If you’re bored of realistic racing games, Hot Wheels Let's Race: Ultimate Speed would like a word

Arcade racers are few and far between these days, so it’s always worth fist-bumping a new one as it tears past. So let’s meet the next one: Hot Wheels Let’s Race: Ultimate Speed sounds like it may well have been named by a Golden Retriever, it’s that laden with earnest enthusiasm.

If you want to see an awful lot of loops and power-ups set to a soundtrack that references the game name every three seconds, this trailer won’t disappoint. 

The target audience here probably doesn’t have much overlap with, say, Assetto Corsa Evo. It’s designed for ages seven and upwards, and it’s based on the animated children's show on Netflix, so we’re not expecting to have to work our brakes and tyres up to temp in this one before putting in a hotlap.

Instead, what we’re expecting is an accessible racer that’s big on primary colours and features a "dedicated track builder, single player campaign, four-player local co-op, accessible family-friendly controls, bombastic boss battles and more". We’re expecting that because it’s written in the press release.

Finding a game to play in couch co-op with your kids isn’t easy, and the TT Games Lego series has long had that side of the market cornered. We therefore wholeheartedly embrace this newcomer, even though it isn’t being developed by Milestone who made the fantastic Hot Wheels Unleashed games.

Aside from those two titles, which really nailed the feeling of collecting little cars and setting up tracks in your bedroom, Hot Wheels has also been a regular presence in the Forza Horizon series via expansion content.

The bar’s pretty high then, but we like the sound of the boss battles, the car customisation, and the course builder. This one’s out on 24 October for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC.