Adrenaline Amusements appears to be developing another Hot Wheels arcade game, while removing Hot Wheels: King of the Road from its active product range. The upcoming title looks set to take the licence in a more traditional racing direction and would join Coastal Amusements’ Hot Wheels: Ultimate Race if that project reaches production.
The information was identified by Jdevy. A video discussion of the news is that you can watch here.
A Different Kind of Hot Wheels Arcade Game
Adrenaline previously released Hot Wheels: King of the Road in 2020. That videmption game was offered in four-player and six-player configurations, making it a multiplayer attraction suited to family entertainment centres.
The newly surfaced project uses the same Mattel licence but appears to be a conventional sit-down driving game rather than a shared-screen redemption attraction. It reportedly reuses the Need for Speed Heat: Takedown DX cabinet, placing it closer to the dedicated racing arcades found in modern venues.
If released as described, this would be the first purely amusement-focused Hot Wheels video game in arcades, rather than a redemption title. The wider arcade history of the brand also includes the Hot Wheels pinball machine from American Pinball, which launched in 2020.
What Is Known So Far?
Details remain limited. Adrenaline Amusements has not provided comment, and there has been no confirmed report of the game testing at an arcade location. Jdevy found the project in a Hot Wheels manual, although the document appears to be an early version with a blank page reserved for “Game Features”.
The manual does provide a few useful clues. The game appears to retain a player-facing camera similar to the one used by Need for Speed Heat: Takedown, while up to four cabinets can be linked together. A larger selection of tracks would make sense for this format, but the available material does not confirm the number or variety of courses.
There is a reasonable possibility that the game is already being tested somewhere. Adrenaline commonly prepares a manual when a title enters testing, giving the host venue access to technical information when required. That is an indication of development activity, not confirmation of a public release.
Possible Cars, Tracks and Game Origins
The available image suggests that players will choose from several licensed Hot Wheels cars before racing across the brand’s familiar orange and blue tracks. The environments appear to be based on real-world settings, although the image alone cannot establish the full range of locations or vehicles.
It is also possible that the arcade game builds on an existing home release such as Hot Wheels Unleashed 2. However, Adrenaline’s earlier Need for Speed Heat: Takedown was substantially altered from its home-console source, so any shared foundation would not necessarily mean an identical arcade conversion.
For now, the project remains an early and largely unconfirmed glimpse at a new Hot Wheels driver. Further information about testing, features, production or release will be needed before its arcade plans become clear. Readers comparing formats can also browse Retrocade’s arcade machine buying guide and explore the wider arcade news coverage.
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