Retro Racer

Retro Racer is an 80s-style arcade racer with a pseudo-3D neon highway: weave through traffic, drift through corners to charge your boost and skim past cars for bonus points. Play Retro Racer free online in your browser. There’s nothing to download, and it works on desktop with a keyboard or on a phone with touch controls.

How to play

This is an endless survival race. The road winds and rolls over hills, the traffic keeps coming, and your top speed rises the longer you last. Your score is the distance you cover plus bonus points for near misses, and your best score is saved in your browser.

• Drive: accelerate, brake and steer through the traffic. On touch screens the gas is automatic, so you only steer, brake and drift.
• Near misses: pass close to another car without touching it to earn bonus points. Chain several in a row for a combo.
• Drift and boost: hold drift while turning to fill the boost meter, then let go to fire the boost.
• Lives: you have three. Hitting a car costs a life, and leaving the road slows you down.

Tips

• Drift on corners, boost on straights. Charge the meter through a bend, then release once the road opens up so the extra speed doesn’t throw you off the track.
• Near misses are where the points are. Distance adds up slowly. Threading between cars earns far more, as long as you don’t touch them.
• Watch the crests. Traffic can be hidden just over a hill. Ease off slightly as you reach the top until you can see what’s behind it.
• Stay on the tarmac. Running wide onto the verge doesn’t cost a life, but the lost speed can leave you boxed in behind traffic.
• Brake is a tool, not a failure. A quick tap to drop behind a car and switch lanes is better than losing one of your three lives.

FAQ

Is Retro Racer free to play?

Yes. It’s free with no sign-up and no install. It runs straight in the page.

Can I play Retro Racer on my phone or Chromebook?

Yes. On phones and tablets you get on-screen arrow, Brake and Drift buttons, with the gas handled for you. On a Chromebook or any laptop it plays in a modern browser with the arrow keys or WASD.

Does the race ever end?

No. There’s no finish line. The game gets faster the longer you survive, and the run ends when you’ve lost all three lives.

How does the boost work?

Hold Space or Shift while you’re turning to drift and fill the boost meter. Let go of the drift button to spend it as a burst of speed.

Want more time behind the wheel? Browse our guides to the best browser racing games and the best browser driving games.