The Ultimate Guide for Gas Guzzlers Extreme

So you wanna play one of the most enjoyable car combat racers of the 2010s? Sit back, relax, get your gas, and let's blow everything up!!

Introduction

NOTE: This guide is mainly composed of words and a loooootta reading.

Before heading on to the guide, I wanna state that I use a PlayStation 5 controller to play the game since I'm pretty bad at using keyboard controls, though said controls should be sufficient enough to get you by. It's just preference whether or not you want to stick with a controller or keyboard, whichever works for you the best.

This guide assumes newbie players have at least gotten past the intro race in the Campaign mode and have a fair amount of experience to this game.

I likely won't go over every piece of info about the game such as weapon stats and stuff like that, so if there's something you're unfamiliar with or don't know much about, check out these guides since they do a good enough job explaining weapon stats and other important info.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=187546252
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=184505751

Remember, the info that I'm showing here is what I think every player, newbie or pro, have the right to know. And for those who have a bit of an iffy opinion with vulgarity in video games, you're going to see a lot of that here as you play, just spelled out to make them not seem like bad words. And if you're still against that, there's a way to turn it off when you edit your profile so that you can play it without intentionally cursing or saying crude words.

IMPORTANT!

As a general heads up if you've installed and booted up the game for the first time: if you find/found anything that is not acting normal such as the tires constantly screeching or the Invisibility effect not appearing on your car, you'll have to verify integrity of the game files. To do this, right-click on the game in your Library and click on "Properties". A new window should open up. Click on "Local Files" and then "Verfiy integrity of the game files".

After doing its thing, reboot the game and test it out again to see if that got rid of the problem(s). If you're still finding oddities with the game, try it again. If that still doesn't work, try uninstalling and reinstalling the game. And if that doesn't work? Well, I guess you'll have to keep trying until the problems are gone.

General Questions Regarding GGE

Q: I noticed that there's two different Gas Guzzlers games - Combat Carnage and Extreme. Which one should I get/play first?

A: Both games are relatively the same, but Extreme is more refined and has better quality to it than Combat Carnage. Basically, Extreme is an upgraded version of Combat Carnage with different HUD, better multiplayer functionality, sponsors, better controller support, and additional content (DLC).

Gameplay-wise, they're the exact same with a few differences here and there so the stuff you learn in either game will apply to the other. In other words, don't worry about how much you can unload smoke and lay down mines with a single pickup.

Q: I looked up Gas Guzzlers Extreme and saw that there were other releases of the game. How are they, compared to the Steam version?

A: The game on the other three releases is not 100% the same - there's no Multiplayer mode. On top of that, those console releases have problems on their own which will be explained later on. The only benefit to those releases is that they include both DLCs from this version as part of the overall package.

While I can't stop you from getting those versions, I strongly suggest that you play the Steam version since this was first released back in 2013. But if you don't care and can deal with an offline-only version of the game, then do get it. Otherwise, I can't recommend anyone to get a console release of the game.

Q: When I get a Smoke or Mine powerup in Extreme, I can only use them once. Yet, the manual says I can use them three times... What's wrong?

A: This is where one change is big enough to make a difference. To put it simply, the manual that comes with Extreme was made for Combat Carnage. As such, expect a few inaccuracies in it and even a few grammar errors since those are always fun to spot. It's better for the game to show than to tell.

Q: I hear that this is a hard game, isn't it?

A: Really, that all depends on your familiarity with racing and car combat games. If you're just casually playing, the difficulty isn't as bad as some claim it to be, provided you're on Beginner or Easy difficulty to begin with. Getting damaged is pretty common, so always expect something like that.

For the harder difficulties (and the more 'fun' aspect of the game), you're gonna find that the AI rubberbanding and fighting can be difficult if you're not well familiar with how the game works. If you're an achievement hunter, Impossible difficulty is a requirement for a small handful of achievements.

Q: Does this game have wheel support?

A: It does, but it's not the most ideal way to play; you need to use the controller's face buttons to shoot your weapons and boost, you won't have the ability to move the camera around during races, and you just can't play this game well enough with a steering wheel. This is not a simulation racer or a pure arcade racer.

It's your choice if you want to use a wheel to play, but I personally don't recommend it. I never use a steering wheel myself, because I'm not the type of person who uses different peripherals for gaming, except in the case of motion controls in my case.

Q: I took a peek at the achievements for this game, and there's 105 of them! Looking at it, there seems to be a zombie mode in the game, how is it?

A: It's a decent little addition, though not as exciting nor interesting as you might think it is. If you want a good zombie game, play Left 4 Dead 2 or Call of Duty: Black Ops.

GGE Releases and Version Differences

Now we get to the details and differences I found (so far) between all four releases of GGE. Let's take a moment to note how polished and great the Steam version is with its features and go over the worst aspect of the other three releases, aside from the absent Multiplayer mode. And the release dates for each. The Steam version was released on October 8th, 2013.

Xbox One - November 3rd, 2016

I'd have to say that this release of the game is the worst. There's one thing that makes it the worst, and that would be the godawful loading times! It takes like 1 minute and a half to two full minutes for it to load a level and it's just PAINFULLY SLOW, even when you have an Xbox One X! I've seen Mortal Kombat Trilogy on actual PlayStation 1 hardware load faster than this! Granted, that's a fighting game from 1996, but it's a good comparison nonetheless.

PlayStation 4 - November 26th, 2019

While this version (and the following version) doesn't have loading times at the pace of a snail, the fact stands that this version has the worst spawn mechanics! Instead of being reset in the correct direction, you just stay in that direction when you spawn, forcing you to turn around yourself... or worse, BE ON YOUR ROOF UNTIL YOU DIE! This is especially a ginormous drawback in an arena based mode such as Defend the Base where if you get flipped over by a Troll, you will be stuck there until you die, ARRRGH!!! This is an absolute pain in the ass to deal with yourself!

The other things that draw the PS4 version back are
1. You cannot rotate the camera in the garage in Campaign mode, which makes customization drag on for longer than it needs to, and
2. The 60fps isn't always consistent, even on a PS4 Pro (not the case on a PS5).

However, these two things are more on the minor side and don't hurt the PS4 version as much as the Xbox One version's AWFUL loading times. The PlayStation 4 version is generally better despite this.

Nintendo Switch - October 28th, 2021

The Switch version of Gas Guzzlers Extreme is basically the same as the PS4 version, but it doesn't have trashy spawn mechanics. However, the framerate is a bit more noticeable. Given that this is originally from 2013, the Switch's hardware should've been able to produce 60fps, at least that's my personal take on it on the Switch Lite. It could actually be 60fps on an actual normal Switch console. Feels like 45fps on the Lite, kinda making the game look a bit like a slideshow. The lack of being able to move the camera in the garage is still existent, though.


That's all the differences between the other three releases that I've spotted currently. I don't know if there's more, but I felt like telling you guys the problems these console releases have. If you can get past all that on those releases, then the game is pretty much the same regardless.

Game Modes

You can engage yourself in four different race modes and six different arena modes, eight with Full Metal Zombie DLC, totaling in twelve different game modes.

Race

-Classic Race
No weapons or powerups, just pure driving! This is just your typical race to the finish type of deal. A good mode for getting to know the tracks in your own time and practicing your driving line. But remember that collisions with other vehicles, into walls and blue barrels will still damage your car. And once that damage is done, there's no recovering it!

-Power Race
The same thing but with powerups this time around. Your main weapon is still negated, so you just use powerups to help you win. Mines, oil slicks, flashbangs, invisibility, and nitro refills are marked in red while recovery powerups are green. You can also find money pickups which are marked in yellow, adding to your bonus score, and occasionally bigger money pickups in hard to reach places on subsequent laps.

-Battle Race
Here, you are now able to use your main weapons and powerups combined. You can kill other racers to gain an advantage, and earn more bonus points. However, the majority of the race, you won't be getting kills but the last racer still running if everyone else somehow gets knocked out before someone crosses the finish line will be the winner. You also get a few other pickups thrown into the mix such as ammo replenishes (a big box will give you a full restock of ammo while the triple bullet pickup gives 10%) and shields.

-Knockout Race
An elimination type of racing format - the person caught in last place is out of the race when all other drivers cross the finish line. The lap counter depends on how many players there are (7 laps for 8 players, 4 for 5 players, and so on). And the objective to win is, you guessed it, be the last one running. Unlike in the previous three Race modes, 1st place is the only result that matters: no second nor third place winners allowed! The general rules for Battle Race mode applies here as well. However, if someone gets killed before every driver crosses the start/finish line, the lap counter decreases by one, making the event go by quicker.


Now the Race modes are for driving pleasures on the game's many different racetracks. But if you really want to take the gloves off and fight dirty, play the Arena modes, where you fight each other in arenas rather than tracks.

Arena

-Deathmatch
A fight to see who's the most efficient killer around! Brawl against other people and get to the kill limit first before anyone else in order to win. In this mode, you don't automatically spawn with your main weapon. You need to find them on the battlefield, which are marked as blue pickups. All other pickups from the Race modes are here too. Picking up a weapon, empty of ammo or not, will always refill your ammo 100% so take advantage of that! Also Mines are more powerful in this game mode, so use one if you have someone on your tail to throw them off.

-Last Man Standing
Basically the Knockout Race mode, but you fight to be the last one running instead of running laps. This mode goes by much quicker than Deathmatch because killing people will result in fewer opponents to deal with. And eventually, one person will merge victorious (hopefully you).

-Capture the Flag
This isn't like your ordinary CTF game mode where you get the flag and take it back to your base. It is different here, as you need to get both flags to earn a point. If someone else has the flag, then you must kill them before they kill you in order for them to drop it. Or if you just so happen to make them flip over, they will drop the flag like that as well. This game mode, as well as the other ones listed below (except the zombie modes), only appear in Sponsor Events in the Campaign and are not mandatory for progression. But they can be good sources for additional money if you need it.

-Dominator
Deathmatch and Capture the Flag together. However, you need to be the one with the flag and kill the other players in order to win. Someone else has the flag? Kill them before they do you. You can also kill other players who don't have the flag. And while that may help with your bonus score, it won't really help you much in winning.

-Destruction Derby
Destruction Derby, not to be confused with that old PlayStation game, is where we're back to no weapons, no powerups. Just ram the other cars to deal damage! Smashing them in the side deals the most damage. Killing the opponents will recover health and refill your nitrous. The opponents in this mode are rather predictable, so watch closely at what they do.

-Domination Derby
Destruction Derby and Capture the Flag combined. The melee version of Dominator - no weapons, no powerups! The same rules apply here, you just need to keep ramming. I'd say that this version of Domination is harder because, as the "derby" part says, you can't use weapons and powerups.


The Arena modes are for duking it out and fun fighting competition. If you don't like being a hunter or whatever, then the last two modes for Arena are more "cooperative" instead of face-off. Only available via DLC for this game, so you're gonna need to fork over a bit more money unless you got it in a bundle.

Full Metal Zombie DLC

-Defend the Base & Survivor
Keep the zombies from destroying your base and survive! In Defend the Base, you and the other player(s) work together to overcome 10 waves of the undead, whereas in Survivor, you just try to survive, hence the name. As you make more and more progress, more zombies show up and of course, different weapons will spawn in the arena of your choice, and more menaces will appear.

At first, the game goes pretty smoothly until the Hyenas start coming in. They are dangerous in groups and will later come in with bombs strapped to them. The Buffalos will join in too and take more hits to kill, as well as having bombs strapped to them. They will try to flip your car over, but then there's the Trolls that come along; these guys are the absolute WORST and will always knock you around if you stay close for too long!

But there's also the big gunner zombies which aren't as annoying as the Hyenas and Buffalo with bombs, they're just there to whittle down your health slowly. If you get right up against them, they will kick your car back and cause you to flip over, even if you kill them first before you do that.

What really matters most in this mode is your score by the end of it all in order to win. The kills you make and points you accumulate when repairing the base add up in total, and you can't damage or kill any of the other players at all. Things start getting hectic around the fourth or fifth wave, and it's a marathon session to do it. Hope you are ready to spend over an hour of either game mode!


Although there isn't a lot of Race mode variety, the amount of tracks you can race on more than makes up for it. It's reversed for how there's not a lot of arenas but with a nice assortment of game modes. You just can't go wrong with those.

Tracks and Track Variations

Gas Guzzlers Extreme has, in total, 54 maps - 42 tracks, 12 arenas. The tracks themselves, there's 10 that don't have reverse variations, while 16 of them do. The preview icons for both variations in the menus are different from them, so the only thing that is the same is the map, aside from the change in the time of day and weather. Here's the full list of all the tracks for Race mode with their variations (left is forward, right is reverse):

Desert
1. Camel Toe Trophy / Muhammara Rally
2. Azra Trophy / Desert Fever Trophy
3. El Ahlan Challenge / Baklava Trophy

Death-Valley
1. Badwater Basin Rally
2. Mud Spring Trophy
3. Furnace Creek Pass
4. Death Valley Challenge

Forrest-Lake
1. Balcanica Challenge / Krapina Challenge
2. Crapstone Speedway / Ringelspiel Turnier
3. Knödelfurt Pokal / Forrest Gimp Autorenn

Race-Track
1. Circuito De Maipu / Copa De La Chorizo
2. Monteton Rally / Tour De Beaujolais
3. Saint-Ferme Gran Prix / Coupe D'escargot
4. Course De Corps-Nuds / Tour De Transe
5. Achadhluachrach Speedway / Peiness Trophy

Red-Rock
1. Swelling Butte Challenge
2. Uncle Jimbo Trail
3. Navajo Smudge
4. Rawhide Road
5. River Rail Rally
6. Elephant Butte Pass

Texas
1. Middelfart Creek Trophy / Tombstone Road
2. Buttzville Pass Rally / Cowlic Challenge

Winter
1. God's Dam Circuit / Shovelmania Trophy
2. Lederhosen Pokal / Dirndl Pokal
3. Kattsjärten Rally / Snormossen Rally

You'll only have Buttzville, Achadhluachrach, and Copa De La Chorizo when you first start out in the game, so you'll need to unlock the tracks in the Campaign mode. That's not all the tracks, though. There's also the Arenas you can unlock by completing LMS or Deathmatch in Campaign as well.

1. Desert Arena
2. Public Garage
3. Port
4. Castlevania
5. Canyon
6. Junkyard
7. Winter Castle
8. Route 66
9. Ghost Town
10. Desert Arena Xmas
11. Zagreb
12. Warburg

Most arenas are different from one another, but there are variants. Example: Winter Castle has the gates open leading to the caves while Castlevania has those gates closed. You're gonna find that these arenas are different in many ways, such as Ghost Town having more buildings and houses than Route 66.

Vehicle and Weapon Classes

There are classes in this game, yes. As you make progress in the Campaign, you'll unlock more and more vehicles and weapons. And once they are unlocked, you can purchase them to make them available for use to make more progress. Remember that it is actually optional to purchase the weapons in the Campaign mode to make them available for the Single Race mode.

Fenderbender Cup (Class 1)
-Defiant Regale (Starter car)
-Fat Ficho (Starter car)
-Rhino JTL
-Micro GT (DLC)
-Fowler Perkan
-Flag Stoyka
-Lord Crapee

-SP-30 'Pump Daddy' (Shotgun)
-MG-11 'Maschinengewehr' (Machine Gun)
-SP-60 'Double Trouble' (Pump Daddy w/ rear fire)
-HEMP-92A 'Intruder' (Rocket launcher)

Hazard Junkies Cup (Class 2)
-Hound DX (Starter car)
-Luncha Penta Immorale
-Masderati
-De Flourator CMD-21
-Hound Bermude
-Kaiju GTR
-Fordiac Bandit

-M-143A 'The Spindoc' (Gatling gun)
-BM-13 'Katyusha' (Mini rocket launcher)
-M-286A 'Gang Banger' (The Spindoc w/ rear fire)
-C30-G8 'St. Cluster' (Grenade launcher)

Gas Guzzlers Cup (Class 3)
-Bummer 3M JTR (Starter car)
-Lord Shaggy JT 500
-Dogg Dyper
-Shaggy Python
-McCider RLS Benzen
-El Matador
-Stallion (DLC)

-SL-7 'Alzheimer' (Guided rocket launcher, only available in race modes)
-DG-16 'Party Pooper' (St. Cluster w/ rear fire)
-DV-1611 'Gun on Rails' (Laser gun)
-SD-88 'Piglet' (Intruder w/ stronger power but lower ammo)

Now that you know what each Class entails, there's a bit of a catch to the weapons.
It's great to see that both variations of a few select weapons are just single direction that also have both directional fire for each, such as the shotguns, gatling guns, and grenade launchers. BUT! There is a damage difference between both variations for those three types. And for the record...

SINGLE DIRECTIONAL WEAPONS DO MORE DAMAGE!

Yeah, you thought that the dual direction variations are better? Well maybe for being able to shoot in both directions, yes. But in terms of damage? Nope! Single direction weapons do more damage, dual directional weapons do less. May sound a bit far-fetched (not THAT Farfetch'd), but it's true!

Powerup Info + Tips & Tricks Pt. 1

Powerups are a pickup type of deal and an additional form of attacking. There are a number of pickups that do stuff. While they act the same, they function differently. Below is a list of all the power-ups that you can find in the game, as well as the best kind of information for maximum efficiency and effectiveness (I renamed them personally for simplicity's sake).

Health Restorations
These two powerups will fix your car's condition when damaged. There are two types of these pickups you'll find on the maps: 25% and 50%. The single wrench one fixes a quarter of your vehicle's condition while the cross wrenches will fix half of your car's life. These are a life saver if you need to keep running in the race or if you need to save up on repairing your car in the garage during your Campaign playthrough. Only grab these if you really need it or if someone is trying to find them.

Ammo Replenishes
When picked up, will give you a restock of ammo. You have the triple bullet pickup which replenishes 10% of your main weapon's ammo, and the ammunition box which restores 50% (but does vary depending on what your main weapon is). Always good to have ammo. Because without ammo on your main weapon, you won't be able to do much damage on anyone with just the other powerups. You better manage it well if you wanna keep the damage coming.

Money Bonuses
These things will add bonus points and money to your stash for the current ongoing race. Pretty important for Campaign mode, useless in Single Player. In Multiplayer, they're just there up for grabs for grinding up to Level 70 if you're actually really willing to go down that route. Most of the time, you'll see small money pickups. However, big money pickups will appear in certain locations on the tracks. Better get them while they're up for grabs! These pickups only appear in tracks, not arenas.

Weapon Pickups
Even the main weapons can be pickups. However, you can only find these in Arena based matches. Picking these up will not only grant you a full ammo refill, but access to that weapon until you die or the match ends. They pretty much act like a bonus ammo refill.

Nitrous Refill
Refills your Nitrous completely. Each track has a few places where the Nitrous Refill is there all the time no matter what. You can use that to perform extended Nitrous, extending your lead or shortening the distance between you and the other drivers. Never miss an opportunity to refill your nitrous!


That's it for the Replenishments, but not all the powerups. We still have the more interesting ones to cover...

~~~Double Damage~~~
Type: Enhancement
Pickup Ammo: N/A
Activation Type: Automatic
Weapon Damage: N/A
Weapon Range: N/A
Weapon Duration: Until driven over
Stagger Effect: None
Info: When active, it will multiply the damage you do to other drivers by two. It only affects your main weapon and Mines, so collision damage dealt is not affected at all. It is also temporary, meaning that you will only have this applied for a short period of time. Never miss an opportunity to do some insane damage!

-Best Use
Got a weapon that can deal heavy damage? No problem! This will make things more dangerous for your opponents to handle, so make an effort to blow them away before it runs out or you pick up another powerup.

-Evasion
Stay away from someone who has this, you are likely to get destroyed easily if they do. Keep evading their shots until they either run out of time for Double Damage or pick up another powerup. Do not give them a lot of chances to shoot you up.


~~~Mine~~~
Type: Hazard
Pickup Ammo: 1
Activation Type: Manual
Weapon Damage: Medium-Instant Kill
Weapon Range: N/A
Weapon Duration: 19 seconds
Stagger Effect: Low-Great
Info: Lay down a trap behind you so that you can damage your opponents and maybe cause them to spin out or tumble around! In Team Play, the light glowing inside corresponds to the team member who placed it down. These act as obstacles on the road and any driver unlucky enough to drive over it will suffer. Instant death in Deathmatch.

-Best Use
Lay this down in places where you know your opponent is going or directly in front of them. These are great for getting someone off your tail and need to get away. Great against someone's line of driving in races, too. Try to place these around or near pickups to trick your prey.

-Evasion
The glowing light. It's obvious. As long as you're paying attention to the road or notice the glow in time, just drive around it. It's better to not fall into an obvious trap unless it's placed in a way where you're very likely to hit it. Other than that, just don't drive over it and pay attention to the road in racing.


~~~Smoke~~~
Type: Hazard
Pickup Ammo: 1
Activation Type: Manual
Weapon Damage: N/A
Weapon Range: N/A
Weapon Duration: 3 seconds
Stagger Effect: None
Info: Unleash a field of smoke behind you in a small section of the map. The only thing they'll see is the ground when inside your smokescreen, as well as the color of your smoke. The color of your smoke corresponds to the main paint color of your car (i.e. your car has a green paint color, the smoke will also be green).

-Best Use
Against bots, this is practically useless because what the Smoke is supposed to do is to make them slow down (in my case they don't, it could actually work in yours). Even on uphill parts, the bots were still at top speed in a smokescreen. However, this is not the case against other players. When they are in the effects of the smokescreen, their car automatically slows down. Remember this well!

-Evasion
In a race, it's unlikely you will be able to avoid this. But if there's alternating paths available when the smokescreen is active, just take the path that is clear. In arena modes, just don't drive into the smoked area. Or get away if your prey unloads it onto you (no sexual pun intended).

Powerup Info + Tips & Tricks Pt. 2

~~~Oil~~~
Type: Hazard
Pickup Ammo: 1
Activation Type: Manual
Weapon Damage: N/A
Weapon Range: N/A
Weapon Duration: 19 seconds
Stagger Effect: None
Info: Make a mess on the road! Anyone who drives over it will slip and slide, losing control and causing them to hit other walls and even get forced to turn around before regaining control. An easy trap, and a big one at that.

-Best Use
Place this down right before corners to make drivers slide into walls and slow down. It's an easy way to increase the distance between you and the other players. You can do this in any corner, but the sharper corners are best since it makes other drivers take longer to get back up to speed, making them use most or all of their Nitrous so that they don't have some for later.

-Evasion
Like the Mine, it's obvious to see it. But unlike that powerup, red barrels make oil slicks when destroyed. If you're not too familiarized with the current track you're racing on, it can be rather easy to not notice a random oil slick in a place where they usually are seen. If you don't have a choice, just drive into it anyway. Keep in control and try to not hit anything while you have a loss of grip.


~~~Shield~~~
Type: Defensive
Pickup Ammo: N/A
Activation Type: Automatic
Weapon Damage: N/A
Weapon Range: N/A
Weapon Duration: 19 seconds
Stagger Effect: None
Info: A temporary shield that will make you impervious to all forms of damage, including Mines and collisions. This will slowly deplete as time passes or you take hits, making the shield wear off and disappear quicker. Will diminish instantly when driving over a Mine.

-Best Use
When you need to escape, flee from enemy fire, to find health, or stall out the enemy for a little bit. The best defense is a good offense, so be sure to pick this up when you need it. Just avoid hitting walls to maintain it for longer periods, and also try to avoid picking up other powerups like the Mine, Smoke, Oil, or whatever since picking one of those up overrides the Shield.

-Evasion
Just don't shoot at someone when they pick this up. It's best to wait for their Shield to wear off than to shoot it off them unless you have a Mine to place behind you to get rid of it quickly or a powerful main weapon to shoot it off them. With weaker weapons, ammo is precious so you'll have to wait until it wears off.


~~~Invisibility~~~
Type: Defensive
Pickup Ammo: N/A
Activation Type: Automatic
Weapon Damage: N/A
Weapon Range: N/A
Weapon Duration: 19 seconds
Stagger Effect: None
Info: The alternative to the Shield. As it says on the tin can, you turn invisible when picking this up. When active, other players cannot see you or where you are. Unlike the Shield, however, you do take any and all damage you receive. One benefit to Invisibility is that weapons cannot get rid of it quicker meaning that it lasts for as long as Double Damage once acquired and kept.

-Best Use
When you need to hide yourself from enemies, to escape, find health, or restock on ammo. Avoid using Nitrous as much as possible since the flaming tire tracks you leave behind give away your position. Your safety and hidden presence is more important than receiving damage. Use this as a surprise attack in arena modes.

-Evasion
While you are primarily unseen by enemies, it is important to know that you can barely be seen as well. That’s not all, though - you can also collide into other drivers. Just because you’re invisible doesn’t mean you can phase through objects. In races, try not to collide with other players online to avoid revealing yourself. It’ll give you trouble.


~~~Stun Grenade~~~
Type: Hazard
Pickup Ammo: 1
Activation Type: Manual
Weapon Damage: N/A
Weapon Range: N/A
Weapon Duration: 4 seconds
Stagger Effect: None
Info: Basically a Smoke as a Mine. When it goes off within other's field of view, they will be blinded temporarily for a few seconds. The place gets illuminated, sound effects get distorted, and you'll only have limited vision. If ran over, no damage will be received since the gimmick of this powerup is to blind other's vision, even if they're looking back.

-Best Use
Like with the Oil, try placing these down before corners. This will force players to slow down or just crash into the walls. Bots are completely susceptible to this and will very likely end up crashing into walls or hazards. Also like the regular Mine, try placing this down directly in front of another driver. In Arena maps, this is a great way to escape for cover.

-Evasion
If one of these is just placed down, avoid driving into it. Getting blinded isn't fun. But if you know the maps very well like the back of your hand and the speed you're going, then this powerup will be nothing against you. Expect a Stun Grenade to go off at the start of a race, even.


Knowing these powerups is vital to your overall success, especially against Impossible difficulty for the achievements. Use them well enough, and you'll pull through against them in combination with your primary weapon. There's a lot to learn with these.

Performance Upgrades

The upgrades to your car will enhance your vehicle's abilities by improving their speeds, being more resilient to firepower, and having tighter grip. A few cars you get in the game have identical stats, even with stats maxed out. Those 6 would be Rhino JTL and Micro GT for Class 1, Hound Bermude and Kaiju GTR for Class 2, and El Matador and Stallion for Class 3. Despite that, every other car is different. Here's the fill list of upgrades you'll get which will be available for each specified car...

Engine & Nitrous

Drakool - +1 Acceleration
-Available for all vehicles

Hurrycan - +1 Acceleration, +1 Top Speed
-Unavailable for Defiant Regale, Fat Ficho, Hound DX, and Bummer 3M JTR

Ultracheap - +2 Acceleration, +1 Top Speed
-Class 1: Lord Crapee
-Class 2: De Flourator CMD-21 to Fordiac Bandit
-Class 3: Shaggy Python to Stallion

Comancheap - +2 Acceleration, +2 Top Speed
-Class 1: Unavailable for all vehicles
-Class 2: Available only for Fordiac Bandit
-Class 3: McCider RLS Benzen, El Matador, and Stallion

Turban - +3 Acceleration, +2 Top Speed
-Available only for El Matador and Stallion

Nitrox - +1 Nitro
-Available for all vehicles

Methane - +2 Nitro
-Class 1: Unavailable for all vehicles
-Class 2: De Flourator CMD-21 to Fordiac Bandit
-Class 3: Unavailable for Bummer 3M JTR

Nitrometh - +3 Nitro
-Available only for El Matador and Stallion

Brakes

Jessewalt Brakes - +1 Deceleration
-Available for all vehicles

Heartbrakes - +2 Deceleration
-Class 1: Unavailable for all vehicles
-Class 2: Available for Masderati to Fordiac Bandit
-Class 3: Unavailable for Bummer 3M JTR

EyePoppers - +3 Deceleration
-Available only for El Matador and Stallion

Tires

Drava Intense - +1 Grip
-Available for all vehicles

Badday Birdie F1 - +2 Grip
-Class 1: Available only for Flag Stoyka and Lord Crapee
-Class 2: Unavailable for Hound DX
-Class 3: Unavailable for Bummer 3M JTR

Dumbho Rallysport - +3 Grip
-Class 1: Unavailable for all vehicles
-Class 2: Available for Hound Bermude, Kaiju JTR, and Fordiac Bandit
-Class 3: Available only for Shaggy Python to Stallion

Ammo

Survival Pack - +1 Load
-Available for all vehicles

Combo Pack - +2 Load
-Class 1: Available for Fowler Perkan, Flag Stoyka, and Lord Crapee
-Class 2: Unavailable for Hound DX and Luncha Penta Immorale
-Class 3: Unavailable for Bummer 3M JTR and Lord Shaggy JT 500

XXL Pack - +3 Load
-Class 1: Unavailable for all vehicles
-Class 2: Available only for Fordiac Bandit
-Class 3: Available only for El Matador and Stallion

Armor

Tincan Protect - +1 Armor
-Available for all cars

Rostfrei Deluxe - +2 Armor
-Class 1: Available only for Flag Stoyka and Lord Crapee
-Class 2: Unavailable for Hound DX and Luncha Penta Immorale
-Class 3: Unavailable for Bummer 3M JTR and Lord Shaggy JT 500

Tit-Bouncer - +3 Armor
-Class 1: Unavailable for all vehicles
-Class 2: Available only for Fordiac Bandit
-Class 3: Available for McCider RLS Benzen, El Matador, and Stallion

CHD Fencer - +4 Armor
-Available only for El Matador and Stallion


One thing to keep in mind is if you purchase the upgrade that is higher than the upgrade(s) below, you'll also acquire the lower upgrades. It's always a good idea to purchase the higher upgrade to get the stat boost you need. Just make sure you have the funds to get the one you want. I mean, you can't expect to have an easier time with only sticking to the stock stats, can you?

Remember that the price of the upgrades depend on your currently selected vehicle.

Nitro Mechanics and Powersliding

Nitro is one of the most important features to use in racing games such as this. It can be used in many ways such as increasing the velocity of your ramming, thus building damage. You can earn it by ramming into other drivers, destroying track scenery, handbrake powersliding, getting air off jumps, and killing other players for a full refill. You can get a nice chunk of nitrous by driving into explosive barrels. Yes, it may damage your car, but does that matter much when the race itself matters more?

As mentioned in the game modes section, you can find nitro refills in races during almost all game modes (Classic Race, Destruction Derby, and Domination Derby are the only modes where you don't get pickups). Nitro is best effective for catching up to the other racers in races, but you can also earn nitro while using it as well.

Now powersliding is done by using your handbrake. But in trying to do so, your car slowly loses its speed. But, you can use nitro as you do it. I advise only powersliding in race events because it's not that important to do in arenas. Plus, you can find nitro refills on the field anyway. How good you can powerslide depends on the vehicle's handling; if it has very mobile steering, then it'll benefit more from powersliding in harder corners. But if the car doesn't turn that well, then it is best to do it inside lighter corners and only use the regular brakes to turn faster in harder corners.

Remember this, too: braking to turn your car faster in harder turns is more beneficial while the handbrake is more effective on lighter bends. This is important to learn for the race events on Impossible difficulty if you plan to go after the achievements or just want a decent enough challenge, so learn how to use it once you get familiarized with the game's courses.

CAMPAIGN MODE

Campaign is obviously the main game mode, so you'll want to head here to unlock stuff. You earn money, win in the top 3, get new tracks, cars, weapons, apply upgrades, and even customize your rides with pre-made vinyls and different rims. There's quite a solid amount of content to unlock here. Here's what you'll get when you win an event with certain placings (which is also dependent on the car you're using, based on the amount of upgrades it has):

(T/W/C = Track, Weapon, or Car (you can only get one of these rewards))

	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th
T/W/C	1	1	1	0	0	0
Upgrades	2	2	1	1	0	0
Stickers	1	1	1	1	1	1
Rims	1	1	1	1	1	0

THESE NUMBERS ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE, SO PLEASE BEAR WITH ME

Now in order to advance, you'll need to finish in at least 3rd or higher in the different game modes. In doing so, you'll get points, money, and new unlocks depending on your finishing position. Although you only get points in the top 3 finishing positions. Of course, the higher the placing, the more points and money you'll earn. Got 4th-8th place? Too bad, you gotta get a better outcome the next race to proceed!

You start out with three race modes: Power, Battle, and Knockout. When you win the Fenderbender Cup, you'll be able to play the Last Man Standing mode. When you win the Hazard Junkies Cup, you'll unlock the Deathmatch game mode. These three cups require you to be at the top of the scoreboard in the garage in order to be able to participate in the Tournament for that cup for a small fee. And if you finish in the top 3, you'll unlock a new car for the next cup. If your car is heavily damaged by the time you pay up, 33% of its condition will be restored to give you a bit of help.

Ideally, you should always go for 1st place anyway so that you can earn the most cash and unlock content faster. Especially when you pick up a sponsor that you need to maintain. Because Sponsors multiply the cash you'd get from races. Try to aim for the bigger cash rewards, as things do get rather expensive and you'll have to do a bit of grinding to get what you're after.

While we're on the subject of sponsors, there's 6 different sponsors you can get, but you can only apply one of them the whole time. Once you acquire a single sponsor, you have it. Keep on winning, and you'll eventually attract a rival sponsor that will take the place of your current one and give you even more cash! But if you lose just one time, your sponsor will leave you and you'll have to get it back by winning consecutively again.

Sponsors you'll get are:
-Mighty C0ck (a parody of Monster Energy, intentional typo it because it's censored normally)
-Buttwasser (a vulgarized version of Budweiser)
-Happy Smokes (a parody of Lucky Strike cigarettes)
-Rednecks Funerals Inc. (a western rusty livery)
-Search'N'Destroy (police livery with a custom siren horn)
-Military (camouflage paint)

Also make sure to get as many points as possible since they contribute to your cash reward total. Money pickups are the easiest to bag points. Destroying scenery, getting Mine hits, Stun bonuses, and getting kills and other actions will grant you points. If you're short on cash, try to speed up the process by performing these tasks during your racing.

Aside from your finishing position and bagging points, there's another way to earn extra cash for your troubles. Every event you play has a few associated Bonus Objectives to complete in addition to winning races. A Bonus Objective can be something like getting a Mine kill, finishing with more than half health, or using Smokes on a certain number of opponents.

You will see the list of Bonus Objectives when highlighting an event. Each objective has a fixed exact cash reward that you will be given when you complete them. The cash rewards are given to you, depending on the vehicle class you're in:
Class 1: $500-1500
Class 2: $1500-4500
Class 3: $4000-12000

Completing Bonus Objectives earns you extra cash, given to you in total for your winnings after each race which will gradually boost your amount up. This is great if you are in need of it badly, so try to get them done as much as possible.

But also remember that Bonus Objectives are completely optional - you can choose to ignore them and simply race or fight your way to the top. But if you take on and complete the Bonus Objectives, you'll earn money faster than ever!

Multiplayer, the best part about the game

Playing by yourself is fine and all. But to really make it big, you'll need to hit up the multiplayer mode, only exclusive to this version of the game! How we interact depends on the conditions; lots of groups started out as friends playing together for fun and not on a competitive scale. On the other hand, a few of those groups ended up as a group of ex-friends endlessly trying to compete against each other and trash talkin' about them in text or voice chat.

There's no rule for how to change up your friendship in the game, that's all on you. But I can at least give you the details for Multiplayer.

Now if you ask me, Multiplayer is the best feature about this game! The only problem you'll run into is that you'll have to search for the folder that has the Dedicated Server Launcher. For that reason, you'll want to right-click on the game in the Library tab of the Steam window, go to Manage, and then to 'Browse Local Files'. The File Explorer window will open up. Selecting either Bin folder will have the Dedicated Server Launcher. It's the one with the usual black and white Gas Guzzlers icon. Using the linked guide at the top, you should be able to set up the multiplayer nice and smoothly.

While you can play with other people online, you are also able to play with bots if you're just here for achievement boosting yourself. We'll go over those later. I mean, playing with bots in Multiplayer kinda defeats the purpose of actually playing the game with friends unless you're against that kind of deal. You can also distinguish players and bots easily (note the robotic head icon next to them). You know, what's a good multiplayer game when you don't have friends who have it?

Aside from that last bit, Multiplayer is good fun and trying to set it up can be a little iffy for your first time. As long as you apply the mandatory settings that were shown in the guide at the top of this one for the Port and Sync Rate, you can mess with pretty much everything else to your heart's content. Every part of the Multiplayer setup is also explained in the manual that comes with the game, so please read into that if you're unsure about something for the Dedicated Server Launcher. Pages 26-28 tell you this, so please take note of that.

Also there's a chance that there will be no games listed when you first open the Multiplayer menu. If this happens, just simply refresh the list to see the only server that's public. And, if you already launched it, your own server as well. Keep in mind what you named it if you changed it from the usual "GGE dedicated server" name.

Before you join a lobby, you are also able to change your in-game Options and even make your own Presets by customizing your cars. I'm not sure if your progress of owning all the cars is carried over from the Campaign mode. Please let me know whether or not that's the case. Either way, the customization is the same as in Campaign, you just don't have upgrades here. But you can apply one of the 6 sponsor decals here instead of earning them naturally. While those liveries can't have their colors changed, you can still change the primary color of your car.

NOTE: This next part will go into more detail about the voting that is shown in the FAQ guide above.

You can vote on stuff like changing game modes, tracks, team play, and amount of laps for racing. You'll "vote" on it upon selection, which will immediately change if you're the only player in the lobby. If there are other players in the room with you, they must also vote. Whichever vote gets the most will result in the change happening or nothing will happen at all. There's also a small timer of when you can vote. If nobody votes in time, you'll need to try it again. With the keyboard controls, F1 and F2 are the default for voting Yes and No, respectively.

Remember that if you're using a controller, the default button for voting isn't automatically assigned. So please be sure to assign those to two buttons that you feel most comfortable using.

Multiplayer Rankings & Experience Points

In lobbies, you'll see some numbers next to your profile name and other player's names. This is a ranking system, but it's more points accumulation based instead of like a win/loss ratio or a rating system. Thankfully that is all completely optional and not necessary to get achievements because there aren't any achievements tied to Multiplayer rankings. I find it pointless personally, but if you're willing to get to Level 70, which requires 3.8 MILLION points in total to get to, then you're gonna have to play a loooooootta long Tournaments!

During a Tournament, you will only acquire points when finishing the last round. Any points you accumulated throughout a Tournament will depend on how much you can do such as kills, winning podiums, being on the winning team, etc.


Multiplayer is for everyone, whether they wanna play casually or competitive. It's a blast especially if you have 7 other people who play it!

Impossible - You will not survive, nor win

So, you curious about what Impossible difficulty is all about? It is the sixth and highest difficulty level the game can be played at. Impossible difficulty is just like Extreme, only with the firepower and rubberbanding AI pushed to the max. It's like facing highly skilled players, but in Single Player. The fastest bots around with the most deadly firepower they could possibly have! And no, you're not gonna get killed in one shot, there's no such thing as that in the game (aside from Mines in Deathmatch).

Make no mistake - Impossible difficulty is really, really difficult.

There are a small handful of achievements that revolve around Impossible difficulty, so you're gonna have to be very experienced with the game to tackle this difficulty. You'll need to be a very good driver to be able to do well in racing and try to be as strategic and surgically careful in Arena modes.

Q: Do I need to have godlike skills to beat Impossible difficulty?
A: Not necessarily. The difficulty's only annoying factor is the rubberband AI in racing and the supreme power you'll face in Arena modes. You have to play smart.

You have to find the best driving route to keep your Nitrous and manage it well. Don't use it all up constantly, use the handbrake in corners that are the best for the current car you're driving to gain Nitrous. With the Powerup Info + Tips & Tricks sections, you'll be able to utilize the tips explained in those sections to be able to conquer Impossible difficulty.

The car you're driving also matters more. The higher tiered the car is in a class, the easier it'll get when you face the AI in the same class (i.e. the fastest car in Class 1). Just make sure you drive well with the highest performing car there because the rubberbanding becomes a threat.

Try playing on Hard or Extreme until you are used to the amount of damage opponents do to you. You can also try to experiment the handbrake while playing too. If you can't seem to get it down with a highly mobile car, try doing this at higher speeds and lighter corners. The devs say that cars that turn sharper benefit more from this.

Using a weapon that have a good staggering effect such as the shotgun, rocket launchers, and grenade launchers will make opponents wipe out and likely tumble around if you can get some consecutive hits in. Be sure to manage your ammo well enough and pick up refills along the way. Got none in your current weapon on this difficulty? You're likely not gonna be able to do much of anything against them at all.


Don't be too concerned about this difficulty if you're just starting out. It's better to learn the game on lower difficulties than to go through lots of trial and error in higher ones. With time, you'll be able to handle Impossible difficulty once you get a feel for the game's mechanics inside and out.

The Glitchy Achievements

I know you probably won't care about the achievements in this game, but there are people out there who prefer to complete the achievement list for games, both for this game specifically and games in general. I'd also like to say that I'm one of those, kind of... So if you ever thought of completing this game, it's nothing like Call of Duty where you have to complete the Campaign on Veteran (or even REALISTIC, eugh! Good thing I don't bother with CoD's Campaign mode at all anymore), do some Multiplayer and the Zombies mode...

...okay, it technically is like that, but not as frustrating considering that this is a car game. And cars take a lot more punishment than actual human beings just like in real life, so you don't have to be worried about getting killed in like two or three hits (unless you're like incredibly close to a shotgun user, then that will kill you very easily). And since the majority of the achievements are self-explanatory and relatively easy to get, there's no point in listing them.

However, not every achievement will be given even after completing the requirement that is needed to get it. This game has a few buggy achievements that won't unlock after the first attempt trying to get them. Hence the title of this section, I will be going over the achievements that are known to be buggy so that you know beforehand if you're willing to go after them.

It's important that you make backups of your saves to make faster progress, as you don't want to make another profile and go through all the trouble of attempting the achievements again. That is pain.


Brand New - Complete a single race in any racing game mode without being damaged
When I first was going for this one in particular, I kept on doing Quick Race mode to try and get it. But apparently, it wasn't unlocking. After numerous attempts at doing this in a solo race in Quick Race, I decided to hit up the Campaign mode to try and get it. I advise Beginner difficulty because you can outrun the AI once you've acquired a faster car. When the race finishes without getting a single percentage of damage, it should pop up. So the description is a bit misleading.


Pacifist - In singleplayer game mode, paint your car in white color and complete any cup without firing a single shot on impossible difficulty
This one is painful to do. Not only do you have to do an entire cup playthrough, but it's Impossible difficulty, which complicates things. As someone who got this achievement recently, I can lay down a few important things to keep in mind when going for this achievement.

-For some reason, this achievement does not unlock when qualifying for the Fenderbender Cup. When I tried this again in the Hazard Junkies Cup, it did indeed pop. So it just doesn't work in the Fenderbender Cup, though I have seen a few saying that they did get it after the Fenderbender Cup. If someone out there could try this out for said cup and obtain it, please let me know if it does work.

-You can sell previously owned cars to get the higher performing ones. I mean, selling the cars doesn't affect the achievement itself because... that's silly to think of. As long as the body is painted white before doing a race and you don't apply any stickers, including the sponsor ones, this won't affect your chances at going for the achievement.

-You can use powerups and still get it, it's just your main weapon that you can't fire if you do go for the Battle and Knockout Races. Additionally, you only need to QUALIFY for the cup in order for it to pop. The achievement description is misleading, so remember to keep in mind that qualification is what matters most, not playing the actual cup itself.

Good luck going for this if you choose to! Hard achievement!


Dead Couple - In any multiplayer race kill 2 opponents and finish first
Set the bots to Impossible difficulty and make sure that they have a Class 1 car such as the Defiant Regale, Fat Ficho, etc. Remember, it has to be in Multiplayer, not Quick Race or Campaign. Use the Pump Daddy shotgun since it's perhaps the best gun for harassing or the St. Cluster grenade launcher if you want to have explosive fun. Set Respawn in Battle Race to off and get the kills before they do. It's best you go for this with the amount of bots listed for an easier time.


I want you! - In multiplayer last man standing game mode kill 3+ opponents and win the event
This one can be a bit troublesome since you need to keep the bots on Impossible difficulty, but need to be in Last Man Standing. I recommend that you get the weaker AI bots like the above achievement so that they have weaker armor. When you start, find the weapons that you are most familiar with and blow them away, as long as you kill at least 3 opponents. May take a couple tries.


It's a power - Qualify for any cup in the singleplayer mode on impossible difficulty by playing only power races
Feed me MORE! - Qualify for any cup in singleplayer on impossible difficulty by playing only battle and knockout races
These two are also in the same boat as Pacifist, but I was fortunate enough to have them pop up on the first try. Heck, the Power Race one popped up when I was trying to go for the Pacifist achievement in the Fenderbender Cup. And after I got Pacifist, I went for the Battle/Knockout Race one and got that first try. So I dunno what to tell you other than if you can, try to go for Pacifist while going for these two. Focus on either one at a time and if they don't pop up on the Fenderbender Cup, you can always try going for the other in the Hazard Junkies Cup if you want.


Gas Guzzlers Champion - Complete all achievements
Yes, even the achievement that's supposed to be the Platinum Trophy is glitchy. Once you've obtained your last achievement, this should be awarded as well. If it doesn't (and it most likely won't afterwards anyway), then try completing a single lap race in Quick Race. If that fails, then perform Verify integrity of game files. After that, do another single lap race and it should unlock.


Hopefully with everything I've said being helpful in great detail, you'll be able to get these specific achievements without having to go through too much trouble. With that said, here's a guide to more achievements you may not understand how to get:

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1622592821

End of Guide + Update History

With all the stuff above explained in my own words and the basic tips I've given, you should be able to have a decent amount of skill and knowledge about Gas Guzzlers Extreme. If you have any other questions or anything that needs to be pointed out, shoot in the comments! I am always open to improvements in my work and it's greatly appreciated!

Update History

5/3/23 - Guide published on Steam

What's to come next...
-Uploading images and pictures to certain sections
-Rewording things to make things look and sound easier to follow


Good day, everyone!

[Tigre feroz 2012]

Thanks for this guide. It's very useful and helping me know what to expect if I buy the game.