MadOut 2: Grand Auto Racing

Review by eFreeware

MadOut 2: Grand Auto Racing is a free open-world crime game from MadOut Games LLC FZ, listed under Racing and rated Mature 17+. It has been on Google Play since May 2017 and has passed 100 million installs, with a 4.3 average from more than 1.2 million ratings. The premise is simple to state: a big city, fast cars, jobs on the wrong side of the law, and a lot of other players in the same world.

What makes it worth a look is the combination rather than any single piece. It mixes sandbox, shooter and racing, with more than 30 story missions, over 70 cars, character creation and multiplayer sessions that can hold up to 200 players. That is a broad package for something you can download at no cost, and it explains why the install numbers are what they are.

The trade-offs are visible before you install. It is free with ads and in-app purchases, and the mature rating signals that the crime theme is not softened. I would treat it as a game for adults who want an open city to drive, fight and build a reputation in, and who are comfortable with the way free-to-play titles usually work.

A sandbox that keeps several kinds of play running at once

Most racing games on Android pick one lane. MadOut 2 spreads itself across several: a story mode, a character-driven role-playing layer, car collecting and tuning, and competitive racing. The setting is Eastern Europe, with the developer leaning on a post-Soviet look for the streets and the wider map.

The map is described as spanning dense city districts and desert stretches, which matters more than it might sound. A world with two very different environments gives the driving a reason to vary: tight urban routes on one side, open ground on the other. Object destruction is part of the design, and collisions are meant to leave a mark on the surroundings.

This is the part that appeals to me most. A single-player campaign with a fixed set of missions, a free-roam city to mess around in, and a multiplayer layer are three different moods, and having all of them in one install is unusual at this price. Whether the whole thing holds together over long sessions is another question, but the ambition is clear.

Story missions and the crime campaign

The campaign runs to more than 30 missions, built around crime, betrayal and racing set pieces. It is built as a narrative journey through an underworld, with mafia role-play elements as part of the tone. That gives the solo side a spine rather than leaving you to invent your own reasons for driving across the map.

Missions of this type usually alternate between driving, shooting and chasing, and this one is a fusion of action, shooter and racing. If you like the idea of a crime story you can work through in short sittings, the mission count is generous for a mobile title.

The recent update adds a robbery event in which you break into locations, take what is there and get away from the police, along with territory capture and a profile progression system with levels and rewards. Those additions sit closer to the open-world side than the scripted campaign, and they suggest the developer is still feeding the game new things to do more than eight years after launch.

Cars, tuning and the racing itself

There are more than 70 vehicles, ranging from sports cars to off-road machines, each with its own balance of speed, handling and style. Technical customization options let you adjust your ride rather than only changing how it looks. For a game that puts racing in its title, that variety is the core promise.

Racing appears in two forms. There are races against other players, and there is practice against the clock in the single-player side. The competitive mode is framed as a place to prove yourself against other players, which is the usual framing for this genre and worth taking as marketing rather than a guarantee of how a given race will feel.

Ammo can now be reloaded from the weapon wheel. That points to how interwoven driving and combat are meant to be, and it is the kind of change that matters to players who spend their time in the open world rather than in menus.

Multiplayer, clans and the social layer

The multiplayer side is the largest claim here. Sessions are said to support up to 200 players, which is a big number for a mobile game and the main reason the world can feel populated. Jobs and challenges are designed around cooperation, and the world is built so you can rise as a gangster boss or make your way as an entrepreneur.

Clans are part of that structure. Area capture has groups fighting over territory to improve their clan's standing, and clan radio lets members on the same server talk to each other. Those two features together make the social side more than a chat window: there is something to compete over and a way to coordinate while doing it.

You also build a character from scratch, choosing appearance and personality. That is the role-playing hook, and it is what separates this from a straightforward racing game. If you enjoy the idea of a persistent identity in a shared city, the combination of character creation, clan ranking and open-world jobs is the most interesting thing on offer.

Free to play, ads and what that means day to day

The game costs nothing to download, carries ads and offers in-app purchases. I would go in expecting the usual free-to-play rhythm, where the base game is open to everyone and optional spending sits alongside it.

One update note is worth flagging for solo players: single-player bonuses are earned by watching a short video. That is a voluntary trade of time for in-game reward rather than a paywall, and it is the clearest example in the notes of how the game handles incentives.

There is also a daily reward claimed from a vending machine, which is a light retention mechanic rather than anything that changes how the game plays. Combined with the mature rating, the picture is a mainstream free-to-play release aimed at adults, with the monetization and content warnings that go with that.

Who this city is built for

MadOut 2 suits players who want a large open world on a phone and are happy to split their time between scripted missions, free roaming and multiplayer sessions.

It also suits anyone who prefers a crime sandbox to a pure racing game. The racing is central, but the missions, jobs, clans and territory fights mean the game is as much about building a position in a shared world as it is about lap times.

The mature rating and the free-to-play model are the two things to weigh before downloading. This is a game about crime, with ads and purchases in the mix, and it is at its best when you have time to invest in a persistent character rather than a few minutes here and there.

A broad free sandbox with a long tail

For a free download, MadOut 2 offers an unusual amount: a 30-mission campaign, more than 70 cars with technical tuning, a customizable character, a city-and-desert map, and multiplayer sessions that can reach 200 players. The 4.3 average across more than a million ratings suggests the formula has landed with a large audience since 2017.

The caveats are the ones that come with the territory. Ads and in-app purchases are part of the package, the rating is Mature 17+, and the scale of the multiplayer claim is the developer's, not something I can vouch for. The game also asks for time: clans, territory and profile progression reward players who keep coming back.

If you want an open-world crime game with racing at its center and you do not mind a free-to-play structure, this is a reasonable place to spend your time. If you want a focused racing game with nothing else attached, the breadth here is more than you are asking for.

What's new in version 21.11

💰 Robbery Event: Break into locations, grab the loot, and escape the cops! ⚔️ Area Capture: Fight for territories and boost your clan’s ranking. ⭐ Profile Progression: Levels, rewards, and progress tracking. 💥 Updated Object Destruction. 📽️ Single-Player Bonuses: Earn rewards for watching a short video. 🔫 Reload Ammo from the Weapon Wheel. 📻 Clan Radio: Chat with your clanmates on the same server. 🎯 Vending Machine: Claim daily rewards.