Taxi Life PS5 PlayStation 5 1

Nacon has been quietly expanding its range of in-development simulation games, with Train Life already in Early Access and the Michelin-endorsed Chef Life coming soon. The next entry in its fledgling sub-brand is Taxi Life, which is currently in development at Polish studio Simteract and is aiming to flag down a 2023 release date.

Previously in production as Urban Venture, you’ll need to follow the rules of the road here, so no Offspring or kerrr-azzzay money. “You arrive in Barcelona with only a car and a dream to your name. As you go out and learn the streets, you quickly realise that each delivery task can bring on a variety of challenges,” the official information reads.

You’ll have to deal with impatient passengers, traffic jams, road accidents, and inclement weather, as you build up your transport company and begin bringing in the big bucks. Interestingly, the developer is promising some pretty impressive traffic AI, which it claims will simulate the rules of the road – and the people who fail to respect them. That means you’ll occasionally get cut up, and it’s up to you how you want to respond.

You’ll also need to deal with the maintenance of your car, ensuring it’s clean and well looked after. You can, of course, choose to cut corners – but that’ll have a direct impact on your customers’ impressions of your service. And yes, there’ll be over 200 real-world landmarks from Barcelona reflected in the game.

This all sounds obsessively detailed in a good way. We enjoy virtual tourism, so we’re actually looking forward to driving around an authentic open world recreation of Barcelona – and if the traffic and weather systems deliver to the level that the developer is touting, this could be an extremely entertaining drive through the historical Spanish city.