Drift Circuit — free online Arcade game
Top-down racing on six original tracks: hold through the corners to drift, chase your own ghost, or weave through traffic.
Drift Circuit is a free online racing game you can play in your browser with no download and no sign-up. Your car accelerates by itself; you only steer, left or right. Hold the steering through a corner and the tyres let go into a drift that turns the car harder, and when you straighten up you get a short boost for the drift you held. Race three-lap time trials on six original circuits, from a fast oval and long desert sweepers to canyon hairpins, a dockyard of square corners and a night-time ring, and race against a ghost of your own best lap. Or switch to traffic and weave through an endless highway, scoring for distance, drifts and near misses; the daily traffic is the same for everyone that day. It plays with the arrow keys, or by holding the left or right side of the screen.
Quick start
- Press Start Game. A three-lap time trial on track 1 starts with a 3-2-1 countdown.
- The car accelerates by itself. Steer with ← and →, or hold the left or right side of the screen.
- Hold the steering through a corner to drift: the car turns harder and leaves skid marks. Straighten up and the drift you held turns into a short boost.
- Finish three laps. Your best lap is kept, and from then on a ghost car drives it alongside you.
How to play Drift Circuit
- There is no brake and no accelerator: the engine always pulls, and you only choose when to turn.
- At high speed the car turns less, so tight corners need a drift. A drift starts when you hold the steering for a moment above about 70 km/h, and it scrubs off speed while it turns you round.
- The longer the drift, the longer the boost when you let go (up to about a second and a half).
- Grass slows you down a lot. Go too far off the track and the car is put back on the road from a standstill.
- A lap only counts once you have driven the whole circuit forwards. Time trials are three laps; the best lap and the best race time are kept for each of the six tracks.
- Traffic mode is an endless three-lane highway that gets faster as you go. Weave past the cars: distance, drifts and close passes all score, and near misses in quick succession build a combo. One crash ends the run; the guard rails only slow you down.
- Daily traffic gives everyone the same traffic for the day, with its own best score.
Controls
- Steer left: ← or A, or hold the left side of the screen
- Steer right: → or D, or hold the right side of the screen
- Drift: keep steering through a corner; let go for a boost
- Restart: Restart button or R
- Race again: Race Again button or Enter
Tips
- Start turning before the corner: the car needs a moment to bite.
- On long sweeping bends, hold one long drift and let go on the straight for the boost.
- On hairpins, drift early to scrub speed, then straighten as soon as the car points down the exit.
- Tapping left and right in quick bursts keeps grip; holding makes it slide. Mix the two.
- In traffic, look two rows ahead and change lanes early; at full speed the gaps close fast.
Frequently asked questions
How do I drift?
Keep holding left or right through a corner at speed. After a moment the rear lets go, the car turns harder and you see skid marks. Let go to straighten up and get a short boost.
What is the ghost car?
A see-through car that replays your best lap on the track you are racing, so you can see exactly where you are gaining or losing time. It appears once you have set a lap.
What happens if I leave the track?
Grass slows you down. If you go far off the circuit, the car is put back on the road where you left it, from a standstill.
Is the traffic always beatable?
Yes. Traffic comes in rows that never block all three lanes, and when two rows in a row each leave one lane free, those lanes are next to each other with room to change. A test driver checks this on many routes.
Is Drift Circuit free?
Yes. It is completely free to play in your browser, with no download, no account and no in-game purchases.