Platforms, pricing and Xbox integration
The Xbox listing labels the release a "Game Preview" and names several ways to play.
- It lists Xbox Series X|S, PC, Xbox Cloud Gaming and handheld.
- The game is single player and optimized for Xbox Series X|S. It supports Xbox achievements, Xbox cloud saves and Xbox Play Anywhere.
- Cloud play needs an Xbox Game Pass Essential, Premium or Ultimate subscription, and you must also buy the game. Game Pass doesn't include it.
On price, the US Xbox listing shows $29.99. The Australian storefront starts at AU$44.95. It also lists a Founders Edition at AU$52.45, which bundles the game with Paint Jobs Pack No. 1. That pack is sold separately for AU$7.45. Complete Xbox reports prices of $29.99, £24.24, €29.99 and AU$44.95. I could only confirm the US and Australian amounts against Xbox's own pages. Treat the pound and euro figures as publisher-reported.
For PC players, Play Anywhere should mean one purchase covers Xbox consoles and Windows. Cloud saves should carry progress between them. That is the usual behaviour of the Play Anywhere label, but nobody has tested it with this game yet. Check which storefront you buy from first. The Epic version is a separate store arrangement, and nothing I reviewed says its saves sync with Xbox.
What's playable now
The developer's Epic FAQ sets out the scope of the build more precisely than the launch coverage does.
- Map: The Early Access version covers the Eyre Peninsula with nine towns.
- Vehicles: one player-owned truck, plus truck upgrades.
- Base: the first two upgrades for your base.
- Hands-on tasks: refuel manually, connect trailers and handle their equipment outside the cab.
- Contracts: repeatable deliveries come in two types. One is full trailers. The other is individual cargo loads on your own flat-top trailer.
- Story: the first two story missions.
The developer says the main handcrafted content takes about three hours. It says repeatable contracts add dozens more. It also says it knows of no widespread critical crashes, though some bugs may occur. That is the studio's own report, not independent testing.
Road trains aren't in yet
The store pages promote road trains and Outback routes, which could mislead buyers. The publisher's press release says drivable road trains are planned for a future update and are not in the initial Early Access release. Expect a single truck on one regional map for now.
Roadmap and Early Access caveats
The FAQ lists the developer's priorities.
- Two more trucks are already in development.
- Map expansion is planned, with new roads from Port Augusta to Marla and along the Hawker–Marree–Marla route.
- Other planned additions are more cargo, trailers and hands-on interactions, further base upgrades, and traffic violations and fines.
The developer estimates Early Access will last about a year, possibly longer. It aims to ship hotfixes as soon as they're ready, smaller updates roughly monthly and major updates roughly every three months. It says all of these schedules may change.
Buyers should note three things:
- Updates are free. The developer says a purchase covers the rest of Early Access and the full release, including version 1.0.
- Saves may reset. The studio will try to preserve them, but some major updates may require a new game.
- Final pricing is undecided. The price could change at full release.
Controls and feedback
The game supports keyboard and mouse, gamepads and steering wheels. The FAQ names Logitech, Thrustmaster, Fanatec, Moza and Simucube. It lists customizable controls, a wheel setup wizard and force feedback. It warns that compatibility varies by device. Feedback goes through Discord or an in-game form.
The demo figure
The First Haul demo has passed 1.2 million downloads on the Xbox Store, according to the publisher. Complete Xbox repeats the claim, as do other outlets. It comes from the publisher's press material, so read it as marketing. It does show there was demand for the demo.
Bottom line
This is a modest but clearly bounded Early Access launch. If you want a hands-on trucking sim on Xbox or a Windows PC, you get one truck, nine towns and a few hours of authored content, with a roadmap behind it. If you want road trains, wait for the update. Anyone who cares about saves should also hold off, since the developer has said resets are possible.