PAW Patrol Grand Prix is a great starter game for racing games for kids of all ages. It is an arcade style racing game featuring all your favourite pups and Ryder! It introduces kids to racing but even if they’re incapable of driving, they won’t get frustrated, since it’s very friendly to novices.
About
- Developer: 3DClouds / Outright Games Ltd
- Platform: Steam, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X and Series S, Microsoft Windows, and Xbox One
- Genre: Racing
- Release Date: September 30, 2022 (Race in Barkingburg DLC released December 2, 2022)
- Official link: https://outrightgames.com/en-ca/games/paw-patrol-grand-prix/
Gameplay Overview
There are 10 racers to choose from, each with a unique skill and strategy. For example, Chase can use a slowing siren, which slows opponents down. This allows players who aren’t as good, to have a chance to catchup to better players by slowing them down.
But if you’re more likely to be ahead and want to stop people from getting in front of you, then Rubble can drop a rock to slow people down.
If you’re really good, then Skye lets you get a nice speed boost to further leave your opponents in the dust!
There are also 11 unique tracks (3 extra with the DLC) to play on. There are other racing games with more tracks, but a smaller size means you can memorize the layout and better master your turning, braking, and drifting,
Similar to most racing games, drifting is part of the game. Drifting adds skill to this game, which means players can play this more competitively. Some people post world record attempts in PAW Patrol Grand Prix and they drift a lot for the speed boost. But even if you can’t drift, you can still do well.
Hitting the walls, also doesn’t significantly slow you down, so kids who can’t turn properly won’t be devastated and lose all momentum. There are some tight turns in this game which can easily cause drivers to scrape a wall.
If your young child doesn’t have the coordination to press multiple buttons at once, then there is an autopilot mode, which drives the car automatically. You can manually override the turning, but if you press nothing, it will self correct. You can turn on autopilot in the screenshot below:
Once enabled, the autopilot icon shows up at the top and your car can self-drive
Finally, there are items like any arcade racer. This lets you speed up, slow down people in front of you, slow down people behind you, or slow down everyone in front of you. The mass slow down is one of the most frustrating things to deal with.
Age Appropriateness
This game can be played by everyone. Especially with the autopilot, even if your child can’t press buttons properly, they can still pretend they’re driving. The graphics and gameplay are also age appropriate.
Ease of Use & Accessibility
A keyboard or game controller are the possible input devices. Both of which are easy for kids to use. Also, autopilot can help with any coordination issues.
Educational Value
PAW Patrol Grand Prix isn’t an educational game
Safety and Content
This game provides multiplayer support, but locally only via split screen. As a result, your child will not be exposed to multiplayer chat or matchmaking.
Graphics & Design
The visuals are fantastic with high quality 3D graphics. Fans of PAW Patrol will love seeing their favourite characters in action.
Price & Value for Money
This game is $38.99 with the Barkingburg DLC costing an extra $6.49. With 10 drivers to try on over 11 tracks, it is a good price.
Replayability
Trying to get first place with all the drivers is fun, so there’s lots of replay value.
Gameplay
This video contains gameplay footage. You can also view the complete PAW Patrol Grand Prix playlist for more first place finishes!
Overall Parent Experience
If your kid loves PAW Patrol, this is an excellent racing game for them to try. There’s also enough depth to allow your child to learn arcade racing games. We had our 3 year old try this game too and he enjoyed it despite smashing into walls non-stop.
