Downforce is a racing game for 2-6 players. The box recommends players 14+, but Maci has been playing this since she was 6 with no problems. Any person who can pull a card out of their hand and count as high as 6 has the skills needed to participate (although they might not win). There could be some more advanced strategies for older players, but don’t be intimidated by the recommended age! It generally takes 30-45 minutes to play a game.
Gameplay Overview
Downforce has three parts: an auction, racing, and betting. During the auction, players bid on the cars using the cards which have been dealt to them. Racing takes place in turn order. Each player chooses a card to play and moves the cars a certain number of spaces as listed on the card they chose. Betting takes place three times during the game. At the end of a turn where a car is the first to pass a yellow betting line, all players place a bet on the car they think will finish first. This bet can be the same or different for each yellow line on the track.
Once a player has all of the cars they won in auction cross the finish line, they stop playing cards to make the cars move. When the last player runs out of cars or all cars have crossed the finish line, game play is over and the scores are tallied. Players add together how much money they earned for each of their cars based on how the cars finished. They then add up any money won through betting. Finally, they subtract the amount they paid for the car(s) won in auction. The player with the highest final total is the winner.
The Dad Review
You know a game is good when you start running out of score sheets. So, you laminate them before you run out. It’s a good tip as well to laminate your score sheets, especially when you play a game a lot, but this review is not about the laminator, it’s about racing and gambling with your family.
Yep, you have to spend money to make money, but not too much. That leads to a cool part of this game. You spend money to bid for vehicles that you’ll race, but if you spend too much, you most likely won’t win at the end. At the end of the day, that money you invested in cars will be negative points, so if you don’t place well, you will not be making up that difference and will lose.
The other cool part is betting on the winner, which happens three times during the game. This is a way to make money, but not necessarily from your own cars. You can bet on other players’ cars too. This can bring up emotional peaks and valleys.
Highs and Lows
It’s cool to see Maci in first place and smiling when I start moving her car to help her win, even though it helps me as well because I have bet on her car. It keeps her interested in the game and winning feels good, hence the smiling. On the flip side, I can also see the sadness, anger, and depression, the trifecta of bummer emotions on her face when I don’t move her car, and blow past her in mine. Though I feel bad, I also have this awesome feeling inside that I am going to win, and it doesn’t go away even when she starts to cry and uses her cards as tissues. Ultimately, it’s a race and those of you who are competitive know I made the right call to pass her and I should probably buy some extra tissues. I don’t want the cards to get boogery.
So, if your family hates take that moments, that could be a small issue in this game because you will be moving other people’s cars and you could stick them in a poor spot or even get them stuck behind other cars, wasting that car’s movement points.
In the end, the moments of negative feelings are few and far between and this game is straight up fun. Every family we’ve played with has enjoyed it. So if you’re into racing games, like Camel Up, Flamme Rouge, The Tortoise and the Hare, or Formula D, I recommend this game.
As a family game, I give Downforce a 9/10.
The Mom Review
Downforce is a regular hit in our house. It plays quickly, so even if someone is feeling a little antsy, they are usually willing to play. We will also often play several games in a row. Maci likes being in control of a bunch of cars. So, Jake and I often only end up with one or two each. She tends to overbid, and doesn’t win because her auction total was so high. However, since she enjoys having so many cars, it doesn’t seem to bother her too much.
Kids really like that they get to move everyone’s cars on their turn. A single card can have anywhere from one car to all six listed on it. So when you play a card, you aren’t just moving your own cars on your turn, and you can block cars in. This is usually really fun for the person who is moving the cars and less fun for those who realize they just missed out on a lot of movement they could have had.
I also like that there isn’t a lot of down time as people think seriously about their moves. It’s pretty easy for players to have an idea in mind or just choose a card that moves their own car or the car they have bet on quickly around the track. The lack of wait time really keeps the game moving and is great for those with a short attention span!
Learning the Rules
The rules are clear, fairly simple, and easy to teach. There are also some alternate ways to play listed at the back of the rulebook. If you are playing with an inexperienced or young gamer, the Beginner’s Game is a great place to start. If your gaming party has a lot of stamina, a World Tour game can be a lot of fun!
Like Jake mentioned, we were getting close to the end of the scoring pad, so we decided to laminate our score sheets. I use this laminator and these laminating pouches that I got on Amazon (affiliate links). You can write on the laminated sheets with either dry erase markers like Expo markers, or wet erase markers, like Vis-a-Vis. ( I prefer the wet erase because the laminating plastic cleans up better after using those).
Overall, I give Downforce a 10/10. I am always happy when someone suggests we play!
The Kid Review
I like Downforce. My first reason is I like racing games. I also like driving my car and it wins. Sometimes my car doesn’t cross the finish line. I’m fine with that though. Sometimes when I get cars I spend too much money on them at the auction, and that’s why I lose. But, it is fun even if I lose because I get to spend time with my family and it’s just a really great and fun game.
In conclusion, I will give this game 10/10.
Overall Impressions
Overall, our family really enjoys the game Downforce. It is a game that we have played with may of our friends, gamers, and non-gamers alike.
- As a family, we rate this game 10/10.
- Setup rating – easy
- Understanding and teaching the rules – easy
If you already have Downforce, or try it out, you might enjoy these Downforce Expansions: Danger Circut and Wild Ride!
What is your favorite racing game?