Finding the joy in arcade racers again

Somewhere along the way I convinced myself I only liked serious driving games. Then Neon Driftline handed me a car that slides around every corner and I remembered arcade racers are just fun.

The whole thing is built around one feeling — the long, held drift — and it commits to it fully. There's no engine tuning, no tyre wear, just a boost meter and your nerve. It's the purest kind of loop.

Short tracks are the secret sauce. Each race is over in a couple of minutes, so a bad run costs you nothing and a great one feels earned. That instant retry is what keeps me coming back.

If you've got a spare five minutes and want a hit of speed, this is exactly the kind of thing phones do best.