The current slate of Sizzling Wheels video video games from developer Milestone actually captures that youthful surprise and pleasure of unpacking recent toy vehicles from the field and racing them down these twisting, orange playset tracks. With two Sizzling Wheels video games beneath their belt, together with the underrated anime-racing recreation Screamer, the creators at Milestone are taking one other swing at a brand new Sizzling Wheels arcade racer – however this time, they’re taking the large collection of toy vehicles into an open-world playset.
At Summer season Sport Fest 2026, we have been capable of get our first hands-on with Sizzling Wheels: Infinite Rush, which strikes away from devoted tracks set inside residing rooms and imaginary landscapes and into a number of open-world zones full of missions and alternatives. It’s an enormous adjustment for a Sizzling Wheels racing recreation, nevertheless it additionally has large ambitions to raise the toy car-racing collection.
The core idea of Sizzling Wheels: Infinite Rush leans into the thought of taking your collection of Sizzling Wheels vehicles off the nostalgic orange tracks and into the open-world playset, stuffed with oddities to uncover and new challenges to tackle. Very similar to the current Lego Batman improve to an open-world Batman Arkham-style recreation, Sizzling Wheels: Infinite Rush makes the soar to an open world that feels similar to Burnout Paradise, which makes for a enjoyable match for the Sizzling Wheels world.
With Infinite Rush, you are given a big diploma of freedom to drive round and tackle challenges as you would like. With over 150 vehicles to select from – that are set throughout totally different automobile varieties like speeder, titan, and the versatile class – you possibly can current a collection of favourite automobiles and freely swap between them in between missions when driving round. Along with your steady of toy vehicles set, you are ready to discover the open-zone playset in your personal approach.
When actually diving in, you are free to drive about and trigger chaos on the streets and within the numerous tracks scattered concerning the zone. Whilst you have core goals, the actual enjoyable is making your path to soak up all of the facet missions positioned on the map. These missions embrace conventional races in opposition to different drivers, time-trials the place you must attain a vacation spot, automobile supply missions, and even destruction derby-style missions the place it’s important to trigger as a lot environmental injury as you possibly can. However one of many extra entertaining missions I discovered centered on discovering close by landmarks and snapping images for the album.
Within the two zones I acquired to drive by way of – the open-city metropolis Wheelworld, and the economic desert city Gearworld – I acquired to essentially take within the diorama-style open worlds. They felt very very similar to exploring these wildly over-the-top and attractive playsets you’ll see in toy commercials that have been by no means out there for precise buy. It’s a enjoyable setting to drive by way of, and I actually appreciated how charming and chaotic these diorama worlds have been. My favourite bit was driving by way of Gearworld and seeing an enormous scorpion spewing venom onto the map, which made me suppose again to these energetic commercials with weird hazards the toy vehicles needed to keep away from.
However after all, there’s nonetheless loads of conventional racing motion to participate in, and Sizzling Wheels: Infinite Rush actually dials up the depth in that context. Very similar to conventional arcade racers, Infinite Rush actually goes for the quick and unfastened strategy to racing, which retains the give attention to making an attempt to take care of momentum, whereas supplying you with loads of slack to adapt to those radically totally different environments. Every automobile sort additionally has totally different methods and tradeoffs when getting behind the wheel. Whereas the titan class is heavy and might simply push apart automobiles, it additionally has to handle its warmth gauge when boosting, or else it’s going to stall out.
The core race occasions usually are not solely about racing by way of the streets and again roads of the playsets, but in addition about merging onto these acquainted shiny orange tracks to essentially hone in on tight racing moments. In comparison with the earlier Sizzling Wheels video games, Infinite Rush provides a brand new stage of chaos to the motion, heightening the sense that these toy race vehicles are coming to life and wreaking havoc.
Nonetheless, even with the push to a extra open-world racing recreation, there are many these acquainted orange tracks to race on and even construct up your self. Although I wasn’t capable of get hands-on with it in my preview, the observe editor from earlier video games additionally makes a return. Gamers who’re eager on creating their very own racing venues won’t solely have extra instruments to make use of, but in addition the added house of the open zones to construct on.
From my half-hour of hands-on time, I actually got here to understand the sense of freedom of taking my chosen automobiles out into the sphere. The Burnout Paradise-style open-world racing is a good match for the toy-car world of Sizzling Wheels, because the give attention to exploration gives a surprisingly charming house to tear my approach by way of. Sizzling Wheels: Infinite Rush could be very a lot a residing toy field of a world to unravel, and up to now, developer Milestone has acquired an amazing idea for its large improve for Sizzling Wheels racing video games.
Alessandro Fillari is a longtime video games media skilled. Discuss video video games with him on BlueSky at @afillari.bsky.social.