AxleDrive is a modern Unreal Engine vehicle physics plugin built for developers who want fun, controllable handling without sacrificing depth.

Demo Video 01 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qf0vO1KoEVI

Playable Demo - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1TTme_rV1Ntu6KxJKJsEj8ExXQA13Q2JS/view?usp=sharing

AxleDrive is a component-based vehicle physics plugin for Unreal Engine focused on fun, controllable handling across arcade to sim-cade styles. It is AsyncTick-based for stable behaviour and predictable tuning, with a broad set of exposed controls covering tyres, driveline, engine/transmission, steering geometry, assists, VFX and networking.

AxleDrive is organised around cooperating runtime components. The vehicle actor owns input, presentation, and high-level behaviour. Per-wheel suspension components own wheel contact, wheel state and tyre parameters. The driveline component owns torque routing, differential setup and traction assists. The skid VFX component consumes per-wheel slip state to drive Niagara effects.

• The driveline routes engine torque to the wheels and provides differential behaviour for front and rear axles. It supports driveline presets for quick configuration and exposes detailed locking behaviour through lock strength, bias ratios and preload. Power/coast split allows different locking on acceleration versus lift-off.

• The tyre/traction layer couples lateral and longitudinal behaviour with configurable slip shaping and smoothing. It exposes a combined slip path (coupling longitudinal and lateral grip loss) and a longitudinal slip model with arcade and realistic shaping.

• Assists aim to keep vehicles controllable and enjoyable across styles. Traction control supports drift-friendly behaviour, and high-speed grip control can scale available grip to manage stability at speed.

• The steering system includes input shaping, speed-based steering limits, return-to-centre behaviour and Ackermann steering geometry controls. Wheelbase and track can be set directly for geometry correctness.

• Each wheel has its own suspension component with tunable ride frequency and damping, plus wheel-specific settings such as inertia, smoothing and collision. Tyre settings include lateral curve shaping parameters and low-speed stabilisation controls.

• Development relies on visible per-wheel state. The SlipHUD-style debug view provides immediate feedback on slip and traction behaviour, helping tune tyres, differentials and assists. Additional debug toggles exist for driveline telemetry and airborne wheel spin when diagnosing edge cases.
  
  

Static Mesh Setup (Not Skeletal)

AxleDrive leverages a static mesh-based architecture specifically tailored for Unreal Engine 5, prioritising peak optimisation for vehicle-centric projects. By eschewing the often cumbersome and time-consuming skeletal mesh workflow, it streamlines the development process significantly.

Because the system utilises static meshes for the vehicle’s chassis, components, and wheels, the initial organisation is remarkably straightforward. This approach allows developers to handle the bulk of the asset preparation using Unreal’s integrated modelling tools or their preferred external 3D software, ensuring a high-performance result without the typical rigging overhead.

It’s AsyncTick-based for smooth, consistent simulation, and it’s designed to scale from arcade through sim-cade driving with a wide range of tuning controls that make it easy to dial in the exact feel you want.

Key features

• AsyncTick-based physics for stable, high-performance vehicle simulation across a wide range of frame rates

• Advanced tyre & traction tuning with adjustable slip response, grip shaping, and low/high-speed behaviour controls

• Full driveline & differential setup (RWD/FWD/AWD) with tunable open/LSD behaviour, bias, lock strength, and preload

• Configurable assists & traction control with drift-capable modes, slip targets, strength/exponent settings, and smoothing

• Engine & transmission controls with tunable torque/RPM behaviour, gear ratios, shift timing, auto-shift logic, and efficiency

• Steering & stability tuning including speed-based steering limits, return strength, Ackermann, and high-speed grip controls

• Complete Ackermann Steering Geometry for full setup of steering control.

• Debug/telemetry-friendly workflow with per-wheel slip/traction feedback to speed up tuning and preset iteration

• Consistent skid VFX triggering (smoke/skidmarks) driven from the same per-wheel slip state as the physics for reliable visuals

• RWD Donut Assist this will help with that tricky subject which has a variety of settings to choose from (input driven)

• Simple SFX & VFX system, Engine Audio, Skidmarks & Smoke - easy to extend and develop further.

• Much Much More, so many settings to tune your vehicle to your requirements

Many more features are covered in the documentation and shown in the included screenshots.

An Example Project is available through the additional files option in this listing after purchase. The example vehicle has all you need to get you started with a built in Json preset system for you to save & load different vehicle types.

Default RWD, FWD and AWD setups are available as a starting point.

Design focus Core runtime Primary components Fun, controllable handling across arcade to sim-cade styles AsyncTick-based simulation with per-wheel suspension and tyre contact Vehicle actor, 4x suspension components, driveline component, skid VFX component Tuning coverage Tyres/traction, differentials, assists, steering geometry, suspension, drivetrain, aero and chassis response.

Documentation including Vehicle Setup Guide - Click Me
You MUST Install AxleDrive Plugin FIRST and enable Niagara in your project setup for plugins BEFORE you open the example project
All support will be provided through email until a website or discord is setup - [email protected]