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Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Yes, vehicles appear throughout The Long Dark, but ordinary cars, trucks, and tractors cannot be driven. They mainly serve as places to shelter from wind and search for supplies. The steam locomotive is the only player-operable vehicle identified by The Long Dark Wiki, and it is used in Wintermute Episode 5.
Which vehicles can you drive?
For most of the game, vehicles are scenery and survival resources, not transportation. The vehicle reference lists cars, trucks, tractors, prison buses, haul trucks, and a steam locomotive. It identifies only the locomotive as player-operable, in Wintermute Episode 5. The truck reference also explicitly describes trucks as undrivable (vehicle reference; truck reference).
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That distinction matters when planning a journey: finding a vehicle does not provide a way to travel faster or escape bad weather by driving. The ordinary road vehicles are useful as landmarks, shelter, and potential loot locations.
What can you do with cars?
Use a car for temporary shelter
Entering a car protects you from wind and provides a temperature benefit, making it a possible short-term refuge when weather turns. The community-maintained car reference reports a +5°C ambient temperature bonus and a 3°C bed warmth bonus without a bedroll. These detailed mechanics may change between game versions, so treat the figures as version-sensitive rather than guaranteed current values (car reference).
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- Survive the quiet apocalypse in this thoughtful open-world exploration survival experience.
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- Explore a large open world in search of resources
A car is not a substitute for a reliable, planned sleeping spot. The wiki describes shelter and warmth benefits, but those do not make every vehicle safe or suitable in every condition.
Search compartments and the trunk
Cars may have searchable glove compartments, visors, hoods, and trunks. Some trunks are locked and require a prybar to open. Not every car contains a battery. The game does not let you siphon gasoline from a car’s gas cap (car reference).
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How do trucks, tractors, and buses differ?
- Trucks: They can be entered for shelter and searched, and some have a battery under the hood. They cannot be driven (truck reference).
- Tractors: These are undrivable and have fewer interactions than cars or trucks (vehicle reference).
- Prison buses and haul trucks: These appear among the game’s vehicle types, but the cited vehicle reference does not establish them as drivable. Buses can be entered, with restrictions on sleeping inside (vehicle reference).
Why search for a car battery?
A car battery can be useful even though it will not start a vehicle. The community wiki reports that a battery weighs 15 kg and can be harvested into six pieces of scrap lead. It also describes batteries as materials for transmitter repairs in the Tales from the Far Territory expansion. These are game-version- and expansion-sensitive details; check the current in-game requirements before carrying a heavy battery for a specific purpose (car battery reference).
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