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Wheel World

Wheel World is an enjoyable enough game that gets right to the point of riding a bike and saving the world. The cycling challenges and narrative require nothing but a desire to work away at customising your bike to best go up and down hills, slide around corners, and jump ramps. While its creativity and riding mechanics are minimal, its vibe-based world is perfect for a casual player who likes the premise of a bike-based society.
Wheel World Game Cover
83%Game Brain Score
music, gameplay
optimization, stability
89% User Score Based on 464 reviews
Critic Score 68%Based on 3 reviews

Platforms

LinuxXbox Series X|SPCXbox Game PassPlaystation 5CloudXbox Cloud GamingXboxSteam DeckWindowsPlayStation
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Wheel World Game Cover

About

Wheel World is a single player open world racing game. It was developed by Messhof and was released on July 23, 2025. It received mostly positive reviews from critics and positive reviews from players.

Dive into Wheel World as Kat, a rider chosen by ancient cycling spirits. Race elite teams, trick out your bike, and perform the long overdue Great Shift ritual to save a universe on the brink! Your bike is your destiny.

Genres & Tags
Play Modes
Wheel World screenshot
Wheel World screenshot
Wheel World screenshot
Wheel World screenshot
Wheel World screenshot
Wheel World screenshot
Wheel World screenshot
Wheel World screenshot
Wheel World screenshot
Wheel World screenshot
Wheel World screenshot
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89%
Audience ScoreBased on 464 reviews
music96 positive mentions
optimization8 negative mentions
  • Charming art style and engaging soundtrack that enhances the overall experience.
  • Fun and satisfying bike customization that allows players to tailor their rides for different challenges.
  • Relaxing gameplay with a focus on exploration and casual racing, making it accessible for a wide audience.
  • AI opponents can be frustratingly aggressive, often causing collisions that disrupt gameplay.
  • The game can feel repetitive, with races lacking significant challenge and variety as players progress.
  • Performance issues, particularly in the second world, can detract from the overall experience.
  • music
    176 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game has received widespread acclaim for its catchy and relaxing soundtrack, which perfectly complements the vibrant art style and gameplay. Many players appreciate the chill vibes and energy of the tracks, although some noted that the limited selection can lead to repetitiveness over time. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a standout feature, enhancing the immersive experience of biking and exploration within the game.

    • “The soundtrack is a banger, and it perfectly matches the fast-paced action.”
    • “The music fits perfectly, creating a chill atmosphere while exploring the open world.”
    • “The soundtrack is superb, capturing the essence of the game and enhancing the overall experience.”
    • “Music or sound effects would just stop sometimes.”
    • “But there's so many missed opportunities to make the game better, including the repetitive and sometimes boring soundtrack.”
    • “The second half of the game is genuinely miserable because the color is gone from the world, the music adjusts accordingly, and the gameplay just gets annoying because the places you can race are filled with cars and obstacles.”
  • gameplay
    114 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay is generally enjoyable, offering a relaxing yet engaging cycling experience with intuitive controls and a satisfying core loop of racing and bike customization. However, it suffers from some inconsistencies, such as wonky physics, a lack of challenge in races, and underdeveloped mechanics like gear-shifting and drafting, which can detract from the overall experience. While the game has a charming aesthetic and good vibes, many players feel it could benefit from deeper mechanics and improved AI to enhance the racing experience.

    • “Overall, really enjoyable gameplay within a game that feels like it missed the real fun - racing.”
    • “The core gameplay loop is very satisfying and strikes the right balance of chill to challenging.”
    • “The gameplay is smooth, with intuitive controls that make spinning through vibrant, ever-changing landscapes a joy.”
    • “I was excited at the prospect of seeing how the gameplay would change with various bike builds, but it doesn't.”
    • “The second half of the game is genuinely miserable because the color is gone from the world, the music adjusts accordingly, and the gameplay just gets annoying because the places you can race are filled with cars and obstacles.”
    • “I'd like to give this game a positive review - and there's definitely a lot of good in there - but with racing being so central to the gameplay, the AI behavior and collision handling just ruined the experience for me.”
  • story
    107 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's story is generally perceived as light and serviceable, providing a backdrop for the racing mechanics rather than a deep narrative experience. While some players appreciate its engaging atmosphere and environmental themes, others find it underwhelming and repetitive, with a mix of humor and heartwarming moments that don't significantly impact gameplay. Overall, the story is seen as a casual and enjoyable addition, but not the main draw of the game.

    • “It's been really enjoyable to explore this world with a story that is fun and compelling.”
    • “The story captures the essence of our love for cycling without getting too cheesy or too blunt.”
    • “The story is a hoot for how light it is, and the art style really sells the mood.”
    • “The second half, though I understand is essential to the story they want to tell, was a bit too gloomy and contrasted too much with the first half.”
    • “The story is absolutely fine as a background narrative push for the game, but it takes up far too much space and frankly too many clicks.”
    • “Honestly, the issue with dialogue is what made me zone out and not pay any attention to the story, as it just felt that the story itself was mostly an afterthought or filler.”
  • graphics
    103 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of the game are widely praised for their unique cel-shaded art style, vibrant colors, and charming visuals that create an engaging atmosphere. While many players appreciate the aesthetic and how it complements the gameplay, some have noted performance issues, including frame rate drops and graphical glitches, which detract from the overall experience. Overall, the art style and soundtrack are highlighted as standout features that enhance the game's relaxing and exploratory vibe.

    • “The art style is beautiful, and the whole look of the world makes it easy to get lost in.”
    • “The cel-shaded art style is gorgeous and gives the game a timeless, comic book look that’ll age well.”
    • “The graphics are stunning; it actually reminds me a lot of the indie game 'Sable', but with more color and charm.”
    • “It is a little disappointing given the art style (which, while it looks great and vibrant, does not warrant this level of choppiness).”
    • “Lastly, the game could use performance optimizations—there are noticeable frame rate drops on Steam Deck despite the relatively simple graphics.”
    • “How in the world with graphics like this can it not hold 60fps?”
  • optimization
    43 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Overall, the game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting significant performance issues, particularly on the Steam Deck, where frame rate drops and stuttering are common. While some users noted that performance improves after extended play, others experienced persistent lag, especially in crowded areas. Despite its engaging gameplay and visuals, the game's optimization problems detract from the overall experience, indicating a need for further patches and improvements.

    • “Game runs smoothly, has a cool art style, fun races, great music, and dialogue I actually want to read.”
    • “Great soundtrack, good optimization, great visuals, minimal bugs.”
    • “Performance-wise, the game was fine for me at 1440p given my system specs (i5 14600k, rtx 5070), though its inability to maintain something like a constant 120fps on high settings doesn't bode well for lesser systems, and doesn't match up with the performance of other indie games that are similarly stylized.”
    • “Performance-wise, the game is playable, but it struggles a lot in crowded areas.”
    • “Lastly, the game could use performance optimizations—there are noticeable frame rate drops on Steam Deck despite the relatively simple graphics.”
    • “Still a great game and I still seriously recommend it, but wow is it pulled down by poor design choices and optimization issues.”
  • humor
    24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The humor in the game is widely praised for its witty dialogue, clever cycling-related jokes, and charming character interactions that poke fun at various cycling subcultures. Players appreciate the lighthearted tone, enhanced by a great soundtrack and amusing glitches that add to the overall comedic experience. The blend of bike-nerd humor and engaging art style contributes to a cozy and enjoyable atmosphere, making it a delightful experience for fans of the genre.

    • “The dialogues are funny and the soundtrack is great, with electro songs I still listen to almost a year later.”
    • “Plus, the cycling send-ups are hilarious and made me cackle in glee many times.”
    • “You may or may not get lost on the idiosyncrasies of her denizens, but a lot of the humor and charm in the game is derived from these character interactions because they poke fun at the various cycling subcultures you get to see in the community.”
  • stability
    16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's stability has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting frequent bugs and performance issues, particularly related to collisions and graphical glitches. While some users found the experience enjoyable despite these flaws, others expressed frustration, leading to refunds due to the game's unfinished state. Overall, stability appears to be a significant concern, impacting the enjoyment of the game for many players.

    • “Runs great on Steam Deck, best of all.”
    • “That said, it is quite buggy and does have performance issues even on a 5090.”
    • “Edit: about 7 hours in and in the sewer, the races are so unbelievably buggy to the point of frustration.”
    • “I would however gripe that there are some small performance dips and buggy collision that gets really frustrating, especially when you are in the middle of the pack during a race.”
  • atmosphere
    13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its colorful, chill vibe, enhanced by a fitting soundtrack that complements the exploration and riding mechanics. While some players noted a decline in atmospheric quality in later levels, the overall experience remains enjoyable, with many appreciating the cozy and laidback feel of the game world. Despite minor criticisms, the atmosphere is a significant highlight that contributes to the game's charm.

    • “The music is perfectly suited to the game's atmosphere and spotlights some very cool artists.”
    • “Calm lo-fi atmosphere with matching simple yet detailed graphics and maps.”
    • “For a racing game, it has a pretty cozy feeling, and the soundtrack and atmosphere are a big part of that.”
    • “It killed the atmosphere and really ruined my time with the game.”
    • “As others have said, the second part of the game becomes very dull due to the atmosphere; it would be better as a smaller section of the first island.”
    • “For a racing game, it has a pretty cozy feeling, and the soundtrack + atmosphere are a big part of that.”
  • emotional
    9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game is praised for its heartwarming and wholesome narrative, which resonates deeply with players, creating an energetic and delightful experience. Reviewers highlight the emotional impact of the story and characters, noting the game's authentic connection to cycling culture. Overall, it offers a heartfelt journey that enhances the gameplay experience.

    • “The background story is quite heartwarming.”
    • “It’s heartfelt, creative, and it clearly comes from a team that understands cycling.”
    • “This game was a wholesome, energetic, and all-around delightful experience.”
  • grinding
    7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Reviews indicate that the grinding aspect of the game is largely viewed as tedious and unfulfilling, with repetitive button mashing and minimal challenge. Players feel that the lack of meaningful rewards for exploration and the absence of loadout saves contribute to a monotonous experience, making the grind feel excessive and ultimately unsatisfying.

    • “Nothing is hard, just tedious.”
    • “Because equipment doesn't make a meaningful difference, there's very little reward for exploring the world or doing anything other than grinding out the races and rep points to progress, so then after four short hours of hoping it will get more fun, it's over.”
    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
  • replayability
    5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's replayability is mixed; while some players find it offers significant replay value through side content, multiple endings, and new game plus options, others feel that once completed, the overall replay value diminishes significantly, especially after a relatively short playtime of around 6 hours for full completion.

    • “Replayability – side content, multiple endings, NG+ options.”
    • “All races are replayable and you can try thousands of bike combinations, if you'd like.”
    • “Replay value: not too much.”
    • “If you absolutely bee-lined it, I'd guess you could finish in about 3.5 hours, and I reckon 100% would take me about 6 hours, at which point replay value would be very low.”
    • “Really an indie gem with a ton of replayability.”
  • character development
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Character development in the game is marked by a mix of whimsical and unique designs that contribute to its overall charm, though initial impressions of the writing may vary. The cartoonish aesthetic and fun character designs enhance the experience, making it visually appealing despite some reservations about depth in character writing.

    • “Some of the character design is so wonderfully wacky.”
    • “Finally, the game looks good, with very fun character designs and a simple but cute toon shader and great cartoonish sound effects!”
    • “First impressions: right off the bat, I wasn't sure about the character design and writing.”
    • “The characters feel one-dimensional and lack any real growth throughout the game.”
    • “I found the dialogue to be shallow, making it hard to connect with the characters on any meaningful level.”
  • monetization
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game is praised for its straightforward monetization approach, lacking microtransactions and complex tuning systems, which contributes to a more enjoyable experience reminiscent of classic racing games like Burnout Paradise.

    • “The monetization in this game feels excessive and intrusive, making it hard to enjoy the core experience.”
    • “I was disappointed to find that many features are locked behind paywalls, which ruins the overall enjoyment.”
    • “The constant push for in-game purchases detracts from the gameplay and feels like a cash grab.”
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68%Critics’ scoreBased on 3 critic reviews
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5h Median play time
6h Average play time
3-14h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 4 analyzed playthroughs
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Frequently Asked Questions

Wheel World is a open world racing game.

Wheel World is available on Xbox Series X|S, PC, PlayStation 5, Steam Deck and others.

On average players spend around 6 hours playing Wheel World.

Wheel World was released on July 23, 2025.

Wheel World was developed by Messhof.

Wheel World has received mostly positive reviews from players and mostly positive reviews from critics. Most players liked this game for its music but disliked it for its optimization.

Wheel World is a single player game.

Similar games include Pacific Drive, Sable, Mika and the Witch's Mountain, Here Comes Niko!, The Knightling and others.