Trailmakers: Complete Guide

A builder's guide to Trailmakers: getting started in Pioneers, the physics rules that make cars, planes, boats and mechs work, combat builds, and what's new in the 2.5 update and Downtown Drive expansion.

Researched September 2026 — current as of Update 2.5 / Downtown Drive (September 24, 2026) plus City Hotfix 1 (September 25, 2026). Live games change; check the linked sources if something differs.

Quick Start

1. Play Pioneers first. The campaign teaches building gradually and unlocks parts as you complete missions.
2. Start with a car. Wheels, a seat, and a frame. Once it drives well, you understand the builder.
3. Keep the center of mass low and central. Tipping, flipping and spinning are almost always balance problems.
4. Symmetry saves you. Use mirror building so left and right match.
5. Lighter is better. Every block adds weight; remove what you don't need.
6. Test often. Build a little, test, adjust. Don't build a giant machine and discover it can't move.
7. Steal ideas from the Workshop. Thousands of community builds are available; load them, see how they work, and adapt.
8. Multiplayer supports 2–8 players in every mode, including Pioneers.
9. Hosted servers let non-owners visit DLC maps. Downtown Drive and High Seas owners can host, and friends without the DLC can join.

Game Modes and Maps

Recent Time Trial challenges named in official news include "Crawl the Wall", "Alpine Ascension", "Big Blimpin'" (replacing Charboil Chasm Long Jump) and "Gotta Go Fast". Because the pool rotates weekly, check the Time Trials map to see which three are live right now.

Time Trial tips

• Read the challenge description first: many are designed around one vehicle type (climbers, blimps, pure speed), and a general-purpose build rarely tops the leaderboard.
• Build a dedicated vehicle per challenge and save it under the challenge's name so you can come back to it if it rotates in again.
• Shave weight before adding power; on most tracks, a lighter build with the same engines is faster and more controllable.
• Look at leaderboard-topping Workshop builds after you've set your own time, to see which idea you missed.

Building Fundamentals

Balance

• Center of mass (CoM) should sit low and between the wheels for cars, and slightly ahead of the center of lift for planes.
• Thrust through the CoM: engines and thrusters placed off-center will spin you.
• Weight distribution: heavy parts (engines, weapons) near the middle.

Structure

• Frames and blocks connect at their faces. Weak connection points break in crashes.
• Reinforce areas where big forces meet (wheel mounts, wing roots).
• Don't overbuild: more blocks means more weight.

Power

• More engines/thrusters give more power but add weight.
• Balance power to weight; a light build with modest power often beats a heavy one with a lot.

Troubleshooting Your Build

Your First Five Builds

A progression that teaches the builder without frustration:

1. A four-wheel buggy: seat, frame, four powered wheels. Learn steering, suspension and mirror mode.
2. An off-road truck with bigger wheels and softer suspension for the rough Pioneers terrain.
3. A simple boat with floats and a propeller, to learn buoyancy.
4. A small plane: fuselage, one pair of wings, tail surfaces, one engine on the centerline. Get it to take off and land before adding anything.
5. A hover or flying craft with thrusters, to learn balancing thrust around the CoM.

Save each one. Many later builds are just these five with better parts.

Build Types

Cars and trucks

• Four wheels, low CoM, and wheels spaced wide.
• Use suspension for rough terrain; stiffer suspension for racing on smooth tracks.
• Put the seat near the middle.
• Tank tracks (added in 2.2) handle rough terrain and snow well.
• Motorcycles are easier since 2.5 thanks to new motorcycle wheels and seats.

Planes

• Center of lift should be just behind the center of mass for stability.
• Wings provide lift; control surfaces steer.
• Propellers or jets for thrust, placed so thrust goes through the CoM.
• Build light. The Airborne expansion adds aircraft parts.

Boats

• Floating parts and a balanced hull.
• Propellers underwater for thrust (a pair of new underwater propellers was added at Christmas 2025).
• Keep weight low to avoid capsizing.

Mechs

• Mech Amok (2.3 DLC) and the 2.3 update's RC blocks and melee weapons made walking and fighting mechs more practical.
• Legs need careful balance; test on flat ground first.

Space builds

• Thrusters in all directions for control.
• Gyros help keep orientation.

Logic, Sensors and Controls

• Keybinds for each block let you control parts independently.
• Sensors (like the Distance Sensor) and logic blocks enable automation.
• Aiming Sensor (2.4): makes connected blocks point where your camera is looking, great for turrets.
• RC blocks (2.3): remote-controlled parts.

Combat

Trailmakers has 14 weapon types, including miniguns, EMPs, laser blasters, rocket launchers and shotguns.

Combat tips

• Armor the core: protect the seat and power parts.
• Redundancy: multiple engines/thrusters so losing one doesn't cripple you.
• Balance: weapons are heavy; keep the build stable.
• Turrets with the Aiming Sensor track where you look.
• EMP can disable enemies' electronics.
• Guided rockets: the official tutorial "How to Build: Guided Rockets" covers them.

What's New in 2.5 and Downtown Drive

Free update (2.5)

• New blocks: Small Rounded 2x1, Small Rounded Corner 1x1, Small Rounded End 1x1, Wide Motorcycle Wheel, Slim Motorcycle Wheel, Front Leaning Motorcycle Seat, Back Leaning Motorcycle Seat, Neon Light, Sleek Wind Shield 6x5x2, Truck Wind Shield 8x3x3, Wide Wind Shield 8x3x2.
• Updated chat UI (Steam): scalable, better positioned, with quick mute/whisper/profile access; hidden when you hide UI.

Downtown Drive DLC

• New Torque City map: the most detailed map the developers have made, with 8 races.
• DLC blocks: Rounded Motorcycle Headlight, 60s/70s/80s headlights and taillights, Motorcycle Headlight, Motorcycle Taillight, Motorcycle Windscreen, Motorcycle Rack.
• Skins: two Dragon Engine skins, a Piston skin, a Straight Suspension skin.
• Outfits: Alt Skirt, City Biker.

City Hotfix 1

• Fixed AZERTY inputs (if you switched to QWERTY as a workaround, switch back).
• Fixed empty chat messages, the Neon Light incorrectly having aerodynamics, and a crash when a Distance Sensor was destroyed during player death in Space Sector and Airborne Sandbox.

Recent Update History

DLC Overview

The Steam store lists: Downtown Drive, Mech Amok, Frozen Tracks, Supply Pack: Frontline, Packing Heat, Airborne Expansion, Motorhead Pack, Space Voyager Pack, High Seas Expansion, Decals Action Pack, Decals Expression Pack, Texture Packs 1–3, Hat Pack, The Art of Trailmakers, and the Pioneers Soundtrack.

Which to buy first? None are required. If you play multiplayer, a friend hosting a DLC map lets you try it first. Pick the expansion that matches what you build most: Airborne for planes, High Seas for boats, Mech Amok for mechs, Frozen Tracks for snow, Downtown Drive for city driving.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Ignoring CoM.
• Overbuilding.
• Placing thrust off-center.
• Skipping tests.
• Relying on one engine in combat builds.
• Forgetting keybinds for new blocks.

Advanced Tips

• Iterate on Workshop builds.
• Save versions of your build as you go.
• Use logic for automatic stabilisers and weapons.
• For racing, trim weight and fine-tune suspension on each track.
• For planes, a small tail and well-placed wings make a stable, responsive aircraft.

FAQ

Is Trailmakers multiplayer? Yes, 2–8 players in every mode, including the Pioneers campaign.

Do I need DLC to play New Torque City? You can join a server hosted by someone who owns Downtown Drive.

What's the latest update? 2.5 with the Downtown Drive DLC (September 24, 2026), followed by City Hotfix 1 on Steam.

Is it good for beginners? Yes. The builder is designed to be accessible, and Pioneers teaches the basics.

Why does my car flip? CoM too high or wheels too narrow.

Why does my plane spin? Thrust or lift is off-center, or the CoM is behind the center of lift.

Sources

• Trailmakers - Steam store
• Steam news API: Trailmakers announcements (2.2–2.5, Downtown Drive, City Hotfix 1)