Free · Sandbox · No fail state
Road Designer: lay out a road network and let the traffic test it
Road Designer is a top-down road-building sandbox. Draw straight and curved roads, connect them at junctions and watch computer-driven cars use your network. The interface labels this version Road Network Designer v1.4.3 and counts nodes and roads as you build. A toolbar along the bottom supplies editing tools, and view controls sit on the right. Use the steering-wheel button to enter a driving view and explore the roads from a car.
Quick facts
- Genre: road-network building sandbox, top-down 2D
- Build shown in game: Road Network Designer v1.4.3
- Tools: 10 icons in the bottom toolbar
- Input: mouse plus WASD, arrow keys and G
- Modes: edit mode and a drive mode
- Developer: not named in the game or its listings
How to play Road Designer
There is no level to clear. You change the network, then watch how the cars behave on it.
- 1
Look at the starting junction
The map opens on a T-junction with cars already driving. Pan with WASD and zoom with the arrow keys or the mouse wheel to see all of it.
- 2
Pick a road tool
Choose the straight-road or curved-road icon in the bottom bar. With the straight tool selected, the game shows "Draw straight road" and a row of lane layouts above the toolbar.
- 3
Choose a lane layout
Each option in that row shows red and green arrows for how many lanes run each way, from a single one-way lane up to several lanes in both directions.
- 4
Draw and connect
Place the road on the map with the mouse and link it to existing road ends to form a junction. The counters in the top-left corner keep track of nodes and roads.
- 5
Test it
Watch the AI cars pick up the new route, or press the steering-wheel button to drive. The pencil button labelled "return to edit mode" takes you back to building.
Controls
Desktop
- W, A, S, D move the view around the map
- Arrow keys or the mouse wheel zoom in and out
- G turns grid snapping on and off
- Steering-wheel button switches to driving a car
Phone & tablet
- GamePix lists Road Designer for mobile and tablet browsers as well as desktop
- The on-screen + and − buttons zoom without a keyboard
- The editor is landscape, so a sideways phone or a tablet gives the tools more room
What sets Road Designer apart
Lane counts you choose
Road tools come with a row of lane layouts, marked with red and green arrows, so a street can be a one-lane one-way or a multi-lane two-way road.
Drive your own design
The steering-wheel button puts you in a car with a speed readout, then a pencil button returns you to the editor.
Live node and road counter
The top-left corner shows how many nodes and roads the network has, which helps when you are tidying up a messy junction.
No fail state
The session continues while you edit the road network, allowing you to rebuild a junction and watch how the new layout changes the traffic.
Tips for Road Designer
- Snap to the grid. Press G before drawing so road ends line up and junctions join cleanly.
- Start from the given T-junction. Extending the existing roads shows how the cars react before you build from scratch.
- Zoom out before long roads. Use the wheel or the − button so the start and end of the road are both on screen.
- Match lane counts at joins. Pick the same lane layout on both sides of a junction to keep the drawing readable.
- Clear out dead ends. The red-cross icon sits in the toolbar next to the car and tree icons; use it on pieces that lead nowhere.
Who is Road Designer for?
City-builder fans
Players who enjoy the road-laying part of city builders get that part on its own, without budgets or zoning.
Traffic watchers
The fun is in seeing where cars go once a new link opens up.
Players who want a sandbox, not levels
There is nothing to win or lose, so it suits open-ended tinkering.
Is there a score?
This sandbox emphasizes the network you build rather than a points target. Node and road counts show the size of the design, while driving view includes a speed readout. Observe whether cars move through the junctions or queue at a bottleneck, then adjust the roads to improve flow.
Frequently asked questions
What is Road Designer?+
Road Designer is a top-down sandbox for building road networks. You draw straight and curved roads, pick lane layouts, and watch AI cars drive on them.
What are the controls for Road Designer?+
WASD pans the map, the arrow keys or mouse wheel zoom, and G toggles grid snapping. Road pieces are placed with the mouse using the toolbar at the bottom.
Can you drive a car in Road Designer?+
Yes. Press the steering-wheel button on the right to switch to a driving view with a speed readout. The "return to edit mode" button takes you back to building.
Does Road Designer have levels?+
The GamePix version opens a free-build map with a starting T-junction. Build and revise your own network, then use the driving view to explore the roads.
Can you make one-way roads in Road Designer?+
Yes. When you pick a road tool, the lane-layout row includes one-way options with arrows in a single direction, alongside two-way layouts with several lanes.
The first junction is already there
Extend it, add a lane or two, and see where the traffic goes.
↑ Play Road Designer