Trackmania asks one thing of players: get from the start of a track to the finish in the quickest time possible. Ubisoft Nadeo’s game was released on Windows on July 1, 2020, and reached PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S on May 15, 2023. The base game is free-to-play, leaderboards handle the ranking, and a paid subscription adds extras such as community tracks and online events.
That formula of a fixed course scored against a clock is not exclusive to one series. The games below take it in different directions, from a card-based shooter to a stunt motorcycle game, a rally game and a browser racer.
Neon White Turns Levels Into Routes
Angel Matrix’s Neon White, published by Annapurna Interactive, came out on Windows and Nintendo Switch on June 16, 2022, then reached PlayStation in December 2022 and Xbox on July 11, 2024. A level ends when the player defeats every demon and reaches the goal, and dying or falling off the map means restarting it. Completion time earns a Bronze, Silver, Gold or Ace medal, and the game shows ghosts and shortcut hints when players appear to be working on their times.
A review published on this site said the multitude of recorded speed runs on YouTube was inevitable, a reaction to a design that challenges players to find the fastest route through each level.
Trials Rising Puts the Clock on Two Wheels
Trials Rising, developed by Ubisoft RedLynx and Ubisoft Kyiv, launched on February 26, 2019 for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows and Xbox One. Players steer a physics-based motorcycle from the start of a level to the finish while working through obstacles. The game shows each player’s best personal performances and notifies them when someone else breaks a record, and courses can be created and shared. Metacritic scores ranged from 78 on Switch to 85 on Xbox One.
PolyTrack Runs in the Browser
PolyTrack is the one browser game on this list. Developer Kodub describes it as a time-trial racer that takes inspiration from Trackmania: blocky cars cross low-poly tracks with loops, ramps and tunnels, and players compare runs rather than race side by side.
Runs are short and a restart after a mistake is instant. Small gains, such as braking earlier or landing straighter, can save about 0.20 seconds which can be the difference between a new best time or just another run. You can save your progress if you create an account on gaming sites like Poki so you can keep chasing your best time in PolyTrack. Ghost replays and leaderboard times show how faster players take corners, and the game runs on desktop, phone and tablet.
Distance Adds Overheating to the Run
Refract Studios’ Distance is a spiritual successor to Nitronic Rush, a 2011 DigiPen student project. It reached full release on Windows on September 18, 2018, with a PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 version following on July 19, 2024. Players drive futuristic cars through a neon world where jumping, flying, wall riding and boosting heat the car. Overheating causes an explosion, and driving through a checkpoint cools it down.
An arcade time trial mode lets players speedrun individual levels and compete on leaderboards, and a built-in level editor lets them make their own. The Windows version holds a Metacritic score of 74.
Art of Rally Brings Daily Challenges to Mobile
Funselektor Labs’ Art of Rally is played from a top-down perspective and set in an alternate timeline where Group B was never discontinued. It launched on Windows, macOS and Linux on September 23, 2020, reached Xbox, Switch and PlayStation in 2021, and arrived on iOS and Android on January 18, 2024, published by Noodlecake. Online daily and weekly challenges give players a reason to return to the same stages. Eurogamer recommended the game, with Martin Robinson calling it “brilliantly playable.”
Absolute Drift Scores Drifts as Points
Funselektor Labs also made Absolute Drift, which uses a drift-based scoring system on tracks with objectives. The game lists five free-roam areas and 34 tracks, and completing objectives unlocks more levels and cars. The iOS version came out on July 12, 2018 and the Android version on December 4, 2018, and the PlayStation 4 version holds a Metacritic score of 78.
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