Hot Lap Racing: Era-Defying Simcade Racer Announced For July


A new simcade racer with a bit of a different concept lines up on the grid this summer: Hot Lap Racing is set to launch on July 16, 2024.

Images: Zero Games Studios / Vision Réelle / Maximum Entertainment

Historic content is a staple in many racing games and simulators, and it will be in the newly-announced Hot Lap Racing as well. Set for a July 16 release, the game by Zero Games Studios, Vision Réelle and publisher Maximum Entertainment does not just look at the past and the present, though - it also dives into what racing could look like in the 2030s.

Ever wanted to pit a Brabham BT24 against a BTCC Renault Laguna and a Peugeot 9X8? Hot Lap Racing allows you to do just that, and on 17 tracks with over 70 layouts. Licensed tracks include Jarama, the Salzburgring, Zolder and Oschersleben.

Hot Lap Racing - Confirmed Content​

Cars​

  • Alfa Romeo 155 DTM
  • Alpine A110 GT4
  • Brabham BT24
  • Formula Extreme (fictional, 2030s Formula car)
  • Ligier JS P320
  • Minardi M191
  • Peugeot 9X8
  • Renault 5 Turbo 3E

Tracks​

  • Flagstaff (fictional)
  • French Riviera (fictional)
  • Gingerman Raceway
  • Jarama
  • Kuwait Motor Town
  • Laquais
  • Navarra
  • Oschersleben
  • Salzburgring
  • Zolder
Hot-Lap-Racing-Announcement-Mygale-F4.jpgHot-Lap-Racing-Announcement-Opel-Calibra-V6-4x4.jpg

The tracks - and cars, too - are not the usual suspects found in racing games. More cars can already be seen in screenshots release alongside the announcement, such as an Opel Calibra V6 4x4, an Abarth 500 or a Mygale Formula 4 vehicle.

Hot Lap Racing is set to include a Career Mode that allows players to challenge real motorsport legends from throughout history - none have been named yet, but a game going back all the way to the 1960s has potential for numerous icons players will have to face. Other confirmed modes are a Hot Lap Mode and both a local and an online multiplayer. The former lets up to four players race against each other, the latter sees a maximum of 12 competitors on the track.

Hot-Lap-Racing-Announcement-Multiplayer.jpg


Based on the info available from the announcement, Hot Lap Racing will not strive to be the most realistic game out there, it being announced as a "simcade" being the most obvious hint. However, it could be a fun way to experience motorsport history in an accessible way.

Hot Lap Racing is set to release on Nintendo Switch and PC on July 16. The game is already available to wishlist on Steam.

What are your thoughts on the Hot Lap Racing announcement? Let us know on Twitter @OverTake_gg or in the comments below!
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About author
Yannik Haustein
Yannik Haustein
Lifelong motorsport enthusiast and sim racing aficionado, walking racing history encyclopedia.

Sim racing editor, streamer and one half of the SimRacing Buddies podcast (warning, German!).

Heel & Toe Gang 4 life :D

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Comments

Havner
When a game advertises itself as simcade you know it's gonna be full arcade. Mini overtaking LMP2? :roflmao:
 
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G
How much do you want your trailer to make your game look like a shovelware asset-flip, with no coherent artstyle whatsoever? These guys and gals: Yes.
 
N
The day someone will give a cohesive definition of "simcade", pigs will fly. Even Sim Racing itself is poorely defined. Regardless, I think calling your game a "simcade" is shooting yourself in the foot. My mind goes immediately to games like Project CARS 3.
 
Beezer215
NobodyKnowsReally said:
The day someone will give a cohesive definition of "simcade", pigs will fly. Even Sim Racing itself is poorely defined. Regardless, I think calling your game a "simcade" is shooting yourself in the foot. My mind goes immediately to games like Project CARS 3.
Click to expand...
Thank you. Can we just stop using the baseless and undefined term simcade altogether? These are either simulators or they are games. Shoe horning in the aspect that something is in an arcade just isn't working.
 
Ryan Soucy
Beezer215 said:
Thank you. Can we just stop using the baseless and undefined term simcade altogether? These are either simulators or they are games. Shoe horning in the aspect that something is in an arcade just isn't working.
Click to expand...

“There are only three sports: bullfighting, motor racing, and mountaineering; all the rest are merely games,” - Ernest Hemmingway

I'm comfortable calling anything done in front of my computer a "racing game". If you've spent $2000 on a wheel hub and $200 on sim gloves to get any closer to the act of racing a car, you have wasted your money.

(not directed at Beezer, so please don't take offense.)
 
VirtuaIceMan
I always took simcade to be something like the ToCA Race Driver series; simulating cars and even complete series, but with a more light-hearted approach. Less about car setups and more about the thrill of racing.

A racing games space in-between Daytona USA and Assetto Corsa. I enjoyed throwing cars around in DiRT 5 (simcade?) as much as DiRT Rally 2.0 (sim?), but they're obviously targeting different markets.

Just noticed DTM vs BTCC Renault Laguna too, in the trailer. But the guy in the Brabham sits with his head higher than the rollover bar :-o
 
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ninezeroniner
The word "simcade" makes no sense and just reminds me how badly every three years we need a new Bugbear game. They just need to nail a decent AI able to rally and wreck at the same time.

Anyway, if you want a "racing game" challenge, Flat Out Ultimate Carnage Collector's Edition just received an update that messed up the AI usage of nitro, so now they're superPOG, no matter the build of your car.
 
Pehel
Hello there !
Haven't been here since 2019 ! (OMG time flies !!)
I'm developer of the game :) And I see a lot of "skepticism" about it but I can really understand your concerns.
Basically, we tried to make something in the spirit of old TOCA and GRID games. The trailer is here to showcase some of the cars that will be in the final game. But there will be far more in the end and we will show some gameplay soon :)
The game will not be perfect. Our overall budget for the whole game is more or less budget for coffee and paper of some big racing names I saw in the comments. But we really put everything we had into it and all our passion to make something fun, accessible but also that could satisfy more picky players who wants some challenge on the go. So there will be some "old" DTM, some "old" BTCC, some "old" F1 but also we added more modern cars that we think could interest fans.
By the way, if you have any questions I can try to answer as much as I can :)
 
ZeldaACFan17
Pehel said:
Hello there !
Haven't been here since 2019 ! (OMG time flies !!)
I'm developer of the game :) And I see a lot of "skepticism" about it but I can really understand your concerns.
Basically, we tried to make something in the spirit of old TOCA and GRID games. The trailer is here to showcase some of the cars that will be in the final game. But there will be far more in the end and we will show some gameplay soon :)
The game will not be perfect. Our overall budget for the whole game is more or less budget for coffee and paper of some big racing names I saw in the comments. But we really put everything we had into it and all our passion to make something fun, accessible but also that could satisfy more picky players who wants some challenge on the go. So there will be some "old" DTM, some "old" BTCC, some "old" F1 but also we added more modern cars that we think could interest fans.
By the way, if you have any questions I can try to answer as much as I can :)
Click to expand...
Will there be an option for Imperial units? (MPH and miles for speed and distance respectively, Fahrenheit temperatures, ft-lb (Foot-pounds) for torque, PSI for pressures, etc)
 
Pehel
ZeldaACFan17 said:
Will there be an option for Imperial units? (MPH and miles for speed and distance respectively, Fahrenheit temperatures, ft-lb (Foot-pounds) for torque, PSI for pressures, etc)
Click to expand...
Unfortunately not at launch.
There won't be need for temperatures, PSI and "complicated" things as cars will be with fixed settings.
 
ZeldaACFan17
Some setup options would be nice though, like individual gear ratio adjustment, aero, and tire compounds if you plan to have pitstops or rain in the future. The tire compounds could probably be a multiplier of grip and tire life (Grippier tires last for less laps than harder compounds)
 
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