Games · 8-bit GP

8-bit GP: free online retro open-wheel racing game

Open-wheel racing in the style of 1980s 8-bit computers: a pseudo-3D road with bends and crests, seven rivals, start lights, turbos and V coins on the track. A 6-race championship, time trial and a new race every day. Free, no account needed.

How to play

• The car accelerates by itself. On a phone, press the big left and right buttons to steer and the middle button to brake (you can also tap the left or right half of the screen). On a computer, use the ← → arrow keys or Q and P to steer and the space bar to brake.
• Bends throw the car outwards: steer into them and brake before the tightest ones. The red arrow signs show which way the bend goes. Off the tarmac you lose speed, and hitting trees, buildings or other cars costs you even more.
• Gears are automatic. To drive like a pro, switch on the manual gearbox: the ↑ arrow shifts up and ↓ shifts down (on a phone you get + and − buttons). Shift up when the rev counter reaches the red. On a computer you can also turn off automatic throttle and accelerate with W.
• On the track there are turbo pads, which give a few seconds of extra speed (to rivals too), and rows of golden V coins. Collect at least 60% of the coins and finish on the podium for an extra star at the end. The coins are not V: with an account, your stars decide the V you receive.
• In the Championship you race 6 times in a row and the top six in each race score 10, 8, 6, 5, 4 and 3 points. Most points takes the cup (Bronze on Easy, Silver on Normal, Gold on Hard). On the leaderboard you get 1000 points per level plus 10 for each championship point. In time trial, the faster your best lap, the more points. The Race of the day combines position, total time and coins.

Where this game comes from

Grand Prix racing began in 1906 in France, and the first world drivers’ championship was held in 1950. Today’s open-wheel cars have a single seat, wheels outside the bodywork, the engine behind the driver and wings that push the car down onto the track.

In amusement arcades, racing games with the camera behind the car became famous in the early 1980s. In 1982 Namco released Pole Position, with a qualifying lap and rivals on the track, one of the most successful arcade games of its time.

On home computers such as the ZX Spectrum (1982) there was little memory and only 15 colours. So the road was drawn in horizontal strips, narrower and narrower towards the horizon, and the bends and crests were an illusion: the strips slid sideways and up and down. It is called pseudo-3D, and it is how this game draws the track.

Free game, no betting and no prizes. The circuits, teams and drivers are made up. Your race is saved on this device.