Hot Wheels Infinite Rush is the latest Hot Wheels video game venture, giving players of all ages a robust sandbox to get lost in, bringing the joy of collecting little toy cars to a game console near you.
Outside of a distinct memory of playing with a single metallic Hot Wheels car during an extended stay in the hospital after surgery in my youth, my relationship with Mattel’s popular toy line ends there. That said, however, I still found myself thoroughly enjoying my time with Hot Wheels Infinite Rush on the PlayStation 5.
Powered by Unreal Engine 5, Hot Wheels Infinite Rush is a gorgeous-looking arcade racer, bringing a lovingly crafted metal-and-plastic world that exudes charm. From the hollow yet satisfyingly plastic feel of the trees and shrubbery, the world of Hot Wheels Infinite Rush brings new meaning to playing with your toys.
“… Hot Wheels Infinite Rush brings new meaning to playing with your toys.”
The cars also adhere to the game’s strict toyetic feel, featuring a wide range of materials and textures that mimic their real-life die-cast collectible counterparts, complete with a faithful physics system that feels distinctly toy-like. In other words, if you’re looking for a realistic racer, even for Arcade standards, Hot Wheels Infinite Rush is not that. Instead, the game is a love letter to fans of the long-running toy line, giving players a wicked sandbox to get lost in and have fun.
Creative kids, or kids-at-heart, will also appreciate Hot Wheels Infinite Rush, which features a suite of tools that lets you create and customize the experience to your liking. Starting with the garage and editor, players can fully kit out and customize the majority of the existing pool of over 150 cars. From changing the material of the chassis to the tint of the glass panelling, different tyres and exhaust effects, to a plethora of decals and stickers that can be layered and modified in an editor that feels robust and intuitive to use.
“Creative kids, or kids-at-heart, will also appreciate Hot Wheels Infinite Rush, as it features a suite of tools that make it possible to create and customize the experience to your liking.”
Similarly, Hot Wheels Infinite Rush features a custom track creator, allowing players to select from 1 of the 3 biomes available in the game (which unlock as you progress through its open world), giving players options to create over-the-top courses, complete with that iconic orange track material juxtoposed against a laundry list of themed goodies, such as dragon heads and other iconic bits and bobs of Hot Wheels themed curios.
Hot Wheels Infinite Rush is an open-world affair, not dissimilar to something like Burnout Paradise, giving racers three fairly large biomes to unlock and explore. Levels range from typical city streets to more exotic locations, such as monster-infested beaches and islands, that change the feel of the game while still feeling coherent and connected to the experience. Players can easily jump between islands via over-the-top ramps that segue into brief loading screens, which on PlayStation 5 only last a couple of seconds.
Maps are littered with activities to partake in, including hidden missions that only become available after driving to them, a huge pool of collectables and other secrets that will scratch your open-world itch, particularly for fans of LEGO titles or other kid-friendly sandbox games. Of course, the star of the show in a game like Hot Wheels Infinite Rush is the vehicles, an area where Infinite Rush does not disappoint, with over 100 cars to collect, many of which can either be bought right from a fun, real-life-inspired toy store menu or via 1v1 challenge races, which usually reward some of the more outlandish cars.
With a focus on community, online races and a shareable marketplace for user-generated content, it’s nice to see that Hot Wheels Infinite Rush still remembers to include a local multiplayer mode, which on PlayStation 5 does not break a sweat (at least for 2 players), adhering to a solid FPS and level of fidelity that doesn’t buckle under the weight of Unreal Engine.
Ultimately, even if you’re not particularly interested in the Hot Wheels brand, Hot Wheels Infinite Rush is a fantastic arcade-racer that anyone can appreciate, featuring enough content to keep you busy for a long time, on top of the promise of even more cars and updates planned for post-launch. If you have children, or are old enough to know and appreciate games like ModNation Racers, Hot Wheels Infinite Rush is a must-play.
