Screenshots & trailers
Review sentiment over time
Weekly positive-review rate (green) and review volume (bars). Dashed lines mark significant patches; the amber line is the start of the current scoring window. Hover the dots to see what drove a dip or a jump.
How this score was computed
The VGC Score is a weighted blend on a press-comparable 0-100 quality scale. Steam approval rates are first calibrated (95% positive on Steam ≈ 89.5 quality, since Steam approval skews high). Press and tracked creator reviews each count ~2x a player review and share one cap against player evidence (creator buy/skip calls pool into an approval rate, calibrated like Steam approval); all-time sentiment is capped and halved (it's context, not verdict); reviews of the current build carry the most weight when a fresh patch anchors the window; and a 'typical game' prior keeps small samples from pegging the scale. Because press reviews and Metacritic user aggregates describe the launch build, their weight decays as the game ages (3-year half-life after a 1-year grace). That's how a game that launched rough can outgrow its old reception once updates win players over. Reviews under 2h playtime (the refund window), non-Steam activations, and free copies are downweighted.
| Component | Positive | Quality (0-100) | Weight (pseudo-reviews) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Press reviews (OpenCritic) | – | 74 | 81 |
| Creator reviews (1 tracked) | – | 97 | 1 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 79% | 73 | 1000 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | – | 0 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 88% | 82 | 8 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: last 30 days (no significant patch detected) · 22 reviews sampled · 16 total reviews in window · weighted 12.6 up / 1.7 down · computed 3h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (114)
Individual verdicts from outlets we track: scored reviews first, most trusted outlets first among them. The small badge is each outlet's trust score: how well its scoring history aligns with players.
- 55
“Hot Wheels Unleashed is just okay. The racing mechanics are fine, but the singleplayer content can become a bit repetitive. The car variety is nice, but it comes at the expense of being trapped behind a pseudo-gacha system. The game looks fine, but the music is incredibly generic and loops often. I can’t say it’s a game I’ll come back to, but I also cannot say it is an outright bad game, it just barely scrapes by as an average one.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Hot Wheels Unleashed™ is so much more than what I expected from this racing game. Great gameplay, variety of environments, lots of track variations, and a large collection of cars that I want to have all of. The ability to play around in the editor to create your own track and build the track of your dreams. Nice graphics and great optimization. This is all just like a childhood dream come true and I can't wait for the upcoming new expansions to the game. I recommend the game to everyone who enjoys arcade racing in particular and collected or still collects Hot Wheels cars when they were younger.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“As it stands right now, Hot Wheels Unleashed is a fun racer whose fantastic selection of cars makes up for its relative lack of varied course environments. With updates and DLC it has the potential to become a brilliant mess of licensed properties in the way the best mash-up games are, but what's here is a solid enough foundation to start from, even if it's a little samey at launch.”
read full review ↗ - 75
“Hot Wheels Unleashed nails it with an amazing track builder and car editor, great variety of unique cars and some great AI and tracks. Sadly, the unnecessary addition of lootboxes, even though they can be only bought with in game currency, drags the campaign down. It is still great fun with friends, be it online or split screen.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“It’s not without its quirks, unfortunately. The shocking aggressive AI racers created many moments of frustration, and I’m not a fan of the “gacha but not really” system going on here for obtaining new cars. But for fans of arcade racers, whether the Hot Wheels name strikes a chord or not, Hot Wheels Unleashed is a game worth a look.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Hot Wheels Unleashed is a rollercoaster with all the perks of a fun ride; crazy colourful tracks included. What looks like an initial cash-grab license title ends up being a pretty decent racing experience.”
read full review ↗ - 82
“Having spent a fair portion of my childhood playing with the cars, tracks, and quite a few playsets there's absolutely an element of nostalgia in Hot Wheels Unleashed that comes in waves and puts a smile on my face...”
read full review ↗ - 90
“It’s hard to dislike almost any part of this joyful little title. With boundless ways to play, build and paint, this is sure to be one title that remains in my library for a very long time.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Even those just looking for some childhood nostalgia will enjoy Hot Wheels Unleashed and its similarities with older Hot Wheels games like Hot Wheels Stunt Track Driver. Plus, you can drive cars with names like Street Wiener, Roller Toaster, Buns of Steel, and Tur-Bone Charged. What’s not to love?”
read full review ↗ - 65
“Hot Wheels Unleashed has a lot of good concepts and ideas that are sullied by awkward execution and weird design choices. Its physics could use some more fine-tuning, and its AI needs to be rebalanced, along with a revamped track builder. Yet, there's still some glimmer to its toy car shine.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“The famous brand is back on our consoles and on PC with hundreds of cars. Hot Wheels Unleashed may not be perfect, especially in terms of its purchasing system or its redundancy in single-player mode, but it offers an accessible arcade experience that can appeal to nostalgic as well as to the youngest.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Hot Wheels Unleashed is a rock solid arcade racing game that gets a lot of things right, but doesn't quite measure up in some areas.”
read full review ↗
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Patch history
- August Monthly Update!Aug 4, 2022
- July Monthly UpdateJul 14, 2022
- June Monthly UpdateJun 9, 2022
- April Monthly UpdateApr 21, 2022
- March Monthly UpdateMar 28, 2022
- February Monthly UpdateFeb 17, 2022
- December Monthly UpdateDec 16, 2021
- New Patch available!Nov 24, 2021
- November Monthly UpdateNov 18, 2021
- New patch is now availableNov 9, 2021
- New update is now availableNov 3, 2021
- October Monthly UpdateOct 21, 2021