Alright, everyone. Throw those plastic containers in the garage and kick your toyboxes far back into the wardrobe, we don’t need imagination and real model cars where we’re going. Thankfully, we have Hot Wheels Unleashed 2: Turbocharged for that - the sequel to the 2021 original, both developed and published by Milestone. If the Hot Wheels branding has you on the fence regarding whether this title is worth your time and money, you can rest easy. Not only is Turbocharged a fantastic racing experience with entertainment value at the top of its priority list, its borderline conversion material for those out there who haven’t yet accepted the die-cast gospel into their heart and soul.

Most of your time early on will likely be spent with the included campaign mode, accumulating coins, experience, and skill points for vehicle upgrades as you level up. There is an overarching storyline present, tied together with numerous cutscenes, and spread out over multiple events and levels - but you’re better off ignoring these altogether (the cutscenes, not the levels). It’s painfully obvious the plotline is geared towards a younger audience, although I have a hard time imagining even they wouldn’t tune out almost immediately. In fact, after sitting through the opening clip, I physically set my controller down beside me and buried my face in my hands. But this is Hot Wheels, dammit, and we aren’t about to let something as insignificant as a sub-par plot detract from the incredibly addictive and enjoyable gameplay on offer here.



And it certainly wouldn’t be Hot Wheels without the cars, all of which look absolutely stunning in their fidelity, and positively brimming with small details. After loading up the game for the first time, you’ll be given a handful of vehicles right off the bat, planting the seeds of obsessive collection in the recesses of your mind without you even realising it. More rides can, of course, be picked up from the in-game store using coins earned from levelling up, story objectives, or, you know, racing. It’s a nice touch that, when browsing the cars available for purchase, they all appear comfortably confined within the cardboard-backed blisterpacks we all know and love – triggering memories of walking into a toy store as a child and digging through the shelves for the most appealing car.

It’s painfully obvious the plotline is geared towards a younger audience, although I have a hard time imagining even they wouldn’t tune out almost immediately.

As you might expect, each set o’ wheels come with its own stats – speed, acceleration, braking power, and handling – and slots neatly into one of several specialised self-explanatory archetypes such as “off-road”, “drifter”, or “balanced”. While it may seem initially pointless for the first couple of races you’ll compete in, getting used to taking your time and picking the type of vehicle most suited to the track and gameplay mode you’re heading into will make things a lot easier for yourself going forward.



Speaking of gameplay modes, Turbocharged has all the core bases covered in that department for either single-player, online multiplayer, or local split-screen action – with optional cross-platform functionality as an added bonus. Aside from the classic competitive races, a few notable examples include the Time Attack mode, which has you complete a course as quickly as possible while vying for leaderboard supremacy, and Elimination, where the driver in last place is knocked out when the clock ticks down.

And believe me, the mid-race action is already frenetic and gloriously chaotic enough without adding stipulations or gimmicks of any kind. Single and double jump abilities, lateral dashes (fancy wording for ramming into enemy vehicles), obstacles of all shapes and sizes, and boost pads ensure there’s just enough room for a quick exhalation of breath or perhaps a forehead dab with a moist towelette. Both of the aforementioned modes (and a few others) are accessed via the Quick Modes menu and can be completed on any tracks unlocked via story progression or, if you can’t be bothered with the campaign, coins.



You can really feel the Hot Wheels charm in full effect here – every competitor’s vehicle of choice amusingly missing somebody behind the wheel (especially hilarious for motorcycles), the multi-coloured bits of track laid out ahead, the novelty of racing along somebody’s seemingly-gigantic backyard lawn, and the physics on display during larger crashes and collisions all bring you back down to size.

Turbocharged never fully plants its feet in the soil of anything too realistic or grounded, and the product is all the better for it.

You’re still a model car, after all, and your biggest focus right now should be how you’re going to avoid that stack of fast-approaching toy blocks or that nasty-looking rock that’s swinging back and forth, just waiting to mess up your day. Turbocharged never fully plants its feet in the soil of anything too realistic or grounded, and the product is all the better for it. As a side note, the different horn sounds you’re free to buy and drop into your chosen car are pretty damn amazing and range from a party blower to an airhorn.



Racing isn’t the grand finale, not by a long shot. Upgrading vehicles uses up those skill points I mentioned a while back. Each unlocked perk usually improves a specific aspect of any given ride while providing a negative side effect to avoid creating something truly overpowered, like increasing handling or speed while reducing boost charge or slipstream acceleration. Important note here: to unlock the second and third tiers of perks, you’ll need to fork over some coinage or throw down an upgrade kit (awarded through story events, mainly). The pricing isn’t bad at all, thankfully, and you’ll earn more than enough currency from just playing the game as you would normally - without needing to put in any extra grinding.

The true delight, at least for myself, was discovering the various editing tools at my disposal. Switching up my chosen vehicle’s appearance – interior, tyres, chassis, glass, livery, and rims included – was surprisingly easy to accomplish. I even went the extra mile and slapped on a few stickers, which has its own series of creation and editing options. Keep in mind that these are still Hot Wheels we’re dealing with, so don’t expect anything too nuts as far as customisation is concerned. And if the inspiration for your next masterpiece continues to elude you, or if you prefer to just skip the creation suite entirely, a host of community submissions can be perused and added to your game.



Car customisation is great and all, don’t get me wrong, but the track editor was far more up my alley. The controls took a bit of getting used to, but once the various button combinations required to bend and twist track pieces in the desired direction were burned into my brain grooves, I had a blast letting my creativity run wild. I honestly felt like a child again, sitting on the living room floor with my cousin and grabbing whatever we could get our hands on to make our very own homemade courses, much to the frustration of other family members present. As with the vehicle and sticker editor, your works of art can be uploaded for the world to either applaud in wonder or point and laugh at. The final creative outlet Turbocharged provides for its player base lies in the beautification of one’s profile, with more backgrounds, player icons, and titles becoming available through completed missions or, you guessed it, levelling up.

I honestly felt like a child again, sitting on the living room floor with my cousin and grabbing whatever we could get our hands on to make our very own homemade courses.

Aside from the terrible story cutscenes, a few annoying delays when transitioning between menus (7 seconds when navigating between leaderboard pages) or waiting for community creation lists to appear (usually around 17 seconds), and some bland interface designs, I’d really have to stretch to find any genuine issues with the game without sounding ridiculously petty.



Even the included Hot Wheels Spin slot machine minigame, where spending acquired tokens for random item drops like coins, skill points, and even more vehicles, doesn’t feel scummy at all thanks to the lack of any ability to exchange real world cash for more machine pulls. Not having any microtransactions, starter packs, or “hot deals” shoved down my throat is quite refreshing, not to mention the peace of mind this brings when it comes to letting children play the game. Paid DLC is still a thing, though, with the first Season Pass currently sitting at R539 on PS5, and at least one more planned for future release - for true Hot Wheels fanatics only, I’m sure.

Hot Wheels Unleashed 2: Turbocharged crosses the finish line with ease and style, providing an immensely enjoyable and high-quality experience that settles for nothing less than constantly firing on all cylinders. If you’re looking for a racing title that doesn’t bog itself down with an over-reliance on realism, placing fun and faithfulness to the source material above all else while offering plenty of opportunities for hoarding digital Hot Wheels collectibles, Turbocharged won’t just scratch that itch – it’ll leave its own deep-set nail marks in your back.

*PS5 Review code provided by Milestone | Reviewed by Ryan Pretorius