Let’s not sugarcoat it: Demolish & Build 3 is a masterclass in how not to release a game. If you’ve ever wondered what it feels like to be gaslit by a loading screen, this is your chance. I played this on Xbox Series S, and I can confidently say I’ve had smoother experiences trying to assemble IKEA furniture blindfolded. From the moment you boot it up, the game greets you with the enthusiasm of a hungover intern. Once you’ve selected the campaign, you’re dropped into a sandbox of construction chaos, but before you can even swing your first virtual sledgehammer, the game bugs out. Exit the level? Crash. Try to reload? Crash. Try to change settings? Crash. It’s like the game is actively trying to escape its own existence.

And when—by some miracle—you do get into a mission, don’t expect progress to mean anything. You could be halfway through demolishing a building, only to find that your save file has the memory of a goldfish. Restart the mission. Again. And again. It’s like Groundhog Day, but with less charm and more concrete dust.

Now there were a number of negative reviews left f  or this game by other users and as a result a patch was produced to try and improve load times, to stop (some) of the crashing and to allow the continuation of an existing campaign, but more on that later.  But at least the game now loaded again.

Let’s talk about the controls. “Janky” doesn’t even begin to describe it, but I’ll use the word because it fits like a rusty glove. Movement is stiff, camera angles are possessed, and machinery handles like it’s been coded by someone who let their guide dog write the vehicle code.  Rotating objects feels like trying to thread a needle during an earthquake. There’s no flow, no finesse—just frustration.

The UI is a labyrinth of broken menus and greyed-out options. Want to tweak your graphics settings? Good luck. Most of them are locked, and the few that aren’t will freeze your game faster than a Windows 98 screensaver. I had to manually restart the game just to escape the settings menu. That’s not immersion—that’s imprisonment.

Visuals and Sound: A Symphony of Sadness

Visually, the game looks like it was ported from a toaster. Textures are flat, environments are lifeless, and shadows are about as convincing as a cardboard cutout. The destruction physics—arguably the core of the experience—are laughable. Bricks snap cleanly like biscuits instead of crumbling with any realism. It’s demolition theatre, not simulation.

Sound design? A soft acoustic guitar loops in the background, presumably to soothe your nerves as the game crashes for the upteenth time. Machinery sounds are decent, but they’re drowned out by glitchy bouncing noises when debris gets stuck on your vehicle. It’s like the game is beatboxing its own breakdown.

Developer History: A Pattern of Promises

Demolish Games S.A., the Polish studio behind this mess, has a history of releasing demolition-themed simulators. Demolish & Build 2017 and Demolish & Build 2018 were rough but playable, earning mixed reviews for their ambition. They were budget titles with charm, and players forgave their flaws because they worked—mostly.

But Demolish & Build 3 feels like a regression. It’s not just buggy—it’s borderline unplayable. The studio also teased World War II: Underground, a stealth action game that’s still in development. If this is the standard they’re aiming for, I’d suggest they take a long sabbatical and rethink their approach to game design entirely.

Final Thoughts: Knock It Down and Start Again

I do not enjoy these sort of reviews as it feels as though I am the joker in a pantomime and the game is the evil sorcerer (Oh no he isn’t!).  But I have to be truthful in my findings to be honest to both myself and the game, to enable the developers to take a step forward and improve any further titles.

There’s a certain irony in a demolition game being this broken. It’s poetic, really. The game itself needs condemning. From the controls to the UI, from the visuals to the save system—every element feels like it was duct-taped together in a rush to meet a deadline that should’ve been pushed back a year.

I wanted to like this game. I really did. The concept is solid: run a demolition company, smash stuff, build an empire. But the execution is so catastrophically bad that it makes you question your life choices. I spent more time restarting the game than actually playing it. And when I finally deleted it, I felt like I’d just been released from a hostage situation.

If you’re looking for a demolition sim, go play Teardown on PC. If you’re on Xbox and tempted by Demolish & Build 3, do yourself a favour: take a walk, eat a sandwich, or stare at a wall. All three are more interactive and emotionally rewarding than this trainwreck.