Starting Wheelmates can be a little confusing because you’re not playing as a normal character. Instead, you and your friend control small remote-control cars and explore a huge house filled with obstacles, puzzles, collectibles, and hidden areas.
The game is built entirely around co-op, so you need another player to experience it. You can play locally with split-screen, or play online using the Friends Pass, where only one person needs to own the full game.
In this beginner guide, I’ll go over the basics you need to know when starting Wheelmates, including how the controls work, what the abilities do, how co-op puzzles work, and what you should expect as you explore the different areas.
Wheelmates Beginner Guide – Collectibles, Objectives
The first thing you should know is that Wheelmates cannot be played alone. You need another player to progress through the game.
You have two main ways to play:
- Local co-op: Play together using split-screen.
- Online co-op: One player owns the full game while the other can use the free Friends Pass.
Both players control their own remote-control car, and you’ll often need to work together to get past obstacles.
The two players have the same abilities, so there isn’t a specific character that one player needs to choose over the other.
Learn the Basic Car Controls First
The opening tutorial teaches you the basic movement you’ll need throughout the game.
You’ll learn how to:
- Drive forward.
- Reverse.
- Jump across gaps.
- Stop yourself in midair.
- Press buttons together with your partner.
Driving is the most important part of the game, but it can take some time to get used to.
Your car can be surprisingly sensitive, especially when you’re moving quickly. Small bumps can throw you off course, and turning too late can send you straight off a platform.
Take Your Time With Precise Sections
One of the biggest beginner mistakes is trying to drive everywhere at full speed.
In tight areas, especially the vents, it is usually better to control your speed carefully. Slowing down gives you more time to line up jumps and turns.
You will sometimes need to reverse and reposition your car after taking a bad angle. This is normal, so don’t be afraid to slow down and set up your next move.
Explore the House
Wheelmates turns an ordinary house into a giant playground for remote-control cars.
You’ll explore areas such as:
- The kitchen
- The shed
- Air vents
- The swimming pool
- Other parts of the house and yard
- A strange alternate area with floating plates
The environments are relatively open, so don’t assume that the first objective you see is the only thing worth doing.
Take some time to look around. You can find collectibles, hidden paths, jumps, vents, puzzles, and other objects to interact with.
Look for Electrical Bubbles and Collectibles
As you explore, you’ll notice plenty of yellow electrical bubbles scattered around the environment.
There are also rarer and more colorful collectibles hidden in harder-to-reach areas.
You don’t have to collect everything to progress through the game. Some collectibles are simply there for exploration and completion.
If you’re enjoying driving around and searching every corner, there is a lot to find.
The game also contains custom car parts that can change your appearance, story-related objects to scan, and other objects that can be discovered throughout the levels.
Don’t Feel Like You Have to Collect Everything
While collectibles are everywhere, some of them can be more trouble than they’re worth if you’re only interested in finishing the story.
The yellow collectibles are particularly common, and some require awkward driving and repeated attempts to reach.
You can skip them if you want and focus on the objectives instead.
The rarer collectibles are generally more interesting because some are hidden behind puzzles or trickier sections.
Complete the Objectives on the Screen
When you enter a new level, you’ll generally have several objectives available.
You don’t necessarily have to complete everything in one specific order.
This gives the levels a more open feeling and lets you explore different areas before deciding which objective you want to tackle.
If you’re unsure what to do, look around the environment for things that can be interacted with. Buttons, levers, handles, doors, lifts, and other objects can all be important.
Unlock New Abilities as You Progress
Wheelmates becomes much more interesting once you start unlocking abilities.
These abilities allow your car to do much more than simply drive around.
You’ll eventually gain:
- Grappling Hook
- Magnet
- Magnet Tire
- Paint Gun
Each ability changes how you approach puzzles and exploration.
Use the Grappling Hook
The Grappling Hook is one of your first major abilities.
You can use it to grab handles and levers, pull objects, open drawers, and interact with different parts of the environment.
It can also attach to certain objects and help you swing across gaps.
Whenever you see a handle or another object that looks like it can be grabbed, try the grappling hook.
Don’t think of it as just a movement ability. It is also an important puzzle tool.
Use the Magnet to Interact With Objects
The Magnet gives your car another way to interact with the environment.
You can use it to manipulate certain objects and even pick up things that aren’t actually magnetic, such as oranges.
It essentially gives your little car a pair of hands, allowing you to interact with objects that you couldn’t reach normally.
If an object looks important but you can’t physically drive into it, check whether the Magnet can interact with it.
Use the Magnet Tire to Drive on Walls and Ceilings
The Magnet Tire is particularly useful for exploration.
It allows your car to follow magnetic paths regardless of their orientation.
That means you can drive along walls or even across ceilings as long as there is a suitable metal path.
When you see a magnetic track, don’t assume it is only meant to be driven normally. Look at where the path leads and check whether it takes you somewhere above, below, or around an obstacle.
Use the Paint Gun for Targets and Buttons
Later, you’ll get a small Paint Gun that can shoot targets and activate certain buttons.
Some sections require you to hit targets within a time limit, so you’ll need to aim and react quickly.
The Paint Gun also gives you another way to interact with the environment.
If you see a target or button that seems unreachable by driving or using your other abilities, check whether the Paint Gun can activate it.
Co-Op Is the Key to Progression
Although both players have the same abilities, you won’t always be doing the same thing.
Some obstacles require both players to cooperate.
For example, you may need to:
- Press two buttons at the same time.
- Move a scissor lift into position.
- Use abilities from different sides of an obstacle.
- Open a path for the other player.
- Guide your partner through a maze.
- Complete timed target challenges.
The important thing is to communicate with your partner.
If you reach a locked door, don’t immediately assume you’re missing an ability. Look around for another route or an object your partner can interact with.
Split Up When the Level Allows It
You don’t always need to stay next to your partner.
Some puzzles actually become easier when you split up.
You might find yourself on opposite sides of glass, for example, with one player manipulating objects while the other follows the resulting path.
Another situation might have one player moving through an area while the other provides guidance from above.
So, if you’re both stuck in the same location, try splitting up and exploring different routes.
Watch for Two-Player Roadblocks
Eventually, you’ll encounter obstacles that clearly require both players.
A good example is a pair of buttons that need to be pushed at the same time.
You may also have to work together to move a scissor lift into position and raise it so that it creates a new route.
When you encounter something like this, check the surrounding area before trying to force your way through.
Usually, the environment gives you clues about what both players need to do.
Be Careful With Jumps
The game contains plenty of jumps, gaps, ramps, and unusual platforming sections.
Some gaps are filled with acid, meaning falling can cost you progress.
The car’s momentum also makes these sections more difficult than they initially appear.
Try to line yourself up before accelerating into a jump. If you approach too quickly, you may not have enough time to correct your direction.
Reset Your Car If You Get Stuck
Your car can occasionally get caught on an object or have one of its wheels stuck against the environment.
Instead of wasting time trying to escape, you can use the reset option.
Resetting your car causes it to explode and places you back into a usable position.
It may look dramatic, but it’s a useful way to get unstuck.
Use Respawns and Teleports When Needed
Wheelmates is fairly forgiving when you die.
You will generally respawn close to where you were previously, so a mistake doesn’t necessarily mean repeating a huge section.
There is also an option to teleport back up after falling from high areas.
However, this doesn’t always appear after smaller falls, so don’t rely on it every time you miss a jump.
If you fall somewhere awkward and the teleport option isn’t available, you may need to find your way back manually.
Try the Mini-Games
While exploring, you can also find small mini-games such as Tag and Coin Rush.
These are optional activities that give you something different to do between the main objectives.
Some mini-games can appear again in later areas, so don’t expect every discovery to be completely different.
Don’t Rush Through the Levels
The levels are designed around exploration, so rushing directly from one objective to another can cause you to miss a lot.
Take some time to look around for:
- Hidden paths
- Collectibles
- Car customization parts
- Objects to scan
- Mini-games
- Optional puzzles
- Alternate routes
Some of the more interesting discoveries are tucked away in areas that aren’t necessary for the main objective.
Wheelmates is built around a simple but unusual idea: you and a friend get to explore a huge house as remote-control cars.
At first, the combination of driving, platforming, puzzles, and co-op objectives can feel a little strange. Once you understand how the abilities work and start communicating with your partner, the different systems begin to make much more sense.
The biggest thing I would recommend to beginners is to take your time. Slow down during difficult driving sections, explore the environment, and pay attention to anything that looks interactive. When you get stuck, don’t just look for a door or obvious path. The solution may require your partner to approach the problem from another direction or use one of your abilities.
Most importantly, have fun exploring. The house, vents, yard, pool, and stranger areas of Wheelmates are designed to be explored together, so don’t be afraid to go off the main path and see what you can find.