Synthwave Burnout

About

Synthwave Burnout is a single player racing game with a science fiction theme. It was developed by Whale Rock Games and was released on September 19, 2025. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

"Synthwave Burnout" is an adrenaline-pumping racing game set in a retro-futuristic world. Players speed through neon-lit cityscapes and desert landscapes to the rhythm of a synthwave soundtrack. With various game modes, customizable cars, and upgrades, it offers a unique and immersive racing experience.

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Play Modes

Single-Player

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73%

Audience ScoreBased on 284 reviews

music71 positive mentions

grinding3 negative mentions

The game features vibrant neon visuals and a captivating synthwave soundtrack that creates an immersive atmosphere.
It's a relaxing experience, perfect for unwinding while driving through beautifully designed retro-futuristic landscapes.
The simple controls and straightforward gameplay make it accessible for casual players looking for a chill gaming session.

The gameplay is repetitive and lacks variety, with minimal challenges and no AI opponents to compete against.
Controls can feel clunky and unresponsive, making it difficult to navigate turns and avoid obstacles without crashing.
Many players have reported bugs and issues, such as broken achievements and poor audio settings, detracting from the overall experience.

music
157 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
45%
51%
4%
The music in "Synthwave Burnout" is widely praised for its immersive synthwave soundtrack, which perfectly complements the game's vibrant neon visuals and retro-futuristic aesthetic. Many players find the music to be a highlight, enhancing the overall atmosphere and creating a relaxing, meditative experience while driving. However, some reviews note that the soundtrack can become repetitive over time, detracting from the enjoyment of the gameplay.
- “Its amazing synthwave soundtrack and simple, satisfying driving create an incredibly immersive and stress-relieving experience.”
- “The music, driven by synthwave beats, supports this trance-like effect with rhythms that help guide your driving flow.”
- “The combination of smooth gameplay, breathtaking graphics, and an immersive soundtrack creates a unique and unforgettable gaming experience.”
- “The game is very repetitive, the world itself is empty and after some time the music itself starts to become annoying.”
- “They could have added more content, but the music is monotonous and gets old fast, and the locations are empty and repetitive.”
- “The only positive aspects to Synthwave Burnout is that it looks decent in screenshots (which was the dev's entire goal, I suspect). The soundtrack is amusing for a few minutes, but becomes dull and irritating shortly thereafter.”
graphics
106 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
42%
53%
5%
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their vibrant neon aesthetics and retro-futuristic style, effectively capturing the essence of the 80s synthwave culture. Many reviewers highlight the stunning visuals as a key strength, creating an immersive atmosphere that complements the gameplay, although some note that the graphics can feel repetitive or lack detail upon closer inspection. Overall, the visuals are described as a beautiful blend of style and ambiance, appealing to fans of retro racing and electronic music.
- “The visuals are a beautiful love letter to retro-futurism.”
- “The game perfectly captures the retro-futuristic vibe of the 80s with its stunning neon visuals and pulsating synth soundtrack.”
- “The combination of smooth gameplay, breathtaking graphics, and an immersive soundtrack creates a unique and unforgettable gaming experience.”
- “Graphics are cheap asset store trash, audio is two looped tracks.”
- “The game is complete bullshit, the graphics are terrible, my eyes hurt after playing.”
- “Graphics are minimal, uninspired and ugly.”
gameplay
70 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
58%
13%
The gameplay of "synthwave burnout" is characterized by its straightforward mechanics and accessible controls, making it easy to pick up and enjoy, especially for fans of retro aesthetics and electronic music. However, many reviews highlight its repetitive nature and lack of depth, with some describing the experience as monotonous and lacking in meaningful challenges. While the vibrant visuals and engaging soundtrack enhance the overall experience, the gameplay may not satisfy those seeking complexity or variety.
- “Gameplay is accessible and arcade-focused, with straightforward controls and short sessions that are easy to enjoy without a significant time investment.”
- “The gameplay is fast-paced and exhilarating, offering a great mix of challenge and fun.”
- “With multiple tracks and cars to unlock, aggressive AI opponents, satisfying physics with vehicle destruction, and energetic synth music, the gameplay feels intense and adrenaline-driven.”
- “The gameplay is minimal, consisting of a monotonous ride through a neon city backdrop with skyscrapers.”
- “There is no gameplay as such; we are simply driving monotonously through a neon city against the backdrop of skyscrapers.”
- “Because the core mechanics lack variety, the experience can become repetitive once the initial sensory impact fades.”
atmosphere
47 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
55%
39%
6%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its immersive and nostalgic 80s aesthetic, characterized by vibrant neon visuals and a captivating synthwave soundtrack. Players appreciate the relaxing, meditative experience it offers, allowing them to enjoy simple racing mechanics while being enveloped in a retro-futuristic world reminiscent of classic arcade games and sci-fi films. Overall, the game's atmosphere is considered a standout feature, making it a must-try for fans of retro racing and synthwave culture.
- “With its nostalgic melodies, pulsating beats, and retro-futuristic soundscapes, it creates a unique atmosphere that captures the essence of the 80s and early 90s.”
- “The game's visual aesthetic is truly reminiscent of classic 80's science fiction films, and the neon-filled highways and retro synthwave soundtrack only add to the overall atmosphere.”
- “The environments — sprawling neon highways, vaporwave city silhouettes, glowing sunscapes, and cyber-desert expanses — are crafted with high contrast and bold colors, creating an atmosphere reminiscent of classic arcade cabinets and retro science-fiction posters.”
- “The music in the game is an important part, so the melodies in the style of synthwave and electro-pop create an atmosphere as if we are inside a fantasy movie of the 80s, and the roar of the engine and electronic sounds will make the gameplay even more exciting.”
- “The game's visual aesthetic is truly reminiscent of classic 80's science fiction films and the neon-filled highways and retro synthwave soundtrack only add to the overall atmosphere.”
story
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
17%
33%
The game's storyline is engaging and immersive, keeping players captivated until the end, with diverse quests that enhance the experience. However, some users note a lack of a traditional narrative, instead highlighting the thematic elements of exploration and adventure through gameplay mechanics. Overall, the story aspect varies significantly, with some players finding it compelling while others see it as minimal or abstract.
- “The graphics are stunning, and the storyline keeps you on the edge of your seat until the very end.”
- “The game fully immerses you in the story.”
- “Each track feels like a story waiting to be discovered, taking you on a sonic adventure through city streets, speeding through virtual landscapes, or exploring the depths of your own mind.”
- “There's no story, but there is a written window that pops up, informing me that this game is a full release and no longer in early access.”
- “The story of the game is that you are driving without crashing; if you crash in any car, you will immediately go back to the start.”
humor
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is characterized by its absurdly exaggerated physics, leading to comically frustrating racing experiences against invulnerable NPCs. Players find amusement in the game's ridiculous achievements and entertaining wipeouts, with the overall experience providing plenty of laughs for the $9.99 price tag.
- “Hilariously exaggerated physics that make the prospect of actually racing against other NPC vehicles (both invulnerable and blessed with perfect handling) a nearly impossible task. One tap from an NPC vehicle and the race is all but over due to one's totaled vehicle. Conversely, if one attempts to race as aggressively (destruction derby-style) as the NPCs, one will quickly find that they are in fact impervious to damage or outside influence of any sort.”
- “Hilariously, this game has achievements and they are utterly meaningless.”
- “Synth beats drop, tires smoke, and hilarious wipeouts keep the laughs rolling.”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
33%
The game's optimization has been criticized for performance issues such as stuttering, which detracts from the enjoyment of gameplay. However, players appreciate the constant sense of progression and the impressive visual performance, which helps maintain motivation despite the technical shortcomings.
- “Additionally, there’s a constant sense of progression, whether through improved performance in races or vehicle customization, keeping players motivated to continue.”
- “The visual performance is simply amazing.”
- “Performance issues like stuttering make it harder to enjoy even simple races.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
67%
The game boasts strong replayability, driven by its competitive arcade racing mechanics and a stylish 80s aesthetic, making it particularly appealing to players seeking challenge and excitement. Users highlight that the focus on pushing to finish first enhances the overall replay value.
- “It’s less about relaxing and more about pushing hard to finish first, offering challenge, excitement, and strong replay value—especially appealing to fans of nervous, competitive arcade racing with a stylish 80s vibe.”
- “Challenges and replayability.”
- “Challenges and replayability are lacking.”
- “A strong point of the title is its replayability.”
grinding
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious, as they must repeatedly complete early levels to unlock vehicles, which is exacerbated by the frustratingly exaggerated physics and invulnerable NPCs that make racing feel nearly impossible. This grind can feel necessary to progress, but it often leads to a sense of futility against the game's mechanics.
- “Hilariously exaggerated physics make racing against NPC vehicles nearly impossible. One tap from an NPC vehicle can total your vehicle, while they remain invulnerable and have perfect handling. I thought this might change with different vehicles, so I repeatedly beat level one to unlock every vehicle. It was tedious but doable.”
- “The grinding in this game is excessive. It feels like I'm just going through the motions, repeating the same tasks over and over without any real sense of progress or reward.”
- “I spent hours grinding for resources, only to find that the rewards were minimal and not worth the time invested. It quickly became frustrating and unenjoyable.”
stability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is visually appealing but suffers from significant stability issues, with numerous bugs and glitches that detract from the overall experience.
- “An exercise in what could have been, this initially aesthetically pleasing, simple lane runner is unfortunately a buggy mess and broken in so many ways.”
- “The game crashes frequently, making it nearly unplayable at times.”
- “I encountered numerous glitches that disrupted the gameplay experience.”
monetization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization of the game is criticized as a cash grab, with users feeling that the pricing does not reflect the quality of the gameplay and coding. Many believe that improvements in gameplay and overall experience are necessary to justify the cost.
- “So while I can't recommend the game now (as it was not free), if they made everything flow better and added a little more gameplay, it would feel like less of a quick cash grab and more like a cool game.”
- “Pointless cash grab with terrible coding.”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is characterized by a sense of urgency and tension, as players experience intense moments where a single mistake can lead to failure. This creates a heightened emotional engagement, driving players to invest deeply in their performance.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Synthwave Burnout is a racing game with science fiction theme.

Synthwave Burnout is available on PC and Windows.

Synthwave Burnout was released on September 19, 2025.

Synthwave Burnout was developed by Whale Rock Games.

Synthwave Burnout has received mostly positive reviews from players. Most players liked this game for its music but disliked it for its replayability.

Synthwave Burnout is a single player game.

Similar games include Retrowave, NeverSynth, Slipstream, Last Room, Retrowave 2 and others.

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