Hot Wheels Let's Race: Ultimate Speed Review

Hot Wheels Let’s Race is a 3D animated series that debuted on Netflix back in 2024. Hot Wheels Let’s Race: Ultimate Speed is an arcade racer starring the main racers from the show: Mac, Brights, Coop, Spark, Axle, and Cruise, mixed with iconic Hot Wheels cars. At the title screen, you are greeted with the theme song from the show as you figure out which mode you would like to try out. Each of these characters has its own stats for handling, speed, and acrobatics.

The vehicle you choose also has unique strengths, so if you pick a racer with a car that has a low handling rating, it will be more difficult to control than other combinations of driver and racecar. Mac, Coop, Axle, and Cruise all have a handling rating of two, along with a higher speed; whereas Brights and Spark handle better, but their speed is a bit lower. I made the mistake of taking someone with low handling the first time I had played, and I was wondering why I wasn’t able to make turns cleanly — I was bashing into walls like a pinball. So it may be worth paying attention to those numbers, at least until you become more comfortable with the controls. 

When you are at your home base, there are multiple different areas (modes) that you can check out. Racing Camp has you competing to become the Ultimate Garage Champion, featuring 12 different tracks, and the racer with the most Flame Badges and wins is the champ. There are three modes to try out: Cup Champ (like a grand prix), Free Race, or Speed Trials. All can be played with up to four racers locally if you have multiple people playing. 

For the Cup Champ mode, you will select the speed you want to race at between slow, medium, fast, or ultra, which is great if you are racing with children or someone with less racing game experience, or even people who have played a lot of racing games. The higher the speed, the more challenging it will be. Then, with that, you select the cup you want to challenge: Downtown Dash, Moonlight Madness, or Champion's Circuit. The other three cups: Golden Wheel, Rookie Builder's, and Master Builder will be unlocked once their requirements are met. Each of these has four tracks to race, and a Boss Fight to battle in that you may recognise from the Let's Race show.

As you play, there is a full garage of the classic Hot Wheels vehicles to race yourself, like the GT-Scorcher, Roger Dodger, Super Twin Mill, and my favourite, Duck N' Roll.  Each vehicle has its own unique abilities, handling, and style, which adds to the game's replayability. Even the decal you select for your vehicle gives you a perk like the Ice Cream Sundae with the longer car power boost or the Donut with a longer drift boost. It takes some trial and error to figure out what combo of racer and vehicle fits your playstyle best. 

Once your vehicle is ready to go, you head to the back. My first one’s decal is The Ultimate Car Wash. To get a start boost, hold the acceleration down until the bar is in the green zone. As soon as you begin racing, you will notice that a few things are different from your typical racing game. You can’t fall off the track; as soon as you jump out of bounds, a green tractor beam light lifts you back to the closest area of the course to where you fell. There are bumpers on the edges of all the pieces, which makes the game more accessible for the younger gamers who may be racing, or let's be honest, for me too. It was nice not to worry about shooting off the course! When you finish that one race, before starting the next one, you have the option to switch the vehicle you are driving if you so wish.

The cars and characters are all true to the source they are based on and are brightly coloured and fun. Race track-wise, the iconic orange pieces are all here, bringing back memories of playing with these sets as a child. The music is upbeat and energetic, making it a perfect match for a fast-paced racing game.

When you don't feel like racing, Hot Wheels Let's Race: Ultimate Speed has a really cool Track Builder mode to check out. First, you play through a tutorial that shows you how to select and place the pieces of the track you want to use; all the pieces can be rotated or angled upward or down. There is a variety of straight, curved, loops, or ramp pieces to use. The more track pieces you have, the longer each lap will take to complete. Once finished, you can try racing on your creation and make any changes you want. There are also Building Challenges available if you want to challenge yourself.

I have never watched the Hot Wheels Let's Race show before, but it is definitely not required to have a good time. The gameplay felt accommodating to players, no matter their skill level, and the split-screen, local multiplayer was a lot of fun. With so many vehicles to unlock and characters with different strengths, there are a lot of combos to be made. Add in the fun Track Building mode, and you have a title that will keep you busy for a long time!