When we were kids, imagination was the key to the stories we lived out with our favorite toys. Hot Wheels and Matchbox cars would race over ramps and through loops in the living room, kitchen, or bedroom. A couch became a hill to climb, and a flight of stairs a mountain to cross. We’d set up the tracks wherever we could—even between two couch cushions—and it wasn’t uncommon for our little cars to tumble down the stairs with a loud crash. Hot Wheels were launched in 1968 with the goal of offering children cars that were out of the ordinary. Mattel co-founder Elliot Handler’s idea was to offer race cars that were faster and far more extravagant than those of its British rival, Matchbox. Over the years, the franchise spawned numerous video games—some more successful than others—before going through a long dry spell.
Hot Wheels Infinite Rush follows in the footsteps of the Unleashed series, which was a big hit with players. Available since September 10, 2026, it’s likely the most ambitious installment since the franchise first made the jump to video games, even if it doesn’t quite live up to the excellent Hot Wheels Unleashed 2: Turbocharged, released in 2023.
The franchise’s core idea is to pit the infinitely small against the infinitely large, with toy cars racing through life-size, real-world environments. Hot Wheels Infinite Rush carries this concept over to a semi-open world made up of four islands, each very different from the others. Even though moving between biomes triggers loading screens, the game still offers a real sense of freedom, and it’s sure to delight anyone who played with die-cast cars as a kid.
Why Should I Download Hot Wheels Infinite Rush?
Available on Windows PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch 2, Hot Wheels Infinite Rush lets you freely explore four islands filled with challenges, collectibles, and destructible environments. To tackle the various missions, you can choose from more than 150 vehicles to unlock and collect, split into four classes. The well-balanced cars are called the Universals, while the Titans are the toughest cars on the roster. The Drifters, meanwhile, are drift specialists, and the Speeders, as their name suggests, are speed demons.
The game also includes a track editor, the Track Builder, so you can design your own circuits and share them online with players around the world. On the multiplayer side, you can, of course, challenge friends and strangers online, or face off locally in four-player split-screen. Cross-play, which allows players on different platforms to race together, is also supported—except on Switch 2.
While it doesn’t quite reach the heights of Forza Horizon, Hot Wheels Infinite Rush marks a turning point in the franchise’s history by offering vast open-world areas. Each island has a distinct setting, whether it’s a metropolis where the tallest skyscraper is topped by a gorilla reminiscent of the 1933 King Kong (or Donkey Kong for younger players), a lush tropical zone with turquoise water and an octopus watching over the scene, or an arid desert with vast expanses of sand and a giant scorpion. As for the activities, you’ll find classic racing staples, including time trials, drift challenges, stunt events, standard races against AI opponents, speed challenges, destruction challenges, and even elimination races, where the last-place car is knocked out, gradually thinning the field as the race goes on.
On top of that, Hot Wheels Infinite Rush features plenty of collectibles hidden all over the four islands. Overall, it’s a pretty comprehensive package, even if it lacks a bit of personality. That’s probably what keeps Milestone’s latest from matching its illustrious predecessor. Nevertheless, it remains a solid game, with polished production values, fast-paced action, and a fairly generous amount of content—enough to keep you entertained for hours on end with these little virtual cars.
What’s interesting about Hot Wheels Infinite Rush is that, like the Unleashed series, it features iconic Hot Wheels designs. These include the Twin Mill, the legendary twin-engine car, the Bone Shaker, the Deora II, the Rodger Dodger, and the Sharkbite. Real-world automakers are also on board, including Abarth, Aston Martin, Audi, Chevrolet, Fiat, and Ford.
Additionally, motorsport takes center stage with the planned March 2027 arrival of the 22 cars from the 2026 Formula 1 season, as well as a Ferrari-themed expansion featuring a new island. And to top it all off, the Vehicle Pass, a post-launch content bundle featuring 44 additional cars, includes iconic vehicles from Highway 35 World Race, the animated film series launched to celebrate the brand’s 35th anniversary, as well as from AcceleRacers. Suffice it to say, there’s plenty to do if you’re a fan of the franchise.
Is Hot Wheels Infinite Rush Free?
Hot Wheels Infinite Rush is a paid game. It comes in three digital versions: Standard, Deluxe, and Ultimate. The Standard Edition contains the base game, and players who pre-ordered it also received the Boost’n’Slide Pack, which adds the Driftsta and Power Pipes vehicles.
The Deluxe Edition adds the Vehicle Pass, along with the Boost’n’Slide and Feel the Heat packs. The Vehicle Pass delivers 44 extra vehicles, split across 11 content packs released between September 2026 and October 2027. The Feel the Heat Pack adds two more cars, the 5 Alarm and the Power Bomb.
The Ultimate Edition is the most complete version. On top of the base game, the Vehicle Pass, and the Boost’n’Slide and Feel the Heat packs, it includes the Ferrari Expansion Pack, which adds a Ferrari-themed island and eight Ferrari vehicles, as well as the Car Collection Pack, the Power & Pace Pack (Greased Lightnin’ and a 2023 Ram 1500), and the Bone Shaker Skeletor Edition. The Car Collection Pack features the 22 cars of the 2026 Formula 1 season.
There’s also a physical Day One Edition, which bundles the base game with four DLC packs: Boost’n’Slide, Feel the Heat, Power & Pace, and the Bone Shaker Skeletor Edition. This version isn’t available on Switch 2. Players who start with the Standard Edition can buy the extra content later: both the Vehicle Pass and the Ferrari Expansion Pack are sold separately, and the same goes for the F1 Car Collection Pack, which isn’t part of the Vehicle Pass. Worth noting: the Standard Edition is priced below a typical AAA release.
What Operating Systems Are Compatible with Hot Wheels Infinite Rush?
Due to its semi-open world design, Hot Wheels Infinite Rush is available only on PC and current-generation consoles. The game can be downloaded on Windows PCs via Steam, the Epic Games Store, and the Microsoft Store, as well as on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch 2. It is not available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, or the original Nintendo Switch. There’s no mobile version for iOS or Android either.
What Are the Alternatives to Hot Wheels Infinite Rush?
Hot Wheels Unleashed 2: Turbocharged is the most obvious alternative. A vibrant tribute to the franchise, it sends you racing around mind-bending tracks. Speed, drifting, and boost are at the heart of its fast-paced gameplay, which is packed with loops, ramps, and a variety of challenges. True to Hot Wheels form, the little cars find themselves in everyday settings, such as a garden, a museum, a gas station, and more. Over the original, this sequel adds single and double jumps that open up new possibilities, as well as a Burnout-style lateral dash to send opponents flying off the track. With over 130 vehicles in the garage—including motorcycles and ATVs—a livery editor, a track builder, and a skill system, it’s a comprehensive, well-crafted game that does the franchise proud.
If there’s one series that has truly made its mark on the open-world racing genre, it’s Forza Horizon. As the younger sibling of the Forza Motorsport series, Forza Horizon offers accessible arcade-style handling and vast environments filled with challenges and surprises to discover. With its sixth main installment, the series gives fans what they’ve been asking for for years: a trip to Japan—or rather, to a stylized take on Japan. It’s a feast for the eyes, featuring the winding roads of Mount Haruna (the famous Mount Akina from Initial D), Tokyo’s urban backstreets, the long, straight highways of the Japanese countryside, and the forest trails that run alongside Mount Fuji. In addition to being a visual and technical gem, Forza Horizon 6 lets you customize your own estate for the first time and even take on a giant Gundam-style mech. With over 550 cars, a plethora of events, and stunning visuals, it’s a must-play if you love the genre, whether you prefer to play solo or online—and one of 2026’s essential releases.
We’ll wrap up our quick look at the alternatives with a game that brings the LEGO universe to the racetrack for a high-octane automotive adventure. A close cousin to Hot Wheels Infinite Rush, LEGO 2K Drive invites you into the open world of Bricklandia, with numerous challenges to tackle in vehicles that transform on the fly between street, off-road, and water modes. As a rookie, you arrive in this world to climb the ranks and become the region’s top driver. It’s a bit like a Pokémon journey—minus the Pokémon. Of course, with LEGO, you can expect a constant dose of humor, a world made of colorful bricks, and highly entertaining gameplay with power-ups to collect. Accessible and polished, LEGO 2K Drive is an ideal alternative if you enjoyed Hot Wheels Infinite Rush.
