Racing games are always popular, with many across each year releasing. This year alone has already seen some great ones, with the best to come later. As such, I wanted to start this Racing Month off by looking at the racing games that this year has and will give us. I’m not going to talk about every game, just those that I am interested in.

There have been two games I’ve already reviewed this year. Gigantosaurus: Dino Kart in February proved a lovely if basic game. LEGO 2K Drive in May presented a charming racer with a bit of a fiddly creator. As for Disney Speedstorm… I never covered it when it released, owing to a dislike of its progression system.

It is the most free-to-play of progression systems you can imagine. Character shards gained through loot boxes with ridiculously small odds. Upgrade parts that are earned through limited events, with higher-levelled characters needing rarer parts to earn their next level. A season tour full of events that – while you can get both of the above through them, will increase the level characters need to be so they remain competitive the further you get into it. Which of course, locks you out of them if you have no racer meeting those conditions.

There are a few good things I like about it, though. Which is why local freeplay is something I hope never changes. With this mode, you don’t need to worry about unlocking characters or engaging with any of the free-to-play stuff. All characters can be chosen from, as well as all tracks. And since all racers are at the same level, everything is evenly balanced.

As for those things I do like about Disney Speedstorm, the roster of both characters and tracks is good already, and is seeing many more additions. All tracks have slight variations to them, though some also have route variations that take the race in a different direction. On the track, there’s a small but varied amount of items. Most of them have three different uses, with each character also having a unique ability that is within the item pool.

From a well-known property to an unknown, The Karters 2: Turbo Charged is set to release this year, with a demo for the game released just last month. This is a kart racer that has a definite Crash Team Racing vibe with its mechanics, with a different take on how it handles items. While I’d also say the visuals and music are reminiscent of CTR, The Karters 2 is its own beast.

Speed and precision are everything in any racing game, and The Karters 2 has a focus on that. The speedometer has three bars that will fill up while holding a drift. Each activates a small boost while still within that drift, which slightly increases your overall speed. That speed boost will slowly fall back to the default 100% unless you get into another drift and activate some more boosts.

As for the items, these are easy to use, with most being lock-on projectiles or area-of-effect. Being hit by one won’t spin you out, however. Each racer has a health bar, and only once it reaches zero – which won’t take long under a barrage of items – will you spin out. There are items that restore health and give temporary protection, which is useful when in the thick of a fight.

There are said to be more than 16 tracks in the full game, with the demo giving a taste of just three. Each is varied in theming and routing, with shortcuts that open after a certain time (or sneak on through with a warp) that definitely give an advantage should you use them. The official tracks are fun, but then there are also custom tracks and Steam Workshop support.

What that opens up is a whole host of player-created content, for characters, tracks, karts, and potentially even items. The most dedicated of creators will bring some truly stunning stuff, but even the more basic tracks can still be good to drive on. The same goes for everything else, too. While that 2023 date can change, I’m hopeful it will make it, as this certainly looks to be the best kart racer of the year.

Barring the fact there are still two more waves of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe’s Booster Course Pass to release. While not a new game, the Booster Course Pass has added what can only be described as a full game’s worth of new tracks to 8 Deluxe. And with 16 tracks still to come – along with potentially some more extra features, I’m fine with the fact the next console Mario Kart still hasn’t arrived. I’m saving a full talk of these last two years of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe for after wave six has released, but just know I have been very happy with what has been given.

Forza Motorsport! While I much prefer the open road freedom of Horizon, I still have time for the circuit-based games. At present, there’s been a lot of talk of the upgraded engine that the game is built on, and that can be seen from promotional material. Tracks, cars, audio… everything feels a lot more real. Five never-before-seen tracks in a Motorsport game is also something I’m looking forward to.

Everyone has their favourites. After all, no matter what cars there are in the game, I’m gunning straight for the nearest Mini. The same goes for tracks. Maple Valley, one of the confirmed tracks, has been a favourite since I first raced on it back with Forza Motorsport 4. Same goes for the Bernese Alps Club Circuit. But there’s always the chance some of these new tracks also become favourites.

And that’s just the start. From what has been said, this Forza Motorsport will be around for years, adding new tracks, cars, and events during the time it is active. With the single-player Builders Cup career mode being split into specific stories with a set car list, it’s the perfect way to introduce players to vehicles they might not touch otherwise. Especially with over 500 in the base game.

The Crew Motorfest also has the same sort of idea with its career mode of Playlists. Said to be short thematic campaigns, each playlist is tailored to a specific vehicle type, such as vintage classics or electric supercars. There will be 15 of these playlists available at launch, but those aren’t the only events to complete, with Live events scattered across the map of O’ahu offering up races, demolition events, and more.

Oh, it will be so great to be back in O’ahu. While not featured in The Crew before, this was the location of the first Test Drive Unlimited. While not a 1:1 scale of the island as it was in TDU, The Crew Motorfest has managed to capture the feel of this Hawaiian island. The full map has leaked, and while it does look a bit more truncated than I was expecting, I’m still confident it will provide a lot of exploration.

And that exploration will be happening in a Mini. Once I get one. It has been said that the collection you’ve accrued in The Crew 2 can be brought over to Motorfest, meaning all the vehicles that are eligible for transfer can ride the roads of Hawaii right from the off. And that’s not a one-time thing. Anything eligible for transfer that is bought or earned in The Crew 2 after the activation will appear in your garage in Motorfest the next time you connect. Since it’s a choice, I’m not going to do so. At least from the start.

Hot Wheels Unleashed 2 seems to be improving upon the first, with new mechanics and new track themes being two major areas. The other being what is described as a story-driven campaign on an epic adventure. The city needs saving from destruction, so you and a team of original characters must tackle challenges to save the day. It sounds like a fun time, but the presentation of it is what I’m wanting to see.

That’s all great, but the one thing I am wanting to see is how improved discoverability for custom creations will be. The track and livery editor were great things in the first game, but at launch it was almost impossible to find what you wanted. Things improved slightly in updates, but were still lacking in some areas. I had a lot of fun with the creator in the first, so I’m sure I’ll be having even more in this second.

The vehicles in this game look to be just as great and varied as the first, with a new upgrade system in place that allows for better personalisation of their stats. This is a great addition, as a vehicle someone might be deterred from because of its stats can now become one of their favourites. As long as the random chance for gaining vehicles isn’t back, I’ll be happy.

A mention has to go to Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown, which seems to have been delayed into the first quarter of 2024. That was another game I was hoping to get to this year, but I want the best for this TDU revival. I can wait. Another I’ll mention is Wreckreation, that as yet doesn’t have a date. Announced last year, this is looking to be the ultimate sandbox driving experience. Whenever it arrives, I’m sure I’ll be invested.

Images Taken From:
Disney Speedstorm | Steam
The Karters 2: Turbo Charged | Steam
Forza Motorsport | Forza.net
The Crew Motorfest | Ubisoft