Hot Wheels Unleashed Reviews

Hot Wheels Unleashed is ranked in the 56th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
6 / 10
Sep 28, 2021

Hot Wheels Unleashed delivers on what it promises, high octane toy car thrills, drifting and boosting around gravity-defying tracks set in high definition great looking environments. It just lets itself down when it comes to the structure of the solo campaign and there aren’t enough unique hazards or variations in the tracks to keep you coming back for more. It would have been nice if they went a step further and thought outside of the box with the designs of the tracks themselves, but at least it delivers a boost of nostalgia for the kid inside all of us.

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9.7 / 10.0
Jan 5, 2021

'Hot Wheels Unleashed' handles like a dream for toy cars.

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8 / 10.0
Sep 27, 2021

Hot Wheels Unleashed is a bit light on level and event type variety but still delivers a great racer worthy of the Hot Wheels name with plenty of speed, detailed customization, and a meaty roster of fun vehicles.

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Jay Ball
Top Critic
4 / 10.0
Sep 28, 2021

This is the kind of game a cheap uncle buys a kid for Christmas out of the bargain bin giving little thought beyond, “little Timmy likes cars so I’ll buy him this thing.” Sadly, it will only keep kids entertained for as long as it takes them to realise the odds are stacked against them. While some real passion has gone into the transition of some much-loved toys into digital form, the challenge of Hot Wheels Unleashed is just too great for its target audience. Without significant fixes, it will do little more than frustrate all who pick it up.

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Sep 27, 2021

All in all, Hot Wheels Unleashed is a fun arcade racer that has a lot going for it, and unlike other arcade racers, it has enough going for it to keep you coming back. Even after the campaign is completed, there's still lots to do, such as finding all the secrets, getting the best time on all the tracks, the basement, and the track creator. Even if this wasn't a Hot Wheels game, this title is a solid arcade racer, and I'd recommended it to anyone who's looking for a racing game that isn't too serious.

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7.5 / 10.0
Sep 28, 2021

It's no surprise given Milestone's pedigree that Hot Wheels Unleashed is a mechanically sound and confident racing title as it boils down the true essence of Hot Wheels and puts on a showcase exactly why they're a beloved pastime. The bloated story mode does little to obfuscate the game's skeleton crew of modes, though I think the game will find resilience through a community of online racers and their wonderful, imaginative creations.

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7 / 10
Oct 9, 2021

This is a solid recommendation for anyone who enjoys arcade racers, especially ones that go more for skill and speed over the randomness of power-ups.

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7.5 / 10.0
Sep 28, 2021

Hot Wheels Unleashed is a super fun yet sometimes frustrating arcade racer that is hindered slightly by some design shortcomings.

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2.9 / 5.0
Oct 2, 2021

Even with an outstanding Hot Wheels license to work with, Hot Wheels Unleashed's generic and uninspired execution coupled with lower presentation qualities makes it a below average racing title.

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9.5 / 10.0
Sep 29, 2021

The overall feeling of Hot Wheels Unleashed is that it is a huge win for nostalgia fans and racing fans alike. From the graphical detail of the world to the tracks to the cars everything is spot on with how you remember these cars looking. The control you have while racing puts Hot Wheels Unleashed right up there with some of the other AAA racing titles. This title will be launching on September 30, 2021, to PS5, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, and PC for USD 49.

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Unscored
Sep 28, 2021

Whether you care about this game due to nostalgia or had no interest in Hot Wheels growing up as a kid, there is something inherently fun and addictive at play here. The single-player aspect is deep and entertaining, and the game caters to those who are looking for a challenge or playing to relive some memories. With a little bit of luck, Hot Wheels Unleashed should pop up in some "best racing game of the year" awards discussions, and that should be helped by Milestone's plan to keep rolling out new content over the next several months. This is an absolute must-have title for your rotation.

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7 / 10.0
Sep 28, 2021

Does this break the overall experience? Its fun? Not really, but it definitely convolutes proceedings.

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7.7 / 10.0
Sep 27, 2021

Despite some aspects of the game feel more improvable than others, Hot Wheels Unleashed is without a doubt the best game ever made about the toy cars made by Mattel.

Review in Italian | Read full review

Sep 27, 2021

Hot Wheels Unleashed gets its racing and assortment of cars so very right, but the way you go about unlocking more content is unfathomably restrictive and leads to frustration.

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8 / 10.0
Sep 27, 2021

It may be based on a particular brand of die-cast toy cars aimed at kids, but Hot Wheels Unleashed is a fun arcade-style racer suitable for all ages and, for the most part, skill levels. Bursting with content, it’ll be a while before you’ve grown tired of its many tracks and unlocked all of the 60-plus cars that it offers. Throw in online and offline multiplayer, a track builder, and gameplay that’s easy to pick up but has some additional depth for more skilled players, and you have a package that’s easy to recommend.

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6.5 / 10.0
Oct 13, 2021

I’m still adamant that the best usage of Hot Wheels was the DLC pack in Forza Horizon 3, but that success only came because it was built into an already excellent racing game. This is a passable at-best racer, but it damn sure ain’t anywhere near Forza.

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7.5 / 10.0
Dec 28, 2021

Hot Wheels Unleashed is perhaps the best stand-alone game to use the license by far. It nails the feeling of racing with tiny die-cast cars and melds it with a presentation that looks far better than what you'd expect for a licensed title. The race variety is lacking, given the presence of only two race types, but the track variety greatly makes up for that shortcoming. It may have flown under everyone's radar, but Unleashed is worth everyone's attention.

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6 / 10
Oct 19, 2021

Hot Wheels Unleashed doesn't have much to offer, and as an arcade racing can only be entertaining for a few hours before fading to the bottom of your game library.

Review in Persian | Read full review

7.5 / 10.0
Oct 8, 2021

‎Hot Wheels: Unleashed is a simple yet demanding arcade. But without a doubt its greatest attraction is found in an incredible care for the toy brand, both for the cars and for its tracks, with a really complete editor.‎

Review in Spanish | Read full review

78 / 100
Oct 4, 2021

Hot Wheels Unleashed is an enjoyable arcade racer with deep customization and great presentation, let down by a lack of modes to play.

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