Games Like Hill Climb Racing: Physics Driving Games Online
Updated
Games like Hill Climb Racing are physics driving games where two pedals do everything: gas and brake keep you moving up and down bumpy hills, and the same pedals tilt the car in the air. Hill Climb Racing is a 2012 game by the Finnish studio Fingersoft. Below are original browser driving games by independent studios that ask for the same careful touch.
How Hill Climb Racing plays
You drive as far as you can through a stage without running out of fuel or landing on the driver's head. There are only two controls, gas and brake, and in the air they rotate the vehicle so you can choose the angle you land at. Fuel cans along the road refill the tank, and the coins you collect buy upgrades, new stages and new vehicles (source).
So the skill is the same everywhere: feather the gas on climbs, tap the brake to level out in the air, and never land upside down. These games test it.
| What you do in Hill Climb Racing | Games that ask the same |
|---|---|
| Balance on hills with gas and brake | Hill Racer 2D, Mad Hill Racing |
| Do not flip over | Hill Racer 2D, Monster Truck Wheels, Monster Truck Wheels 2 |
| Watch the fuel | Hill Racer 2D, Taiga: Expedition |
| Earn coins and upgrade the vehicle | Hard Wheels Winter 2, Speed Demons Race, Junkyard Builder 3D |
Closest to Hill Climb Racing
- Hill Racer 2D is the nearest match. Drive through hills, balance the car and reach the finish without flipping or running out of fuel. A and D or the left and right arrows control the car, and on a phone there are gas and brake buttons.
- Mad Hill Racing uses the same two pedals: the right arrow is gas and the left arrow is the brake. You buy different vehicles and backgrounds, and each one drives differently; its description warns that some vehicles make a level much harder to win.
- Car Climb Mountain is a climb up dangerous mountain roads with swinging bridges and other hurdles in the way. You play it with the mouse or by tapping.
Monster trucks over obstacles
Big wheels get a monster truck over almost anything, but a tall truck rolls over easily. These games are built around that.
- Monster Truck Wheels puts obstacles of different difficulty in your way. Take some at speed and slow down for others, so the truck does not turn over. The arrow keys drive, and touch buttons do the same on a phone.
- Monster Truck Wheels 2 has fifteen short, hard tracks. Climb pyramids, drive along bridges and over containers and parked cars, and back up when you need a run-up. The truck is not very stable, so the brake matters as much as the gas.
- Hard Wheels Winter 2 is another monster truck obstacle run. Get to the finish without crashing to earn coins, then upgrade the truck.
- Speed Demons Race turns it into a race. Assemble your own monster truck, then drive tracks with hills, slopes, metal jumps, containers and wooden boxes. The right arrow is gas, the left arrow brakes and reverses, and Space is turbo; tricks earn coins for upgrades.
Upgrades between runs
Part of the pull of Hill Climb Racing is spending coins and coming back with a better car. These two make the garage the main event.
- Junkyard Builder 3D starts you with a custom off-road truck in a junkyard. Each run earns coins, and you upgrade ten part categories, including engine, wheels, suspension and turbo, across ten driving worlds. Landing jumps earns XP for the driver career. A and D steer, S brakes, W adds acceleration and Space is turbo.
- Taiga: Expedition is the careful version. Drive old trucks through mud, deep fords and forest roads to deliver logs and cargo, which sways and falls off on bumps. Upgrade the engine, mud tires, suspension, high sides and fuel tank, and earn up to 3 stars per route for cargo kept and time.
NEWA twist: draw the car yourself
Draw Car Race skips the garage. You draw a line, it becomes your car, and you draw a different one for each kind of terrain. If you like working out why a car flips, this makes you design around it.
For motorbikes instead of cars, see games like Moto X3M, and for crash-heavy physics, games like Happy Wheels.
How to drive better in physics driving games
- Ease off the gas near the crest of a hill. Too much speed over a crest sends the car into the air nose-up.
- Use the brake to level out in the air. In Hill Climb Racing the pedals rotate the car mid-air; check each game's instructions for how it handles this.
- Back up for a run-up. Monster Truck Wheels 2 tells you to reverse when an obstacle needs more speed.
- Upgrade grip and suspension before raw speed. A faster engine helps little if the truck still flips on every bump.
- Watch the fuel in Hill Racer 2D. Running dry ends the run just as surely as a flip.
Games like Hill Climb Racing FAQ
Can I play games like Hill Climb Racing online for free?
Yes. Every game here plays free in the browser, with no install and no registration.
Do any of them play on a phone?
Yes. Hill Racer 2D has on-screen gas and brake buttons, Monster Truck Wheels has touch buttons, and Speed Demons Race has on-screen pedals. The site works in the browser of a phone, a tablet and a computer.
Which one has the most upgrades?
Junkyard Builder 3D, with ten part categories. Taiga: Expedition upgrades five parts, including a bigger fuel tank.
Is Hill Climb Racing on Jumpcade?
No. Hill Climb Racing is a commercial game by Fingersoft. The games here are original titles that drive in a similar way.
More side-view and off-road driving is in offroad games, truck games and racing games.
