Volkswagen will incorporate a virtual gaming console into the infotainment systems of its selected vehicles

Volkswagen is working with a Swiss gaming company to add new entertainment options to some of its vehicles' infotainment systems. Starting later this year, owners of certain Volkswagen models will be able to play around 130 local multiplayer games using only their smartphones and their vehicles' central screens.

Volkswagen’s partnership is with N-Dream, which makes the AirConsole virtual gaming console. With a smartphone and a PC, Android TV, Google TV, or Amazon Fire TV, anyone can play AirConsole’s “starter pack,” which includes a handful of games for up to two players. Subscribing to AirConsole Hero for $8 a month unlocks the entire platform, which includes console and mobile titles like Overcooked!, Tumblestone, Knife Jump, and Clusterpuck 99. Depending on the title, up to eight players can join a single game session using their own smartphones and a PIN or QR code.

N-Dream previously joined forces BMW is bringing AirConsole to select BMW and Mini vehicle models starting in 2023. In a statement Monday, N-Dream announced it was expanding its in-vehicle gaming offering by bringing AirConsole to the 2025 Passat, Tiguan, Golf and Golf Estate models. Volkswagen’s ID series (which includes the ID.3, ID.4, ID.5 and ID.7 electric vehicles) will also integrate AirConsole with version 4.0 of the ID software set to launch later this year.

Before N-Dream partnered with Volkswagen, it worked with BMW to bring its games to select BMW and Mini vehicles.
Credit: N-Dream

According to the releaseAirConsole will only be available for play when the vehicle is parked. This makes the virtual console a suitable entertainment option for road trip breaks and EV charging sessions – the ideal combination for the Volkswagen brand. Identification.Buzz minibus—but not for impatient children on long journeys.

Some might be surprised to hear that Volkswagen is embracing in-car gaming after the brand signaled a shift away from touch screens Last year, however, Volkswagen’s design chief indicated that only “important” functions would receive physical switches and dials, which drivers reportedly crave for ease of use while, you know, driving. The ID.2, an electric hatchback slated for 2026, is expected to follow suit: While it features a 13-inch central touchscreen, defoggers, climate control, volume, and other essentials are controlled by touch-sensitive knobs.