You race the outside of a pipe. Gravity pulls you toward whichever face of the tube is turned to the ground, so holding the top is the whole skill.
Sliding down the side is not a crash. There is no wall, no reset and no penalty — you can climb back up from anywhere, including from underneath. It costs seconds, nothing else.
Make smaller inputs than feel right. The craft floats, so a second correction before the first has landed is what produces the slow wobble from one side to the other.
| Action | Keyboard | Xbox | PlayStation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accelerate | W · UP | RT | R2 |
| Brake | S · DOWN | B · LT | CIRCLE · L2 |
| Steer Left | A · LEFT | Left Stick | Left Stick |
| Boost | SHIFT | RB | R1 |
| Fire | SPACE | A | CROSS |
| Use Item | X | LB · X | L1 · SQUARE |
| Target Next | E | Y | TRIANGLE |
| Camera View | C | SELECT | SHARE |
| Screenshot | F2 | R3 | R3 |
| Hide HUD | H | — | — |
| Pause | ESCAPE · P | START | OPTIONS |
All rebindable in Settings. PlayStation pads are relabelled automatically.
The meter under EARNINGS refills on its own. When it reads BOOST READY, spending it empties it and it starts again.
It fills 2.5× faster on the crest than on the underside. Gravity puts you underneath; staying up top is what pays for it.
| Crest | Underside | |
|---|---|---|
| Easy | ~4s | ~10s |
| Hard | ~11s | ~27s |
The AI never get a boost meter. It is your single biggest advantage, and it stops refilling the moment it is full — so an unspent meter is a wasted one.
Spend it on the exit of a bend, not into one.
| Boost | Speed surge. Longer when you are behind. |
| Ammo | Worth 3, 5 or 8 — the number is printed on it. |
| Shock | Stuns every rider both ways down the pipe. |
| Bounty | Credits, straight into the purse. |
| Shield | 6s. Eats mines, walls, shots, shockwaves. |
| Autopilot | A few seconds of perfect line, untouchable. |
| Tail mine | Drops behind you. Cannot catch you. |
| Jammer | 6s of no lock-ons. Shots in flight still fly. |
Driving over a second item swaps it for the one you are holding.
Lead by too much and a wall of fire is sent up the track to meet you head-on. It cannot be dodged — shoot it. Two hits on the gentlest INTENSITY, five on the hardest.
The screen edges glow red as it closes. Out of ammo? Crates are placed ahead of it — guaranteed, and one is enough. It is never sent on the run to the flag.
24 circuits, 6 leagues, 4 races each. Finishing a race unlocks the next. Three golds in a league opens the next league.
| Medal | Requires |
|---|---|
| Gold | 1st place, and a quick enough time |
| Silver | 2nd or 3rd at best |
| Bronze | 4th and back |
A fast lap in 5th is still 5th. Position caps the medal.
Races back to back on points, no restarts.
| Place | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pts | 10 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
Rookie, Hyper and Storm are three rounds. The Grand Prix is six and pays 40,000 to win.
A weekly ladder, the same for everyone, that ends when you are beaten. Score is distance, so finish the race you are losing.
| Stages 1–12 | Podium — 3rd or better |
| Stages 13–24 | 2nd or better |
| Stage 25+ | Win, or the run is over |
Corkscrews from stage 4, twists from stage 7. Stock craft — no garage parts.
One circuit built from the date, identical worldwide, replaced at midnight. Stock craft, so the board ranks driving rather than spending.
Build your own: seed, then WHERE, SKY, RACE TYPE, INTENSITY, PIPE, TRACK, TWISTS, COLOUR, FINISH and LAPS. Keepers save to My Tracks and can be strung into your own grand prix.
Share the 16-character TRACK CODE, not the seed. The code carries every dial; a seed alone leaves the other player's dials where they were.
A code holding a RANDOM dial cannot promise the same race — RANDOM is rolled at the start line, not from the seed.
Six parts, bought per class. Buy Stabilizers first, then Engine from Gold league on. The five hulls are appearance only.
| Classic | The championship standard. |
| Boost rush | Twice the pickups, all boost. |
| Gun run | Full clips; the AI shoot on sight. |
| Pacifist | No guns, nearly double the hazards. |
| Gauntlet | 3 laps, 4 rivals, a wall of mines. |
| Duel | You and one other. Best purse. |