Hot Wheels Unleashed 2: Turbocharged

About

"Hot Wheels Unleashed 2: Turbocharged" offers a thrilling racing experience with over 130 customizable vehicles, including Hot Wheels Originals, Monster Trucks, and entertainment-inspired rides. A new skill tree system enhances vehicle performance, and motorbikes/ATVs bring unique racing styles to various tracks. This sequel aims to surpass its predecessor with even more exciting features.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Local Multi-Player Play with friends in the same physical space using split-screen or multiple screens
2-Players Play with one other player, either online or locally, in a cooperative or competitive game mode
Multi-Player Compete or cooperate with other players online
Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo
PvP Player versus Player - Fight against other players in real-time, often in arena-style combat
Split Screen Play with multiple players on the same screen, often with divided or shared screen real estate

Hot Wheels Unleashed 2: Turbocharged screenshot

69%

Audience ScoreBased on 498 reviews

gameplay19 positive mentions

monetization8 negative mentions

Hot Wheels Unleashed 2 offers a fun arcade racing experience with improved handling and a variety of new vehicles and tracks.
The game features a robust customization system, allowing players to tune and upgrade their cars, as well as create their own tracks.
The addition of new game modes, such as Elimination and Drift Master, adds variety and keeps the gameplay fresh.

Many players feel that the game recycles too much content from the first installment, making it feel less like a true sequel.
The online multiplayer experience is lacking, with low player counts and a matchmaking system that often leaves players waiting.
Technical issues, particularly on the Steam Deck, such as unskippable cutscenes and crashes, have led to frustration among users.

story
84 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
67%
17%
The story aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it bland, cheesy, and lacking depth. While some appreciate the wholesome elements and improvements over the previous installment, others criticize the repetitive nature of the narrative and the absence of engaging rival characters. Overall, the story feels shoehorned in and is often overshadowed by the fun gameplay, leaving players wanting more meaningful content.
- “Pros: the story for one is nice and wholesome without being too childish.”
- “It's entertaining and nostalgic, with some excellent story elements and multiplayer/features.”
- “Oh well...maybe the story in the campaign mode is a bit cheesy and nonsensical: I mean, kids are not stupid, the developer could've come up with something more meaningful or even with nothing at all, the game is great and fine anyway and everyone can love it just for what it is: fun arcade racing.”
- “The overall story to 'Creature Rampage' is really bare bones.”
- “Felt like the story was shoehorned in.”
- “The campaign storyline left me cold, and the freedom to screw up might be fun in a silly multiplayer session but becomes annoying solo.”
gameplay
67 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
28%
66%
6%
The gameplay of the latest installment has received mixed reviews, with some praising the introduction of new mechanics like dashing and jumping, which enhance maneuverability and variety in gameplay modes. However, many players criticize the balance issues, forced mechanics, and lack of substantial new content compared to the previous game, leading to a feeling that it doesn't fully justify its sequel status. Overall, while the core gameplay remains enjoyable and visually appealing, it suffers from janky elements and a reliance on speed that can detract from the experience.
- “A fun sequel to the first game, it expands upon the existing mechanics while adding new ways to play.”
- “The gameplay is too much fun for it to hold it back too much, despite the story being bland and forgettable.”
- “Addressing almost all our criticisms of the previous title by adding impressive core mechanic modifications in the form of jumps, dashes, and new terrains, removing loot boxes, and adding obstacle immunity skills, the game has created a fantastic follow-up arcade racer to be reckoned with.”
- “They cut all the added content and made the game too horrible with the upgrade mechanics.”
- “This game in particular has been plagued with terrible balance between car classes, server connections that make your average COD lobby look stable, car hitboxes that will just kill you outright for driving normally, and bugged track modules that ruin gameplay flow.”
- “The mechanics of the game are too fast for most maneuvers to the point that even a perfectly timed jump over an obstruction will result in failure and a lost race.”
music
30 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
13%
73%
13%
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with some praising the overall soundtrack as enjoyable and groovy, particularly the menu and boss music, while others criticize it for being recycled from the first game and lacking licensed tracks. Although the soundtrack may not be memorable outside of gameplay, it does enhance the gaming experience, especially during intense moments. Overall, while some players find the music appealing, others feel it falls short compared to previous installments.
- “The overall soundtrack is pretty good.”
- “The boss music was labeled as scary haha.”
- “Said boss races aren't... bad, essentially a time attack mode, the intensity of the music changing as you come closer to defeating the boss or running out of time are nice.”
- “The entire soundtrack is made of stock crap they downloaded from YouTube and is recycled from the first game.”
- “I wouldn't really say it's the sort of soundtrack one would likely go out of their way to listen to outside of the game.”
- “The only negative I'll give the game is that the campaign has not enough 'actual races' and seems to rely a lot more on having challenge stages, and that the music kinda sucks but it's technically a kids' game so I can't really be too against it.”
graphics
28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
46%
43%
11%
The graphics in the game are widely praised for their stunning visuals and impressive detail, creating a vibrant and engaging racing experience. While some reviewers note that the graphics have not significantly changed from the original game, they still deliver a visually appealing performance across various platforms, including the Steam Deck. However, there are criticisms regarding the overall polish and depth of the game, suggesting that it may lack substance despite its aesthetic appeal.
- “Good graphics and stunning visuals, especially on the details.”
- “It runs especially well on Steam Deck and the visuals are awesome.”
- “Hot Wheels Unleashed 2 is an impeccably detailed and blisteringly fast racer with incredible graphics and rock-solid arcade underpinnings.”
- “Also, the graphics have not even been touched since the original.”
- “Playing them back to back, it seems like the first game is supposed to be the newer of the two, but this second game seems to be in its current state very clunky with all the things I mentioned, as if it was like a beat that never really got finished.”
- “- Graphics are better, though not much different.”
monetization
23 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
13%
52%
35%
The monetization aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the absence of microtransactions for in-game currency and a more consumer-friendly shop, while others criticize it as a cash grab with overpriced DLC and a lack of developer support. Concerns about spyware and excessive in-game purchases also surfaced, contributing to a generally negative perception of the monetization strategy.
- “The shop/monetization is a lot more consumer friendly, the driving physics are a lot better than the first game, and the audio seems to be somehow even better too.”
- “Microtransactions don't exist in this game, too.”
- “There isn't much for me to complain about in regards to monetization at the time of writing, though I would say that the car packs might be a bit too expensive for what they are.”
- “Installed epic spyware on my computer, plus the game is full of in-game purchase crap.”
- “Cash grab with no dev support.”
- “Still pulling microtransactions and too early DLC and offering packs that don't encompass the game entirely... typical cash grab feel to the whole vibe for real.”
optimization
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
15%
70%
15%
The game's optimization for car performance and tuning is generally well-received, with players noting smooth gameplay on high settings without crashes or visual issues on PC. However, significant concerns arise from the unoptimized anti-cheat system, which has caused save file corruption and system crashes, leading some users to recommend delaying purchase until these issues are addressed.
- “Tuning and upgrading your cars is a rather interesting part of the experience. There are three performance tiers for all cars that you can unlock to also unlock these perks, which will give your cars a certain buff but also a certain debuff as a tradeoff.”
- “+ performance perks which allow you to further tune your car to your taste.”
- “When it comes to performance, it's very well optimized with no crashes or visual issues on PC with everything running on ultra with a GTX 1650 and 16GB of RAM, but that was with only about an hour or so of playtime.”
- “However, my save file in this game corrupted 10 hours in due to the unoptimized anticheat destroying my computer, making it bluescreen mid-autosave.”
- “I would hold off on purchasing this game until the game/anticheat is optimized better.”
- “It no longer has any impact on vehicle performance.”
stability
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
60%
The game's stability has been criticized for being plagued with numerous bugs and glitches, with some players noting it is even worse than its predecessor. While it runs well on certain devices, the overall experience is marred by a lack of player engagement and a sense of neglect from the development team.
- “Runs great on the Legion Go.”
- “Game still runs great.”
- “Game is good to play, but very few players, still buggy if not worse than the first game, and the development team has absolutely left me on a sour note considering this game is an afterthought.”
- “Let's just take a look at the innumerable list of bugs, glitches, and mess ups they (Milestone) have done.”
- “I learned after hours of troubleshooting that cross-play is not more complete but is the exact same garbage as Unleashed 1.”
humor
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is highlighted by its exhilarating racing experience, particularly in multiplayer mode, where playing with friends leads to hilarious moments. Players find the challenges of harder difficulties to be both engaging and entertaining, contributing to the overall fun.
- “This game is a hilariously fun and super exhilarating racing game, for sure.”
- “Harder difficulties are challenging and multiplayer with friends is hilarious.”
grinding
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be a mixed experience; while some enjoy the addictive gameplay and variety of content without excessive microtransactions, others feel that the grinding can be punitive and detracts from the overall enjoyment. The game is best suited for both short play sessions and longer grinding for in-game currency to unlock favorite vehicles.
- “This game shines as a fun arcade racer for short bursts or long grinding for enough in-game coins for your favorite cars.”
- “This game has similar fundamental problems to the first game, being weirdly punitive in contrast with its tone and audience, with lots of grinding required to progress.”
replayability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
25%
50%
Players express optimism about the game's replayability, noting that it appears more engaging than its predecessor and offers increased value for completionists. Many anticipate returning to the game to explore its additional content and challenges.
- “The replayability looks a lot more interesting than the first game.”
- “I'm not sure what the replayability will look like for this game, but it definitely seems a lot more interesting than the first game.”
- “This gives more replay value for completionists like me, so expect me to come back to this game a lot for those!”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by a nice and wholesome story that resonates well with players, striking a balance between maturity and childlike charm.
- “The story is nice and wholesome without being too childish.”