Parents' Guide to Dangerous Driving

Dangerous Driving Poster Image

Common Sense Media Review

David Chapman By David Chapman , based on child development research. How do we rate?

age 13+

Adrenaline-fueled arcade crashing racer could use a tune-up.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 13+?

Any Positive Content?

Parent and Kid Reviews

What's It About?

Follow the flow of traffic, keep both hands on the wheel, and yield the right of way are some rules of safe driving, but this is DANGEROUS DRIVING, and on these roads, the only rule is making sure you cross the finish line first. This is street racing taken to the extreme. Getting a hold of the checkered flag here means flying at breakneck speeds into oncoming traffic, with mere millimeters making all the difference between trading a little paint and ending up a twisted mass of metal on the side of the road, watching your competition pass you by. But hey, if you're going to go down, why not take a few fellow racers with you? Players will defy physics as you maneuver your wreckage into other racers or anyone else that dares to share the same road, causing massive amounts of damage and more explosions than a summer action film.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say : Not yet rated
Kids say : Not yet rated

In the world of racing games, titles tend to fall into one of two categories: realistic driving simulators or over-the-top arcade action driving. Dangerous Driving is doing doughnuts and burning rubber firmly in the latter category. There's very little that anyone might consider realistic in this racer, but that's also the point. The game encourages players to try and pull off some of the most ridiculous and, well, "dangerous driving" they could ever imagine on the open road. Speeding past other cars by the skin of your teeth, pulling a pit maneuver to send an opponent careening into a barrier, and of course, causing a massive pileup of twisted wreckage, all make for an insane series of racing. Plus, thanks to the lap-based gameplay, your actions in one lap can have direct consequences for you and your opponents later in the race. It makes for a driving experience that's fueled by adrenaline as much as anything else.

As much fun as Dangerous Driving can be, though, there are a few issues which keep it from ever quite getting up to full speed. For starters, the game can get repetitive relatively quickly. Doing laps means seeing the same scenery over and over, and it's a feeling made worse by the fact that none of the tracks really feel that different from the others. There are some technical glitches that pop up from time to time, usually involving respawns after crashes or wonky camera placement, but nothing that makes the game unplayable. It's an occasional nuisance at worst. Finally, there's not a lot of challenge posed by the AI opponents. Once you take the lead, it's yours to lose. Unless you make a catastrophic mistake, you can almost guarantee your win. While online multiplayer has been mentioned for a future update, as it stands, you'll simply be spending your time running circles around the computer-controlled competition.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about violence in video games. How is the impact of the violence in Dangerous Driving affected by the unrealistic destruction caused by crashing without injuries? Do violent racing games have a different impact than, say, a violent first-person shooter?

  • While the automotive antics of Dangerous Driving may not be the norm, what are some real-world hazards to watch out for when driving? What are things you can do to make sure you and your family stay safe on the roads?

Game Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by

Dangerous Driving Poster Image

What to Play Next

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate