By HOT WHEELS Infinite Rush just launched, and I couldn’t resist jumping into Milestone’s open-world take on the Hot Wheels universe to see how it holds up on the Steam Deck. Here’s how I set it up and what it’s like racing across its four islands on the go.
Best settings: why I just leave everything on High
The graphics settings here are refreshingly simple, because this game is locked at 30 FPS no matter what you choose. Drop everything to Low and you’re still capped at 30 FPS, so there’s no reason to sacrifice visual quality for a performance gain that isn’t coming. I just left every setting on High, and it still holds a steady 30 FPS while looking great on the Deck’s screen.
Turning on MAKO frame generation for 60 FPS
That 30 FPS cap isn’t the end of the story, though. Switching on MAKO frame generation makes a huge difference, pushing the game up to a smooth 60 FPS. Once I saw the difference side by side, it was obvious this is how the game should be played. My recommended settings are simple: everything on High, MAKO frame generation turned on, and you’re getting the best version of Infinite Rush the Steam Deck can offer. That said, even without it, the base 30 FPS experience still plays and runs well if your battery life is a bigger priority.
An open world that plays like Forza Horizon with Hot Wheels cars
What’s pulled me in beyond the performance is the open-world structure. Infinite Rush spreads its events, challenges, and secrets across four distinct islands, and roaming between them reminds me a lot of Forza Horizon: you drive freely until you pick a race, and then it shifts into a tight, single-focus racing challenge before opening back up again. I genuinely wasn’t planning on covering this one, but I loved the first Hot Wheels game, got hooked after a few minutes with this sequel, and ended up recording a full session almost by accident.
Milestone’s world here is built around four islands worth of Rush Masters to defeat, over 150 vehicles to collect across the Versatiles, Titans, Drifters, and Speeders classes, and a Track Builder for laying down your own routes through the scenery. It’s a lot of content, and all of it held up well in my time with it on the Deck.
Wrap-up
Overall, HOT WHEELS Infinite Rush is a good time on the Steam Deck. Whether you stick with the steady 30 FPS on High settings or flip on MAKO for 60 FPS, it’s an easy recommendation if you enjoyed the first game or just want an arcade racer you can pick up and put down. Let me know if you’re picking this one up and how it’s running for you.