Sky Car Drift
Table of Contents
Summary
Sky Car Drift is a futuristic, anime-inspired drifter, where you’ll battle it out on floating tracks against challenging opponents. Think Initial D meets modern arcade racer, featuring cartoony graphics, satisfying weight transfer, and high-speed drift battles on tracks packed with massive elevation changes, tight corners, and unexpected jumps.
The most surprising aspect of Sky Car Drift apart is the bonkers amount of content on offer, blowing any other browser drifting game out of the water. There are 202 vehicles to unlock, with just about anything you can think of. On top of that, there are 139 drivers, 18 skies (tracks), and 10 unique game modes.
You can consider the Journey mode for casual exploration, Career for long-term progression, Multiplayer for online battles with your friends, and even a Bully mode where the goal is to ram into your rivals to earn trophies.
There are multiple currencies (trophies, stars, bolts, gems, coins) that you’ll earn through the different modes, and you can choose which to target to unlock your dream drift cars and various drivers along the way. The cross-platform saves let you pick up where you left off on any device, and the mobile version is fully optimized for smooth skids.
Unlike other games like Drift Hunters, there’s no tuning, upgrades, or visual customization. The goal is to unlock the vast selection of content, master the fun physics, and prove your drifting skills.
If you’re after fun, fast-hitting, and addictive drift sessions with the biggest browser-based vehicle roster and a huge variety of game modes, you’ll definitely enjoy this one.
Sky Car Drift features
- Release date – May 2023
- Difficulty – Beginner/Intermediate
- Levels/environments – 18 skies (tracks)
- Number of vehicles – 202
- Vehicle customization/upgrades – No
- Multiplayer – Yes (online)
- Mobile – Yes (iOS and Android)
- Developer – Plum Games
Physics
Sky Car Drift features simple, arcade-style drifting physics that reward consistency and combo-building. The weight transfer and transitions feel predictable, with bouncy suspension and body roll that might leave you wishing you could upgrade to coilovers on some vehicles!
It’s ideal for beginners, but if you want to tackle the game with confidence, it’s well worth learning advanced drifting techniques such as countersteering and weight transfer to scrub off speed and avoid collisions. Even then, your AI rivals will be ready to wreck your combo at any given moment.
The simple approach is similar to other cartoon-style browser games, such as Drift Boss. While Drift Boss is much simpler, with less to do, it’s still super challenging and addictive in its own way.
Graphics
The blocky, cartoony, anime-inspired visuals look great, featuring unique speed-emphasizing effects as you build momentum. You can adjust performance in the in-game settings, such as shadows, lighting, fog, and effects, if your device is struggling and you need smoother frame rates.
Its styling reminds us of Survival Race, but that takes you to a battle arena with online multiplayer, jumps, ramming, knockout chaos, similar arcade-style handling, and plenty of cars. Although there are a generous 22 vehicles on offer, it’s still a far cry from the crazy 200+ car roster you’re treated to in Sky Car Drift.
Controls
PC/laptop/Chromebook
- W/Up arrow – Accelerate
- S/Down arrow – Brake
- A/Left arrow – Steer left
- D/Right arrow – Steer right
- R – Respawn
There’s an auto-accelerate option in settings if you’re a beginner and want to focus purely on steering and timing for now.
Mobile/tablet (iOS/Android)
- Press the on-screen buttons.
Sky Car Drift is optimized for Android and iOS, making it one of the better browser-based mobile games if you’ve got a decent-spec device.
How to play Sky Car Drift
Initial setup
When you open the game, you’ll see the option to sign in with an account. It’s worth creating one if you want to save your progress and load it across multiple devices, which is essential if you plan to switch between PC and mobile.
Once you’re in, you can edit your name to personalize your profile. Then, you’ll get your first look at the comprehensive main menu, where you’ll find the following:
Left side
- Current level
- Driver selection (click to preview future unlocks)
- Player name (click to change)
- Selected car (click to preview future unlocks)
- Unlocked cars (X/202)
- Unlocked drivers (X/139)
- Unlocked skies (X/18)
Center
- Trophies (earned in most modes)
- Stars (win Career mode events)
- Belts (complete Challenges and Journeys)
- Gems (earned through game modes and reward ads)
- Coins (daily login rewards and mode completions)
Top right – Settings menu
- Music toggle
- Auto-accelerate
- Screen buttons
- Mouse over mode
- Car shadows
- Car outlines
- Car lighting
- Headlights
- Fog
- Road grid
- Road signs
- Road reflections
- Cloud layers
- Effects
Unlike most games, there’s no way to quickly toggle the quality settings. If your game isn’t running smoothly, try disabling advanced graphics settings, such as car shadows, lighting, fog, cloud layers, and effects, to improve the performance.
Getting started
Before racing, check out the Cars, Drivers, and Skies sections to see what you’ll be working toward. Each of these is unlocked by earning a certain amount of trophies, gems, coins, or stars, as displayed.
If something catches your eye, note what you need to save and focus on it immediately.
When you’re ready, click Play to access the game modes.
Each game mode rewards different currencies, so this is where you’ll pick the ideal modes based on what you’re saving for. Or, if you’re not after anything specific, you can simply choose your favorite mode, and you’ll soon start unlocking the vast selection of cars, drivers, and skies.
Sky Car Drift game modes
Alongside its huge car roster, Sky Car Drift also offers an extensive choice of game modes. Here’s the full breakdown:
Journey Mode
- Unlimited time
- Reach the end to win trophies and bolts
- Choose from Random or five specific tracks
- Options: Trophy journeys, Star journeys, Gem journeys, Coin journeys
- Great for casual play and exploration
Career Mode
- 45-second timer
- Classic track
- Earn trophies and stars
- Car-specific events with trophy targets
- Options: Trophy events, Gem events, Coin events
- Best for structured progression
Multiplayer Mode
- 5-minute timer
- Random tracks
- Earn trophies
- Create or join private rooms with shareable codes
- Competitive drifting, tandems, trains, and battles against real players and/or your friends
Challenge Mode
- No timer
- Classic track
- Earn trophies and bolts
- Use a specific car and mode
- Beat the target score
- Test your skills with set conditions
Rival Mode
- 2-minute timer
- Beat your AI rivals
- Win trophies and bolts
- Choose from Random or five tracks
- High-intensity competition where you’ll need to earn more trophies than your rivals
Arcade Mode
- 45-second timer
- Classic track
- Win trophies, compete on the arcade leaderboard
- Finish position bonus
- Three difficulties: Easy (standard earnings), Medium (+5 trophies), Hard (+10 trophies)
- Great for quick trophy farming
Bully Mode
- 90-second timer
- Classic track
- Win trophies and compete on the bully leaderboard
- Pure aggression mode, where you’ll need to ram into other cars for points
- Strongest hit power earns trophies
There’s no damage in Sky Car Drift, but if you enjoy the crashing side of things and want realistic damage physics, check out our selection of crash and stunt games.
Popular choices include the open-world sandbox game, Car Crash Test: Abandoned City, which offers BeamNG-style chaos with crushers, slow-motion features, and complete freedom to destroy your ride in every way imaginable. Or, if you want a high-intensity downhill racer with epic damage physics, where just getting to the finish with all four wheels is an achievement, Deadly Descent offers 20 increasingly challenging levels of mayhem.
Elimination Mode
- Target timer
- Classic track
- Win trophies, compete on the elimination leaderboard
- Keep up with the trophy target
- Players get eliminated if they fall behind
Hardcore Mode
- Unlimited time
- Classic track
- Win trophies, compete on the hardcore leaderboard
- Ends when you hit another car or fall off the track
- No respawns in this mode, making it extremely unforgiving
Practice Mode
- Unlimited time
- Classic track
- Practice without pressure
- Try different cars
- Toggle AI cars on/off
- No rewards on offer, but perfect if you’re struggling to get the hang of the game’s drifting physics
While Practice can be good for beginners, Career and Journey modes are the top picks for most players. Multiplayer is perfect for online battles, and Bully mode is great if you want aggressive ramming gameplay. While Arcade mode on Hard difficulty is great for quick trophy farming, they’re not kidding with the ‘Hard’ part!
On the other hand, Elimination and Hardcore offer maximum intensity, if that’s your thing.
If you’ve exhausted all the modes and want an alternative to drifting, and you’re looking for a test of your driving and racing skills with similar styling across over 100 challenging tracks, Polytrack is the ultimate choice for perfecting your racing lines. But be warned, it’s far from easy.
Sky Car Drift car list
With 202 vehicles, Sky Car Drift has what is likely the largest car roster in any browser game. The variety on offer here is insane, and you’ll struggle to find many other games that let you tandem door-to-door with F1 cars in an ice cream truck! You’ll soon find yourself in the wackiest, most hilarious drift trains imaginable.
Here’s a small taste of what’s on offer:
JDM legends – Toyota Supra and AE86 look-alikes, Nissan Skylines, and a selection of classic 90s drift cars
Supercars and hypercars – Lamborghinis, Ferraris, Porsches, and much more
American muscle – Classic muscle cars and hot rods
European performance – BMWs, Audis, and many other modern sports cars
Race cars – F1-style single-seaters, NASCAR, and touring cars
Novelty vehicles – Ice cream vans, limousines
Off-Road – Pickup trucks, SUVs, monster trucks
… and MUCH more!
Each ride has its own feel, with some vehicles (like the larger trucks) requiring more effort to break the rear end loose, while lighter cars drift more easily.
Don’t be afraid to try the long-wheelbase cars, as these are often easier to drift on the longer, sweeping tracks. Even the least likely vehicles (like the ice cream van and limo) are surprisingly drift-capable and fun to play around with.
Tuning and upgrades
Unfortunately, despite the incredible car selection, Sky Car Drift offers no tuning, upgrades, or visual customization options.
If you’re after a drifting game with comprehensive tuning and upgrades, look no further than Drift Hunters MAX. While Sky Car Drift’s arcade-style physics are great fun, Drift Hunters MAX provides a grippy, sim-like experience in your browser, where you get to tune and upgrade 39 cars, explore 13 tracks, hit the streets with AI traffic, or take on the Drift Attack challenge mode with global leaderboards. Like Sky Car Drift, it also features cross-save, allowing you to enjoy it across all your devices.
Alternatively, if you want great drifting physics, tuning options, AND the ability to play with friends online, Drift King is perfect for tandems and drift battles in private or public lobbies with solid physics and a solid car selection. If this is what you’re after, we also have plenty of other multiplayer games to explore.
Advanced tips & tricks
Consider using auto-accelerate when you’re getting started
This is available in the settings menu and lets you focus solely on steering and timing until you’re comfortable. You can then turn it off once you’re confident.
Master counter-steering and weight transfer
Instead of holding the throttle and left/right, tap left and right to balance the car mid-drift, and occasionally lift off the throttle and press the brakes to maintain control.
Once you get used to the physics, you can pull off massive angles and scrub off speed without braking. If this is all sounding a bit overwhelming, it’s worth learning real-world advanced drifting techniques to help you master your favorite drifting games. You can either learn from our beginner drifting tips or watch your favorite pros and YouTubers show you how it’s done.
Build combos by avoiding cars, but don’t worry about the walls
Even if you smash into the wall, you still get to keep your combo intact. However, hitting another car instantly resets it. On the flipside, if you get close to your opponents, you’ll earn additional proximity points, but you’ll need to learn to quickly swerve away before contact, which is easier said than done.
Choose the right mode for what you need
Saving for a trophy-locked car? Play Arcade on Hard or Bully mode. Need coins? Focus on Journey coin events and daily logins. Stars? Career mode exclusively.
Experiment with the unlikely cars
The ice cream van, limo, and trucks are surprisingly fun and drift-capable, but choose your tracks wisely. For instance, you’re gonna be in for a tough time if you take the limo to a tight and twisty track!
Time your moves carefully
Sometimes you’ll need to slam on the brakes and suddenly transition around your opponents. Try to be smart and avoid upcoming crashes to maintain combos rather than trying to force your way through gaps that’ll likely close.
Lift off the throttle occasionally
You don’t need to brake as much as you think in this game, but lifting off the throttle (and even using the brake occasionally) can help with car control, avoiding collisions, and keeping your combos alive.
Use Practice mode to get to grips with new cars
Toggle the AI off, and play around with how each vehicle feels before taking it into the more competitive modes
Sky Car Drift FAQ
What is the goal in Sky Car Drift?
Unlock all 202 cars, 139 drivers, and 18 skies (or your personal favorites) by earning trophies, stars, bolts, gems, and coins across the 10 different game modes. Then, show off to your friends online!
What’s the best car?
It depends on your style. Don’t be afraid to play around and experiment to find the perfect car. Sometimes, the larger, long-wheelbase vehicles can be far more stable and predictable. Or, you might prefer a snappy, nimble single-seater F1-style car.
Can I play with friends?
Yes, Multiplayer mode lets you create rooms with shareable codes, so you can invite friends for private drift battles. If they’re not online right now, you can still join the public lobbies.
Are there tuning and upgrades?
Nope. All the cars are stock, but there’s a huge (ever-growing) selection of over 200 vehicles to choose from.
What breaks my drift combo?
While hitting other cars breaks your combo (although you’re fine with a gentle door tap), hitting the wall doesn’t, so don’t be afraid to get close to the barriers to scoop up the proximity bonuses.
Which game mode is best for beginners?
Start with practice, then venture to Journey mode on a Random track with auto-accelerate enabled. You’ll have no timer pressure, and you can learn the physics at your own pace.
Can I turn off AI cars?
Only in Practice mode. All other modes include AI (or multiplayer) opponents.
How many tracks are there?
You get 18 skies (tracks), which are unlocked with trophies. The cheapest costs just 25 trophies, while the most expensive costs 400.
Written by:
Published on:
Bill is a writer and photographer who has been part of the Drifted team since 2015. His work extends to various print and online publications, including Wangan Warriors.
As part of the King of Nations team, he traveled extensively for several years, capturing top-tier international drift events worldwide. His hands-on experience, including rebuilding his own Nissan Silvia S15 drift car, gives him unique insights into drift car building and global drift culture.
When not behind the lens or keyboard, Bill can be found browsing classifieds for his next JDM project or shredding virtual tires on popular simulators like Assetto Corsa, CarX, and Forza.
You can learn more about Bill’s story here or follow his socials on X (formerly Twitter), Flickr, Facebook, and Instagram.
