Season 11 of The Crew: Motorfest arrived on October 7, 2026, and it does something no previous season attempted: it adds an entire island, Kauai, to the open world for free. No pass required. The new Kauai Expeditions playlist puts eight main events across swamps, canyons, and dense jungle, with a Suzuki Jimny 2018 Rally Raid waiting at the finish line. Here's the short answer on what to do first and how all the moving parts fit together.
What is the Kauai Expeditions playlist?
Kauai Expeditions is the free off-road playlist that launched with Season 11. It sits inside the standard playlist selection menu and covers Ubisoft Ivory Tower's third major Hawaiian island, joining O'ahu and Maui as a permanent addition to the open world. The island spans roughly 95 kilometres of asphalt roads and 105 kilometres of off-road terrain, which means more than half the driveable surface has no tarmac under it.
The design concept is deliberately different from every other Motorfest playlist. Kauai has not been "prepared" for the festival. Routes are blocked, terrain is unmarked, and the stated goal is to explore and open the island up before it becomes another Motorfest hub. That framing gives the new winch mechanic a reason to exist beyond being a novelty.
All 8 Kauai Expeditions events
Completing all eight main events is the condition for earning the Suzuki Jimny 2018 Rally Raid. The side activities (wildlife photography, beacons, photoquests) are separate goals and are not required for the reward.
| # | Event name |
|---|---|
| 1 | Swamp Escape |
| 2 | Jungle Extraction |
| 3 | Green Dive |
| 4 | Storm Valley |
| 5 | Red Charge |
| 6 | Sky Scouting |
| 7 | Blue Pulse |
| 8 | Kauai Grande Adventure |
Track which events show as complete before switching to exploration. If you take a break between sessions, a quick check of that list saves you from replaying something you already finished.
The terrain varies significantly across the eight events. Swamps slow vehicles that aren't suited to soft ground, and the Red Canyon area is built around the island's rougher visual identity. Slowing down when an obstacle first appears and reading what the objective actually asks for is more efficient than forcing the same driving line repeatedly.
How does the winch work in Kauai Expeditions?
The winch system is Season 11's new mechanical addition. Selected vehicles can attach to designated objects and use traction to pull, drag, or transport them. The attachment point shifts automatically depending on the task: pulling an obstacle uses the front connection, while towing something behind the vehicle moves the link to the rear.
Not every car in your garage has the feature. Use the vehicle filter in the collection menu to find winch-compatible options. The Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon 392 Winch Edition and the Suzuki Jimny Winch Edition (a Year 4 Pass addition) are among the vehicles built around it.
For Kauai Expeditions specifically, watch for the on-screen interaction prompt when you approach a blocked route or highlighted object. That prompt is more reliable than guessing which button to press, since the required input can vary by activity and control scheme.
What is the Kauai Expeditions reward?
Here's the short answer: finish all eight main events in the Kauai Expeditions playlist and you earn the Suzuki Jimny 2018 Rally Raid. Ubisoft ties the reward to playlist completion, not to the side objectives.
There is also a Suzuki Jimny Special Edition arriving as a separate seasonal vehicle. These are two different cars with different acquisition routes. Before assuming you already own the reward, check the full vehicle name and edition on the reward screen.
The 25 wildlife photographs, 23 beacons, and 17 photoquests are exploration goals that give you reasons to return to Kauai after the campaign is done. They don't gate the Jimny.
Kauai exploration: wildlife, beacons, and photoquests
Beyond the eight main events, Kauai has three categories of collectibles:
- 25 animals to photograph across the island
- 23 beacons to locate and activate
- 17 photoquests scattered through the terrain
Keep separate notes for each category. A combined total of "things found" is less useful than knowing you have 18 of 23 beacons specifically. Some beacon objectives also require a winch-capable vehicle to reach.
Wildlife is not exclusive to Kauai. Season 11 distributes more than 40 species across the entire Hawaiian archipelago, including O'ahu and Maui. Players who go back to older areas should notice new animal activity in places they've driven through dozens of times.
For photo sessions, work through one section of the island deliberately rather than chasing multiple objectives at once. Note a location when you spot it during a main event and return on a dedicated collection pass.
Wildlife photography on Kauai
Season 11 vehicles: what's confirmed?
Season 11 brings 21 new vehicles to the game across the full season. The headline car is the 2026 Bugatti Tourbillon, which Ubisoft says is making its first appearance in any video game. It becomes available through the limited Proving Laps: Bugatti Tourbillon event running October 14 through November 4. Participating in that event lets you drive the car; completing it earns Prestige Tickets. Owning the Tourbillon requires purchasing it from the shop, which opens on October 14.
Other confirmed Season 11 vehicles include:
- 2024 Lamborghini Huracán Sterrato (lifted off-road variant, arrives later in October)
- Hyundai Crater Concept (Rally Raid category)
- Hennessey Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 The Exorcist (Summit reward)
- 2025 Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing
- Pininfarina Battista
- Italdesign Zerouno
- Suzuki Jimny Special Edition
- Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon 392 Winch Edition
The Year 4 Pass ($29.99) includes 21 vehicles delivered across the full year: 16 through monthly drops and five exclusive to the Tomb Raider DLC. That's a separate count from the 21 seasonal vehicles in the main update.
Free vs. paid: what do you actually need to buy?
| Content | Access |
|---|---|
| Kauai island | Free (base game) |
| Kauai Expeditions playlist | Free (base game) |
| Suzuki Jimny 2018 Rally Raid | Free (playlist completion) |
| Tomb Raider: Secrets of Ni'ihau | $9.99 or Year 4 Pass |
| Ni'ihau island | Paid only |
| 5 Tomb Raider exclusive vehicles | Paid only |
| Year 4 Pass (all Year 4 content) | $29.99 |
The mistake most players make is assuming Kauai requires the Year 4 Pass because Ni'ihau does. They are separate islands with separate access requirements. If your goal is the Kauai campaign and the Jimny reward, the base game is all you need.
What is the Tomb Raider DLC on Ni'ihau?
The premium Tomb Raider: Secrets of Ni'ihau expansion, created with Crystal Dynamics, opens Ni'ihau as a separate adventure island. Lara Croft contacts the player after her friend Jonah disappears while searching for an ancient artifact. The structure involves environmental puzzles, clue investigation, and winch-based interactions rather than traditional races.
Ni'ihau includes eight main events, 25 animals to photograph, 17 treasure chests, and 3 photoquests. It also contains four species of dinosaurs, including a Mosasaurus and a Tyrannosaurus involved in a chase sequence. That is not a misprint.
The five DLC-exclusive vehicles are built as a complete expedition toolkit:
- 2021 Honda Africa Twin Adventure Sports ES (Rally Raid motorcycle)
- 2008 Suzuki QuadRacer R450Z (quad)
- 2013 Mercedes-AMG G 63 6x6 (heavy off-road)
- Proto A500 Croft Copter (helicopter)
- Proto Makani S1 (aircraft)
If you own the base game and want to try Ni'ihau before committing, two events (The Forbidden Island and The Lost Land) are available in a free demo.
Ni'ihau Tomb Raider island map
What else is new in Season 11?
Road Progression system
Season 11 adds Road Progression across O'ahu, Maui, and Kauai. Driving through previously unexplored routes registers them on your personal map. It turns free-roam driving into a trackable objective and gives returning players a reason to revisit areas they've already raced through repeatedly.
Pure Dirt TrackForge kit
The community course editor gains 200 new elements through the Pure Dirt kit, covering mud, rocks, and dirt surfaces. Creators can now build courses where the terrain itself is the challenge rather than the layout. Ubisoft has also confirmed PvP support for TrackForge is in development, though that feature is not part of Season 11.
The Archives: Rainbow Dan
A new Story chapter called The Archives: Rainbow Dan arrives on November 4. It follows the investigation of Dan O'Hara, a local driver whose records survived but whose history has become difficult to trace. Players follow clues through open-world objectives while the Archivist pieces the story together.
Gift Rush special event
The holiday Gift Rush event runs December 16 through January 6. It puts festive gifts along Hawaiian roads and asks players to smash them while racing. Completing objectives unlocks a dedicated title and dashboard customization.
Prestige Catalog changes
The existing Prestige Ticket section has been renamed the Prestige Catalog. Older Summit Contest rewards now enter it every three months instead of waiting two full seasons. Rewards from July 2026 become eligible in October, for example. Main Stage items and Ranked Grand Race rewards remain outside the system.
What should you do first in Season 11?
Pick one goal and start there. Jumping between every new activity at launch makes it harder to track which reward you were actually chasing.
- Want the Jimny? Go straight to the Kauai Expeditions playlist and work through the eight main events.
- Want the Bugatti Tourbillon? The Proving Laps event opens October 14. Note that participation doesn't mean ownership.
- Want to explore? Road Progression gives you a structured reason to drive anywhere on all three islands.
- Considering the Tomb Raider DLC? Try the two free demo events on Ni'ihau before buying.
For more guides covering Season 11 strategy and the rest of the The Crew: Motorfest guide collection, check the full resource library. If you're new to the genre or returning after a break, the broader racing games hub has context on where Motorfest sits among its competitors right now.
