Hot Wheels Infinite Rush

Accessible to everyone, Hot Wheels: Infinite Rush is not a car simulation. There’s no need to spend hours in the menus tweaking every detail of your race car: the game focuses on speed, stunts, and challenges, both locally and online. As explained above, Hot Wheels: Infinite Rush is an open-world racing game set in various environments filled with challenges. 

The adventure begins in Wheelswood, dominated by a giant gorilla reminiscent of the famous 1933 King Kong. Here you’ll find the iconic Hollywood-style letters on the hill, as well as various neighborhoods featuring diverse architectural styles. The journey continues to Tentacle Bay, a coastal area with farms and fields stretching as far as the eye can see. Next comes Gearville, nestled between canyons and industrial machinery, before arriving at Drifty Temples, an East Asian-inspired biome with neon lights, pagodas, and beautiful cherry blossoms. These four worlds offer a variety of experiences as you move from one challenge to the next.

You’re probably wondering: is this really an open world? In reality, it’s more of a semi-open world, in the sense that each island is accessible via a teleportation system called the Launcher. Earlier, we mentioned Pokémon and its trainers. The progression system in Hot Wheels: Infinite Rush is pretty much the same as what you’d find in Game Freak’s RPG. Specifically, each geographic zone is ruled by a Rush Master—a sort of mega-driver you must dethrone. So you have to complete a series of local events to fill a progress bar and unlock the final showdown. It’s a classic formula, but it’s still just as effective—especially since you get to keep the defeated opponent’s race car. Between battles, the map in Hot Wheels: Infinite Rush is packed with activities: stunts, speed challenges, photo ops, time trials, and even destroying the scenery. With a controller in hand, you’ll rediscover the feel of *Hot Wheels Unleashed* and its sequel, complete with drifts, boosts, and dizzying jumps.

In the garage, there are over 150 vehicles to unlock, ranging from the wackiest homemade creations to models from prestigious brands like Ferrari. These cars are divided into four classes: Universals, Titans, Drifters, and Speeders. Each excels in a specific area, whether it’s versatility, durability, drifting, or speed. To satisfy the desires of virtual drivers, the developers have also included Track Builder, a comprehensive track editor that lets you share your creations with friends, both locally and online.

Multiplayer isn’t left out either, featuring fully cross-play online races (excluding Switch 2), private lobbies, leaderboards, and multiple asynchronous challenges. Another goal the developers had was to offer split-screen play for up to four players, and *Hot Wheels: Infinite Rush* delivers on that promise. One minor disappointment, however: in local play, the game is limited to races. This means it’s impossible to go exploring with friends.

While not a particularly impressive title, Hot Wheels: Infinite Rush is quite attractive. Despite a glaring lack of life in the cities, the Unreal Engine 5 puts on a show thanks to polished lighting effects and beautiful models. As for the soundtrack, it features different themes depending on the islands you visit: rock, pop, jazz, electronic, and even punk rock—there’s something for everyone. For those who enjoyed Hot Wheels Unleashed and its sequel, Hot Wheels: Infinite Rush is an enjoyable game that lacks a bit of personality but promises plenty of fun.

Hot Wheels: Infinite Rush is a paid game. It is available in three editions: Standard, Deluxe, and Ultimate. The latter two include additional content, such as the Vehicle Pass and several vehicle packs.

Hot Wheels: Infinite Rush is a game designed for current-generation consoles. Unfortunately, you won’t find it on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, or Xbox One. To play it, you’ll need a Windows PC, a PlayStation 5, an Xbox Series X, an Xbox Series S, or Nintendo’s latest console, the Switch 2.

The game is Xbox Play Anywhere-compatible, which means a single purchase grants access to both the console and PC versions. On PlayStation 5, the game takes advantage of the DualSense’s haptic feedback and adaptive triggers.

It’s important to note that the game runs smoothly on Steam Deck at around 30 frames per second—the same frame rate as on the Nintendo Switch 2. Be aware, however, that the Nintendo console limits races to six competitors.

Considered one of the most successful Hot Wheels games of all time, Hot Wheels Unleashed 2: Turbocharged is a tribute that lets you relive the thrill of the orange tracks from your childhood. Even though the game doesn’t feature an open world, each track is packed with tight turns, loops, ramps, and all sorts of surprises. You’ll race through a backyard, a museum, a mini-golf course, and even a gas station. Much like in Re-Volt, the surroundings seem gigantic compared to your tiny cars. This installment features single and double jumps, as well as a side dash that lets you knock your opponents off the track, Burnout-style. In terms of content, it’s very solid, with over 130 vehicles—including motorcycles and ATVs—a skill system, a livery editor, and a track editor. It’s all backed by polished production values and a story mode that’s quite engaging.

If you enjoyed Hot Wheels: Infinite Rush, we highly recommend giving LEGO 2K Drive a try. As the closest cousin to Milestone’s title, it lets you explore an open world made entirely of LEGO bricks. This universe, called Bricklandia, is based on a pretty awesome concept: vehicles that transform depending on the terrain. You can switch seamlessly from a boat to a race car to an off-road racer, without any downtime. The story mode follows the rise of a rookie driver who takes on numerous rivals until reaching a final showdown with the region’s top driver. True to LEGO form, you can of course build your own race cars, and the gameplay is reminiscent of Mario Kart at times, with power-ups to collect mid-race. Fun, engaging, and sometimes surprising, LEGO 2K Drive is a solid alternative.

We’ll wrap up this brief roundup of alternatives with the excellent Forza Horizon 6. After years of waiting, the fan community has finally been able to set foot in Japan—or rather, a fantasy version of Japan. Following Colorado, the Mediterranean, Australia, Great Britain, and Mexico, the series treats players to an absolutely incredible playground. From Tokyo’s skyscrapers to rice paddies, via winding mountain roads worthy of Initial D’s Mount Akina, Forza Horizon 6 builds on all the series’ hallmarks to deliver an open world and a simply mind-blowing amount of content. It features over 550 race cars, including a huge number of Japanese models, a plethora of events, a spotlight on bosozoku culture, and car meets reminiscent of those at the famous Daikoku parking lot. You can even customize your own estate. As for the graphics, they’re simply the best in any racing game. It’s a real feast for the eyes.