2024 is already looking promising when it comes to new board games, as publisher Days of Wonder has announced the first expansion for the critically acclaimed title, Heat: Pedal to the Metal. Revealed via social media on January 3, ‘Heat: Heavy Rain’ introduces two new circuits, extra rules, and space for an additional seventh player.
Heat: Pedal to the Metal is a racing board game where players must keep a close eye on their engines if they want to place first. According to the 2022 Golden Geek Awards, it’s one of the best board games of the current decade for lovers of zippy cars, card management, and games of mid-level complexity.
“Heat fans, get ready [for] the championship with new challenges like chicanes, flooded roads, and aggressive Legends”, Days of Wonder says in its social media post on Wednesday. The publisher says the expansion will release on February 23. No price has been confirmed, but UK tabletop gaming store Zatu has listed it with a preliminary price of £31.99 ($40.63).
We’ve long known an expansion for Heat was on the way. In fact, YouTuber Hunter & Friends shared a preview of the Heavy Rain prototype in April 2023. The video, which is in both English and German, can be seen here:
According to the early preview, Heavy Rain’s new tracks are set in Japan and Mexico. Water plays a big role, forcing cars that start a round in wet areas to pay more heat if they want to keep their speed up.
We can’t confirm just how much has changed since this early prototype was shared, but the preview gives a good idea of what to expect. It also tells us Heat’s co-designer, Asger H. Granerud, is keen to get more expansions out after the release of Heavy Rain.
For more recent releases from Days of Wonder, check out our Ticket to Ride: Legacy review. And for more games like this one, here are the best horse racing board games to check out.