DethKarz

DethKarz is a futuristic combat racing game developed by Beam Software and published by Melbourne House (GT Interactive in North America) for Microsoft Windows in November 1998. Set in the year 2408, the game drops players into a sanctioned death race circuit where finishing first and blowing up the competition are equally valid strategies.

The game features four distinct tracks -- Metro City, Grand Keys, The Pole, and Red Planet -- each available in three length variations, giving twelve total configurations. Players choose from four teams (Anassi, BlitzWagen, Hyperon, and Astor), each fielding cars across three tiers: Platinum, Iridium, and Titanium. Only the base Platinum cars are available at the start; completing seasons on each track unlocks the higher tiers and their more capable machines.

Armed combat is central to the experience. Cars carry a standard laser and can pick up power-ups scattered across the tracks: homing missiles, guided missiles, cluster bombs, nitro boosts, shields, stealth mode, and repair pickups. Falling off the elevated, railless tracks results in a recovery aircraft dropping the car back on the circuit at reduced speed. Races can be won by crossing the finish line first or by destroying every other competitor before the final lap.

Game modes include Time Trial (with ghost car support), Arcade, and Championship. Multiplayer supports up to eight players over LAN via IPX or TCP/IP protocols.

DethKarz was built explicitly to leverage 3Dfx Glide acceleration, and reviewers at the time singled out its visuals as among the best in the futuristic racing genre for 1998. Critical reception was mixed overall, with praise for the graphics and speed tempered by complaints about the punishing handling model and lack of originality compared to genre competitors like Wipeout XL and POD.

Piko Interactive released DethKarz on GOG.com in December 2019, packaged with nGlide for compatibility with modern systems.