Trackmania players have been trying to complete a challenge map so ludicrously hard there's a $30,000 prize for reaching the top, and over a month after release no-one's done it

GamesRacingTrackmaniaTrackmania players have been trying to complete a challenge map so ludicrously hard there’s a $30,000 prize for reaching the top, and over a month after release no-one’s done itWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

(Image credit: Ubisoft)

Trackmania

Sadly, they didn’t call it Deep Dip 2: Dip Harder, because that’s the general idea. Everything that players love-slash-hated about Deep Dip, but cranked up to the max: This time with 16 floors of ludicrously escalating challenge, a community funded $30,000 prize pool, and still not a checkpoint to be seen anywhere. The map was released on May 4, 2024.

Over a month later, not a single player has completed Deep Dip 2, and watching their attempts is absolutely agonising. Every single floor of this thing is a nightmare which, in and of itself, is not a problem. But when you combine that with the absence of checkpoints and the vertical construction that means any tiny error can wipe out the last three hours of play… well, if this thing isn’t responsible for a few smashed controllers, I’ll eat my hat.

We live in an age where any new release is ripped-apart within days, and community challenges like this are rarely any different: especially when there’s that giant prize waiting at the end (the $30,000 will be split between the first three players to complete the map). But Deep Dip 2 is at the time of writing unconquered, even though some players have reached the final floor.

Here they’ve been met with the Trackmania equivalent of a big middle finger: a huge vertical surface that has to be crawled across while balancing the car so it doesn’t fall. Three players have reached this stage:Larstm,Hazardu, andBren_TM2. But dear old Wirtual, for the sake of his sanity, has bowed out after reaching floor 14.

“Half an hour of perfect driving without falling just to explore the hardest floor,” observes Wirtual in a video aboutwhy he’s throwing in the towel. “And it feels very unrewarding in that sense.”

The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals

Wirtual isnot alone in this feeling. While most are enjoying watching the Trackmaniacs bash their heads against this near-impossible challenge, others are frustrated that the challenge level is so high that it precludes players of average skill having any fun with it.

“The map I think is too difficult,” adds Wirtual. “The difficult floors should be earlier in the map because this way of exploring is so taxing… This is the type of map where you need the determination and iron will of a god. Seriously.”

“I think that Deep Dip 2 is really pushing the limits of how hard a map like this can be,” says SparklingW in an interview onthe Trackmania Mappers Assemblypodcast. Making a map any harder risks moving into the realms of the impossible, or creating something where “no-one is actually going to dedicate that amount of time to it without some serious motivation.”

The New Hardest Trackmania Tower IS HERE… - YouTubeWatch On

The New Hardest Trackmania Tower IS HERE… - YouTube

It’s a balancing act, because the whole point of this is a ludicrous challenge that brings the Trackmania community together as players try to beat the map, and others watch their feats of skill (and fails).

“For an event like this, obviously this one is already taking quite long,” acknowledges SparklingW, “and if it really starts taking too long then people will lose interest. Obviously at the end there will be big hype again if someone finishes it, but there may be such a long period in-between where there’s not that hype… I don’t think it’s healthy for the format.”

With that in mind, and the withdrawal of big community stars like Wirtual, SparklingW reckons that next time around they’ll look to hit a balance where the challenge remains high, without being quite so insurmountable. “Deep Dip 2 definitely hits the limit [of difficulty], so when we’re looking at Deep Dip 3 I would say it’s definitely going to be somewhere between Deep Dip and Deep Dip 2, rather than more difficult.”

Masochists can try Deep Dip 2 for themselves in Trackmania now, while the community alternately argues over whether it’s too hard and waits in expectation for one of their own to crack the nut. Should the tower be toppled in the next few days, I’ll update this piece.

TOPICSUbisoft

TOPICS

More about racingDeathSprint 66 combines one of my favourite mods with one of my favourite moviesLast call for Forza Horizon 4: It’s being removed from sale in 2 days, so get it while you canLatestToday’s Wordle answer for Sunday, January 12See more latest►

More about racingDeathSprint 66 combines one of my favourite mods with one of my favourite moviesLast call for Forza Horizon 4: It’s being removed from sale in 2 days, so get it while you can

More about racing

DeathSprint 66 combines one of my favourite mods with one of my favourite moviesLast call for Forza Horizon 4: It’s being removed from sale in 2 days, so get it while you can

Deathsprint 66

DeathSprint 66 combines one of my favourite mods with one of my favourite movies

A car driving through the UK

Last call for Forza Horizon 4: It’s being removed from sale in 2 days, so get it while you can

LatestToday’s Wordle answer for Sunday, January 12See more latest►

Latest

Today’s Wordle answer for Sunday, January 12

Wordle today being played on a phone

Today’s Wordle answer for Sunday, January 12

See more latest►

Most PopularToday’s Wordle answer for Saturday, January 11The Last of Us season 2 trailer is a brief look at a story you should probably just play yourself in AprilLords of the Fallen publisher embraces fear of the DEI boogeyman, says it will not include ‘any social or political agendas’ in its gamesEpic CEO Tim Sweeney says tech leaders are ‘pretending to be Republicans’ to gain favor with Trump, skirt antitrust laws, and ultimately ‘rip off consumers and crush competitors’If you’re trying to convince me your ‘companionship’ robot is ‘lifelike’, maybe don’t rip her face off in the demo videoSquare Enix launches new anti-harassment policy to protect its employees and partners from abusive fansThe Sims begins its 25th anniversary celebration next week with a Behind The Sims episode of news and announcementsPath of Exile 2 numberlord spends 16 straight days killing rare monsters to prove that a stat that makes loot better makes better lootPalestinian developer raises more than $200,000 to make Dreams on a Pillow, a game about the horrors of the 1948 NakbaPiranha Games will lay off employees after Mechwarrior 5: Clans ‘performed below projections’Marvel Rivals’ latest update quietly killed the game’s burgeoning mod scene

Most Popular

Today’s Wordle answer for Saturday, January 11

The Last of Us season 2 trailer is a brief look at a story you should probably just play yourself in April

Lords of the Fallen publisher embraces fear of the DEI boogeyman, says it will not include ‘any social or political agendas’ in its games

Epic CEO Tim Sweeney says tech leaders are ‘pretending to be Republicans’ to gain favor with Trump, skirt antitrust laws, and ultimately ‘rip off consumers and crush competitors’

If you’re trying to convince me your ‘companionship’ robot is ‘lifelike’, maybe don’t rip her face off in the demo video

Square Enix launches new anti-harassment policy to protect its employees and partners from abusive fans

The Sims begins its 25th anniversary celebration next week with a Behind The Sims episode of news and announcements

Path of Exile 2 numberlord spends 16 straight days killing rare monsters to prove that a stat that makes loot better makes better loot

Palestinian developer raises more than $200,000 to make Dreams on a Pillow, a game about the horrors of the 1948 Nakba

Piranha Games will lay off employees after Mechwarrior 5: Clans ‘performed below projections’

Marvel Rivals’ latest update quietly killed the game’s burgeoning mod scene

HARDWARE BUYING GUIDESLATEST GAME REVIEWS1Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads2Best graphics card for laptops: the mobile GPUs I’d want in my next gaming laptop3Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most4Best 14-inch gaming laptop: The top compact gaming laptops I’ve held in these hands5Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I’ve tested1Thank Goodness You’re Here! review2Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island review3WD Black SN850X 8 TB NVMe SSD review4Ikea Utespelare desk review5Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini wireless mouse review

HARDWARE BUYING GUIDESLATEST GAME REVIEWS

1Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads

A bunch of the best Steam Deck accessories on a blue background.

1Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads

Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads

2Best graphics card for laptops: the mobile GPUs I’d want in my next gaming laptop

Best graphics card for laptops: the mobile GPUs I’d want in my next gaming laptop

3Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most

Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most

4Best 14-inch gaming laptop: The top compact gaming laptops I’ve held in these hands

Best 14-inch gaming laptop: The top compact gaming laptops I’ve held in these hands

5Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I’ve tested

Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I’ve tested

1Thank Goodness You’re Here! review

Thank Goodness You’re Here review

1Thank Goodness You’re Here! review

Thank Goodness You’re Here! review

2Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island review

Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island review

3WD Black SN850X 8 TB NVMe SSD review

WD Black SN850X 8 TB NVMe SSD review

4Ikea Utespelare desk review

Ikea Utespelare desk review

5Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini wireless mouse review

Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini wireless mouse review

The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals#

The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals