Lego 2K Drive is arcade racing fun in a Lego open world

LEGO has made an appearance in racing games before, most recently in DLC for Forza Horizon 4, but now it’s getting its own racing game. 

Lego 2K Drive was recently announced by 2K, the publisher behind games like WWE 2K, and is a full-featured open-world racing game. 

It does suffer from the classic Lego game problem, where much of the terrain isn’t made of Lego, but it is upbeat and slightly satirical like most recent Lego games. 

While it is clearly designed with a young audience in mind, it’s also not afraid to dip its toes into sarcasm and cynicism that will please mature players too. 

There’s a lot to like when you’re driving, and the gameplay is light and arcadey, which is a good tone for the game. 

That’s not to say it isn’t a serious racing game though, as the physics simulation shows different handling and weights behind each car. 

You can also change between track, off-road, and water vehicles, which can happen automatically when you enter the right terrain. 

It’s used well during races too, where shortcuts utilise the auto-switching well and can give you a big advantage if you spot them and use your abilities wisely. 

Like many arcade racing games, there’s a nitro boost that charges up over time, but can be charged faster by drifting, which is a big focus in the game. 

Drifting might not always be the fastest way to turn corners, but the trade-off is that it gives you boost power which can be used in longer stretches for an advantage. 

Much like iconic kart racer Mario Kart, there are a number of weapons that can be used against enemy racers too. 

That includes things like mines, missiles, EMPs, and even silly things like spiders that can be used to slow down other racers. 

Outside of racing, there’s a big open world to explore, with a large variety of environments and activities to engage with. 

One such activity is “on-the-go” challenges, which are timed challenges that centre around a single mechanic like jumping over obstacles or dodging bombs. 

Other side activities include racing from point to point within a time limit, taking down robots, and even a fun red-light, green-light minigame. 

All of these activities can also be completed in multiplayer, letting you play together with up to five friends in the game world. 

All of this is fun, but by the end of the session things started to get a little repetitive and boring, simply moving from one activity to the next. 

While there are plenty of activities, the world itself isn’t very interesting to explore, even if the areas in the game were nice to look at. 

It seems like Lego 2K Drive will be a game best played in short bursts, rather than sitting down for hours-long driving sessions. 

Naturally, like any good Lego game, there’s a full creation suite to let you build and customise your car exactly as you please. 

Every block, accessory, and connecting part you could ever need are there, and plenty more cosmetic items and templates can be unlocked. 

It’s unlikely Lego 2K Drive will be the next big thing in racing games, but it’s also not trying to be more than it is. 

Where other games are pushing for realism and accuracy, Lego 2K Drive embraces the fun and silliness of Lego with action-packed arcade fun. 

Lego 2K Drive will launch on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC on May 19, 2023.