Hot Wheels Racing Circuit is an online racing game that promotes itself as free to play, but saves most of the customization options for the pay-to-play version.
It’s fairly simple to activate your free account, and soon you’ll be on the track, competing against computer and other racers in tracks that are part fantasy, and part Hot Wheels stunt track.
It’s fairly simple to control your car using keys on the keyboard to speed up and slow down.
We did experience some “choppiness” in our gameplay the first time we played – that is to say, the picture on the screen wasn’t really keeping up with the action. We spoke with the gamemakers, and they assured us that was an isolated issue, and it didn’t happen the next time we played. We didn't have the problem again. Their main recommendation was to restart the computer, so if you do have any problems at all, that is something that may fix them.
As an online game, there’s also a “social” aspect of the title, in which you can find your friends in the online world, and add them to your list in order to be able to see their performance and race against them. There are a few cool options in how to interact with your friends, and our favorite is the ghost race option, which saves your best time on the track, and lets your friends race against it whenever they are ready to try and beat it. The multiplayer options are only available in the premium version, however.
The game also offers many options for customizable leaderboards, so even if you have just begun playing, you have a chance to find yourself if you search for more recent timeframes.
Overall, Hot Wheels Racing Circuit is a fun experience, and a rather easy and quick way to be able to build your own car and have a challenging racing experience. But it is definitely a more enjoyable experience if you pay to access the premium content, such as additional tracks and multiplayer action. As an online game, there is a chance to interact with friends, but the game is primarily a single-player experience on the computer.