Challenge accepted. Gear selected! Yep, it’s a catchphrase I’d never heard of either until I picked up a review copy of Hot Wheels Let’s Race: Ultimate Speed. This is the official game tie-in to the children’s TV cartoon show of the same name. The franchise also has a vast range of children’s toys, so it’s natural that a game has been made on consoles for it as well.
It’s pretty obvious the targeted audience for this game is the younger generation. I’ll cut to the chase, this isn’t a secret little game parents will enjoy playing. The style, look, and gameplay is all most definitely geared towards a simplistic, younger generation. Not that the striking visuals and artwork are bad at all. Far from it. So much so, playing the game on the Nintendo Switch 2, the visuals popped off the screen with very good clarity. The movement was also very smooth, so the whole game has a nice, clean look about it. It’s just that this game isn’t going to be deep enough for older gamers to play for long.
The content of the game centers around the TV show characters and the classic Hot Wheels toy cars they drive. The track variation is also nice and varied, alongside racing down the classic orange plastic tracks.
Along the twelve out of the box tracks are the typical pick-ups: speed boosts, jump ramps, multiple routes, and power-ups. The cars also have a very neat drift mechanic and aerobatic skills when in mid-jump.
There are five game modes. These include Racing Camp (the game’s main campaign) Cup Champ, Speed Trials, Track Builder and Free Races (where you can choose which car and driver to race at what track).
The thing that does make this game stand out a little from the crowd is that there are also boss levels to play in the races. These boss levels, unfortunately, are basically the same. Dodge down a track, pick up ammo, to then jump and fire at the boss.
The game also has some neat customization options for the cars, and the track builder mechanic is a really cool feature for any budding designers to use. It’s all pretty standard fair, to be honest, and the addition of up to 4-player co-op is most welcome, but that comes at the cost of there being no online racing against other people.
The mechanics for Hot Wheels Let’s Race: Ultimate Speed’s gameplay are okay. It was actually quite fun racing, but I got a little annoyed with the track designs of the main circuits. For example, some tracks had the speed boosts right in the middle of the twisty sections; that made no sense. When you drive over them, you shouldn’t go fast as you would just bounce off the side walls and lose all momentum.
The cars oversteer quite a lot, which means as I turned into a corner, I kept coming round too much to hit the inside wall. I actually got over this by drifting most of the time and getting little speed boosts for my efforts (I’m not sure if this is what the designers intended for players to do, but I had a fun time drifting, at least!).
The AI, like the rest of the game, was okay. The audio was very disappointing while racing as the car noises were very synthetic and didn’t add to the experience. The racing itself, and the experience, all felt a little sparse, bare, simple. There isn’t a whole lot of visual razzmatazz or effects in the game, even during the boss fights. I certainly didn’t get a sense of speed or much feedback from the game when racing.
However!
Here’s the thing. If I was six years old, enjoyed the TV show, and had some of the cars/toys for this franchise, I personally think I would find this to be the best game ever! It’s deep and accessible enough for a young child under 10 to play out on-screen what they have seen on the TV program. The actual driving was, to be honest, pretty fun. It was also fun choosing different drivers with different cars. There are some basic stats for each, but I honestly didn’t feel much difference in their driving performances out on the track.
The other thing that would win me over if I was a fan of the franchise is the presentation, which is superb. The character designs are accurate, and there are little cutscenes after the races. In short, the game does transport you very well to the world of Hot Wheels.
If you compare this game to Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds or Mario Kart, this game is by far the worst as it’s not the best racing game overall. You have to remember the target audience. The problem the game has is that it’s been released around the same time as other bigger budget racing games. Saying that though, the price point (£34.99 on the UK Nintendo Store as I type) seems to be a fair place to put this game for its content.
Summary
Hot Wheels Let’s Race: Ultimate Speed is a neat little racing game that is perfect for the intended audience. It’s the younger generation of gamers who will love this game for bringing their favourite TV show to life. If you’re looking for a racing game to compete with the likes of Mario or Sonic, then go elsewhere. For any fans of the franchise, however, this is a must-buy. It’s simplistic, wholesome, accessible, and most importantly, fun.
Developer: Bamtang Games
Publisher: Game Mill
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S
Release Date: 24th October 2025
Gaming Respawn’s copy of Hot Wheels Let’s Race: Ultimate Speed was provided by the publisher.
