information as the Seasons go by! Before we discuss the last part in the letter, we also want to remind you that you’ll be able to find the Developer Diary released on our Nacon Racing YouTube and Twitch. Follow them now to make sure you don’t miss it!Nacon Racing YouTubeNacon Racing TwitchWe are really excited to show you the movie we have created, and a massive shoutout to Nacon Video team for helping us create it!🖼️ Community SpotlightAs usual, we want to continue giving the community spotlight in the Solar Club Letters, and you’ll find in the Dev Diary, we have selected quite a few images shared on Discord to be added to the video! If you ever want to have an opportunity to be in the next letter or social media post, join us in the official Discord server, linked here! Now let’s showcase the two players!
Congrats to IDR1S2001 for their beautiful Koenigsegg Agera RS spec and LEON_JHK with their Audi E-Tron GT with a near accurate plate to replicate their name!🏁 Our Final MessageWe are getting closer to the launch of Season 4, and following that the incredible roadmap for Year 2. A huge thank you to the community who have been with us on the games year journey so far, and we are excited to show you how far TDUSC can improve over the next few seasons. See you soon, in the Season 4 and Year 2 Developer Diary, and watch out for some teases in the coming weeks!The TDU TeamDiscord Instagram Twitter/X Facebook Subreddit Website