I don’t find much joy in mobile games anymore. Many are too focused on complexity, from characters to controls, and lack the pick-up-and-play appeal I want from a game.
In my efforts to find a game I could just have some fun with for five minutes and then put down, I stumbled across Retro Racing 2, and it not only fulfilled my gaming needs, but it also bought back some happy memories.
Racing, but retro
Good, classic fun
Retro Racing 2 is a top-down racing game far removed from the likes of the Asphalt or CSR Racing franchises, from the graphics to the control system.
However, I’m not saying this in a negative way. The graphics and design are wonderful. Clean, crisp, and modern yet never straying far from the game’s retro inspiration.
There are just three simple left, right, and accelerate controls needed to play the game, so it takes seconds to learn, but quite some time to master.
The physics are pure arcade fun, where too much throttle in the corners will upset the car’s balance, usually leading to some oversteer on the way out. Just the way I want it.
Not to be taken seriously
No rules racing
After learning the controls and basics of driving the car, you’re immediately into a race, and you soon learn the rules and strategy to win are a little different than other racing games.
Hitting other cars isn’t advisable, but the penalties aren’t as harsh as you may fear, so nudging them out of the way can work quite well.
The track limits aren’t where you think. Cutting corners seems to be a factor in the game, as you’ll see most other cars on track doing it. Position your car correctly, and it’ll save you time.
In other racing games, you’ll regularly “floor” the throttle while the timer counts down at the start. Do this in Retro Racing 2, and you’ll have a slower start than you would if you time pressing the accelerator when “Go” flashes on the screen.
Retro doesn’t mean easy
It takes time and practice
Here’s where I like Retro Racing 2. You won’t succeed in winning every race immediately, and there’s no shortcut to buying a better racing car, so you have to practice hard, and build up your funds first.
Controlling the car with the basic controls takes practice and skill, and although learning the track layout helps, it’s far more advantageous to pick up the various power-ups which spawn around it.
Each race only takes a few minutes, making it ideal for when you have a moment, but there’s value and reward in playing for longer amounts of time. There’s even a multi-player mode.
It’s easy to pick up and play for another reason too. Launch the app, and after only a couple of button taps, you’re playing. No endless menu screens, offers of the week to dismiss, or bonuses to collect before you actually start.
Even the way it’s purchased is simple. There’s a free demo version to try, and if you like it, the full Pro version of the game costs $6. That’s it.
No subscription, loot boxes, coins, or the ability to pay real money for better cars. You just have to play the game to get them.
Roots in the past
In more ways than one
The way Retro Racing 2 looks and plays is as its name suggests.
It’s a throwback to arcade hits like Super Sprint, and 16-bit games like Super Cars released in a time before Sony, Sega, or Microsoft dreamed of making a console.
It takes considerable skill and a deep understanding of gaming from the 80s and 90s to effectively reproduce the style today.
Retro Racing 2 comes from Mr Qwak, the pseudonym used by indie game developer Jamie Woodhouse, known for the platform game Qwak made for the Commodore Amiga in 1993, and top-down racing games Nitro and ATR: All Terrain Racing from the same period.
Woodhouse brought Qwak back to iOS in 2010, at a time when it was common to release a standard version for the iPhone, and an HD version for the iPad.
Returning to old classics
Good memories
I have fond memories of playing Qwak on my Amiga, and then rediscovering it many years later when it returned on iOS, which was coincidentally during my early days of writing about mobile technology online.
Qwak has sadly since disappeared from the App Store and never arrived on Android, and neither did the first Retro Racing.
It was only by chance I stumbled upon Retro Racing 2 this week, as I searched for a game I actually wanted to play to test out a new phone.
It has been out for Android since early 2025, and I’ve been enjoying playing it ever since I downloaded it.
Where are the rest?
Forever lost
Playing it makes me want to see other classic Amiga and Atari ST games make a return to mobile.
Some have in the past, such as vertical shoot-em-up Battle Squadron and sports game Speedball 2 Evolution, along with homages like Fumes Stunt Racer (inspired by Stunt Car Racer by gaming legend Geoff Crammond), but it’s a vastly untapped well.
I’m sure complicated legal and licensing issues exist, along with prohibitive costs of porting and developing such games for a modern platform only to serve a small audience, are among the reasons why few exist, but it’s still disappointing to those who don’t want yet another RPG or pay-to-win racing game.
At least games like Retro Racing 2 exist, and have been lovingly crafted for a fun mobile experience today.
I highly recommend giving it a try if you’ve been suffering from the same mobile game fatigue as I have.
