Mad Metal Launches on Steam With Slow-Motion Vehicle Combat

Mad Metal, the vehicle-combat shooter from developer Mad Mechs, is now available on Steam. Led by indie developer Hakim Elayday, the game approaches armed car combat less like a conventional race or arena brawler and more like a rapid tactical puzzle: players can slow the action down, identify a vulnerable part on an opponent's vehicle, and decide exactly what they want to destroy.

That central mechanic, called Dead Aim, lets players enter slow motion during a pursuit and line up attacks against individual vehicle components. Rather than simply reducing an enemy health bar, the goal can be to remove a wheel, detonate a fuel tank, take off a door, or otherwise dismantle a threat piece by piece. The same rules apply to enemy cars, which are assembled from meaningful parts including tanks, wheels and drivers. As a result, every approaching vehicle presents a quick decision: disable its mobility, remove its offensive potential, or aim for the person behind the wheel.

Mad Metal arrives with a $14.99 price on Steam and a 20% launch discount. It also supports play on Steam Deck and includes full gamepad support, giving portable PC players another way to take its chaotic road battles on the move.

A car-combat game built around choices

Vehicle combat games often make speed, weapon pickups and positioning the defining factors of a fight. Mad Metal's Dead Aim system is designed to add a more deliberate layer without removing the tension of a high-speed chase. The player is not only trying to hit an opponent; they are choosing the consequence of a successful shot.

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Removing a wheel may leave an enemy unable to pursue effectively. Targeting a fuel tank can create a more immediate and explosive result. Stripping away doors or concentrating on the driver can open another path to victory. Those choices are particularly important because the player's own vehicle is also vulnerable to the same kind of targeted damage. A close encounter can change quickly when an opponent disables a crucial component or attacks the driver directly.

The concept gives Mad Metal's confrontations an improvised quality. A damaged car is not necessarily out of the fight, but its options may be substantially changed. Players will need to adapt to what is left on their vehicle, what their opponents have lost, and the distance separating them from the next threat. The game's action may be built around fast-moving machines, yet the use of slow motion encourages players to read the situation before committing to a shot.

Extraction, invasions and head-to-head battles

Mad Metal includes multiple modes that use its component-based destruction in different ways. Extraction is a two-player mode in which participants confront increasingly difficult enemy waves. The escalating encounters culminate in a boss battle, after which the team must make it to an airlift. That structure suggests a cooperative loop where survival through the early rounds matters just as much as having enough firepower and vehicle integrity left for the finale.

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The game also includes an open-world invasion feature. Players can enter another player's game, then decide on arrival whether they want to cooperate or become an enemy. The setup creates room for uncertainty that a standard matchmaking lobby does not always provide. An unexpected visitor might become an extra set of wheels and weapons in a difficult situation, or they may turn the encounter into an immediate conflict.

For players who would rather have a direct competitive contest, Mad Metal offers 1v1 deathmatch. Ranked and unranked matchmaking both use MMR to place competitors against others at a similar skill level. The distinction gives players a way to pursue more serious matches while preserving an option for less formal sessions. Since precise targeting is fundamental to the design, head-to-head play should put an emphasis on fast decisions, knowledge of vehicle weak points and the ability to react when a plan goes wrong.

An eight-mission campaign follows Jack

Outside its multiplayer-focused modes, Mad Metal has a campaign made up of eight voiced and narrated missions. The story follows a character named Jack in an America under assault from machines. These machines do not simply kill people; they abduct them and convert them, establishing a darker threat behind the game's metallic action.

Jack's wife has disappeared, while his daughter remains somewhere out in the world. His search is the foundation of the campaign, and the narrative becomes increasingly grim as he presses onward. The premise gives a human stake to a game otherwise focused on armor, engines and destructive upgrades. It also frames the enemy machines as more than targets encountered on the road, connecting their attacks to the loss and urgency driving Jack forward.

The eight-mission format may make the campaign a focused complement to the replayable combat modes. Players can follow Jack's story through voiced sequences while still returning to Extraction, invasions or deathmatch for more open-ended vehicle battles. Mad Mechs has positioned the game as a package where narrative progression and repeatable competitive or cooperative play sit alongside one another.

Nine vehicles and more than 80 attachments

Customization is another major part of Mad Metal. Players can begin with nine base vehicles and modify them using more than 80 attachments. The game includes a full Create Your Own Car builder, allowing players to make a vehicle that suits their preferred approach, whether that means leaning into speed, durability, weaponry or a combination of those priorities.

Because every car's components can matter in combat, customization is not presented as purely cosmetic. A vehicle build can affect how a player wants to enter an engagement and what risks they are willing to take. The available parts can support distinct styles, while the damage system means even a well-planned machine can be transformed by the course of a fight.

Mad Metal also uses mid-run augments that can change a build in unexpected ways. These upgrades introduce another source of variation during play, potentially forcing players to rethink how they use a vehicle after a run has started. A build created for one task may gain a new strength, or players may need to make the most of an unusual combination they did not initially plan around.

That mixture of base cars, attachments, custom construction and run-specific augments is intended to make the action more flexible than a fixed roster of vehicles. It also fits the game's broader emphasis on improvisation. Players are making choices while building their car, choosing targets while driving, and adapting once damage and new upgrades begin to reshape the battle.

A soundtrack with Scarlet Moon collaborators

The game's soundtrack was produced with Scarlet Moon's Jayson Napolitano. It features singer and songwriter Stefani Keogh, as well as musicians Frank van 't Ende and Idem Grey. The music accompanies a game built around high-pressure pursuits, mechanical destruction and a campaign with an increasingly bleak tone.

For Mad Mechs, the Steam release marks the public arrival of a project centered on the question of what should be removed from an enemy vehicle first. It is a straightforward idea with consequences that can differ from moment to moment: taking away mobility may be smarter than chasing an instant elimination, but a vulnerable fuel tank may be too tempting to ignore. In co-op, that decision can become a team discussion. In invasions, it may determine whether a new arrival is treated as an ally or a target. In ranked 1v1 matches, it could be the difference between a calculated victory and a wreck on the roadside.

Mad Metal is available now on Steam, with Steam Deck support for players who want to bring its targeted car combat to a handheld PC. Between its campaign, two-player Extraction mode, open-world invasions, 1v1 play and extensive vehicle building options, the release offers several paths into its combustible vision of tactical automotive warfare.