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Race The Sun

Race The Sun Game Cover
91%Game Brain Score
gameplay, music
grinding, stability
94% User Score Based on 3,848 reviews
Critic Score 80%Based on 1 reviews

Platforms

Playstation 3PlayStation VRPlaystation 5Playstation 4XboxiPhoneWindowsPlayStationPlaystation VitaLinuxXbox Series X|SPCWii UTabletMac OSPhoneVirtual RealityXbox OneiPadMobile Platform
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Race The Sun Game Cover

About

Race The Sun is a single player and multiplayer survival racing game with a post-apocalyptic theme. It was developed by Flippfly LLC and was released on December 9, 2013. It received mostly positive reviews from critics and very positive reviews from players.

Race The Sun is a high-speed game that uses simple controls and is set in a procedurally generated world. The goal is to get the highest possible score by racing into the sunset, avoiding obstacles and enemies, and collecting speed boosts and other powerups to help you along the way. You fly a solar-powered craft, and the game ends at sundown, if you can make it that far!

Genres & Tags
Play Modes
Race The Sun screenshot
Race The Sun screenshot
Race The Sun screenshot
Race The Sun screenshot
Race The Sun screenshot
Race The Sun screenshot
Race The Sun screenshot
Race The Sun screenshot
Race The Sun screenshot
Race The Sun screenshot
Race The Sun screenshot
+17
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94%
Audience ScoreBased on 3,848 reviews
gameplay157 positive mentions
grinding15 negative mentions
  • Highly addictive and fun endless runner with simple, smooth controls that are easy to learn but hard to master.
  • Daily changing maps and Steam Workshop support keep the gameplay fresh and replayable.
  • Minimalistic, stylized graphics combined with a fitting dynamic soundtrack create a unique, immersive atmosphere.
  • The game's challenges and upgrades offer a clear sense of progression and reward skill improvement.
  • Well optimized and runs smoothly even on low-end systems, with good controller support and VR mode as a bonus.
  • Perfect for short play sessions or quick breaks with lots of content and modes, including Apocalypse, Labyrinth, and Sunrise DLC for a relaxing experience.
  • The game can get repetitive over time due to limited variety in core gameplay and map sectors despite daily changes.
  • Leveling system is grind-heavy, with some challenges being frustrating or nearly impossible without luck or skill, and no way to skip unwanted challenges.
  • Lack of narrative or broader context makes it less appealing to players seeking story or depth.
  • Starter difficulty can be punishing and some upgrades are required to progress, making early gameplay frustrating.
  • Leaderboards and online features are either shut down or unreliable, reducing competitive motivation.
  • The visuals, while stylistic, are austere and may feel bland or monotonous to some players; music can get repetitive and is less varied than desired.
  • Restarting from the start upon death and absence of checkpoints can feel punishing and discouraging for longer play sessions.
  • gameplay
    416 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Race the Sun features simple yet highly addictive gameplay centered on fast-paced, twitch reflexes where you pilot a solar-powered craft, avoiding obstacles while racing against a setting sun that acts as a natural timer. Its minimalist mechanics, tight controls, and daily procedurally generated levels deliver an intense, challenging, and fair experience that rewards progression with power-ups and variations, though its repetitiveness and lack of broader content may limit long-term engagement for some players. Overall, the gameplay offers a compelling, elegant flow that balances simplicity with depth, ideal for quick, high-intensity sessions.

    • “The gameplay loop is tight and unforgiving, yet remarkably fair.”
    • “Race the sun is a fantastic minimalist flight simulator, which displays its simplistic mechanics well.”
    • “The game quickly expands mechanically as they add boosts, jumps, and portals to the levels and power-ups to your ship.”
    • “The lack of narrative or broader context means that the experience depends entirely on mechanical satisfaction, which might not appeal to players seeking story or variety.”
    • “The gameplay loops don't usually hook me very much, so once I run out of progression I run out of interest.”
    • “Unfortunately, the game has an unlock progression system that works to its detriment, having to grind your way to level 5 to unlock the simplest game mechanics and up to level 25 to unlock everything by completing challenges that are in the best cases unintrusive (ie. score x points) and at worst hinder the experience (ie. only turn left the entire game).”
  • music
    395 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's music is generally praised for its fitting, atmospheric, and progressively intense soundtrack that enhances the fast-paced gameplay and sense of urgency. However, many note its limited variety, repetitive nature, and occasional lack of smooth transitions, leading some players to prefer muting the in-game music and playing their own tracks instead. Overall, the soundtrack effectively complements the minimalist visuals and gameplay, contributing significantly to the immersive experience.

    • “Accompanied by a subtle electronic soundtrack that pulses in sync with the game’s momentum, the presentation achieves a meditative quality that makes every run feel like both a race and a ritual.”
    • “The soundtrack fits the game well and is very well done. The music, much like the game, gets gradually more intense as you progress, which adds a lot to the experience. This is my favourite part of the game and is probably the reason why I’ve played it as much as I have.”
    • “The game’s music begins as a calm but focused tune which slowly ramps up in intensity as the sun goes down, finishing in a downright violent manner in the later levels.”
    • “Music commits the same sin - it is blunt and ill-chosen - c'mon guys - we are flying a solar bird toward the setting sun; can't you come up with something more subtle?”
    • “The only downside is the music.”
    • “The soundtrack of the game is non-existent, only one song which is pretty dull in the end.”
  • graphics
    373 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of the game are minimalist and simplistic, featuring clean, low-poly, and abstract designs that effectively complement its fast-paced, adrenaline-driven gameplay. While not visually complex or texture-rich, the art style is widely praised for its elegance, clarity, and ability to create a relaxing yet intense atmosphere that enhances player focus. Despite their basic nature, the visuals are considered beautiful, stylistically fitting, and performant on a wide range of hardware.

    • “The stark, modernist aesthetic complements the game’s philosophy: nothing extraneous, nothing distracting, just the pure interplay between movement, timing, and light.”
    • “The graphics are simple but look beautiful, and the sense of speed is perfect.”
    • “With a minimalistic approach to the visuals, Race the Sun is quite pleasant to look at, even if the amount of colors are kept to a bare minimum.”
    • “Race the sun is a simplistic VR-only racing game with poor VR support, poor gameplay, and lacklustre low poly graphics (they couldn't even afford to hire a texture artist or pay for stock textures).”
    • “The graphics are blocky, there are zero textures, and for the entire level you stare into the sun (a bright white spot on your screen).”
    • “If it was a graphically intensive game I could understand that, but this game doesn't even have any textures, and some of it is in fact wire-frame.”
  • story
    111 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Race the Sun features no traditional story or narrative, focusing instead on mechanical challenge and mission-based progression through daily randomized levels. Players engage with a series of varied, sometimes difficult quests that unlock upgrades and add structure to the endless gameplay, but those seeking plot or character development may find the experience lacking. The game's subtle theme of racing against the setting sun provides a minimal backdrop, while the core appeal lies in its fast-paced, adrenaline-fueled gameplay and mission system rather than storytelling.

    • “Progression in Race the Sun unfolds through missions and upgrades that give long-term structure to the otherwise endless format.”
    • “The natural growth of your skills combined with a thoughtful quest system makes this a very rewarding experience.”
    • “The music is top notch, the worlds are beautiful and change daily, and it truly makes you feel like you're on a mission (a mission to what? Race the Sun!).”
    • “The lack of narrative or broader context means that the experience depends entirely on mechanical satisfaction, which might not appeal to players seeking story or variety.”
    • “You're given randomly generated quests that give you points towards leveling up, and if you get stuck on one there's no way to skip it and get a new one.”
    • “Many quests require you to really go out of your way doing suboptimal things like avoiding pickups or never turning left, when all you really want to do is play normally and get a better score, and most of them need to be done in a single run rather than cumulatively so if you miss it then the time spent on each attempt was totally wasted.”
  • replayability
    100 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Race the Sun offers high replayability driven mainly by its daily-changing, procedurally generated maps and simple, addictive arcade-style gameplay. Additional features like challenge modes, a level editor, and user-generated content further extend replay value, though some note that replayability diminishes after mastering core content or losing leaderboard functionality. Overall, its fast-paced, evolving gameplay and fresh daily challenges keep players engaged over time.

    • “It's an addictive loop that captures the essence of arcade gaming: fast, brutal, and endlessly replayable.”
    • “The map changes every day, so there is lots of replayability in that sense!”
    • “Infinitely replayable with daily map seeds, highly satisfying, and still one of my favorites after all this time.”
    • “The shutdown of the leaderboards has ruined a level of short-term replayability by removing the record of your own runs and that of other players, thus affecting the sense of improvement.”
    • “Two challenge modes unlock through the main level system, and while they serve as nice novelties, they're nowhere near equal in quality or replayability to the main level.”
    • “The levels do change daily, which can add some replayability, but there is no end-game in sight, no common goal to achieve (other than leaderboards), and you will always die.”
  • atmosphere
    40 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game delivers a distinctive atmosphere that is both calming and exhilarating, blending minimalist visuals with a captivating soundtrack to create a meditative yet fast-paced experience. Its evolving environments and VR support enhance immersion, while the music and sound design effectively balance relaxation with tension. Overall, the atmosphere is frequently praised for enhancing both casual enjoyment and intense gameplay moments.

    • “It thrives on precision and atmosphere, creating an endless runner that feels simultaneously meditative and exhilarating.”
    • “The music and atmosphere make for a fantastic experience, and the game tends to make fun of the constant deaths.”
    • “The excitement you feel as you narrowly dodge and weave back and forth between pillars, mountains, forests and windmills while at the same time racing to collect those powerups and time extensions creates an atmosphere that easily hooks any player, hardcore challenge freak or casual coffee-breaker.”
    • “Environments differ subtly between stages, while warp-gate levels and user-created content present a stark contrast in vibrance and atmosphere.”
    • “Next time I'll try to race something slower and not out of the atmosphere.”
    • “Further complicating matters, James McCloud has yet to completely adapt to the planet's atmosphere, thus he must race the sun if he has any chance of surviving long enough to be transported to the next stage of the F-Zero Grand Prix.”
  • humor
    26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game is widely praised for its clever, often sarcastic humor that enhances the gameplay experience, from witty in-game commentary to ironically presented achievements. Players find the humor both lighthearted and delightfully surprising, contributing to memorable moments and making the game fun to enjoy solo or with friends. The blend of challenge and comedic elements keeps players entertained and laughing throughout.

    • “(A typical gain of an in-game powerup is commented by lines like "now you can decorate your imaginary airship" and "we think you like this kind of thing".) Harder flights are intense and some later tricks of the surroundings are so wonderfully unfair they made me laugh.”
    • “On top of that, the text upon reaching an achievement is a nihilistic "meh, achievements suck anyway and you're stupid for caring about points" type of humorous text. Also, rewards are often presented in a snarky holier-than-thou manner for added humor, and were far more rewarding than any congratulations screen I've seen in a while.”
    • “Perfect to play alone or by turn with your friends - because you will always die fast, no one will get to wait too long and everybody can watch each other with laughing and support lol. No irony intended!”
  • optimization
    20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game is highly optimized, delivering smooth performance even on low-end and older hardware, including laptops and modest systems. Its minimalistic graphics contribute to stable frame rates critical for fast-paced gameplay, though some players recommend playing on low settings to avoid lag. Overall, users experience no significant stability or performance issues, making it accessible and well-optimized across various platforms.

    • “Super low performance and storage requirements (runs on a potato).”
    • “The game performs well on any computer I’ve tried it on, even super low-end computers; I’ve not had any problems performance-wise.”
    • “Great music, optimization, and easy-to-learn controls.”
    • “However, more optimization would be much appreciated, but the controls are easy to learn and not too shabby.”
    • “Race the Sun's spectral performance comes at the cost that the majority of the graphics are overly simplistic.”
    • “The menus aren't controller optimized.”
  • grinding
    16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Grinding is a central and often tedious aspect of the game, requiring repeated attempts and skillful play to unlock upgrades and progress. While some players appreciate the varying challenge levels and find the grind rewarding, many find it repetitive, frustrating, and time-consuming, especially when striving for achievements or higher levels. Overall, the grind can detract from the experience for those not inclined toward repetitive gameplay.

    • “The main game and DLC are okay, but they pretty much revolve around dying a lot and grinding goals to unlock enough upgrades to actually not die a few minutes in.”
    • “I lost the learning curve at the 18 level mark, and then thought I could not get further without grinding level 1 challenges which became intensely more dull and longer (do something 6 times, do something x times).”
    • “Repetitive and somewhat tedious at points when traversing the first, second, and third levels over and over again to get to more challenging things.”
  • stability
    14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's stability is mixed, with several users reporting bugs, freezes—especially around level 5—and issues in the level editor, which is described as buggy and difficult to use. However, some players have experienced smooth gameplay with minimal glitches and appreciated regular patches and fixes. Overall, stability can vary greatly depending on the version and platform.

    • “No glitches or bugs were encountered while playing, and there is some upbeat electro music to keep the pace going.”
    • “Also runs great on my Linux laptop.”
    • “The game freezes and locks up instantly when launched.”
    • “Can't get past level 5 because the game freezes when I need to equip that magnet upgrade.”
    • “They shouldn't have made a contest on such a buggy editor, even though they warned us it is buggy; that just tells me that they are not professional with editors.”
  • monetization
    10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The PC version of the game is praised for having no microtransactions or ads, offering a complete experience without additional costs. In contrast, the mobile "Race the Sun Challenge Edition" includes microtransactions, which some users view as a cash grab and prefer to avoid. Overall, the Steam version is seen as more favorable due to its fair monetization approach.

    • “It's practically one of those runner games you'd find on mobile devices, except not as long and without microtransactions.”
    • “Well worth picking up in a sale, because $10 seems a bit too much for an endless runner, but at least there's no microtransactions.”
    • “Thankfully, there is no currency, and once you acquire all of the upgrades, that's all you're going to get, so there is no threat of microtransactions.”
    • “There is a mobile version of the game called "Race the Sun Challenge Edition", and from my brief experience with it, it seems to be the same game as this, just free-to-play with microtransactions, which makes the older Steam version better by default for me.”
    • “Those developers left this version without updates for over 2000 days, and I felt fine until I found out there's an Android version still updated to this day, but it includes microtransactions.”
    • “This whole game seems like a big cash grab.”
  • emotional
    9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The emotional experience of "Race the Sun" is deeply nostalgic and impactful, evoking feelings of childhood innocence and heartfelt challenge. Players express strong emotional reactions, often describing moments of frustration and attachment that highlight the game's minimalistic yet powerful tone.

    • “Race the Sun’s minimalist philosophy extends to its emotional tone as well.”
    • “10/10 would cry again for losing in level 3.”
    • “This game made me feel 7 years old again when I first played a race game.”
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80%Critics’ scoreBased on 1 critic reviews
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24h Median play time
58h Average play time
5h Main story
12h Completionist
9-78h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 11 analyzed playthroughs
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Frequently Asked Questions

Race The Sun is a survival racing game with post-apocalyptic theme.

Race The Sun is available on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, iPhone, Windows and others.

The main story can be completed in around 5 hours, while the entire game is estimated to take about 12 hours to finish. On average players spend around 58 hours playing Race The Sun.

Race The Sun was released on December 9, 2013.

Race The Sun was developed by Flippfly LLC.

Race The Sun has received mostly positive reviews from players and mostly positive reviews from critics. Most players liked this game for its gameplay but disliked it for its grinding.

Race The Sun is a single player game with multiplayer and local co-op support.

Similar games include Boson X, Bit Blaster XL, Super House of Dead Ninjas, Superflight, PARTICLE MACE and others.