Google Maps: Viral Video Showcases a Driving Game Prototype Based on Street View

Have you ever been wowed by the sheer scale of Microsoft Flight Simulator?

With a game that literally allows players to fly across the entire world, chances are, you’re probably gobsmacked by the idea of flying anywhere on Earth. But this is just flying in an aircraft, thousands of feet above the ground. What if you wanted to drive anywhere in the world?

Well, at the moment, there isn’t an on-ground alternative to Microsoft Flight Simulator. However, one developer’s idea is definitely worth checking out.

I made a Google Maps Driving Game Prototype ???????? pic.twitter.com/fzra1GJVvu

— Ollie Tyler ???? (@OllieTylerr) May 14, 2023

The idea in question comes from AR and Creative Developer, Ollie Tyler. The London-based developer recently became viral on Twitter, after he posted his recent project of a driving game using Google Maps.

In the video, Tyler’s driving game features an average car roaming around the streets on Google Maps. The game features a top view of the car, as it zips past buildings on real-life roads that you can see through the popular mapping platform.

Tyler confirmed in the replies to the tweet that the game allows collision, so the buildings on the side of the road aren’t just for show. Similarly, he also revealed that he built the game using Google’s GeoSpatial API for Unity to build the world for the car to interact with.

Tyler’s driving game showcases that there’s huge potential for players wanting to drive around the world in their favourite cars, and it will be interesting to see whether current popular racing franchises like Forza, Need for Speed or many others will ever reach this scale.