REVIEW: NASCAR 26! (2026 Video Game) - On PlayStation 5

Review by Jon Donnis

NASCAR 26! does not completely reinvent the series, but it makes some worthwhile improvements to the driving, presentation and overall racing experience. After spending time with it on PS5, I am really enjoying what it has to offer. There are still a few problems that need attention, but when the racing comes together, this is a very enjoyable NASCAR game.

The driving physics and handling are a major strength. The cars feel responsive while retaining a convincing sense of weight and grip, making the racing feel more authentic. The new tyre and braking model also add to that feeling, giving the cars a more believable response as you push them around each track.

The new dynamic track technology is another particularly good addition. Track conditions and grip can change over the course of a race weekend, which means you cannot always rely on the surface behaving in exactly the same way. It adds another consideration to races and makes adapting to the changing conditions part of the experience.

The AI is also capable of providing some strong competition. Races feel less predictable, with the field behaving in a more natural way rather than simply following identical lines. That makes a difference during longer races, where the changing conditions and behaviour of the other cars can keep things interesting.

Visually, NASCAR 26! is an improvement over NASCAR 25. The cars and tracks look better, while the improved skies, lighting and cloud effects give the game a more convincing presentation. The new particle system also adds more smoke, debris and other effects to the action.

It is not completely polished, though. There are still some graphical glitches, including occasional problems with shadows and trackside details. Some races can also suffer from performance issues when there is a lot happening on screen. These problems do not ruin the experience, but they stand out more because the rest of the game can look so good.

Career Mode is less impressive. It has been expanded with weekly strategic decisions, Facility Upgrades and performance coaching from NASCAR greats Steve Letarte and Jamie McMurray, but it still feels fairly familiar. The additions are welcome, although they do not make the career experience feel as deep or engaging as I would have liked.

That sense of familiarity is probably the biggest criticism I have of NASCAR 26!. While there are plenty of additions and improvements, much of the game still feels like an evolution of NASCAR 25 rather than a major new chapter for the series. For some players that will not be a problem, particularly given how much has been improved on track, but it does limit the impact of the sequel.

The Chase is a useful new standalone mode, allowing you to fight for a championship over the final ten races of a season with a customisable field. Peak Performance is another sensible addition, giving players a dedicated way to work on their abilities across the different tracks.

There is also plenty of content outside those additions. The game covers the NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series, NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and ARCA Menards Series, while new tracks include the Qualcomm Circuit at Naval Base Coronado, Chicagoland and St. Petersburg. There is also a new spotter, Freddie Kraft, the new Ram truck, burnout celebrations, an enhanced paint kit, a trophy room and fully customisable driver ratings for 2026.

Cross-platform multiplayer is another welcome addition on PS5, allowing you to race against players on other platforms. Unfortunately, the online experience can also be frustrating. There are limited systems for dealing with poor or deliberately aggressive driving, so a clean race can quickly be ruined by somebody else.

Despite those issues, the actual racing is where NASCAR 26! succeeds. The improved handling, changing track conditions, competitive AI and better presentation combine to create races that are enjoyable to drive and capable of keeping you on your toes.

It will need some updates and patches to address the graphical and performance problems, and I would have liked Career Mode to offer more meaningful progression. It is also difficult to ignore how familiar much of the overall experience feels after NASCAR 25.

Even so, I am having a lot of fun with NASCAR 26!. It looks good, it drives well and the new features improve the racing without getting in the way of what makes NASCAR enjoyable.

For me, NASCAR 26! is easily the best NASCAR game yet released, which is exactly what it should be.

I score NASCAR 26! A solid 8 out of 10.

Out Now on PS5 - https://store.playstation.com/en-gb/concept/10018405

REVIEW: Hyper Cars Ramp Crash (2026 Video Game) - on Playstation 5

Review by Jon Donnis

Hyper Cars Ramp Crash arrives on PlayStation 5 with big promises of high speed spectacle and crushing, so called physics driven chaos. It throws you straight into a world of ramps, collapsing obstacles and exaggerated destruction, where every jump is meant to feel dangerous and every landing unpredictable. On paper, it sounds like a gleeful mix of arcade racing and stunt driven mayhem. In practice, the results are far more uneven.

There is some enjoyment to be found, though it tends to surface in short bursts rather than sustained sessions. The freestyle mode stands out as the clearest example of what the game does right. Dropping players into a wide open arena, it encourages experimentation, whether that means scaling oversized structures or simply smashing through objects for the sake of it. There is a simple, almost toy like appeal in knocking over giant blocks or nudging an oversized football towards a goal. It feels loose, occasionally satisfying, and crucially, it gives the player room to create their own moments. The push to complete levels and tick off achievements also provides a basic sense of progression, even if it never becomes especially compelling.

Visually, the game does just enough to pass muster without ever impressing. The cars themselves are serviceable, and the environments, ranging from roads to forests and deserts, offer some variation. That said, nothing here really takes advantage of the PlayStation 5 in a meaningful way. It looks like something that belongs elsewhere, and that impression becomes harder to ignore the longer you spend with it.

The problems begin to stack up once you move beyond that initial novelty. The game carries all the hallmarks of a mobile title that has been moved onto a far bigger stage without the necessary upgrades. What might feel acceptable on a phone in short sessions quickly becomes thin and repetitive on a console. Some levels feel hastily put together, lacking any real sense of design or progression. They exist more as obstacles than as carefully constructed challenges.

The much advertised destruction physics also fail to convince. While cars do crumple and twist on impact, the behaviour often feels erratic rather than realistic. Minor inputs can send your vehicle spinning wildly, as if the game is guessing rather than calculating. It undermines any sense of control and makes the experience feel inconsistent. Instead of rewarding skill, it often feels like you are at the mercy of unpredictable reactions.

Sound design does little to help matters. The engine noise quickly becomes grating, looping in a way that draws attention to itself for all the wrong reasons. Combined with fairly flat effects elsewhere, it creates an audio backdrop that wears thin far too quickly.

There is also a broader question hanging over the release itself. On a platform that hosts some of the most polished racing experiences available, Hyper Cars Ramp Crash struggles to justify its place. It does not push the genre forward, nor does it offer a distinctive twist strong enough to stand apart. Instead, it feels like a scaled up version of something better suited to quick, disposable play.

In the end, Hyper Cars Ramp Crash is defined by that mismatch. There is a flicker of fun in its sandbox moments, and a basic hook in chasing completion, but it never grows into something that feels at home on PlayStation 5. It is a reminder that scale alone does not elevate a game, and that what works on one platform does not always translate to another.

Hyper Cars Ramp Crash earns a 3 out of 10.

REVIEW: MAVRIX by Matt Jones (2026 Video Game) - Early Access on Xbox

Review by Jon Donnis

Mountain biking games rarely get the space to breathe, but MAVRIX by Matt Jones goes big straight away. This is not a tight circuit racer or a handful of curated trails. It throws you into a sprawling 100 square kilometre playground and simply says go. Downhill tracks, slopestyle lines, bike parks and open stretches of wilderness all sit side by side, inviting you to carve your own routes instead of following a prescribed path. It feels loose, free and refreshingly confident.

At its heart, MAVRIX is a mix of racer, trick sandbox and social space. One minute you are blasting down a timed downhill run chasing a leaderboard spot, the next you are stitching together your own line over jumps and berms just to see what works. Then a mate drops in and suddenly you are riding together, hunting hidden challenges or trying to sync huge sends for the laugh of it. That sense of shared play gives the world a bit of life. It never feels like a sterile menu driven experience.

The physics system is easily the headline act. Dual stick controls split braking and body movement in a way that takes a little learning, but once it clicks, it feels great. You feather the brakes, shift your weight, and manage the suspension with a surprising level of intention. Landings have heft. Drifts feel earned. Even a simple bunny hop has a bit of character. The recent console updates help too, with the bike and rider feeling more grounded thanks to suspension tuning and improved turning physics. Being able to move the rider's body to tighten a corner adds just enough finesse to separate good runs from great ones.

Tricks and the new Slopestyle mode are another strong addition. Three fresh slopestyle courses join the existing jump trails, and the fact that those older trails can now host competitions makes the whole map feel more useful. Instead of isolated arenas, everything connects. You start looking at the landscape differently, spotting transfers and creative lines that were not obvious before. It leans into the playful side of mountain biking, which suits the game well.

There is a pleasing layer of authenticity running through the rest of it. Real world brands let you tweak frames, components and clothing, and the sponsorship system, including the new Red Bull deal, pushes you to grind for contracts like a pro rider would. Add global rankings and competitions with genuine prizes and you have a clear reason to keep pushing for cleaner, faster runs. It is not just messing about in the dirt. There is a bit of purpose behind it all.

Visually and sonically, it does the job nicely. The landscapes are broad and inviting, the parks look the part, and the sound of tyres on dirt and suspension chatter sells the speed. More importantly, it is simply fun. That is the thing that kept pulling me back in. Even after a messy crash or a failed trick line, you just want one more run.

Still, this is early access, and it shows. Bugs crop up, rough edges remain, and there are moments where systems feel unfinished. You can sense that the foundation is strong but the house is not fully built yet. It also wobbles a bit between simulation and arcade. For something marketed as serious and authentic, it sometimes drifts into slightly exaggerated, gamey behaviour. Personally, I did not mind the lighter touch, but hardcore riders looking for a strict sim might raise an eyebrow.

Having played the early access version on PC before this console release, the improvements are obvious. It feels smoother, more considered and generally better put together. The steady updates and clear signs that the developers are listening to players give it a lot of goodwill. You get the sense this is a project that will keep evolving rather than sitting still.

Right now, MAVRIX by Matt Jones is not perfect, but it is promising and already genuinely enjoyable. With its huge world, flexible riding, strong physics and regular updates, it has every chance to cement itself as the go to game for this niche. A bit more polish and it could be something special.

I score MAVRIX by Matt Jones a solid 7.5 out of 10. I look forward to seeing what they have planned next.

Out Now on Xbox

https://www.xbox.com/en-GB/games/store/mavrix-by-matt-jones-game-preview/9nzx67j81x6f

REVIEW: Speed Rivals (2025 Video Game) - on PC (Steam)

Review by Jon Donnis

Speed Rivals takes the old slot car idea that so many of us grew up with and turns it into a digital toybox with a lot of charm. It brings that familiar Scalextric feeling back to life on your PC, only with sharper effects and a livelier sense of pace. The result is a racer that knows exactly what it is trying to be, and for the most part it hits the mark.

The strongest part of the game is how it captures that classic slot car rhythm. You only control your speed, so every lap becomes a small battle with the track rather than a test of steering skill. Ease off too late and you pop off the rail. Feather the throttle at the right moment and you glide through the bend with a bit of style. It feels simple, which is exactly the point. Anyone who grew up fiddling with Scalextric pieces on the living room floor will settle in quickly, and the game leans into that feeling with a nostalgic grin.

The short bursts of racing work nicely. You drop in, try to set a clean lap, fail, swear, retry, then nail it. 

The track editor itself deserves a bit of praise since it opens up a whole second layer of play. Building a circuit is good fun, and sharing your tracks online gives the whole thing a sense of community that helps a relatively small game feel much bigger.

The trouble starts when you veer away from the nostalgia. Players who have never touched a slot car in their life might find the lack of steering quite odd. It goes against everything you expect from a racing game, and that first hour can feel quite restricted. The bigger problem, though, is the camera work. None of the options feel fully comfortable. The top down view is the most workable, although you still end up sliding the camera about just to keep your car in sight. First person made me feel a bit queasy, and the other angles make it too hard to judge how fast you should be taking each corner. It gets in the way of the flow, which is a shame because the core loop is otherwise very smooth.

Speed Rivals is a good time if you already have a soft spot for slot car racing. It offers a bright set of tracks, lively time attack challenges, a hefty track editor and a community focus that should help it grow. It is still in early access, so there is room for improvement, especially with the cameras, but there is enough here already to keep fans entertained.

Right now it is a fun, slightly limited racer. A solid 7 out of 10.

Out Now on Steam

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3389390/Speed_Rivals__Build_Race__Share_Tracks/

REVIEW: CarCam (2025 Video Game) - On PC - Steam

Review by Jon Donnis

CarCam arrives on Steam with a simple pitch that taps straight into childhood memory. You take control of a tiny remote-controlled car and see the world through a camera perched on top of it. The idea feels instantly charming. The living room turns into an enormous playground where a table leg becomes a hairpin corner and a cushion becomes a launch ramp. It is a clever viewpoint and it gives the game a distinct personality, helped along by the sight of full sized humans wandering about in the background while you tear around their floor. That little detail adds an odd sense of scale and, in a funny way, makes the whole thing feel more playful. The use of classical music as the soundtrack gives it a quirky edge as well. I suspect the choices are down to royalty free availability, though they work surprisingly well and give the races a slightly whimsical lift.

The problem is that the concept is stronger than the execution at the moment. This is an early access title and you can feel that roughness in nearly every corner. Online activity is thin, so the multiplayer features often sit gathering dust. Free roam should be the mode that lets you kick back and enjoy the setting, yet the constant need to recharge your car gets in the way. Stopping on a pad to refill the battery breaks the flow and feels like an unnecessary chore. 

The controls do not help either. Being locked to keyboard input makes the handling far more awkward than it should be, particularly for a game that asks for precision and quick reactions. Races can feel confusing as a result, partly because it is not always clear where you are meant to go and partly because the camera perspective demands crisp steering that simply is not there yet. Even the menus feel bare, with very few settings to tweak, which reinforces the sense that the game has not reached its full shape.

CarCam has the heart of a delightful idea. The joy of seeing a familiar room blown up to epic scale is real and the tiny-camera perspective is genuinely fun. It just needs far more refinement to match that promise. Right now it feels like a concept rather than a finished experience. For me it is a pass at this stage, though I would not rule out returning in a year if the developers keep chipping away at the rough edges. The potential is there, it simply needs time to find its polish.

Out Now on Steam

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3760600/CarCam/