Hill Climb Racing — Play Free Online

Hill Climb Racing is a physics driving game with one simple job: get a rickety vehicle as far across bumpy terrain as it will go before the fuel runs out or the driver loses his head. There are no laps and no opponents. Your only rival is the distance you set last time, shown in metres at the end of every run.

Each run is short, usually a minute or two, and the pull is "just one more try". The ground rolls in hills, dips and ramps, and the car reacts to every bump through its suspension. A small mistake early on, such as landing nose-first or leaning too far back on a steep rise, can end a run that was going well. That keeps the game tense even though it looks gentle.

If you came to Doodle Jump for quick, score-chasing games you can restart instantly, this fits in well. It swaps platform hopping for throttle control, but the loop is the same: fail fast, retry, beat your best.

How to play

You control two things: gas and brake. On a keyboard, the right arrow (or D) accelerates and the left arrow (or A) brakes and reverses. On a phone or tablet, the on-screen pedals do the same job, with the brake on the left and the gas on the right. The game also has no steering wheel. You steer the car's balance instead, because the gas and brake tilt the vehicle forwards and backwards in the air.

Along the track you pick up coins, which you spend between runs on upgrades such as engine, suspension, tyres and four-wheel drive. Fuel cans appear along the route, and you need to grab them to keep going. When the tank is empty the car rolls to a stop and the run is over. A run also ends if the driver's head touches the ground, which happens most often after a rough flip.

Tips

• Ease off the gas on steep climbs. Full throttle makes the front wheels lift and tips the car over backwards.
• In the air, use the pedals to level the car before landing. Gas tilts the nose down, brake tilts it up.
• Always steer toward fuel cans, even when they sit slightly off the best line. Distance is worthless once the tank is dry.
• Spend early coins on the upgrades that fix your biggest problem. If you keep running out of fuel, improve that first. If you keep flipping, improve the suspension and tyres.

Similar games on Doodle Jump

Helix Jump is also a one-more-try score chaser, but you tilt a tower rather than manage throttle. Bouncy Basketball relies on physics too, though you control a bouncing ball rather than a car. Doodle Jump itself is the classic endless climber, where height is the score instead of distance.

It suits a break of a few minutes, works with either a keyboard or touch, and runs in the browser with nothing to install.