Driftwave — Play Free Online

Driftwave is a drifting game made by the duo JamieRowan x RowanFuture and released on Poki on 29 February 2024, as their first title there. Each level is a twisting road full of tight bends and obstacles, and the job is to slide the car through it as cleanly and quickly as you can.

How the controls work

Everything is done with swipes and drags, so the game plays the same with a mouse or a finger.

• Start: the game asks you to choose a forward swipe direction; swiping that way sets the car off.
• Drift: once the car is moving, press and drag at any point of the screen to throw it into a slide. The further you drag, the more control you have over the angle.
• Quick turns: swipe fast in a new direction to snap the car round a sharp corner.

It works on desktop computers and on phones and tablets.

What you do in a level

The game files show several kinds of goal. Many levels end when you cross the finish line, others ask you to deliver a parcel, and there are ring levels as well. A level select screen lets you go back to stages you have already opened, and when you beat your previous result the game flags a new best. The build also contains an easy mode and a no-delivery mode option.

Cars and cosmetics

You can pick a car in the garage, and the game keeps a coin balance alongside a set of cosmetics. The cosmetic list in the game includes a Baseball Hat, Boater Hat, Cadet Hat, Cowboy Hat, Fez Hat, a Moustache and a Helicopter. When you cannot afford something, a message tells you to collect more coins, and a free spin can be unlocked for a prize. Once everything is unlocked a message reports that all cosmetics are collected.

Tips

• Use a longer drag when you want more control over the slide.
• Keep the fast swipe for sharp corners, since that is what the quick turn is for.
• On delivery levels, getting the parcel to its destination is the goal, not only reaching the end.
• Replay finished levels from the level select to try for a new best.