Published and developed by PikPok, Rival Stars Horse Racing was originally released as a mobile game in 2019, was ported to PC in 2021, and became a VR game for Meta Quest, SteamVR, and Apple Vision Pro in 2024. It provided some insight into the peaceful, rewarding feeling of raising horses and the thrill and intensity of competing in races, but overall, it was a relaxing, simple game perfect for passing the time. Now, in 2026, Rival Stars Horse Racing is galloping its way to Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and PlayStation 5, while a Nintendo Switch release is due out later this month.

You have been handed the keys to a rundown ranch; it’s up to you to restore your family’s legacy and become an equestrian legend! With the help of a host of colourful characters, you’ll raise charming foals, manage your dream stable of horses and bring the ranch back to its former glory. Ride your way, by taking the reins to feel the thrill and thunder on the racecourse, hone your jumping skills on the Cross-Country course, explore the ranch with your horses, and so much more.

The game begins with you in the final stretch of a race, coming in first, giving you an early indication of the exciting races ahead. There is more to this game than just the races; players will have to rebuild their ranch, raise horses and manage other aspects. Players can also name their ranch, their character and appearance, and then do the same with their first horse. Their horse’s name could be called out by the announcer during a race, depending on the words chosen, making it actually feel part of the race; otherwise, you’re just referred to as number 1.

The races are the main reason to play this game. The controls are incredibly simple, but it’s the strategy that players will have to focus on. Unlike other racing games, players don’t just hold down the acceleration button. Instead, players will have to be mindful of their horse’s stamina and sprint meter, focusing on pacing themselves during the race.

Timing their bursts of speed wisely will help them get ahead, but it’s during the last leg of the race when everyone lets it all out, and the real winner is determined. Depending on their stats, some horses will build more sprint meter slipstreaming behind other horses, while others excel when in the lead.

Upgrading horses’ stats is done by training them, which is simply done in the menus, so it’s quick and easy. Having more horses with different stats will give you more options, depending on what’s best for each race length. Horses can be purchased, or a new horse can be bred with horses currently in the stable, which will mix their appearances and, more importantly, their stats.

This provides a nice variety of ways to produce the best-performing horses possible. The Goals section lists a bunch of tasks to complete, which are various things you do in the game anyway, but it’s nice to be able to keep track of your progress and gain rewards.

The game is quite in-depth with its upgrade and management system, though overall, it’s just a small aspect of the game. Simplicity is key, though and keeping things quick and easy gets players into the action quicker.

The menu screens were clearly designed for touchscreen controls or a mouse in mind and weren’t properly optimised for consoles. It’s unclear which button on your controller does what, especially when browsing through different sections, which, strangely, is done with the shoulder buttons. In other menu screens, different buttons might perform those same functions, making what should be the simplest aspect of any game feel inconsistent and inconvenient.

This can also make players think some parts of the menus aren’t available or off limits, and completely miss something important, like upgrades to horses and stats. Players can certainly adapt, but it really shouldn’t be this difficult.

By winning races, players will unlock more chapters and more race events to compete in. Earlier events are easier to win, and newer events become progressively more challenging. Adding to the challenge, players will need to select the right horse for certain events, such as one suited to speed for short sprint races or stamina for longer races. This is where training different horses for specific race types comes in handy. If players want a break from the races, they can take their horses for a ride around their ranch and enjoy the great outdoors.

Being a port of a mobile game, the graphics are outdated by today’s standards, but they do enough to create the atmosphere and excitement of horse racing events. They look similar to graphics of PC games from the early 2000s, which some players might find charming. The horses look majestic as they should, the jockeys look good enough, and the environments make you feel you’re on the racetrack or enjoying your peaceful ranch.

The jockeys’ uniforms blowing in the wind and seeing wind effects on screen give you a sense of speed as your horse gallops to the finish line. The audiences, however, are quite the eyesore up close, looking like cheap life-sized paper dolls, though thankfully, you don’t see them often.

The sound design also helps immerse you in the game’s world, both of thrilling races and your peaceful ranch. The iconic trumpets will play as you begin each event, which helps build the excitement, and the roar of the crowd will get you hyped, as the announcer provides running commentary, all of which adds to the authenticity of a horse race. The slow acoustic guitar during the menu screens brings that country lifestyle into the game, alongside the sounds of chirping birds, crickets, and horses’ hooves galloping on gravel, all of which recreate the peace and serenity of living on a ranch.

Online play for up to 8 players is also available, allowing you to race your prized horse against other players around the world. Because the player numbers are incredibly low on console, I was lucky to get one race, and it performed quite well. Sadly, there is no crossplay between different platforms, severely limiting the number of opponents to match up with.

There is cross-gen for PS4 with PS5 and Xbox Series X|S with Xbox One, but it’s not enough. Those seeking serious competition online will be better off playing the original mobile version, which is still active and has the largest player base, so there are plenty of opportunities to find matches.

Rival Stars Horse Racing delivers many hours of cozy, relaxing single-player fun, alongside thrilling, intense horse racing action. The online play may not provide any incentive, due to the almost non-existent player base, but the single-player content alone provides many hours of horse-racing fun. In Rival Stars Horse Racing, the next race is never too far away.

Written by: Sammy Hanson