After years of requests from the community, multiplayer is finally making its way to JDM: Japanese Drift Master, but only for Steam players for now. Console drifters will have to wait until Q3 2026 to get their hands on JDM's multiplayer mode.
Following a successful round of multiplayer playtests, developer Gaming Factory has confirmed that online free-roam will launch for Steam players on June 11, allowing drivers to hit the roads of Guntama Prefecture with friends for the first time.
The recent tests went smoothly, with servers remaining stable while players spent their time thrashing Japanese cars around the twisty mountain roads, or chilling at privately arranged car meets.
The feedback gathered during the tests has already helped shape several quality-of-life improvements planned for launch, one of which will be the collision system between cars, especially at any sort of speed.
Open-World Multiplayer First
When multiplayer arrives, players will initially gain access to just the open-world sandbox mode of JDM. The story missions and races are not set to be added just yet. Online sessions will support up to 8 players, allowing users to host or join lobbies and explore the game's map together for the first time since launch.
Dedicated multiplayer game modes that are entirely separate from the story mode are also in development, although Gaming Factory says those features will arrive in later updates rather than at launch, even for Steam players.
Image: Gaming factory
The studio cites stability and development resources as the primary reasons for staggering the rollout, preferring to get multiplayer into players' hands now rather than delaying the feature until every planned component is ready.
New Multiplayer Features On The Way
Several improvements are expected to accompany the June 11 launch. Players will receive colour-coded identifiers to make communication easier, while a new map ping system will allow users to mark meeting points and drift spots for everyone in the lobby.
A command-based text chat system is also being introduced, giving players quick communication options without needing to type messages manually. Perhaps most importantly for those learning the game, drifting hosts will be able to enable Ghost Mode, disabling collisions between vehicles. That should significantly reduce the number of friendships ended by accidental rear-quarter panel contact.
Another welcome addition will allow players to enter tuning and paint shops without being disconnected from their online session. Voice chat, which was tested during the multiplayer beta, will remain available, with the push-to-talk functionality now working as intended.
Cross-Platform Plans Continue
Steam players will be first in line on June 11, with GoG and Epic Games Store versions scheduled to receive multiplayer support in the weeks that follow. Console players will need to wait a little longer. Gaming Factory currently expects multiplayer to arrive on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S during Q3 2026.
The developer has also confirmed that cross-play between PC platforms will be available once all versions have launched. Full cross-platform support between consoles and PC remains in development, so do not hold your breath for it to be implemented this side of 2027.
American Classics DLC Arrives This Month
Multiplayer isn't the only addition coming to JDM: Japanese Drift Master. The game's second DLC pack, American Classics, is set to launch on June 25 for $5.99. The expansion will add six new unlicensed American vehicles and will be released simultaneously across all platforms.
Image: Gaming factory
Alongside the paid content, Gaming Factory has also confirmed that additional Japanese cars will be added to the game free of charge for all players, although specific models have yet to be revealed. The studio also teased a new side-story campaign and an unannounced surprise planned for the coming months.
For now, however, many players will simply be looking forward to finally sharing Guntama's roads with friends. After all, drifting alone is fun — but drifting in a train of eight cars without accidentally launching someone into a guardrail is where the real challenge begins.
What do you think about the Multiplayer implementation for JDM? Is it what you had hoped for, or did it miss the mark? Let us know in the comments down below!
