FlatOut

Not to be confused with Fallout.

FlatOut
FlatOut	2004
FlatOut 2	2006
FlatOut: Ultimate Carnage	2008
FlatOut 3: Chaos & Destruction	2011
FlatOut 4: Total Insanity	2017

FlatOut is a singleplayer and multiplayer first-person and third-person action, racing, tricks and vehicle combat game in the FlatOut series.

GameSpy multiplayer was planned for the PC version, but was not released. There are mentions of GameSpy for the PC version in patch 1.2.

Since January 2023, the Zoom Platform version has been continuously updated with bug fixes, improved widescreen support, localizations and extras.^[2]^[3]^[4]^[5]^[6] The Steam and Epic Games Store versions were updated in July 2024 to match the Zoom Platform release, with the exception of the exclusive extras.^[7]

General information

GOG.com Community Discussions for game series

GOG.com Support Page

Steam Community Discussions

Availability

Source	DRM	Notes	Keys	OS
Retail		US: SecuROM 7 DRM (v1.2) Europe/Russia/CIS: StarForce 4 DRM^{[Note 1]} (v1.0/v1.1)
Retail		Polish and Czech release. (v1.1)
Publisher website		v1.0
Epic Games Store		v1.1 with additional tweaks
GamersGate

GOG.com		v1.1^[10]
Green Man Gaming
Humble Store
Steam		v1.1 with additional tweaks
ZOOM Platform		Super Digital Deluxe Edition (v1.1 with additional tweaks)
Publisher website		Russia, CIS.

StarForce DRM for this game does not work on modern versions of Windows (see above for affected releases).

Demo

A free demo is available on Archive.org (mirrors: ModDB, Nvidia.com (archived), AusGamers, CNET, Softpedia); see also retro demo.

Version differences

The Zoom Platform-exclusive Super Digital Deluxe Edition has exclusive extras. It initially had exclusive fixes for the game before the Steam version was synchronized with it in July 2024.

GOG version has problems with textures and crashes in multiplayer.^[11]

Essential improvements

Patches

Retail: Custom v1.1 Retail Patch

Access the launcher

Use the `-setup` command line argument (Windows)^[12]

Modify `start.sh` (Linux)^{[citation needed]}
Open `<path-to-game>\start.sh`. Look for `default() {` and change the lower line `run_game` to `run_settings`.

Skip intro videos

Delete/rename video files^[13]

Go to <path-to-game>\data.
Delete or rename video.

Notes

Doesn't work with the Steam version since all game files are packed.

Use ZolikaPatch^[12]

ZolikaPatch

Adds borderless windowed, fixes the HUD and FOV on widescreen resolutions, remove the FPS cap and forced V-sync, and more.

The patch files included with the mod (flatout.exe, patch.ini and patch1.bfs) are obsolete since they are included with the digital versions currently. However, for the GOG version you should use the patch's executable but skip the INI and BFS files.

Uncapping the frame rate can cause minor issues with car engine sounds. Very high frame rate makes car deform more easily.

Game data

Configuration file(s) location

System	Location
Windows	<path-to-game>\Savegame\^{[Note 2]}
Linux
Steam Play (Linux)	<SteamLibrary-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/6220/pfx/^{[Note 3]}

It's unknown whether this game follows the XDG Base Directory Specification on Linux. Please fill in this information.

Save game data location

System	Location
Windows	<path-to-game>\Savegame\^{[Note 2]}
Linux
Steam Play (Linux)	<SteamLibrary-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/6220/pfx/^{[Note 3]}

Save game cloud syncing

System	Native	Notes
Epic Games Launcher
GOG Galaxy
Steam Cloud

Video

Game's launcher.

Video settings.

Graphics feature	WSGF	Notes
Widescreen resolution		Native in Zoom Platform, Steam and Epic Games Store releases. Use ZolikaPatch for others.
Multi-monitor		Use ZolikaPatch.
Ultra-widescreen		Native in Zoom Platform, Steam and Epic Games Store releases. Use ZolikaPatch for others.
4K Ultra HD		Native in Zoom Platform, Steam and Epic Games Store releases. Use ZolikaPatch for others.
Field of view (FOV)
Windowed	Use d3d9-wrapper. Change options in `d3d9.ini`
Borderless fullscreen windowed	Use d3d9-wrapper. Change options in `d3d9.ini`
Anisotropic filtering (AF)
Anti-aliasing (AA)
High-fidelity upscaling	See the glossary page for potential workarounds.
Vertical sync (Vsync)	Use ZolikaPatch to disable it.
60 FPS	Frame rate is cut in half when slow motion is used.
120+ FPS	Frame rate is capped at 100 FPS. Use ZolikaPatch to remove the cap outside menus.
High dynamic range display (HDR)	See the glossary page for potential alternatives.
Color blind mode	See the glossary page for potential workarounds.

Input

Input settings.

Controls mapping.

Keyboard and mouse	State	Notes
Remapping
Mouse sensitivity
Mouse acceleration		No mouse support.
Mouse input in menus
Keyboard and mouse prompts
Mouse Y-axis inversion
Controller
Controller support		Button bound to Handbrake works as Select, Nitro works as Back.
Full controller support
Controller remapping
Controller sensitivity
Controller Y-axis inversion

Controller types

XInput-compatible controllers		Zoom Platform, Steam and Epic Games Store versions only.
Xbox button prompts
Impulse Trigger support

DirectInput-compatible controllers

PlayStation controllers		Zoom Platform, Steam and Epic Games Store versions only.
PlayStation button prompts		Zoom Platform, Steam and Epic Games Store versions only.
Motion sensors support
Light bar support
Adaptive trigger support
DualSense haptic feedback support
Connection modes

Nintendo controllers

Other controller(s)		Supports TouchSense-compatible controllers like the Logitech F710 (in DirectInput mode).
Additional button prompts		Zoom Platform, Steam and Epic Games Store versions only.

Additional information
Button Prompts
Controller hotplugging
Input prompt override
Haptic feedback		TouchSense-compatible controllers. For XInput controllers see XInput force feedback vibration in DirectInput games.
Simultaneous controller+KB/M		In menus, Controller and KB/M can be used at the same time. Controller used for races has to be set in the settings.

Audio

Audio settings.

Audio feature	State	Notes
Separate volume controls		Menu music, In-game music, Effects.
Surround sound		Up to 5.1. Up to 7.0 output with DirectSound3D restoration software.
Subtitles
Closed captions
Mute on focus lost
EAX support		DirectSound3D.^[14] Select Hardware 3D in launcher.
Royalty free audio		The game uses licensed songs with no option to change to other songs

The song Whitmore - Nine Bar Blues is disabled in the US release.

Localizations

Language	UI	Audio	Sub	Notes
English
Simplified Chinese				Retail, Steam and ZOOM Platform only.
Traditional Chinese				Retail, Steam and ZOOM Platform only.
Czech				Retail, Steam and ZOOM Platform only; download for GOG.com release
French
German				Retail, Steam and ZOOM Platform only; download for GOG.com release.
Hungarian				ZOOM Platform only.
Indonesian				Fan translation by IGTC Team, Download MOD.
Italian
Polish				Steam and ZOOM Platform only.
Polish				Fan translation, download.
Brazilian Portuguese				Fan translation by Central de Traduções; download.
Russian				Retail, Steam and Zoom Platform only; download for GOG.com release.
Spanish
Ukrainian				Fan translation, download.

Network

Multiplayer types

Type	Players	Notes
Local play	4	Hot seat Bonus Rag-Doll Sports Mode, but missing split screen.
LAN play	8
Online play	8	US console version. After patch applied, GOG version supported on GameRanger.

VR support

3D modes	State	Notes
vorpX		G3D Officially supported game, see official vorpx game list.

Issues fixed

Steam version fails to start

Game process is opened in background but window doesn't appear.

Use dgVoodoo^[15]
Go to the installation folder. Delete `d3d9.dll`, `dxwrapper.dll`, and `dxwrapper.ini`. Download dgVoodoo. Copy `dgVoodoo.conf`, `dgVoodooCpl.exe`, and `d3d9.dll` (from `MS`) to the installation folder. Change options in `dgVoodooCpl.exe` if needed.

Resolution resets to 4:3 or other graphics issues

Delete Savegame/device.cfg^[16]
Go into `Savegame` in the installation folder. Delete `device.cfg`.

"Access Denied - Please login with administrator privileges and try again" error on launch

Install the v1.1 patch^{[citation needed]}

Missing car texture in some races (GOG.com)

Install this fix^{[citation needed]}

LAN multiplayer crashes when hosting a game (GOG.com)

Install the v1.1 patch^[17]

Other information

API

Technical specs	Supported	Notes
Direct3D	9.0c

Executable	32-bit	64-bit	Notes
Windows
Linux			Via Wine.

Middleware

	Middleware	Notes
Physics	Havok Physics
Audio	DirectSound3D, FMOD

System requirements

Windows
	Minimum	Recommended
Operating system (OS)	98, ME	2000, XP
Processor (CPU)	Intel Pentium 4 1.5 GHz AMD Athlon XP 1500+	Intel Pentium 4 2.0 GHz AMD Athlon XP 2000+
System memory (RAM)	256 MB	512 MB
Storage drive (HDD/SSD)	1.1 GB
Video card (GPU)	64 MB of VRAM DirectX 9.0c compatible	128 MB of VRAM

Notes

↑ Version 4.0 of StarForce DRM does not work on Windows 8.1, Windows 10, or Windows 11.^[8]^[9] For supported versions of Windows the StarForce driver may need to be updated manually using SFUPDATE.
↑ ^2.0 ^2.1 When running this game without elevated privileges (Run as administrator option), write operations against a location below %PROGRAMFILES%, %PROGRAMDATA%, or %WINDIR% might be redirected to %LOCALAPPDATA%\VirtualStore on Windows Vista and later (more details).
↑ ^3.0 ^3.1
Notes regarding Steam Play (Linux) data:
- File/folder structure within this directory reflects the path(s) listed for Windows and/or Steam game data.
- Games with Steam Cloud support may also store data in ~/.steam/steam/userdata/<user-id>/6220/.
- Use Wine's registry editor to access any Windows registry paths.
- The app ID (6220) may differ in some cases.
- Treat backslashes as forward slashes.
- See the glossary page for details on Windows data paths.

References

↑ GOG.com Now Supports Linux! - July 24, 2014 - last accessed on May 2023

↑ Update 1.1 - ZOOM Platform Discord - last accessed on 2023-04-06

"FlatOut: - Updated to Game Version 1.1. - Various bug fixes. - Added German and Russian localization. - All languages now in single installer.
"

↑ Update 1.2 - ZOOM Platform Discord - last accessed on 2023-04-06

"FlatOut: - Updated Installer to Version 1.2. - Added French, Italian and Spanish Manuals. Special Thanks to @SRDLINE | ZOOM!
"

↑ Update 1.3 - ZOOM Platform Discord - last accessed on 2023-04-06

"FlatOut: - Added Czech, Polish and Hungarian localizations, alongside some fixes.
"

↑ Update 1.4 - ZOOM Platform Discord - last accessed on 2023-04-06

"FlatOut: - Fixed Installer issues for some languages, added final localization fixes.
"

↑ Update 1.5 - ZOOM Platform Discord - last accessed on 2023-04-06

"FlatOut: Super Digital Deluxe Edition: - Updated to ZOOM Version 1.5. - All languages besides Russian are now selectable via the launcher. Russian uses its own executable. - Fixed a GPU load issue that was sometimes caused by opening the credits menu.
"

↑ FlatOut - Steam Deck ✅, Workshop 🔧 and more! - Steam News - last accessed on 2024-07-26
↑ Windows 8.1 support - StarForce Support
↑ Windows 10 support - StarForce Support
↑ Verified by User:AlexKVideos1 on 2024-03-11
Although the files are unpacked, I verified it's the 1.1 version. The patch notes text file is in the game folder, ragdolls can be turned on / off, and destruction derby can be played in multiplayer.
↑ Verified by User:Mrtnptrs on 2023-04-06
Source would be nice to inform others about its severity.
↑ ^12.0 ^12.1 Verified by User:Nessy on 2022-03-19
↑ Verified by User:Keith on 2024-07-21
↑ FlatOut with 3D spatial sound 🎧 (OpenAL Soft HRTF audio) - last accessed on 9 June 2023
↑ Verified by User:Keith on 2024-07-22
↑ Fix for resolution resetting to 4:3 or other graphics issues. :: FlatOut General Discussions - last accessed on 2025-08-31
↑ Flatout 1 Multiplayer crashes - gog.com Forum - last accessed on 2025-04-22

[10] Version 4.0 of StarForce DRM does not work on Windows 8.1, Windows 10, or Windows 11.^[8]^[9] For supported versions of Windows the StarForce driver may need to be updated manually using SFUPDATE.

[gamedir-15] 2.0 ^2.1 When running this game without elevated privileges (Run as administrator option), write operations against a location below %PROGRAMFILES%, %PROGRAMDATA%, or %WINDIR% might be redirected to %LOCALAPPDATA%\VirtualStore on Windows Vista and later (more details).

[Proton_path_note-16] 3.0 ^3.1 Notes regarding Steam Play (Linux) data:
File/folder structure within this directory reflects the path(s) listed for Windows and/or Steam game data.
Games with Steam Cloud support may also store data in ~/.steam/steam/userdata/<user-id>/6220/.
Use Wine's registry editor to access any Windows registry paths.
The app ID (6220) may differ in some cases.
Treat backslashes as forward slashes.
See the glossary page for details on Windows data paths.

[4] File/folder structure within this directory reflects the path(s) listed for Windows and/or Steam game data.

[5] Games with Steam Cloud support may also store data in ~/.steam/steam/userdata/<user-id>/6220/.

[6] Use Wine's registry editor to access any Windows registry paths.

[7] The app ID (6220) may differ in some cases.

[8] Treat backslashes as forward slashes.

[9] See the glossary page for details on Windows data paths.

[1] GOG.com Now Supports Linux! - July 24, 2014 - last accessed on May 2023

[2] Update 1.1 - ZOOM Platform Discord - last accessed on 2023-04-06
"FlatOut: - Updated to Game Version 1.1. - Various bug fixes. - Added German and Russian localization. - All languages now in single installer.
"

[3] Update 1.2 - ZOOM Platform Discord - last accessed on 2023-04-06
"FlatOut: - Updated Installer to Version 1.2. - Added French, Italian and Spanish Manuals. Special Thanks to @SRDLINE | ZOOM!
"

[4] Update 1.3 - ZOOM Platform Discord - last accessed on 2023-04-06
"FlatOut: - Added Czech, Polish and Hungarian localizations, alongside some fixes.
"

[5] Update 1.4 - ZOOM Platform Discord - last accessed on 2023-04-06
"FlatOut: - Fixed Installer issues for some languages, added final localization fixes.
"

[update1.5-6] Update 1.5 - ZOOM Platform Discord - last accessed on 2023-04-06
"FlatOut: Super Digital Deluxe Edition: - Updated to ZOOM Version 1.5. - All languages besides Russian are now selectable via the launcher. Russian uses its own executable. - Fixed a GPU load issue that was sometimes caused by opening the credits menu.
"

[7] FlatOut - Steam Deck ✅, Workshop 🔧 and more! - Steam News - last accessed on 2024-07-26

[StarForce_Windows_8.1-8] Windows 8.1 support - StarForce Support

[StarForce_Windows_10-9] Windows 10 support - StarForce Support

[11] Verified by User:AlexKVideos1 on 2024-03-11
Although the files are unpacked, I verified it's the 1.1 version. The patch notes text file is in the game folder, ragdolls can be turned on / off, and destruction derby can be played in multiplayer.

[12] Verified by User:Mrtnptrs on 2023-04-06
Source would be nice to inform others about its severity.

[2022-03-19-13] 12.0 ^12.1 Verified by User:Nessy on 2022-03-19

[14] Verified by User:Keith on 2024-07-21

[17] FlatOut with 3D spatial sound 🎧 (OpenAL Soft HRTF audio) - last accessed on 9 June 2023

[18] Verified by User:Keith on 2024-07-22

[19] Fix for resolution resetting to 4:3 or other graphics issues. :: FlatOut General Discussions - last accessed on 2025-08-31

[20] Flatout 1 Multiplayer crashes - gog.com Forum - last accessed on 2025-04-22

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[Note 1]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[Note 2]

[Note 3]

[14]

[15]

[16]

[17]

[8]

[9]

Developers

	Bugbear Entertainment
Updates since 2023	Jordan Freeman Group
Publishers
Retail (Europe)	Empire Interactive
Retail (Russia/CIS)	Buka Entertainment
Retail (North America)	Vivendi Universal Games
Retail (Italy/Spain)	FX Interactive
Digital	Strategy First
Engines
	ROMU Engine
Release dates
Windows	November 5, 2004
Linux (Wine)	July 24, 2014^[1]
Reception
Metacritic	72
Taxonomy
Monetization	One-time game purchase
Microtransactions	None
Modes	Singleplayer, Multiplayer
Pacing	Real-time
Perspectives	First-person, Third-person
Controls	Direct control
Genres	Action, Racing, Tricks, Vehicle combat
Vehicles	Automobile, Off-roading, Track racing
Art styles	Realistic
Themes	Contemporary
Series	FlatOut