Official HEAT: Pedal to the Metal Rules

Last Updated on October 24, 2025 by The Official Game Rules Team

HEAT: Pedal to the Metal is an adrenaline-fueled board game that captures the thrill of high-speed racing as players navigate sharp turns and manage their car’s engine temperature to outpace opponents. With strategic gear shifts and careful Heat management, players must find the perfect balance between speed and control to cross the finish line first. Here’s how to play:

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How to Play HEAT: Pedal to the Metal (Complete Guide)

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Components

• 2 Double-sided Game Boards with 4 different race tracks (USA, France, Great Britain, and Italy)
• 6 Player Mats in player colors
• 72 Speed Cards (12 per player)
• 18 Starting Upgrade Cards (3 per player)
• 37 Stress Cards
• 48 Heat Cards
• 6 Gear Pawns in player colors
• 6 Race Cars in player colors

Game Objective

In “Heat: Pedal to the Metal™,” players race cars around a track for a set number of laps to determine the winner. At the start of each round, you can shift gears to set your speed, which determines how many cards you play. You control your car’s speed by adding the values of the cards you play, moving your car that many spaces on the track to compete for the best position.

If you’re a fan of speed, you’ll likely play high-value cards often. However, racing isn’t just about speed; skill is essential to maneuver around corners carefully. Avoid exceeding corner speed limits to prevent overheating or spinning out. Managing your speed and engine is crucial if you want to win the race!

Game Setup

1. Place the Board: Set up the game board in the middle of the table. For your first game, use the USA track and consider running only one lap as a learning experience instead of the usual two laps.
2. Choose Colors: Each player picks a color and takes the matching car, player mat, Gear pawn, and 12 Speed cards. Players also take three Starting Upgrade cards in their chosen color.
3. Check the Board: Review the board to see how many Heat and Stress cards each player needs to add to their car (usually 6 Heat and 3 Stress cards).
4. Prepare Player Mat: Place your player mat in front of you, shuffle your 12 Speed cards, three Starting Upgrade cards, and three Stress cards together, and place the deck face down on the left spot of your player mat.
5. Set Heat Cards: Place six Heat cards face up in the Engine spot on your player mat and your Gear pawn in first gear.
6. Reserve Stress Cards: Place the remaining Stress cards face down near the board as a reserve.
7. Determine Player Order: Randomly place the participating race cars on the starting grid to determine player order for the first round. Position them one at a time, filling the spots in ascending order.
8. Draw Cards: Draw seven cards from your deck into your hand. These are the cards you’ll use in the first round of the game. Now you’re ready to race.

Playing a Round

“Heat: Pedal to the Metal™” is played over several rounds. In each round, players must follow these four steps in sequence:

1. Adjust Gear
2. Play Cards
3. Move Car
4. Draw Cards

These steps, marked with the gear icon (!), are mandatory. Steps 5 through 8 are situational and only apply under certain conditions.

All players perform steps 1 and 2 simultaneously. Afterward, steps 3 to 9 are completed one at a time by each player in order, until all cars have finished the race (check the number of laps for the track you’re using).

1. Shift Gears (!)

Check your current gear from the previous round. Decide if you want to stay in the same gear or shift up or down by one gear.

Note: You can shift up or down by two gears, but doing so will require your car to take one Heat. More about Heat Cards can be found on page 7.

2. Play Cards (!)

The number of cards you can play depends on your current gear:

1st gear: Play 1 card

2nd gear: Play 2 cards

And so on…

Play the corresponding number of cards from your hand and place them face down in your Play Area.

Once all players have completed steps 1 and 2, move to step 3.

3. Reveal & Move

Reveal the cards you’ve played and move your car according to the combined value of the cards.

4 to 9. Complete Turn

Players then move their cars and finish their turns one at a time, starting with the car closest to the Race Line and proceeding through the remaining positions.

Track Guide:

• Speed Limit (1)
• Corner Line (2)
• Space (3)
• Number of Spaces to Next Corner (4)
• Spot (5)
• Race Line (6)
• Legends Line (only for advanced play) (7)

3. Reveal & Move (!)

Turn over the cards in your play area to reveal their values, and sum them to determine your speed. Move your car forward by the exact number of Spaces indicated on the track. Always place your car on the Spot closest to the Race Line if it is available.

Passing Cars: Other cars don’t block you, even if it looks like the track is obstructed. If your move would end in a Space where all Spots are occupied by cars, you’re blocked and must place your car in the first available Spot behind the blocking cars, as close to the Race Line as possible.

Tiebreaker: If two cars are side by side, the car closest to the Race Line is considered ahead for all purposes.

Stress Cards (➕)

All players start with three Stress cards shuffled into their draw deck, and these will eventually come into your hand. Stress cards indicate moments of lost concentration as you navigate the track.

Playing Stress Cards: When you play a Stress card, it represents unknown speed between 1 and 4. Flip the top card of your draw deck:

• If it’s a Speed card, add it to your played cards for the round.
• If not, discard it and continue flipping until you find a Speed card.
• Repeat this process for each Stress card you play. Once done, proceed to the Adrenaline step.

4. Adrenaline

This step is only relevant if you’re the last car to move in the round (or among the last two cars in a race with five cars or more).

Boost: Adrenaline lets the last player increase their speed for the round. If you have Adrenaline, you can move your car 1 extra Space before or after boosting. Additionally, gain 1 extra Cooldown, usable during the React step.

Note: Adrenaline bonuses can’t be carried over to future rounds.

5. React

This step applies only if you can use symbols from cards you’ve played, the Garage Module, Adrenaline, or your current gear.

Activating Symbols: Activate any symbols available in your current gear or from Adrenaline. The Garage Module also lets you access symbols from played cards. In the core game, the main symbols to focus on are Cooldown and Boost.

• Cooldown: Cooldown is crucial as it allows you to remove a Heat card from your hand and place it back in your Engine, making it available for use again. The number next to the Cooldown symbol shows how much Heat you can remove in this way. The most common Cooldown values are 3 in 1st gear and 1 in 2nd gear.

• Boost: You can boost once per turn to increase your speed. To boost, pay 1 Heat (refer to p. 7: Heat Cards), then flip the top card of your draw deck to reveal a Speed card (discarding all other cards similarly to how Stress cards are discarded). Move your car according to the Speed card.

Note: Boosting increases your Speed value for the Check Corner step.

6. Slipstream

Slipstreaming applies if you end up next to or behind another car. If you land next to a car or in a Space behind one, you may move forward 2 additional Spaces.

Note: Slipstreaming does NOT increase your Speed value for the Check Corner step.

7. Check Corner

This applies if you cross a corner in the round. If you pass through a Corner Line, check if your total Speed exceeds the Speed Limit of that corner.

• If your Speed is equal to or below the limit, nothing happens.
• If your Speed exceeds the limit, pay Heat equal to the difference (see p. 7: Heat Cards).

Note: If you cross several corners in one turn, check each separately, starting with the first.

Spin Out

If you can’t pay the Heat for your excess Speed:

• Move back to the first available Space before the corner.
• Take 1 extra Stress card in 1st/2nd gear, or 2 in 3rd/4th gear.
• Move your Gear pawn to 1st gear.

8. Discard

This step is optional. You may discard cards you don’t want to keep for future rounds by placing them face up in your discard pile. Only the top card is public knowledge.

Note: You cannot discard Stress or Heat cards (including Upgrade Heat cards).

9. Replenish Hand

This is a mandatory step. Move all cards from your Play Area to your discard pile. Draw up to 7 new cards, then proceed with steps 3-9 for the next player.

Running Out of Cards

If you must draw or flip cards but your draw deck is empty, shuffle your discard pile into a new draw deck and continue drawing. Don’t shuffle your Play Area cards back into the deck; they aren’t discarded yet.

HEAT Cards

As you race, you’ll use Heat to drive faster on straightaways and through corners. Heat cards move from your Engine to your discard pile and will eventually reach your hand. The only way to remove Heat cards from your hand and back into the Engine is to cool down, usually by shifting to lower gears. This cycle may repeat multiple times during a race, based on how often you use and then cool down Heat cards.

Heat cards can’t be discarded or played directly from your hand. They take up space and reduce your hand’s effectiveness.

Paying Heat

Whenever you need to pay Heat, take a Heat card from your Engine and move it to your discard pile. If you don’t have any Heat cards available, you can’t Boost. If you exceed the Speed Limit and lack sufficient Heat to pay, you must spin out (see p. 6).

Shifting Up/Down 2 Positions

To move your Gear pawn an extra step up or down (e.g., between gears 1 & 3 or 2 & 4) during the Shift Gears step, pay 1 Heat immediately. Announce the shift, pay the Heat, and move your Gear pawn accordingly.

Cluttered Hand

In rare cases, you may have so many Heat cards that you can’t play enough cards for your gear. If this happens, play as many cards as you can and make up the difference with Heat cards.

In this scenario, your car doesn’t move. Instead, shift your Gear pawn to 1st gear, discard your Play Area cards, and proceed to step 9 (Replenish Hand).

How to Win

Win the race (and the game) by being the first to cross the finish line after completing the required laps. If multiple players finish in the same round, the winner is the car closest to the Race Line.

After crossing the Finish Line:

• No slipstreaming is allowed.
• Ignore speed limits in corners; move as far as possible.
• At the round’s end: Remove all cars that finished and place them in the Hall of Fame on the board. Continue until all cars finish. Give Adrenaline to the last car (or last two cars in larger races).

Start Your Engines!

• You’re ready to play! Begin with a few games before exploring the Garage & Legends Modules.
• Draw 7 cards if you haven’t, and start the first round at step 1: Shift Gears.
• So there you have it! The basic rules of HEAT: Pedal to the Metal. For a more detailed guide, click the PDF file at the top of the page.

FAQ – HEAT: Pedal to the Metal Rules

Conclusion

Successfully racing in HEAT: Pedal to the Metal is a thrilling balance of calculated risks and careful resource management. By mastering the sequence of shifting gears, judiciously playing your Speed and Upgrade cards, and strategically timing your Boost and Cooldown actions, you can navigate the corners without overheating your engine. Remember to exploit the benefits of Slipstreaming and Adrenaline when they become available, and keep a close eye on your Heat and Stress cards to ensure your deck is ready for the final sprint. Push your luck, manage your deck, and you’ll be well on your way to claiming the checkered flag and becoming the ultimate master of speed and control.