
- HOT WHEELS UNLEASHED EARLY ACCESS TIME UPGRADE
- HOT WHEELS UNLEASHED EARLY ACCESS TIME PC
- HOT WHEELS UNLEASHED EARLY ACCESS TIME WINDOWS
Speaking of which, there is an almost infinite list of possibilities and it’s relatively straightforward to use. Lead Designer, Federico Cardini, recently told Traxion.GG that all circuits used within the game were in fact created using the same Track Builder that all players have access to. There are six locations for the tracks to snake through, but seemingly endless configurations. There are moments when you miss time a jump, but you can use the analogue sticks and a fortuitously timed boost to fly and correct your course – analogous to Rocket League.

They loop up, down, around and around, jump over (relatively) vast chasms and flip you upside down. Hypercars like a Koenigsegg Jesko are spikey and tricker to drift than, let’s say, a Fiat 500.Īnother key to the satisfaction is track design. They really don’t need to – this is a Hot Wheels game, not Gran Turismo 7 – but a Chevrolet Camaro has a distinct flavour that sets it apart from a Motosaurus or the Buns of Steel. A simple dab on the brakes as your start steering for a turn results in a lurid slide that’s easily managed and, mercifully, quicker than wall-riding.Įach toy feels uniquely different too. The way a vehicle handles is a key ingredient of an enjoyable racing game, and here it’s benign with big drifts the key to success. There are times, like when you complete your first ‘boss battle’ in the career – entitled Hot Wheels City Rumble – where you will be sat there with a bigger smile painted across your face than Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker. Thankfully, Hot Wheels Unleashed is just that. It needs to be much more than that in order to succeed. Yet, a video game is not just shiny visuals and a checklist of features. Little nicks appear on the brightwork and light scratches on the polycarbonate windows. The vehicles even scratch up through a race just like my childhood collection did after repeated crashes into kitchen appliances. I found myself sporadically using the photo mode just to pan around the levels and look at the cars up close.
HOT WHEELS UNLEASHED EARLY ACCESS TIME WINDOWS
The metallic paints of the diecast models, the light pouring through Skatepark windows or the reflective surface of that plastic orange track.

The 1/64th scale cars and matching environments are highly detailed, sure, but it’s the lighting that really sets this game apart. There is no better-looking racing game on the market right now.
HOT WHEELS UNLEASHED EARLY ACCESS TIME PC
Playing on a top-spec PC or a PS5, as we did for this review, the game’s visuals are unrivalled. The net result is something more polished than a Georgian-era stately home’s floor. While conceptually different, learnings from these other titles – such as MotoGP, Ride and Monster Energy Supercross – have translated across into Unleashed. Part of the reasoning for this is the use of the Unreal Engine to power the game, something the Milanese studio has extensive experience with, having produced 14 games over the past four years with the technology. Rarely has there been such a feature-complete first effort for a gaming franchise.
HOT WHEELS UNLEASHED EARLY ACCESS TIME UPGRADE
There’s a lengthy single-player career, truly next-generation visuals, multiple difficulty levels, the ability to upgrade vehicles, a paint booth, a photo mode, a track editor and online racing. On the face of it, the game developers, Italian veterans Milestone, look to have sifted through every fan-requested feature on the internet and tried to squeeze them all into this accessible arcade experience. Can it really evoke those precious, carefree, formative days filled with imagination and wonderment for the modern digitised era? Let’s find out…

This leads us to Hot Wheels Unleashed, which aims to take that same joy of receiving a new model car and bring it to life in the form of a brand-new racing video game.
