Victory Heat Rally (2024)

With a unique 2D aesthetic, a rockin' old-school soundtrack, and fast-and-furious racing and rally action, Victory Heat Rally revs up just fine on the 3D road in its pixel-on-polygonal livery.

All in all, Victory Heat Rally suffers from a handful of issues, but what really matters is that it is a really fun and easygoing arcade racer. It’s not exactly meant to make you think very hard: just pick a course, pick a racer, and have at it with its intuitive drifting controls and adorable graphics. There isn’t too much of a reason to continue playing after the career mode is done, but it’s worth a shot regardless, especially if you can play it on the Switch or a device like the Steam Deck.

Racing fans, arcade aficionados, and those with a need for speed, rejoice: Victory Heat Rally was made for you. Its drifting system is not for everyone, but those always on the hunt for the perfect time will have a blast shaking and baking.

With incredibly accessible gameplay, colorful graphics, and lots of content to be played, Victory Heat Rally is a ton of fun.

It’s the house that was built for the actual racing that is the problem. Beneath the vibrant colors and retro sensibilities, it’s disappointingly unpolished and monotone. Getting through the championship took me short of 6 hours, but it feels like it would be better off being half that with better attention to detail. As it stands, Victory Heat Rally isn’t the bumpiest ride I’ve been on, but it would benefit from a tune-up.