Hot Lap Racing

What Zero Games Studios has created with Hot Lap Racing is the foundations of a solid simcade racing game. There seems to be a lot to be desired in terms of content, but the team has focused mostly on the joy of driving and accessibility. While it falls short of being the motorsport G.O.A.T on the Nintendo Switch, it represents a potential top tier contender in the genre, trailing behind GRID Autosport. The current pros outweigh the cons but as time goes on, it will be interesting to see what gets added. If all of the small gripes get cleaned up, Hot Lap Racing could just take the pole position.

Hot Lap Racing succeeds far more than it fails as a more serious racing game on the Switch. It's hurt a framerate-wise by the hardware, but still manages to control nicely with digital inputs being recognized on either controllers with purely digital inputs or analog. Controlling the cars feels natural and that plays into the harder-than-usual difficulty that makes the player get better to excel and doesn't offer as many options as other modern-day racers to ease the burden. Veteran racing fans will probably appreciate that approach to an extent, while the inclusion of many kinds of driving challenges evoked more of the fun of Project Gotham Racing than the more laborious classic Gran Turismo license tests. It's a flawed, but fun racing excursion on the Switch and offers far more racing variety than its contemporaries in the Gear Club Unlimited series.

Hot Lap Racing has a huge selection of classic and modern cars to drive on some awesome tracks, but the difficult tutorial may scare players off.

Hot Lap Racing is a decent racer in a genre that’s underrepresented on the Switch. It has its issues, but if you can make it through those, it provides enjoyment to burn rubber on the go.

Hot Lap Racing is an entertaining arcade-style racing game, but falls flat on keeping one entertained with a minimal amount to do.

I really wanted to like Hot Lap Racing, because the Switch could really use more good racers. While I can’t say that I never hated it, because sometimes I did, I think overall it’s decent enough. I could see this developer going on to really good things in the future by building on this foundation. But in the end, I think it doesn’t quite succeed in its goal to ride the line between sim and arcade-style racing. The two contrasting tastes are not mixed in a pleasing way here, and when you throw in some performance issues it makes for a racer I can only lightly recommend.

It’s hard to see players who want an arcade experience enjoying the rigidity of Hot Lap Racing’srules, yet I can’t see those looking for a more sim experience enjoying its somewhat floaty controls and lack of any real depth. Throw in performance issues, and I have a hard time recommending Hot Lap Racing to anyone. It’s perfectly playable, and once you get used to it, you can find fun at times, but there are simply better options no matter which side of the sim or arcade racing game divide you prefer.

It's one of the best racing game on the Switch. The car roster is awesome and driving feeling is great. It just need an update for better AI.

i like this game but it feels very unfinished and the controls are not good at all however i will continue to play it.

Hot Lap Racing is a solid arcade racing game especially with friends, but could use more content.

Hot Lap Racing is great, lacks unique modes/track personality 2013+ racing genre continues to disappoint, safe modes, pushing brands & generic mechanics. Forget region system/car builder/unique ideas. I get central focus on racing type/EU Motorsport, sigh. Performance/physics/AI ok, jitters rare. US $40/AUD $80, get cheap. Zero Games/Maximum have done well like past games Fair game. If want another racer after Grid, RIMs, Gear Club. This is closer to Grid but less polished. Game starts at license agreement, accel, brake, left/right corner & end of training before menu. Training has Accel/brake/turn/speed gates in MotoGP6/Enthusia way. Some time tests. Main menu & loading into events is fair. Multi offers split screen & online public/private. Options offer HUD display, placement indicator, minmap type, size, split orientation of the minimap. Rebinding controls, main controls are good. Audio settings are just master, car, music and sound effects. Music is ok, nothing memorable but fits what it's going for. Fair EDM/rock I guess. Eng, French, German, Italian, Spanish languages. Singleplayer offers career, hot lap, quick race& chmapionship. In hot lap to practice, records times, leaderboards to compare and share with others and separated by modern/historic. Quick Race you pick a class, track, vehicle & race. Championship, pick a class, cup, number of AI, the AI level (rookie, confirmed or expert). Career is more a tour mode, it offers 4 training (3 with 3 then 4th with 2), a 1 bernier challenge. FRS challenge, then 3 rows of a ladder with single seater, GT & endurance cups, with D, C, & B licenses for all 3 classes before Formula X-Treme event top of ladder. Example unlock 1 of 2 ways, C GT x4/endurance.x2 (example read in game). Fair length. Digital assistant is a look at Formula Xtreme parts player has/how to unlock. So tier 4 for front wing, 5 B licenses for wheels, tier 2 category for chassis, 5 B licenses in GT/single seater, etc. For reputation, D to S level per cup. Display events with reward cars unlock, no new modes. Forced manual/TCS in events/no options select. Parts good end goal. Cockpit/outer, no rear mirror any view. Codex for helmet/suit/body type/portrait, & frame all have primary to tertiary colour options. So if into customisation I'd say it's fair for driver cosmetics (car colours on car select). Classes vary of GT, Production, Single Seater (open wheel), endurance, electric, free (all permitted no restrictions) & random. Classes vary of Class 1, 2, H.2 (rally/racing) 3, H.3 (same), 4 & H.4 (same). Jumping classes, noticed electric or display event ones locked, 90% unlocked at start. No buying cars they are pre selected for each event, kind of loses the magic/effor Naming a few of Abarth, Noble, Renault, some NASCAR/stock cars, Venturi, Alpine stuck out to me, some with branding seem fictional like a US muscle car (I get confused by some Charger/Challenger or Chevy/Ford/Mercury) or fake Subaru 05 rally car & Nissan GT-R R35, they may be real but give off tuner names, racing brands or fake ones. That's why it was a bit confusing. Besides Whatever 2030 cars it says on the physical Switch cart. Mix of real licenses & fictional appear in the game. Which is fair. Even though for some it makes sense for fictional in some cases, sometimes to me at least hard to spot. For budget or design in general I think the real licenses/fake cars are fair & well presented. Was fine with fake cars/tracks in Wreckfest/anti grav racers. Racing line is fair & toggle. I think some French/Euro tracks we don't usually see, but are here is great. Handbrake/brake no drift. Reset no rewind. Ok track map/lap board. Camera is slow & at sides no 360, fair. Wasn't sure if fake tracks, would have assumed were, but guess is many/all real. Fair mix of speedway (1 but a LOT of inland layouts which is cool, drift layout), GP circuits, some fair EU tracks, Kuwait GP circuit. Hours can be set at 8, 12, 16 & 20 hours as time of day NOT endurance length, sigh only lap counts not timer for endurance. Qualifying laps, qualifying on & off. Settings in quick race. 20 lights and night is ok not great. The physics work fine enough for racing For Switch the graphics look well done, better than screenshots. The photos of drivers, the fair starting grid menu. It's all really nice. Fair RPM, KM/H, TCS, Auto/Manual, starting lights & the starting line. Didn't come across a rolling start yet. Now what I'm disappointed in. The tracks look fine but lack appeal, it's very safe looking, very dull. Weather or something that looks like it would be nice. I don't expect Gran Turismo fantasy tree layout/loch ness monster like Trial Mountain but a bit more in the colours/barriers/crowds/trucks parked for events, balloons, shade, etc. Lack of modes or a unique mode for game, budget spend on car licenses. Drift layout, no drift mode, autocross, touge, rally, etc. Good at race/trial, but too many safe ones exist.

the car feel like a boat. the ai is on rail and don't know how to drive,give the car to a monkey and it have a better chance of winning. this is just real racing and soapbox racing having a baby and that is not a good thing. the dev don't know how cars work and think downforce is just a concept. the company should called no entertainment. buy it if you want brain damage.