Arcade racers still have a place

Sim racing has taken over the conversation, but there's real joy in a game that lets you fling a car around a corner without thinking about tyre temperature. Arcade racers are comfort food, and mobile is the perfect place for them.

Neon Drift Rally reminded me of this. No tuning menus, no fiddly adjustments — you drift, you chain combos, you chase a score. It's immediate in a way sims never are, and that immediacy is exactly what you want on a phone.

The catch with arcade racers is control scheme. Tilt feels fun but imprecise; on-screen buttons are reliable but less immersive. My advice is to spend ten minutes trying both before you decide the game is bad. Half the time it's just the wrong input for you.

Don't dismiss arcade racing as shallow. A tight drift mechanic and a good sense of speed can carry a whole game, and sometimes that's all you need after a long day.