Asmodee HEAT: Pedal to the Metal Board Game - Intense Car Racing and Strategy Game, Fun Family Game for Kids and Adults, Ages 10+, 1-4 Players, 60 Minute Playtime

Speed. Reaction. Competition. Strategy. Adrenaline. As a race car driver three generations deep in motorsports in the last 20 years, I feel as if I know a little something about the sport. As an avid table top gamer who is, right this second, looking at a shelf in my gaming unit with 13 different racing games on it, I also feel qualified to review this one. And let me state... It does NOT disappoint. Let's start with the obvious... It's pricey, I get it. It's more than my internet bill. But hear me out... you'll find some things are simply worth the price of admission and HEAT is one of those things. Firstly, my initial thoughts as I saw the box art and slid the lid off the first time. The box art is superb. Colorful, racey, appropriate and stylish. Slide it off, and the top tier quality continues to shine throughout the components. The cards, driver dashboards, tracks, cars, shifters... everything... feels and looks like money. The rule set. Ahhhh, the rule set. The core factor in determining if a game is fun, exciting and worth our time. HEAT... Easy to follow? Check. Easy to grasp? Check. Easy to learn and retain? Check. Polished and play tested to reduce potential issues? Check. The core rules can be learned in literal minutes. Everything you need to go through a game turn in, quite literally, right under your nose. I mean.. it's printed right on the game dashboard in front of you as you play. Everything you need to know is quickly referenced with a list of graphics as instructions on every players dashboard. The rules are easy to concept, fun to play and replicate the excitement and stress of racing wheel to wheel and door-to-door lap after lap. Beyond the basic rules, the game also comes with a secondary rule book for the modules and advanced rule set. The modules are a wonderful addition to the base game and include custom car building, weather and track conditions, Championship mode with sponsorship bonuses, and even a solo play mode with an extremely intuitive AI system that creates extremely competitive racing when you use them to fill out your field. This has quickly become my favorite game to play both with people and as a solo game. There is an expansion that expands your field to seven cars and adds severe weather to the game to create more adversity on track. There are also slots in the game insert for an eighth car and eighth gear shifter so we can only imagine a second expansion will be released. My only complaint is really a personal preference and that is there needs to be some sort of collision system to implement the dangers of crashing and damaging your car. I have solved this with a house rule that states landing on the same space as another car results in a die roll. That resolves possible collisions on a collision chart. So with a little imagination, this small oversight is easily corrected making HEAT the perfect racing game. In my opinion HEAT is well worth the pretty substantial asking price. I already feel as though I have gotten way more than my money's worth out of the game and will continue to see returns in fun and excitement for years to come.

One of the top-rated games (top 50) on BoardGameGeek.com especially for family gaming (#8), with good reason. High player count - 6 for the base game, 7 or 8 with expansions. The base game isn't hard to figure out; with car modifications and seasons, there's high replayability. The game gives boosts to players who are behind, reducing the "I'm behind, why bother" problem some games have. It's not such a boost that it makes playing well irrelevant, but it helps. There is considerable strategy to choosing what cards to play and when to take 'heat', what gear to be in, when to take a chance of spinning out, etc. The most confusing thing in the rules is the "racing line", it's only described in a graphic in the rules. You have to stay as close to the racing line as possible, but there's no real negative to being off the racing line other than deciding which player goes first. Being forced to the outside of a corner doesn't matter since the inside and outside have the same number of spaces. In the end it barely matters, but it can be a little confusing.

Simple - play cards according to what gear you're in to determine your speed (spaces to go), and move around the track to try and win. Is it really that easy? Well... if you go too fast around a corner, you might spin out. If you generate too much heat, you may just not be able to shift up or down at the right time as you approach a corner. Do you boost with a random speed draw and risk overshooting the corner limit? So many choices for such a simple concept. This is a game we've been playing non-stop since getting it. We've played all four maps multiple times, even tried the championship mode where we raced the 1961 season - a series of three races. Each race only takes about 30-45 minutes, depending on how many players (we've mostly played with 4). Once you've learned the basic game, try adding the upgrade cards, where you get to choose specific capabilities for your car deck. Some upgrades might just win you the game, if you draw and play them at the right time and under the right conditions. Throw in weather conditions and specific corner conditions adn it becomes even more critical to make the right timed moves. Slipstream at the right time ahead of your opponent and pull out a win! Or you can be the one that ends their final turn just behind the finish line while all the others are on the victor's podium (see the picture!). Highly recommended for families, friends, and is great as it supports up to 6 players as well!

I have a lot of board games and heard a lot of hype on this one but held out for awhile because car racing is not a theme that was super appealing to me. It went on sale enough that I decided to give it a try and I actually really like it. It was pretty easy to get the hang of, but not so easy that it's boring or left entirely to chance. The game does a good job of making you use strategy and planning in a way that fits with the theme. You are limited in what you can do by the cards you have, and you have to manage the "heat" that builds up in your engine. The mechanics are clever and immersive. I look forward to trying the expansions and introducing it to more people.

This is hands-down one of the best racing games I’ve played. The heat management mechanic is brilliant—it really makes you feel the tension of pushing your car to the limit without blowing the engine. The components are great quality, and the solo mode is surprisingly robust. It’s easy to teach but has a lot of strategic depth. A must-have for any board game collection!

The Asmodee HEAT: Pedal to the Metal is hands-down the most exciting racing board game I've played, perfectly balancing simple mechanics with deep strategy. I love the hand-management system that forces you to manage your engine's heat while pushing for top speed through tight corners. The "Legends" solo mode is a brilliant addition, and the modular board design ensures every race feels fresh and challenging. It captures the tension of a 1960s Grand Prix perfectly, and the 60-minute playtime makes it ideal for a competitive game night. It’s a must-own for any collection, offering endless replayability for both casual families and hardcore strategists alike.

Great family game with many different iterations.

A fantastic game. Simple mechanics to learn. Hours of fun. This board game does a remarkable job of simulating the tension of a high speed race. The garage cards allow for individual customizations. You can race a single track or do a seasonal circut, where the pla e you finish, determines your start of the next one. You can race 5 of your friends out of the box, over 4 different tracks or get the expansions to race 8 and add 2 more tracks. Not enough competition? Add automated "legends", designed to keep the pressure on you turn after turn. If you are a fan of friendly, competitive games at breakneck speeds, there is a lot of racing to be done in this box.

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

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.

Great buy

Extremely complicated rules. We gave up. Have given it away 6 months later.

Ce jeu est en anglais !!!