Hot Lap Racing (2024)

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.

Despite its flaws, like performance issues, problematic AI, and a clunky tutorial system, the game shows promise. The developers are clearly passionate about motorsports, and with some updates and fine-tuning, Hot Lap Racing could become a top-tier racing title on the Switch and it is a respectable title created by an indie game studio. For dedicated racing fans, it's worth checking out, but be ready for some bumps along the way.

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.

While there’s a competent racing game here, it’s perfunctory. This is going to be solid on Switch or even the Steam Deck, but on desktop PC this is really disappointing. It’s a game I found mostly frustrating because of its AI, which needs some serious work, and can be patched. A workaround is to qualify in first place, but then it feels too easy and not the right amount of challenge. For the asking price, Hot Lap Racing is missing a wheel or two and is not a game that can’t be recommended in its current state.

Especially on the Nintendo Switch, Hot Lap Racing definitely fills a neglected niche. The selection of cars, tracks, and modes is certainly adequate, especially for fans of Euro-centric motorsport. On PC, though, it’s hard not to compare Hot Lap Racing to the scores of better and more refined games already parked in the garage.