Games worth discovering

Rocket Racing is a nice diversion, but there are much better arcade racing options available

6K View2023-12-12

SHOULD I PLAY ROCKET RACING?

Sure, give it a whirl. Rocket Racing is one of the new modes recently added to Fortnite, so it’s easy to jump in if you’re already spending time in Epic’s always-changing games toy box. Rocket Racing is an arcade racing game about building up boosts and power-drifting around corners, defying the laws of gravity with rocket jumps and upside-down tracks.

TIME PLAYED

I’ve played around three hours of Rocket Racing, enough to complete a few dozen races and make my way through silver rank. There’s not a whole lot else to do, really—I tried queuing for specific tracks a couple times, but I never wound up getting into a race. All the action was in the ranked playlist, and that’s where daily and weekly quests could be completed and battle pass points won. My little blue Rocket League R/C car now has a nice lightning bolt decal on the hood and stylish silver spoke rims (and I have Alan Wake driving it for some reason).

WHAT’S AWESOME ABOUT ROCKET RACING?

• Simple racing goodness. Rocket Racing is about as easy to learn and get into as any racing game ever has been. There were a couple quirky mechanics to learn, like the way it handles its “rocket drift” cornering and building up the boost meter, but I was right at home within minutes of my first time loading the mode. I only had to remember to do three things: Hit the gas when the light turned green, boost around the turns, and leap over obstacles for three laps.

• Cool alternate paths. The rocket jump ability means cars can clear huge gaps and even flip over to drive on the ceiling in tunnels, which opens up the potential for alternate pathways and shortcuts in several tracks. It was fun making split-second decisions about which way I wanted to go: The tube would cut distance off my lap, but taking the roadway might give me more opportunities to build up my boost and overtake the front three cars.

• Turning feels great. Racing purists will groan, but Rocket Racing is a game about drifting around turns, or oversteer. As I was about to enter a turn, I’d tap the X button on my controller to fire my magic booster rockets, which would immediately start my rear tires sliding across the track. By carefully choosing the moment to turn into the skid, I could aim my car to perfectly exit the turn and get a nice bit of thrust applied to my speed as well as some boost meter. It felt fantastic to pull this off, especially in the middle of a pack of cars going around one of the wild U-turns that pop up in Rocket Racing’s winding canyon tracks.

WHAT SUCKS ABOUT ROCKET RACING?

• There are better options. Rocket Racing is decent fun and pretty inoffensive, but it has to be said that you can do better if what you’re after is racing action. Ubisoft’s free-to-play Trackmania has better handling and wilder courses, while paid options like Forza Horizon 5’s Hot Wheels expansion and Hot Wheels Unleashed 2 also provide more to do, better visuals, and a host of cars to drive and upgrade. Judged on its own merits, Rocket Racing can’t keep up with any dedicated arcade racers out there, but it works well as one ride in a larger amusement park.

• It’s another grind. Rocket Racing quickly becomes another low-bandwidth battle pass grind: It’s really just about spending time in the mode, completing races, and watching as quests and battle pass tiers are gradually ticked off. That’s fine if you just want to kill some time, but the lack of alternative modes or any creative tools severely limits the long-term appeal.