Jetpack Joyride Racing Review: Sucks the joy out of racing at Jetpack speed

Jetpack Joyride makes a return, but this time, it swaps endless running for racing. When Jetpack Joyride Racing was announced, I was one among the many who were extra excited about the racing side of the decade-old mega hit coming to our screens, and I couldn’t wait to try.

Well, it finally launched this April. On paper, that already sounds interesting. You take a well-known universe, add multiplayer racing, drifting, boosting, and a bit of chaos, and it should work. Right? It is from Halfbrick Studios; so they can’t put a foot wrong. Right? Well, hard to answer.

After spending a good four hours of my time racing, learning the mechanics, and trying to figure out what the game really offers beyond its surface on my Snapdragon 8 Elite-equipped Xiaomi 15 Ultra, here’s my full review of Jetpack Joyride Racing, what works, what doesn’t, and why it feels like something is missing.

Simple racing mechanics that work, but only to a point

Gameplay is straightforward. You race against up to six players in short, quick matches. Controls are simple, mostly revolving around drifting, maintaining your racing line, and using boosts at the right time, just like how I mentioned in my Beginners Guide.

To give credit where it’s due, the core racing does feel good at times. There’s a learning curve here, and I actually liked that. You don’t win races immediately. You need to understand how corners work, when to drift, and how to use boost zones properly.

Hitting those Charge Zones and chaining your boosts feels nice when done right, but trust me, it definitely isn’t easy. Tracks also have some variation with zones like Slow Zones and Cutout Zones, which can either help or completely ruin your race if you’re not careful.

These small mechanics keep races from feeling completely flat, including the dashing mechanic on the opponents to keep them at bay. But the problem is, once you understand all this, you’ve basically seen everything the game has to offer. Shocking, isn’t it?

Still searching for the game modes, find them for me please

I wasn’t expecting much with this. A couple of game modes where it won’t just stick to a 6 on 6, maybe a 2v2 or even a ranked mode where races actually matter, apart from unlocking items from the pass. Well, no is the answer to all of these.

There’s no real variety in modes. You race, and then you race again. That’s it. You could have had so many fun modes to keep things refreshed, maybe go time trials or solo challenges, maybe even creative ways to race, I’m talking explosions on an opponent or having fuel to make it risky racing.

There is a Party Mode to play with friends you add, and you can jump into online matches. There’s a private mode too, which is excellent, just us friends pitted against each other. But there’s a catch: it’s locked behind the Halfbrick+ subscription (will dig into this next). So everything ends up being a disappointment, with no mode variations to keep things fresh.

Anyway, even with all of that, the gameplay won’t change, so the game quickly starts feeling repetitive. The races are short, yes, but when that’s the only thing you’re doing over and over again, it doesn’t take long before it makes you yawn.

Progression is a major disconnect

Progression parts of things are handled in a very strange way. Instead of upgrading directly in the game, everything is tied to the Halfbrick+ system. You collect cards, unlock rewards, and progress through a Season Pass inside the game, but to actually manage and upgrade those cards, you’re pushed toward a separate app.

Every time you unlock something, the game nudges you toward this external system. You forge your cosmetics or upgrade your cards to the next rarity. This is the first title that uses the card system among Halfbrick games, so maybe the understanding part will take some time.

There’s no real sense of building your racer in a meaningful way, either. Most of what you unlock is cosmetic, so while you are progressing, it doesn’t feel like it changes how the game plays. Sure, it is cool that you don’t have a pay-to-win mechanic, but what is even levelling up in this game?

Visuals and presentation are fine, but nothing eye-catchy

Visually, the game looks clean enough. The Jetpack Joyride style is still there, and the characters are familiar. Barry, Professor, Dan, and the rest of the crew show up as expected, which again you need to unlock. Cosmetics are plenty, and I haven’t unlocked many, but they definitely add to the exciting side of things.

There are a good number of tracks, all of which are visually nice to look at. Again, the repetition factor hits, and you start recognizing them very quickly. I will actually consider this as an advantage, because you know what’s coming next, the turns and boosts, so you can prepare the best path for you.

Sound design is also just okay, same feelings for the UI, both lie in the middle ground of my taste, not bad, not too good either. Controls are nothing but touching the left and right sides of your screen and pressing the boost button when the bar is full; there’s nothing else to judge here.

Monetization without pay-to-win, but still questionable

To its credit, the game is free and doesn’t push pay-to-win mechanics. There are no direct purchases that give you an advantage in races, which is good. But locking features like Party Mode behind a subscription isn’t the best look either. It makes the game feel restricted, even if it’s technically free to play. Cosmetics behind a paywall will be best.

Final Verdict

Well, time for the verdict on Jetpack Joyride Racing, I will go ahead and say, it has a solid foundation. The core racing mechanics are simple, responsive, and can be enjoyable once you get used to them. But beyond that, there’s very little to keep you engaged.

There’s so much you can do with this game; it’s racing after all! Bring in some upgrades, we all want to see how well our jetpacks can handle crashes, make this a tad bit riskier, give some features and modes that make you think twice about crashing on the edges of the track. I need that rush of racing and excitement it brings.

Was I harsh in the review? Maybe, too much? You be the judge of it. No, this isn’t because the Dan the Man sequel hasn’t arrived yet (caught lying a little). But it also stems from the fact that this “release” kind of doesn’t feel like it, feels rushed, or like a beta.

You have known Halfbrick for almost 15 years; their games are super fun, the expectations for this were the same, but instead, it is a letdown. They definitely can do better than this. To put it simply, it’s not a bad game, but it feels incomplete. And that’s probably the most disappointing part.

What are your opinions on the Jetpack Joyride Racing, and your review of it? Do let us know in the comments!

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