Roadside Research - Xbox Game Preview impressions

Roadside Research on Xbox makes one of the strangest first impressions of any Game Preview title this year and that’s exactly why it works. It’s a chaotic, low‑poly, alien‑run gas‑station sim that immediately leans into its own absurdity, and on Xbox it already feels like the kind of “friendslop” co‑op oddity destined to become a cult favourite.

You play as undercover aliens attempting to blend in by… taping terrible hand‑drawn human faces to your heads. The goal? Run a rural gas station convincingly enough that humans don’t suspect you’re gathering intel for an impending invasion. During the day you’re stocking shelves, counting out change, and pumping gas; at night you upgrade your station and alien tech to improve your research capabilities.

It’s a management sim at heart, but one wrapped in a deliberately goofy, comically awkward presentation that never takes itself seriously. Polygon even calls it “the dumbest game I’ve played in years” and meant it as praise.

The moment you pick up the controller, you realise this game wants you to struggle in a fun way. The controls are intentionally fiddly: counting change manually, navigating menus with different inputs depending on the screen, and trying not to overfill a customer’s tank all create a slapstick rhythm of tiny disasters.

This friction is the point. Roadside Research thrives on the comedy of errors, especially in co‑op. With up to four players, the gas station becomes a barely functional circus of aliens pretending to be humans pretending to be employees. When someone miscounts change or sprays petrol everywhere, it’s less a failure and more a punchline.

The tone is a blend of eerie and silly, a low‑poly liminal gas station where the uncanny meets the mundane. You’re scanning customers, stealing data, and experimenting on humans while trying to look normal. It’s bizarre, but in a way that makes you want to keep poking at its systems just to see what breaks next.

Thinks of note:

• Chaotic co‑op energy that feels tailor‑made for Game Pass nights with friends.

• A surprisingly deep management layer, including inventory, pricing, upgrades, and even a skill tree.

• A suspicion meter that punishes sloppy “human” behaviour by sending government agents to investigate.

• A rough‑around‑the‑edges tutorial and UI, expected for an early access title.

Roadside Research feels like the next great “Game Pass discovery” a weird, messy, charming co‑op sim that’s more about the stories you create than the tasks you complete. If you enjoy chaotic teamwork, indie oddities, or games that embrace their own stupidity with confidence, this is absolutely worth keeping on your radar.