Initial Drift Online

About

"Initial Drift Online" is a racing game that focuses on drifting mechanics. Customize your car and compete in various modes, including Time Attack and Multiplayer. Drift your way to the top of the leaderboards and challenge players from around the world.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

81%

Audience ScoreBased on 860 reviews

graphics16 positive mentions

story5 negative mentions

The game captures the essence of Initial D, providing a nostalgic experience for fans of the series.
The community is active and supportive, offering resources and advice for new players.
Drifting mechanics are satisfying once mastered, making it rewarding to improve and set new personal records.

The controls are overly sensitive and can feel unresponsive, making it difficult to navigate corners effectively.
The game lacks content and variety, leading to repetitive gameplay after unlocking cars.
There are significant bugs and issues with the physics engine, including problems with hitboxes and car handling.

graphics
60 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
60%
13%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many users noting that they are simplistic and reminiscent of mobile or older console titles, often lacking detail and coherence. While some appreciate the retro aesthetic and find the visuals acceptable for the game's price point, others criticize the graphics for being outdated and poorly executed, suggesting that improvements are necessary. Overall, the consensus is that while the graphics are not the game's strong suit, they do not significantly detract from the overall enjoyment for some players.
- “The graphics are stunning, with attention to detail that makes the virtual world come alive.”
- “I like the game; it runs insanely smooth and the graphics are far above mid-grade by at least my standards.”
- “Fun drifting, cool graphics, and pretty cheap!”
- “I just have no words to say about this game, but it's not a PC game... it has mobile graphics and a type of physics.”
- “The game UI looks like it's straight out of the Google Play Store, and the same applies to the graphics.”
- “The graphics are like PS2 games, and it's missing a lot of features. It needs an unbelievable amount of polishing.”
music
50 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
42%
52%
6%
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many players praising the inclusion of tracks by Blessed Mane and the nostalgic eurobeat vibe reminiscent of the Initial D series. While some enjoy the ability to play their own music and find the soundtrack enjoyable, others feel it lacks variety and could use improvement. Overall, the music enhances the gaming experience, but opinions vary on its quality and effectiveness.
- “The unique gameplay and customizable vehicles add an extra layer to the game, and the music in the game is simply excellent and very close to that presented in the anime series.”
- “The soundtrack is amazing, the cars look nice, and the mountain passes are awesome.”
- “Best drifting JDM tuner game, cheap and great physics, a little floaty but fun, the music is fantastic; add some more songs please, but overall the Initial D vibes is what makes this game awesome.”
- “The soundtrack can use some work, the keybinds for keyboard gear shifting (left ctrl and left alt) are horrible, the physics aren't very good, the brakes need to slow you down quicker, the soundtrack can use some work (though I do love that it allows you to use your own music), the graphics aren't as shown in the banner (currently PS3 level), and the cars have really bad snap oversteer.”
- “I like the horrible eurobeat, but the songs get stale quick.”
- “The soundtrack is also nothing.”
gameplay
42 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
55%
7%
The gameplay is characterized by a mix of engaging track variety and unique mechanics, particularly in drifting, which some players find satisfying while others consider overly sensitive and difficult to master. While many appreciate the nostalgic aesthetics and customizable vehicles, there are concerns about the game's balance and the learning curve, with some players feeling it lacks depth and options for exploration. Overall, the experience is polarizing, with a blend of fun moments and frustrating mechanics.
- “The variety of tracks keeps the gameplay fresh, and the drift mechanics are satisfyingly realistic.”
- “The unique gameplay and customizable vehicles add an extra layer to the game, and the music in the game is simply excellent and very close to that presented in the anime series.”
- “There is a bit of a learning curve to the mechanics, although once you figure it out, the game is a blast!”
- “The drift mechanics are too sensitive and the cars don't feel like cars.”
- “You can eventually adapt to the overly sensitive driving mechanics, but by then you are left with a game with not much to do and no real reason to return.”
- “Terrible controls, worse physics, confusing gameplay.”
story
24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
13%
66%
21%
The reviews present a mixed perspective on the game's story, with many players noting a lack of narrative depth and quests, suggesting that the game is primarily focused on gameplay mechanics rather than storytelling. However, some users highlight a transformative experience, praising the innovative aspects of the story and its emotional impact, indicating that while the narrative may not be central, it resonates deeply with certain players. Overall, the consensus leans towards the absence of a substantial story, making it less appealing for those seeking a rich narrative experience.
- “First this game makes you bang the walls constantly with a shotty car but after playing...watching hours of cut scenes and refunding Crew 2 you give this game a second chance and it will knock your sweaty socks off to the moon with its story, music, and driveability.”
- “The story in my opinion is the most innovative I have seen in a while and this is why the game needs at least 10,000,000,000 players playing every second of every day of every year of every month of every Wednesday!”
- “This game literally changed my life, maybe I didn't spend much time on it, but those were the best 20 minutes of my entire life. The mechanics and physics have a really deep meaning, along with the tofu missions, making this game overall a masterpiece and a life changer, absolutely a banger and slept on.”
- “This game has no story.”
- “Story doesn't matter in this game.”
- “If you want to have a story, then you are at the wrong place.”
grinding
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
10%
10%
80%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be both a significant time commitment and often repetitive, with many expressing frustration over the lack of content and the monotony of tasks like driving the same routes for deliveries. While some enjoy the grind and the racing mechanics, others feel that it detracts from the overall experience, suggesting that improvements could be made to reduce the grindiness.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “The game has no content to it unless you like driving the same few roads back and forth while grinding away your tofu deliveries.”
- “Some improvements I would add are to make the game less grindy; the game is fun to grind, but at times, it gets annoying.”
- “Some achievements are way too grindy.”
optimization
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
24%
38%
Overall, user reviews on optimization for the game are mixed. While some players appreciate its smooth performance and good optimization even on less powerful computers, others report significant issues such as low frame rates and poor design choices that detract from the experience.
- “In the tuning garage, you can change the level of your performance-related parts like engine, brakes, etc.”
- “My computer is not the most powerful, but the game is very optimized.”
- “You can performance-tune your cars.”
- “The map is alright, but performance is quite bad.”
- “Bad optimization, which means really low frames and a lot of odd design choices that are inappropriate even for an early access game.”
- “My computer is not the most powerful, but the game is very poorly optimized.”
humor
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
86%
14%
The humor in the game is generally well-received, with players finding it entertaining and enjoyable, particularly in community interactions and funny moments during gameplay. However, some technical issues, like race bugs, detract from the overall experience. Overall, the game is considered a fun way to unwind after school or work.
- “This game is very funny, I like it a lot, it’s worth the money and I expect more updates :)”
- “A funny game, perfect to play after school or work, it has everything you need, the only thing I would like to have is better graphics.”
- “There is actually a ton of cars to unlock, which is hilarious.”
- “Racing with other players isn't funny because you can just drive through them, and on the map Akagi, there's a bug that prevents you from finishing the race at all.”
replayability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
The game's replayability is highly variable; while some users find it infinitely replayable, others criticize it for lacking depth and offering repetitive gameplay, particularly in its delivery mechanics. Overall, the experience may appeal to those seeking time attack or drifting challenges, but it risks becoming monotonous for players looking for variety.
- “🔲 infinitely replayable”
- “Like other RewindApp titles, it's nothing more than an asset flip with little replay value that will be left abandoned on the Steam store.”
- “Not good replayability value if you don't want to stare at the same road, doing the same A-B deliveries for hours.”
- “Drifting, score, and time attack modes offer no replay value.”
atmosphere
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
33%
The game's atmosphere is generally praised for its immersive qualities, creating an enjoyable experience for players. However, the multiplayer community has been criticized for becoming toxic due to overly competitive behavior, which detracts from the initially casual vibe.
- “I really like the atmosphere of the game.”
- “The game is very atmospheric; I definitely recommend this game.”
- “The multiplayer community, while lively, started to feel toxic with overly competitive players, ruining the fun and casual atmosphere I had enjoyed initially.”
stability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is characterized by significant bugs, particularly with steering wheel controls, which can lead to inconsistent performance. Despite these issues, players find the experience enjoyable and appreciate the chaotic nature of the gameplay, viewing the clunkiness as part of its charm.
- “Steering wheel control is buggy and may not work in some cases.”
- “It's fun as hell, but buggy.”
- “It's buggy, low budget, and clunky, but that's what's good about it; finally being able to control a sloppy car between two invisible walls feels like an accomplishment.”
monetization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization strategy of the game has drawn criticism for its reliance on microtransactions and pay-to-win elements, which detract from the overall enjoyment and potential of the experience. Players express disappointment over the game's shift towards exploitative practices.
- “The microtransactions and pay-to-win elements became increasingly apparent, tarnishing the once-enjoyable experience.”
- “It's disheartening to see a game with so much potential succumb to the pitfalls of modern monetization practices.”

Buy Initial Drift Online

Initial Drift Online
$4.99
See offer on Steam

7h Median play time

10h Average play time

5-25h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 4 analyzed playthroughs

Videos

91%3.4kreviews

Drift86

2019

Casual Racing

60%2.8kreviews

Drift Streets Japan

2015

Racing

70%1.2kreviews

DRIFT CE

2021

Racing

74%852reviews

DRIFT21

2021

Racing

87%2.1kreviews

Apex Point

2023

Racing

Initial Drift Online

Platforms

About

Buy Initial Drift Online