WheelMates Preorder Bonus Car Parts List & PC System Requirements Explained

There are some games that immediately make me want to grab a friend, jump into Discord, and start playing before I’ve even finished reading the store page. WheelMates is one of those games.

Firevolt’s upcoming physics-based co-op adventure has been sitting on my radar for a while, mostly because the concept is ridiculously easy to understand and surprisingly hard to ignore: two tiny remote-controlled cars exploring an enormous house that feels like an entire world.

Think of the scale of It Takes Two, mix it with miniature RC cars, throw in physics puzzles, gadgets, collectibles, and a slightly mad scientist’s laboratory, and you are getting pretty close to the idea behind WheelMates.

The PC version is scheduled to launch on September 1, 2026, via Steam, and I’ve been particularly interested in two things ahead of release: what you actually get for preordering the game and whether a reasonably modern gaming PC will be enough to run it smoothly.

So, rather than giving you another dry list of specifications, here’s my breakdown of the WheelMates preorder bonus car parts, PC system requirements, gameplay structure, Friend’s Pass, and the technical details I think co-op players should know before launch.

WheelMates Preorder Bonus: What Do You Actually Get?

Let’s start with the fun stuff.

One of the things I really like about WheelMates is that customization doesn’t appear to be built around constantly pushing players toward better stats. Your little RC car is supposed to feel like your car, and most of the customization is tied to exploration.

That means you’ll find cosmetic parts throughout the scientist’s enormous home, including hidden areas that you might completely miss on a normal playthrough.

The preorder package gives you a head start by unlocking the Retro Scientist and Prototype Backyard Pack.

The important thing here is that these bonuses are primarily cosmetic. You aren’t buying an overpowered set of wheels that suddenly makes your car better than your friend’s. That’s exactly how preorder bonuses should work in a co-op puzzle game.

1. Neon Glow Poly-Wheels

The first bonus is probably my favorite.

The Neon Glow Poly-Wheels replace the standard wheels with a bright luminescent design. According to the supplied game details, they don’t change traction or physics behavior, so they’re purely visual.

And honestly, that’s a good thing.

The glow should look particularly cool in darker sections of the house, especially when you’re crawling through ventilation shafts, squeezing underneath furniture, or exploring areas where normal lighting isn’t doing you any favors.

I’m also a sucker for customization that is actually visible during gameplay rather than being buried in a menu. These wheels seem like exactly that kind of cosmetic.

2. Tesla-Coil Antenna Bolt

The second part is the Tesla-Coil Antenna Bolt, which replaces the ordinary RC antenna with a miniature Tesla-coil-inspired design.

The antenna produces small electrical effects during certain actions, including high jumps and interactions with metallic surfaces.

It’s a small detail, but these are the things that can make a vehicle feel much more memorable. When you’re playing a game where your character is literally a tiny car, personality has to come from somewhere.

3. Vintage Klaxon Novelty Horn

Then there’s the Vintage Klaxon Novelty Horn.

This one is basically guaranteed to become annoying in the best possible way.

WheelMates already includes voice communication and ping features for coordinating with your partner, but having a ridiculous old-school horn gives you another way to communicate.

Solved a puzzle? Honk.

Your teammate drove off the edge for the third time? Honk.

They finally figured out the solution after you spent five minutes explaining it? Honk aggressively.

I can already see this becoming a running joke during streams.

4. Early-Access Paint Accents

The preorder package also includes a selection of metallic and matte paint finishes, along with racing stripes and hazard-style decals.

These give players additional options for personalizing their cars from the beginning rather than waiting to discover the relevant cosmetic blueprints.

Again, nothing here appears designed to disrupt progression. It’s about looking different from your teammate.

WheelMates PC System Requirements

Now for the less glamorous but arguably more important part.

WheelMates may look cute and toy-like, but that doesn’t mean it’s technically lightweight. The game is built around interactive environments filled with physics objects, and both players are constantly interacting with the same world.

That means CPU performance is particularly interesting here.

Minimum PC Requirements

The minimum specifications are actually fairly reasonable for a 2026 PC game.

If you’re still running something around a GTX 1060 or RX 580, WheelMates shouldn’t immediately scare you away. Those graphics cards are obviously no longer modern gaming monsters, but they remain capable of handling games that aren’t demanding ultra-high-end rendering.

The bigger concern for me would be the CPU, particularly during complicated physics sequences.

With WheelMates, there can be a ridiculous number of objects moving around the environment. A desk isn’t just scenery. Books can become ramps. Furniture can become obstacles. Household objects can become puzzle components.

That’s exactly the kind of situation where CPU performance can matter just as much as raw GPU power.

Recommended PC Specs

For players aiming for higher settings and a smoother experience, the recommended requirements are considerably stronger.

An RTX 3060 or RX 6600 XT is still a perfectly sensible target for a game like this.

The recommended 16 GB of RAM also makes sense. If you’re streaming, running Discord, recording gameplay, and keeping a browser open at the same time, I’d personally consider 16 GB the practical starting point anyway.

And if you have an SSD, use it.

The installation requirement is only 15 GB, but an SSD should help with asset streaming and transitions between the game’s oversized environments.

Why WheelMates Needs Decent CPU and Network Performance

This is where the game becomes more interesting technically.

WheelMates isn’t simply putting two cars in the same level and calling it multiplayer. The entire game revolves around cooperation and physics interactions.

Both players need to see the world behaving consistently.

The cars can use several gadgets and abilities, including:

• Magnetic Wheels for driving across metallic vertical and overhead surfaces.
• Grappling Hooks and Rope Mechanics for crossing large gaps.
• Magnet Grabbers for interacting with objects and helping your teammate.
• Jump Boosters for reaching higher areas and smashing through obstacles.

These mechanics sound simple until you imagine two players using them simultaneously.

One player might be holding an object while the other drives across a magnetic surface. Then someone launches into the air, attaches to another object, and starts pulling a platform.

That’s when physics synchronization becomes important.

From the early testing feedback included in the game’s pre-release information, connection instability has occasionally caused players to see positional desynchronization. In other words, your teammate’s car might not always appear exactly where the game expects it to be.

The developers have reportedly been working on improving this before launch, but I would still recommend a stable broadband connection if you’re planning to play the campaign online.

Is WheelMates Really Two-Player Only?

Yes, and this is one of the game’s defining characteristics.

WheelMates is designed specifically around two-player cooperation.

There isn’t supposed to be a traditional solo campaign, and the current design isn’t focused on turning the game into a four-player free-for-all.

Personally, I think that’s the right decision.

Some co-op games try to accommodate everyone and end up making their mechanics feel watered down. WheelMates seems much more interested in designing puzzles around two specific vehicles.

That makes the game easier to recommend for couples, best friends, siblings, or anyone who already has a dedicated co-op partner.

How Long Is WheelMates?

The main campaign is expected to take approximately six hours for a normal story-focused playthrough.

If you’re the kind of player who immediately ignores the main objective because you spotted something shiny underneath a cabinet, expect that number to increase.

With optional areas, minigames, exploration, and hidden vehicle customization parts, a more completion-focused run can reach around eight hours.

That’s actually a sweet spot for this type of co-op game.

I’m not sure I’d want a physics-focused two-player adventure like this to last 30 or 40 hours. Six to eight hours gives you enough time for the mechanics to evolve without turning the experience into a second job.

WheelMates Friend’s Pass Explained

The Friend’s Pass could end up being one of the biggest reasons to try the game.

Only one person needs to purchase the full version of WheelMates. The second player can download the free Friend’s Pass client and join the owner for the cooperative campaign online.

For co-op games, this is one of my favorite approaches.

The biggest barrier to playing a two-player game isn’t always the price. Sometimes it’s convincing someone to buy a game they aren’t sure they’ll enjoy.

With a Friend’s Pass, you can simply tell your friend:

“Download it. Let’s see if it’s actually good.”

That’s a much easier sell.

What Early Players Seem to Like

The early reactions surrounding WheelMates have been particularly positive about the game’s sense of scale.

And I completely understand why.

There’s something inherently fun about taking an ordinary household and turning it into an adventure playground.

A kitchen sink becomes a dangerous environment.

A pile of books becomes a mountain.

A desk becomes a gigantic obstacle course.

A ventilation shaft becomes a tunnel system.

That visual trick is one of the strongest things WheelMates has going for it.

I also appreciate that the game doesn’t appear obsessed with putting players under constant pressure. There aren’t endless timers forcing you to rush through every puzzle.

For me, that’s important.

The best co-op games create those moments where both players stop, look at the environment, and say, “Wait… what if we do this?”

That’s exactly the kind of gameplay I want from WheelMates.

Is WheelMates Coming to PS5 and Xbox Series X/S? Release Date and Console Launch Details

My Biggest Concern Before Launch

If there’s one thing I’m watching closely, it’s multiplayer stability.

Physics-based co-op games can be absolutely hilarious when everything works and incredibly frustrating when synchronization breaks.

Early testing has apparently revealed occasional desync problems, particularly with weaker or unstable internet connections.

The fact that Firevolt has been addressing these issues before launch is encouraging, but I’ll be paying close attention to how the final release performs.

For a game that depends so heavily on two players interacting with the same objects, reliable synchronization isn’t a bonus feature. It’s fundamental to the experience.

Final Verdict: Should You Preorder WheelMates?

I’m cautiously optimistic about WheelMates, and the more I look at it, the more I think its biggest strength is that it knows exactly what kind of game it wants to be.

It’s a focused two-player adventure built around tiny RC cars, giant environments, physics puzzles, exploration, and ridiculous moments with a friend.

The preorder bonuses aren’t revolutionary, but I actually prefer that. Cosmetic wheels, antennas, horns, and paint options are much better than locking useful gameplay mechanics behind a preorder.

On PC, the requirements are also relatively approachable. A GTX 1060/RX 580-class GPU with 8 GB of RAM meets the listed minimum, while an RTX 3060/RX 6600 XT-class machine with 16 GB of RAM is the safer choice for higher settings.

If you’re planning to play on launch day, I’d make sure your PC has the required 15 GB of storage, update your graphics drivers, and use a stable internet connection for online co-op.

As for me, the real question isn’t whether I’ll play WheelMates.

It’s whether my co-op partner is prepared for approximately six hours of me driving around honking a vintage klaxon every time something goes wrong.

WheelMates launches on PC via Steam on September 1, 2026. And if the final release delivers on the promise of its physics-driven co-op design, this could be one of those smaller games that ends up dominating my stream far more than the big-budget releases around it.

WheelMates – Official Announcement Trailer