Hot Wheels Unleashed

Hot Wheels Unleashed is an arcade racing game from Milestone. Players race model cars on winding tracks and can build their own courses.

Hot Wheels Unleashed was released on September 30, 2021. The Game of the Year Edition, offered later, combines the base game with the three Hot Wheels Passes and additional vehicle packs. It is not a standalone sequel.

Milestone released the game natively for Windows PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch. On PC it is available through Steam and the Epic Games Store, among others. Amazon Luna is a streaming option, not an additional native console.

Players collect Hot Wheels cars and compete on tracks with loops, jumps and tight corners. Drifts charge the boost. If you lack momentum on the spectacular tracks, you can lose grip. The focus is on speed and skilful driving rather than a realistic motorsport simulation.

The larger add-ons include the Batman Expansion, the Monster Trucks Expansion and the Looney Tunes Expansion. Three Hot Wheels Passes bundle further content. The game is also supplemented by individually available vehicles, track pieces and customisation packs.

An expansion requires the matching base game. A Season Pass, on the other hand, bundles additional content and is not a new platform version of the main game.

The Steam version requires at least an Intel Core i5-2500K or AMD FX-6350, 8 GB RAM and a GeForce GTX 960 or GTX 1050. Recommended are an Intel Core i7-5820K or Ryzen 5 2600 with 16 GB RAM and a GeForce GTX 1060 or Radeon RX 580. It needs 22 GB of storage and DirectX 11.

The original game listing states Windows 8.1. For the current Steam client, at least Windows 10 has applied since 2024.

The Track Builder is one of the core game systems. Custom race tracks are built from orange track pieces, loops, boosters, obstacles and special modules. Furniture and architecture from the locations can be built into the track layout. A dedicated paint editor offers extra customisation options for the cars.

A personal room is also part of the game. Players can decorate it with unlocked furnishings and race there.

Besides single-player, Hot Wheels Unleashed supports races in local split-screen for two players. Online, according to Milestone, races can be held with up to twelve participants. Steam explicitly lists single-player, online PvP and split-screen as game features.

The long-term availability of online services depends on the respective platform. The local two-player mode is to be distinguished from it as a separate feature.

The game features vehicles from the Hot Wheels universe, including imaginatively designed miniature cars. The collection expands the selection for races, while the paint editor allows visual customisation. Further models are available in standalone add-on packs and are therefore not automatically included in the respective base game.

According to Steam, the Game of the Year Edition includes the base game, the three Hot Wheels Passes and the Sportscars, Beefed Up and Street Beasts packs. This makes the scope differ from the standard edition, without being a different base game.

A separately sold GOTY Upgrade Pack is aimed at owners of the standard edition. When comparing individual offers, the extra content actually included is therefore what matters.