Deathsprint 66 looks like the best kind of racing game: one where you race murderous robot men instead of boring old cars

There's a part of me that always craves a good racing game, but I just can't be bothered with cars. I want hoverboards, podracing, F-Zero stuff man, I get my car fix being stuck in traffic in my 2018 Kia Soul. Deathsprint 66 looks like the perfect scratch for my particular anti-automobile racing itch: this is a game where we'll race Master Chiefs.

Sumo Newcastle's upcoming racer looks like Mario Kart by way of Ghostrunner in its debut gameplay trailer from the PC Gaming Show: we've got the grungy, neon-lit cyberpunk city, form fitting robo guy armor with chunky armor bits, and one of my favorite environment features in any game, those little bits of Titanfall raised wall panels that practically scream "Wallrun on me, jerkoff!"

But instead of FPS levels or combat puzzle time trialing, Deathsprint 66 puts you in a demolition derby, racing against a gaggle of seven other cyborgs in PvE or PvP. As PCG executive editor Tyler Wilde observed after getting a look at the game at this year's Game Developers Conference, Deathsprint is like if Nintendo stopped pretending Mario Kart was anything other than a blood sport.

The obstacle course nature of Deathsprint 66's tracks are what has me the most excited: in addition to the aforementioned wallrun ramps, the trailer shows off laser traps, ziplines, and perhaps the least OSHA-compliant open spinning spike traps I've seen in a game since Super Meat Boy. And things get bloody when you mess up: the trailer ends with a tasteful shot of one of our Spartan II program-looking guys running past a severed arm before getting turned into pink mist himself.

I'm curious to see what kinds of offensive options we'll get as players⁠—inquiring minds want to know what the Deathsprint 66 blue shell looks like. While Deathsprint 66 does not have a release date, it's currently set to release before the end of the year. Until that time, you can wishlist the game on Steam.

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One cyborg ninja guy avoids spike trap while another falls — (Image credit: Sumo Newcastle)

Ted has been thinking about PC games and bothering anyone who would listen with his thoughts on them ever since he booted up his sister's copy of Neverwinter Nights on the family computer. He is obsessed with all things CRPG and CRPG-adjacent, but has also covered esports, modding, and rare game collecting. When he's not playing or writing about games, you can find Ted lifting weights on his back porch. You can follow Ted on Bluesky.