Skip to content
EarlyGuides

Drive Beyond Horizons Walkthrough: Start to Endgame

Step-by-step Drive Beyond Horizons walkthrough covering every phase from first session to endgame. Complete progression guide with milestones and checklists.

EarlyGuides Editorial Team
Researched and editorially reviewed. Updated .
Advertisement

Drive Beyond Horizons entered Early Access on 24 March 2025, published by Tacty Studio and Santor Games, and it asks whether you can keep a rusted car alive on an endless procedurally generated road. You start at Home with a barely running Dada, scavenge parts from 24 documented points of interest, and manage fuel, oil, radiator water, hunger and thirst at the same time. Up to four players can share the road in online co-op.

This walkthrough takes you from your first session to endgame content. Each phase has specific goals, priorities, and milestones. New to the game? Start with our beginner's guide first.

Quick Progression Summary

PhaseAreaFocusBuildDuration
1. StartHomePart by part vehicle assembly basicsMusgoat1-2 hours
2. EarlyGas StationFuel and fluid upkeep masteryMusgoat3-5 hours
3. MidGarageProcedural road and points of interest + gearDada or Musgoat5-10 hours
4. LateCalifornia MotelBuild optimizationDada5-10 hours
5. EndgameMinefieldMin-maxDada or BonphiacOngoing

See our maps guide for detailed area breakdowns.

Advertisement

Phase 1: Getting Started (Home)

The starting property, with a garage, a water tank behind the house, and loose parts scattered around the front and back exteriors. A basket on the garage's left wall holds cleaning supplies and there is always a car radio on the first table.

Level/Difficulty: Hour one, before your first drive Key Rewards: Starter Dada, car radio, cleaning supplies, food cans, soda cans, energy drinks, first aid kit

What to Do in Home

  1. Learn Part by part vehicle assembly. Every car is a stack of slots: engine, radiator, battery, wheels, lights, seats, dashboard, shifter and more, each removable and swappable. Spend your first session getting comfortable with this.
  2. Pick Musgoat as your starting build. See our builds guide for why.
  3. Run the full checklist at Home before your first drive: petrol in the tank, oil in the engine, water in the radiator from the tank behind the house, handbrake released. Missing any one of those four is the most common reason a new save never leaves the driveway.
  4. Acquire your first equipment upgrade: V8 Petrol Engine or whatever's available.
  5. Clear all main content before moving on.

Phase 1 Checklist

  • Understand Part by part vehicle assembly fundamentals
  • Musgoat selected and functional
  • Home main content cleared
  • Ready for Gas Station

Phase 2: Early Game (Gas Station)

A run down convenience store and pump island ringed by chain link fence. The pumps carry both fuel types with green nozzles for petrol and red for diesel, and they fill containers as well as tanks.

Level/Difficulty: Spawns beside the road at any distance Key Rewards: Bulk petrol and diesel, canned food, containers

What to Do in Gas Station

  1. Work on Fuel and fluid upkeep. Petrol engines take the green nozzle at a gas station and diesel engines take the red one. This system becomes critical from here on.
  2. Farm for V8 Petrol Engine if you haven't already. It's the key upgrade for this phase.
  3. Ignition is held W, the I key, or a click on the ignition switch itself. If nothing happens, check the battery, because lights, ignition and the car radio all need one fitted before they respond.
  4. Complete all objectives before pushing to Garage.
  5. Consider whether Dada might suit your playstyle better than Musgoat.

Phase 2 Checklist

  • Fuel and fluid upkeep integrated into gameplay
  • V8 Petrol Engine acquired
  • Gas Station fully cleared
  • Ready for Garage

Phase 3: Mid Game (Garage)

A small mechanic shop with two roller doors. It can contain up to two cars plus parts and tires across the floor, which makes it the single best restoration stop on the road. A Large Garage variant also exists.

Level/Difficulty: Spawns beside the road at any distance Key Rewards: Whole donor cars, tires, engine and interior parts

What to Do in Garage

  1. Master Procedural road and points of interest. The road generates as you drive, and 24 documented points of interest spawn on it, beside it, or slightly off to the side. This unlocks a new layer of gameplay.
  2. Start working toward I4 Petrol Engine. It's the best equipment and becomes accessible around now.
  3. Fuel type is set by the engine, not the car. The Dada, Musgoat, TriClops, Bonphiac and GTR units burn petrol while the Poyopa, IFA, C18 and P-51 units burn diesel, so identify the engine before you pick up a nozzle.
  4. This area is the main skill check. If you can clear it, you're ready for late game.
  5. Start investing in Hunger and thirst meters for the tactical depth you'll need going forward.

Phase 3 Checklist

  • Procedural road and points of interest mastered
  • I4 Petrol Engine acquired or in progress
  • Garage fully cleared
  • Ready for California Motel
Advertisement

Phase 4: Late Game (California Motel)

One of the twelve major points of interest and a multi room building rather than a single container. It takes far longer to clear than a bus stop or a billboard, and it pays out accordingly.

Level/Difficulty: Mid run, once you have cargo space Key Rewards: Consumables, decor items, container loot

What to Do in California Motel

  1. Finalize your build. You should be running Dada or Musgoat with optimized gear.
  2. I4 Petrol Engine should be your primary. If you don't have it yet, prioritize getting it.
  3. A turbocharger weighs 5 kg and adds 20 km/h. On a 105 km/h stock Dada that is a 19 percent gain for almost no weight, which makes it the first upgrade worth hunting once the car actually runs.
  4. Road hazards and enemies optimization starts here. Small improvements compound into massive advantages.
  5. Farm this area for the resources needed to push into Minefield.

Phase 4 Checklist

  • Build fully optimized
  • I4 Petrol Engine upgraded to max
  • California Motel fully cleared
  • Ready for Minefield

Phase 5: Endgame (Minefield)

A hazard rather than a loot stop. Landmines are one of the four hostile entities in the game and a single detonation will take wheels and body panels off a finished car.

Level/Difficulty: Skip until you can repair at the roadside Key Rewards: Nothing worth the parts bill, drive around it

What to Do in Minefield

  1. Minefield tests everything. Come prepared with your best build and gear.
  2. Radiator capacity ranges from 6L to 24L and weight from 5 kg to 13 kg. A bigger unit buys distance between water stops, which matters because water is not guaranteed at every point of interest.
  3. The endgame loop: run Minefield, optimize gear, push harder content.
  4. Experiment with Bonphiac for a fresh take once you've mastered the standard builds.
  5. This is where Road hazards and enemies mastery separates good players from great ones. See our tips guide for advanced strategies.

Phase 5 Checklist

  • Endgame content on farm
  • Best-in-slot gear acquired
  • Minefield fully cleared
  • Ready for challenge content

Common Progression Mistakes

  • Filling a diesel engine from the green petrol nozzle because it was the closer pump.
  • Driving off with an empty radiator, then watching the engine burn oil until it stops.
  • Skipping the home garage sweep and leaving the free car radio and cleaning supplies behind.
  • Treating the Minefield as a loot stop rather than a hazard and losing a finished car to one landmine.
  • Swapping to the heaviest engine you find without checking its oil requirement, then running dry 20 minutes down the road.

Key Tips for Smooth Progression

  1. Run the full checklist at Home before your first drive: petrol in the tank, oil in the engine, water in the radiator from the tank behind the house, handbrake released. Missing any one of those four is the most common reason a new save never leaves the driveway.
  2. Ignition is held W, the I key, or a click on the ignition switch itself. If nothing happens, check the battery, because lights, ignition and the car radio all need one fitted before they respond.
  3. Fuel type is set by the engine, not the car. The Dada, Musgoat, TriClops, Bonphiac and GTR units burn petrol while the Poyopa, IFA, C18 and P-51 units burn diesel, so identify the engine before you pick up a nozzle.
  4. A turbocharger weighs 5 kg and adds 20 km/h. On a 105 km/h stock Dada that is a 19 percent gain for almost no weight, which makes it the first upgrade worth hunting once the car actually runs.
  5. Radiator capacity ranges from 6L to 24L and weight from 5 kg to 13 kg. A bigger unit buys distance between water stops, which matters because water is not guaranteed at every point of interest.

For more advanced strategies, see our tips & tricks guide.

More Drive Beyond Horizons Guides

Similar Games

If you enjoy Drive Beyond Horizons, check out these related guides:

Advertisement

More Game Guides

Garry's Mod

Garry's Mod

People Playground

People Playground

Rec Room

Rec Room

Space Engineers

Space Engineers