KartRider: Drift

Move over, Mario. Say ‘so long’ to Crash. There’s a new challenger for the karting crown

- Dave Meikleham

When you look at this cheery racer, your first thought is probably ‘cheap Mario Kart clone that’s been hashed out in a couple of months’. Oh what a cynical soul you are. KartRider has actually been on the scene for over 15 years, with almost 400 million players in the Far East running its courses since 2004. Now this free-to-play karter brings its cartoon chaos to Xbox One with a slick 4K lick of paint.

Play even a single race of Drift and you’ll feel like you’ve been transported back in time. Even though Xbox has never really been synonymous with the karting genre, there’s a good chance you’ve probably played a sly grand prix (or 17) of a certain portly plumber’s racing series. It’s alright to admit it – before the original Xbox launched, certain members of