Hot Wheels Infinite Rush Is Just The Right Kind Of Massive To Be A Blast

For decades, Hot Wheels have been a go-to pick for playtime. With some die-cast cars, a few strips of orange track, and the wild expanse of their imagination, kids have created vast worlds for their cars to race around, crash through, and explore thoroughly. That’s the feeling Hot Wheels: Infinite Rush is very pointedly trying to recreate. The third Hot Wheels game by Milestone, the developer’s history of producing top-notch racing games has seen them reassert themselves as a dominant force in racing games.

Far from the realistic driving mechanics of something like the Forza series, Hot Wheels: Infinite Rush is arcade racing at its most stripped down, with easy-to-learn controls that mean players can go from 0 to 60 while exploring the game’s vivid worlds. ComicBook got the chance to try out the game during Summer Game Fest, seeing firsthand just how much goofy fun can be had in a world of loop-de-loop roads and dinosaur stunt challenges. What we saw was essentially an open-world Burnout riff that’s an ideal playground for young gamers (and those still young at heart).

Rev Your Engines For A Massive Driving Sandbox

Milestone has really cemented itself in the racing game space, with Hot Wheels: Infinite Rush being the second reinvention of the genre by the developer this year. The developer behind properties like Ride and MotoGP — as well as the criminally underrated Screamer from earlier this year — took up the Hot Wheels license and delivered a pretty fun experience with 2021’s Hot Wheels Unleashed and its 2023 sequel, Hot Wheels Unleashed 2: Turbocharged. The new entry in their Hot Wheels series is pushing the formula even further by embracing a sandbox approach that feels perfectly attuned to the natural playfulness of the Hot Wheels brand.

Whereas the previous two Hot Wheels games from the developer were effectively traditional racing games with a Hot Wheels coat of paint, Infinite Rush is an open-world game where players get the chance to explore different open-world settings. Discovering certain locations and challenges is the key to advancing, with players selecting from a wide array of cars that fall under four categories, with specific ones necessary for the various races and stunt challenges that litter the map. The controls are simplified for broader audiences but tight enough to be effective, especially as players adjust to the unique qualities of their new cars.

Potential obstacles can just be driven through as players try to pick up enough speed to make a massive jump in the track, a natural and brightly depicted reimagining of the kind of races kids would imagine in their heads while playing with Hot Wheels at home. The demo made available to members of the media highlighted the different challenges and pick-up play style, which is ideal for younger players. While there isn’t much of a challenge for experienced players, there’s enough colorful charm to be enjoyable.

Driving Through A Sandbox Has Never Felt More Fun

Hot Wheels: Infinite Rush is a sandbox approach to a classic IP known for family fun, which seems like a perfect way to approach the property in the gaming space. In that sense, it’s a fitting comparison to LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight. Both games benefit from giving players a wide-open world to play in, with an emphasis on having the kind of experience you want to have. There is a natural sense of freedom to the game design that naturally recreates the excitement you get from creating your own massive worlds for the cars to explore.

Hopping between the islands – two of which, a cute metropolis known as Wheelworld and a desert-themed city with massive stunt challenges peeking out over the horizon dubbed Gearworld, were available for the preview – highlights the kind of goofy whimsy inherent to the Hot Wheels brand. It’s inviting in a way that can be hard to explain. As someone who played with Hot Wheels as a kid and now has a son obsessed with them, I can see the natural excitement that arises when you see a distant loop-de-loop that you know you can just blow through.

The litany of challenges and unlockable cars (and the suggestion of additional content down the line) opens the door to a wide world of goofy excitement. The different car types ensure players can trade out and experiment with gameplay style, keeping them on their toes and ensuring that the challenges don’t become repetitive. The promise of a track editor only adds to the promise of inventive and imaginative challenges, although that mode wasn’t on display during the preview. A kid-friendly take on Burnout Paradise that has enough charm to catch your attention, Hot Wheels: Infinite Rush is a delight that I can’t wait to venture into alongside my son – and then again once he’s gone to bed and I can get really invested in breaking some time trials.

Hot Wheels: Infinite Rush is scheduled to launch on September 26 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC.