Developed and published by Walaber Entertainment LLC, Parking Garage Rally Circuit is an amazing retro rally game that is set inside parking lots, and you must drift around tight corners to beat the best times. This is a challenging game to master but much easier to enjoy, especially with its solid gameplay mechanics. While the original version of the game Parking Garage Rally Circuit is already out on PC via Steam since 2024, a brand-new expanded version called Parking Garage Rally Circuit DX is slated for a console and PC release in 2026. This is our review of the Wavedash release of Parking Garage Rally Circuit DX, in which we slide around some corners and try not to fly off a parking lot.
Now, you may be wondering about a term used in the above sentence, Wavedash. Wavedash is a digital marketplace where you can purchase video games and play them right there, inside the browser. You do not have to download the game files or anything. It is like those classic MiniClip games, but bigger. You only need a basic PC with a modern internet browser, and you can enjoy games on Wavedash after purchasing them instantly. If you are unable to wait for its upcoming PC, Steam or console release, you can try it on Wavedash right now because once the game loads, you barely notice it is running inside your browser.
The game kicks off with a visual mode selection screen where you can pick how nostalgic you want to feel while playing the game. You get four options, each with its own distinct and unique feel. You can go with the Original Hardware, which is 4:3 with 320×240 resolution. It also features CRT scan lines, and it is locked to 30 frames per second. If you prefer a blend of nostalgia with modern, you can try the Modern Emulation, which has a 16:9 aspect ratio with the game running at 384×216 resolution. It offers 60 FPS crisp gameplay with CRT scan lines for a modern look and feel.
If you prefer a somewhat wider display, you can go for the Modern Handheld, which has 16: 10 aspect ratio and offers 320×200 resolution with 60 FPS and CRT scan lines. If you do not want any sort of nostalgia apart from the retro visuals, you can choose PC Port, which runs at a 16:0 aspect ratio, 768×432 resolution, no CRT scan lines, and unlimited frames. This mode looks the best out of the bunch for modern systems and players, but the remaining three bring their own retro charm to the game. I loved the Original Hardware mode, but I also enjoyed playing with Modern Emulation because it feels like a good balance between all of the modes currently available. You can further refine your visual experience from in-game settings.
Next up, we have the game modes available in Parking Garage Rally Circuit DX. These are similar to the base game. You have the singleplayer mode and two multiplayer modes. The two multiplayer modes offer local and online multiplayer. I tried jumping into online multiplayer matches, but unfortunately, I couldn’t find any games or lobbies for it. I am sure lobbies will fill once the game comes out on consoles and PC via Steam. Wavedash is not a very common platform at this point. On the other hand, the local co-op offers multiplayer for up to four players on the same system. You can connect controllers with your PC, and the game runs fine for local co-op even on the browser.
The main show is, however, the singleplayer mode, which now offers two different events for you to participate in. You have eight tracks in the original USA Circuit, and now you have eight tracks in the brand-new European Tour. These multi-story car parks are based on real-life car parks from their respective cities, with some artistic touch given by the developer. One thing I will say here is that while the USA Circuit offers tracks that are much easier to navigate, the European Tour offers challenging and much more complicated track setups. You have popular European locations like Hamburg, Naples, Geneva, and Paris, and these tracks offer more verticality and turns.
This means that you will need to practice a lot more before you master these tracks. You can go for the Endurance mode or the simple Race mode, where you must race against the ghosts and beat their timers. Once you master a track, you can challenge yourself and try to beat the times from players around the world. The gameplay loop of Parking Garage Rally Circuit DX is extremely fun, which is one of the reasons why we did not get bored with the small number of tracks in the original. The DX expanded version now takes care of that as well, with eight additional tracks in the game. The overall game mechanics are pretty much the same in the DX version.
The gameplay is where Parking Garage Rally Circuit DX really shines. Tapping the handbrake initiates a drift, and you can slide around tight corners and long stretches to gain a boost, which allows you to reach your top speed. The longer you retain your maximum speed while avoiding hitting anything around you, the quicker you will complete the levels and set the time. The levels are designed with multiple challenges like tight bends, cars parked on the edges, long corridors, and sometimes ramps that go from one floor to another. All of these elements combined deliver a challenging yet super-fun driving experience that very few AAA racing games have managed to deliver in a long time.
While Wavedash is not a new idea for PC games, it is certainly a novelty these days because not many developers are releasing their games in the browser exclusively. This is because it is not viable for a lot of users, and the browser version or brand comes into play as well here. I use Firefox primarily, and I was unable to run the game on Firefox for quite some time. I thought maybe this was a temporary glitch or something, but every time I came back to the game for a review, I was greeted with a black screen. Finally, I tried it on Microsoft Edge, and the game loaded fine for me.
This could be a rare case, or maybe Firefox compatibility is not good at the moment, but this is one of the issues with browser-based games. It may not require special hardware or client downloads, but the browser should be able to handle running a full video game in it. Granted that Parking Garage Rally Circuit DX is not a relatively demanding game visually or technically, it is still a video game. It is still a decent platform to try the game out, but if you prefer playing it on PC or consoles, you will need to wait until its full release.
Final Verdict:
If you thought Parking Garage Rally Circuit was shorter, then you will be happy to know that Parking Garage Rally Circuit DX is bigger. The European Tour is more challenging, and its parking plazas are much bigger than the USA Circuit. It features more music for you to enjoy as you shred through car parks, but sadly, there are no new cars as of yet in the game. If you love racing games with solid handling and high replay value, Parking Garage Rally Circuit DX is the perfect choice for you. It comes with nostalgia as a bonus as well. You can try the Parking Garage Rally Circuit DX on PC through Wavedash right now. For me, Parking Garage Rally Circuit DX is one of the best racing games I played in 2024, and it turns out, it will remain in 2026 as well, thanks to its DX upgrade.
Final Score: 9.5/10
