What you need to know
- Hot Wheels Unleashed 2: Turbocharged is the sequel to Milestone’s highly acclaimed racer, set to release on October 19 for PC and Xbox.
- The sequel will have 130 vehicles at launch, including motorcycles and ATVs for the first time, as well as 5 environments and 2 new abilities.
- New game modes, both offline via a 2-player split screen and online via crossplay (with the exception of Nintendo Switch).
- The Track Editor and Livery Editor have been refined and will be cross-platform.
Italian game studio Milestone has once again partnered with Mattel, Inc to bring everybody’s favorite die-cast toys to life in Hot Wheels Unleashed 2: Turbocharged. The game will feature an all-new, story-driven campaign complete with 4 new original characters whose backstories and personalities will be revealed throughout the game’s animated cutscenes. In addition to a new campaign, players can look forward to a slew of other improvements in the upcoming sequel.
Milestone’s game development history is thick with motorcycle and ATV racing simulators, including titles like Ride 5 and MotoGP23, so it should come as no surprise that motorcycles and ATVs will be making their debut in Hot Wheels Unleashed 2. Players can expect to find 130 vehicles to choose from when Hot Wheels Unleashed 2 launches on October 19, with these vehicles further breaking down into 3 different categories: Stock, Powered, and Ultimate. Vehicles can be customized beyond their category by the player using skill points to unlock specific perks in order to create personalized racing builds.
Players will be able to test their builds out across 5 distinct environments where they will find an improved driving experience as vehicles interact with objects both on and off the track. Milestone hopes this will lead to more creative shortcuts being discovered by players as they utilize the two new abilities debuting in the Unleashed series: lateral dashing and jumps.
These new abilities will allow users to tackle opponents with strategically timed sideswipes and dodge obstacles as they discover new track sections. The ability to drift and boost will also return to the series, giving players more ways to interact and explore the world of Hot Wheels Unleashed.
Couch co-op fans can rejoice as two-player split-screen mode returns to Unleashed, and those who prefer to keep their fellow racers at a distance will also be pleased to hear that Unleashed 2 will feature online multiplayer. Cross-play will be supported between PC, Xbox, and PlayStation consoles, but Nintendo Switch players will be left out of the party for now.
Milestone credits the prior success of Hot Wheels Unleashed—at least in part—to the community-created content that helped support the game with over 1 million user-created liveries and 400,000 tracks designed by players. Hot Wheels Unleashed 2: Turbocharged is expected to give players even more freedom when it comes to creating custom tracks thanks to new special modules and features in the Track Editor.
The Livery Editor will also benefit from enhancements due to the new Sticker Editor which will allow players to create, save, and share original patterns and shapes that can be added to vehicles. Players on all platforms will be able to share and download all user-generated content on day one.
If you’re a fan of racing games, you may want to consider picking up a steering wheel for your Xbox or check out these pre-built PCs for racing simulators. Hot Wheels Unleashed 2: Turbocharged is available now for pre-order and will be released October 19 on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC via Steam and The Epic Games Store.
