Hey everyone, I’m Chris Mallinson – Co-founder and Game Director at Caged Element, and I’m here with Jon Doughty, our Lead Designer and Level Designer. Today we’re excited to announce that the loudest, most Orky racer around is roaring onto Xbox, launching May 21!
Speed Freeks is a high-orktane combat racing game set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe. Expect brutal, high-speed races, deep vehicle customization, and a completely live creation mode where you and your friends can jump into a blank map to build and play your creations together in real time.
With our previous title Grip being a spiritual successor to Rollcage, we’ve always had a soft spot for this style of racer and Xbox has always been a natural home for action-packed multiplayer. With Speed Freeks, we’re hoping to bring that same energy to you and maybe even spark an Xbox revival for combat racers. It’s a genre that deserves more attention, and with everything we’ve added, especially Creation Mode and cross platform play – this feels like the perfect place for it.
At its core, Speed Freeks is a full-on vehicle shooter; something you don’t see too often. We pulled inspiration from all the best bits of vehicular combat: agile stunt cars flipping through the air while firing, heavy tanks holding strategic positions, and then we layered in some properly wild Orky ideas. You’ve got things like assassin trikes, massive Grot tanks with mechanical tricks, even airborne threats with the Deffkopta. It’s a chaotic mix, but it all comes together in a way that feels balanced and incredibly fun, whilst importantly – being 100% lore accurate to the wider 40k universe.
Agility and movement have always been a huge focus for us, letting players really express skill through mobility. Interestingly, a lot of what’s in Speed Freeks came from players experimenting during development. We saw what they were doing and leaned into it to give the same kind of ‘high skill ceiling’ that games such as Rocket League or Apex Legends provide.
Vehicles can shift momentum almost instantly when grounded or even on walls. Once you start combining abilities like Dash with handbrake turns and propulsion boosts, it becomes incredibly satisfying to master.
It’s not all about high tier movement tech though, there’s several ways to play Speed Freeks and just enjoy the chaos (not the heretical kind), from straight up Deff Rally racing where you can choose to speed through checkpoints and be first to the finish, or simply throw as much dakka as possible at the enemy to stop them – to Kill Konvoy, a mode that started as a twist on Capture the Flag, but we flipped the idea. Instead of stealing flags from a base, you grab explosives from the center and deliver them to the enemy’s base, which just so happens to be a massive, walking Stompa mech.
Because the base is constantly moving, it creates this dynamic battlefield where roles naturally emerge. You’ve got players focusing on high-speed bomb runs, others defending, some clearing paths, and even dedicated blockers guarding the Stompa. If you’ve played fast-paced CTF modes in games like Tribes, or even modern hero type FPS games with role-based abilities such as Valorant or Overwatch, you’ll recognize that same kind of energy – it just feels different when you’re screaming ork speak down a microphone.
Our most recent update on PC came directly from the community in the form of creation mode. Players kept pitching creative, over-the-top Orky ideas for environments – and as we started to toy with the idea of giving them our editing tools.
It evolved into something really special.
You can jump in and out of sessions while a level is being built, driving around mid-construction and sometimes getting hilariously taken out by objects being placed in real time. It’s chaotic, social, and genuinely creative in a way that brings us back to the old Forge modes in Halo.
We also added a workshop system where you can upload your maps for others to try, whether solo or online. It came together faster than we expected, and it’s become one of the most unique parts of the game.
Warhammer is an incredible IP. Rich lore, iconic visuals, and a very passionate fanbase. At the same time, it comes with responsibility. There are clear boundaries around how things should look and feel, especially when you’re doing something new like a combat racer. We worked very close with Games Workshop to ensure that the in game models are identical and lore accurate to the minis, and that we included as many customization options for your vehicles and pit boss as possible, from alternate weapons, additional kit items to bolt onto the vehicles, and of course, lots of paint options.
The feedback from both the community and Games Workshop has been really positive. We set out to capture that raw, chaotic Ork energy and I think we got there
Thanks for checking out Speed Freeks. If this sounds like your kind of chaos, be sure to Wishlist it on Xbox and rally your crew, because this one’s best enjoyed loud and with as many Gitz as possible! We’ll see you on May 21st!
Waaagh!
Warhammer 40,000: Speed Freeks
Wired Productions
More speed. More dakka. Join da Speedwaaagh and tear through war-torn tracks, racing solo, against bots, or with other people online across multiple game modes. Featuring cross platform crossplay support with PC and other platforms, meaning you can Krump yer’ mates wherever they play!
Prove you’re the fastest git in Deff Rally, an 8v8 combat race where, speed, kunning and aggression combine before an all-out sprint to victory.
Use Orky tactics in Kill Konvoy as teams defend their giant mechanical Stompa while sabotaging the enemy’s one, with every match erupting into chaos as you fight to the finish line. Each vehicle plays differently, rewarding players with diverse skill, kunnin’, and brutal strats.
When the dust settles, jump into building your own chaos – using a powerful level editor with over 400 assets. Create racetracks and battlefields either solo or with friends in real time, then share them on the Workshop where you can also download other wild creations by the community.
The post Join The Speedwaaagh on May 21 appeared first on Xbox Wire.
