It’s no secret that video games are becoming increasingly realistic and the latest PlayStation 5 addition – the Matrix Awakens – is a perfect example. Recently, the first gameplay video of the new open-world game was uploaded on YouTube, which showcases the immense level of detail. Let’s just say that, if you thought GTA V offers a detailed world, prepare to be blown away.

The video starts with an introduction to Neo and Trinity, which are rather unhappy with the marketing team’s decision to, once again, cash in on the tale of “the chosen one”. At any case, we start off in what looks like a 1968 Chevrolet Camaro, which eventually becomes a convertible, courtesy of a heated chase, in which you have to shoot countless agents, while mayhem ensues, all around.

The actual free roam starts at 5:00, where we see the female character roaming the virtual city streets. While we have to mention that all of the building interiors are visible and highly detailed, and the NPC animations are quite realistic, in terms of movements and facial expressions, the main focus here is the driving.

Although the cars are unlicensed, you will recognize many of them, as they are inspired by real-life vehicles or, in some cases, are simply existing vehicles with different badges. The Ford Crown Victoria (although unlicensed) is clearly easily recognizable and, once again serves as the police cruiser of choice. There are civilian versions as well and, yes, that includes yellow cabs.

Other vehicles we spotted were the Toyota Previa, Ford F-150, and what looks like a Chevy Tahoe, again, without the usual badges, and we also spotted an unlicensed Grumann Workhorse P42 delivery truck.

The more knowledgeable will recognize the sports car as a Porsche 911 (996), although this one is a bit of a mix. At the front, we still get the divisive “fried-egg” headlights, but at the back, we see taillights resembling those of the Porsche 928 GTS. Regardless, we think it is a successful mix of Porsche design cues.

That said, this is not a simulator – something that becomes obvious once you notice the arcade-like handling of the cars. That said, we have to give props for the crash physics, which are very well done. There are no pre-determined patterns for the vehicles’ deformation. It all depends on speed and angle and no car will be deformed in the exact same way. I definitely see myself losing a couple of hours, just crashing on purpose.

The addition of a speedometer is a welcome one and definitely not a common site in open-world games. It’s always nice to see at what speed you are smashing yourself into a building or another vehicle. You can also notice that the speedometer stops climbing for a moment, in response to the gear changes, which is a nice attention to detail. Definitely a step up from some of the GTA games where cars sounded like they have 12 forward gears (like in a Fast & Furious movie).

By all accounts, it seems like the Matrix Awakens might be the next big thing, in terms of video games. The variety of vehicles isn’t that great, which leads us to believe that this might be a beta gameplay (hopefully) and the final product will feature a bit more variety. While cars are not the main focus here, the game perfectly showcases the immense capabilities of Unreal Engine 5. Check out the video below and see the attention to detail for yourselves.