Heat: Pedal to the Metal | The Racing, Strategy Board Game for Families, Adults & Teens | Thrilling Grand Prix Fun with a Brilliant Tactical Twist | 1–6 Players, Ages 10+, 60 Minutes

Excellent game and easy to understand why it won awards. Initially looks a bit daunting with all the cards and pieces in the box but after 2 turns is so simple to pick up and the game goes really fast. A racing game and moving a car along a track is a really simple concept to understand and pick up, so introducing this to first timers is fine. Ive played this multiple time with a local game group and its a been a big success. I will be purchasing the expansions soon.

I'm a big fan of board games, from simple party ones to very complicated strategic ones. HEAT is simple enough to learn even for players who are new to these deck-builder type games. However it also has a good amount of depth to allow for strategy which satisfies the geeks. In addition, you can pick and choose to make it more complicated by adding 'modules' such as weather effects, car upgrades and a longer championship mode with even more features. On top of that you can add in bots to be your opponents and play solo if you want. HEAT does a great job at capturing the intensity of a race through a board game medium. Once you know what you're doing the turns go by quickly. At first one race took and hour but soon I'm sure I can do a whole championship in 2 hours. If you're not sure if you'll like it, the answer is probably YES you will.

Days of Wonder produce some great games, usually versions of Ticket to Ride which we enjoy. Therefore, when I read the reviews of Heat, Peddle to the Metal we had to buy it. It is a great game with lots of variations to keep it interesting such as 4 courses and the different upgrades for your cars and you can play with 6 players! It is a game they keeps you on the edge of you seat to the end and in one game the person in last place came past everyone on their last go to win! Few games are that gripping and exciting. If you like racing games this is fantastic and will bring out the competitive nature in everyone who plays it. There is even an expansion with two more courses and additional cars which should be fun!

Really like the game. Shame the box was damaged on arrival

As someone who primarily plays board games solo, I wasn’t sure how well a racing game like Heat: Pedal to the Metal would translate without human opponents. Spoiler: it works brilliantly. The solo mode uses an “AI driver” deck that simulates multiple opponents at once, and it’s much more competitive than I expected. The bots are quick to capitalize on your mistakes, so there’s real tension in deciding when to push your engine, when to play it safe, and when to risk overheating for that extra corner advantage. Setup is quick for a game of its size, and the rules for solo are clearly laid out—no confusing exceptions or endless cross-references. Each race plays out differently because of the AI cards, track layouts, and your own strategic choices. You can also adjust difficulty by changing the number of AI drivers or tweaking their performance, which adds a lot of replayability. What I love most is how Heat nails the feeling of a race: the build-up on straightaways, the stress of tight corners, and that final adrenaline rush as you push your car beyond its limits on the last lap. Even playing alone, I’ve found myself leaning forward in my chair during the final stretch, willing my little plastic car to cross the line first. If you’re a solo gamer who enjoys tactical decision-making, a bit of push-your-luck, and thematic gameplay, Heat: Pedal to the Metal is a winner. Highly recommended.

If you're looking for a board game that blends strategy, adrenaline, and just the right amount of chaos, Heat: Pedal to the Metal is a winner. I’ve played this with both seasoned gamers and casual friends, and it consistently delivers high-energy fun. What I love: - Fast-paced gameplay: Turns move quickly, and the tension builds as you push your car to the limit. The “heat” mechanic is brilliant, it forces you to manage risk without slowing the game down. - Strategic depth: It’s not just about going fast. You have to plan your gear shifts, cornering speed, and when to cool your engine. It rewards smart play without punishing newcomers. - Beautiful production: The components are well-made and the retro racing theme is immersive. - Scales well: Works great with 2–6 players, and the solo mode is surprisingly solid. The AI drivers are clever and keep the race competitive. Minor nitpicks: - Setup can take a bit of time, especially with new players. There are a lot of cards and modules to sort. - The box insert isn’t perfect—expect a little chaos unless you use baggies or a custom organiser. Overall, Heat is a must-have for fans of racing, tactical card play, or anyone who wants a game that’s easy to learn but hard to master. It’s become a staple in our game nights, and I can’t recommend it enough.

I bought this to play with my 10 year old nephew and family. It feels a bit complicated at first. I suggest playing the first few rounds with the rules handy and refer to them often initially to be sure you're doing everything correctly. Once you get the hang of the game loop it's actually pretty straightforward though, and then you can just play. (My nephew coped with it fine, and my Mum too...) The game does a great job of providing a fun 'racing' experience, which was novel in board game, at least to me. There is a nice balance between skill and randomness, surprising depth really. We only got a handful of games in over the holiday season but I could see that the multiple tracks, and 'championship mode', will keep it interesting over the longer term. Looking forward to next Christmas with the family!

A magnificent game and I've been playing games since I was five and am rapidly approaching my 6th decade. Probably not an 'easy' game for beginners as the mechanisms will be unfamiliar and unpractised, but well worth persevering. For those within the board gaming hobby, this is a game that rewards careful hand management and 'going for it' at the crucial moments, crossing the line with your car a metaphorical ball of flame! The rules are well written, in such a way that within a few sessions, all the rules can be used which makes the game move from good to great. What particularly stands out are the 'bot' rules, showing just how well thought out the whole game is. The racing cars controlled by the system are not just there to get in the way of the actual players, but have a nasty habit of challenging for a win and occasionally doing so. Deeply embarrassing for the players who haven't done a good enough job with their own cars. If you liked 'Flamme Rouge', I think this is better. Significantly so.

Great quality…a little pricier than other websites but I didn’t have a choice when buying because it wasn’t available anywhere else and I so so wanted to play… My mom loves Heat compared to other racing games but she always loses to me still loves playing it

Great buy

OVERVIEW: Heat: Pedal to the Metal is a one to six player racing game, which takes about sixty minutes to play. This 2022 release relies upon a simple hand management system to propel the action across four different tracks. Unlike games in which players gamble on the winners, Heat places each player into the driver's seat of a Formula One racecar, looking for any sleight advantage over the other drivers. This core game includes several modular expansions that can be incorporated to increase the game variability, impacting weather and road conditions, garage upgrades, sponsorships, tournament mode, and championship mode. The Legends module introduces an easy to manage A.I. system for the other one to five vehicles, allowing for streamlined solo game play. Heat: Pedal to the Metal is a light easy to learn family game with the capacity to scale and expand to suit the needs of more experienced gamers. ACCESSIBILITY: The racing theme is universally relatable, even if the Formula One circuit in particular may be less familiar. Set up and tear down are quick, and the table presence of the components bring out the theme. The mechanics are a bit awkward to teach and learn, requiring a brief YouTube explanation or a dry run to accommodate new players. Once players overcome this minor comprehension hurdle, the game offers a thrilling and strategic experience for anyone able to understand simple math. SCALABILITY: In Heat: Pedal to the Metal, turns are relatively quick, so higher player counts don't impact the pacing as much as it does in most games. The real scalability comes in the additional modules that can be incorporated into the basic game. The user friendly Legends deck easily controls any number of A.I. opponents available, while other modules add variability and impact the complexity involved. Heat: Pedal to the Metal scales very effectively at every player count, and most difficulty preferences. COMPONENTS: The components are generally acceptable as average, with room to upgrade if desired. The box insert provides a great deal of extra space for sleeved cards and other upgrades, with extra room for the Heavy Rain expansion. Two thick fold out game boards depict the four distinct tracks from Italy, France, Great Britain, and the United States, while the player dashboards are much thinner. The tokens are cardboard and the plastic gear shift markers are serviceable, but the cars themselves are especially unimpressive considering the theme. However, when everything is brought together this game has a stimulating visual table presence. GEAR SHIFTING MECHANIC: Each player receives a dashboard and a gear shift token, which indicates how many cards that player must use each round (between one and four). Players may only shift up or down by one gear per turn, or add one Heat card to their deck. Players may discard Heat cards from their hands if they downshift to first or second gear. HEAT CARDS: The core of this game is deck management. Every player has the same set of cards, but shifting an extra gear, boosting your speed, or taking a corner too fast penalizes players with Heat cards which can't be discarded or played. Heat cards represent stress on your car which do nothing but clog up your deck and limit your options. The only way to get rid of Heat cards is to downshift. STRESS CARDS: Stress cards represent a momentary lapse of focus, and can be identified by a plus sign instead of a number. They cannot be discarded, but can be played. The number the Stress card represents is determined randomly by drawing from the player's deck. This makes stress cards very dangerous to play before curves. SLIPSTREAM MECHANIC: Slipstreaming is when a player ends his or her turn directly behind or beside another player, they can use the velocity of the car in front to pull them ahead two spaces. Slipstreaming never counts against taking corners too fast. It makes for dynamic races as the person in front is always at a disadvantage, in danger of those behind slipping past. LAST PLAYER BONUS: Being last is never fun, but in this game you rarely stay in last place long. Not only do you have the opportunity to slipstream past every car in front of you, but being last gives added bonuses in the form of a token. First, you have the option to move one extra space to set up that perfect slipstream. Second, you have the option to discard one Heat card from your hand no matter what gear you are in. The last place token tends to change hands frequently from turn to turn, and at higher player counts a second token is introduced. LEGENDS MECHANIC: Although the Legends mechanic is optional, this is what makes games with lower player counts work. Legends are simply automated cars operated by a special deck of cards, which never wipe out on corners.More cars means more slipstreaming, and the solo game is impossible to play without automated Legends opponents. It is very easy to determine how far every Legend car goes each turn from looking at one card. My only personal issue is the speeds that Legends can go on the straightaways. They can reach speeds exceeding the best possible four card combination any player can achieve without an additional boost. I easily remedied this by subtracting five from their speed on the straightaways, but not their corner speeds. MODULAR MECHANICS: On top of all of this simple streamlined gameplay across four international maps, this game pours on a load of modular variations that impacts the standard game in various different ways. There is a weather module that introduces rules that simulates driving under different conditions. There is a garage module which includes a deck of new cards that add improvements and upgrades to the vehicles. There is a sponsorship module which includes cameramen stationed at pivotal corners, waiting for footage of the vehicle making the cleanest turn. There is a tournament module that takes players across a multi-race championship circuit for players seeking a larger campaign. For depth and replayability, Heat: Pedal to the Metal delivers. PROS: Heat: Pedal to the Metal is a fast, exciting, easy to learn game that accommodates a lot of players very well. The theme shines through heavily with the Heat, Stress, gear shifting, boosting, and slipstream mechanics, alongside fast paced gameplay. Automated Legends cars can quickly simulate more players to accommodate smaller player counts looking for the excitement of big races. The variety of having four different tracks, plus the weather, garage, sponsorship, and tournament modules pack a massive amount of game into a single box which is incredibly well organized to house all these components. CONS: This game is a little more expensive than your average game. Sure it comes with all of these extra modular additions, but are you going to use them all? Probably not. All the extras also make the box much larger than other games, if space is a consideration. The player dashboards are very thin, and the cars themselves are pretty mediocre. One would think that the designers would put a little more consideration in making the stars of the game shine a little more, but discerning gamers always have the option to upgrade the cars through alternative sources. CONCLUSION: Heat: Pedal to the Metal is an exciting and easy to learn family game that is widely relatable and a strong addition to any game collection. It is the perfect choice for five or six players, but easily scales down to a single player. The existing box insert makes setup and tear down quick, and the races tend to take less than an hour. I am not a Formula One racing fan by any stretch of the imagination, but the mechanics in this game deliver the excitement of a race that I have never experienced watching Formula One on television. Split second decisions to change gears, risking tight corners, or stressing the engine to boost a little further separates the winners from the losers. If you have only one racing game in your collection, this is it. So, are you a winner or a loser?

Ce jeu est en anglais !!!

Es un juego muy bueno si te agradan las carreras, lo hace emocionante ir avanzando y descubriendo la variedad que tiene.