How to drift in Hot Wheels Unleashed

To compete with the best in Hot Wheels Unleashed, you’ll need to get the basics completely down. Drifting sounds like an easy task at first with the game, but unlike Mario Kart or Cruis’n Blast, there is much more to learn to master the drift mechanic fully.

With Milestone’s pedigree in the racing genre with NASCAR titles under its belt, it makes sense that drifting is slightly more realistic in Hot Wheels Unleashed than its other casual racing counterparts. To start the process, you must press the braking button as you accelerate around a corner. It’s not like Mario Kart, as you don’t hold it down.

You activate the maneuver with a subtle press of L2. From there, you must control your acceleration to make the best drift around the track. Wobble your analog stick around to keep the car as center as possible. If not, you’ll hit the wall quicker than Lightning McQueen says “Kachow.” If you successfully drift, you’ll gain more on your boost meter.

Every car has its own weight that you must account for. For example, the Winning Formula F1-style car has a lower center of gravity, so it will skid faster than a truck like the Mountain Mauler. You’ll learn how it feels with more experience with the car.

For a car with the best drifting ability, you should account for its Handling rating. The less of a rating, the more difficult it will be to steer around the track. The braking power is also important as it accounts for the reaction time of the drift. From our experience, we also think the surface material of the track can determine how a car drifts, so watch out.