How to play ApexMidnight
ApexMidnight is a free, browser-based racing game. No download, no launcher. Pick one of 89 cars, jump into a lobby, and you are wheel to wheel with real players and AI rivals on neon Tokyo street circuits in seconds. Here is exactly how a race works, and every control you need.
A race in five steps
From a cold start to the chequered flag, this is the whole loop.
- 1
Pick and tune a car
Choose a car from your garage, pick a paint job, and spend tuning credits to sharpen its speed, grip or acceleration. Every car has a Performance Index so you know where it sits.
- 2
Join or create a lobby
Create a room and share the link with friends, or drop into an open lobby. Every empty slot on the grid is filled by a competitive AI rival, so a race is never empty.
- 3
The host drops the green light
Everyone loads onto the same circuit and lines up on the grid. A shared countdown starts the race for all drivers at once, in real time over WebSockets.
- 4
Race the laps
Hold the racing line, brake late, drift the tight turns and burn nitro on the straights. A live minimap and leaderboard track every car around you. Fall off? Respawn back on track.
- 5
Cross the line
Finish for credits to spend on cars and tuning, plus driver XP toward 50 levels that unlock faster machinery. Then rematch the whole grid in one tap.
Controls
Drive on the keyboard, or plug in a controller. Both work at the same time, so a friend on the same machine can grab a pad.
Keyboard
- W
- Throttle
- S
- Brake / reverse
- AD
- Steer left / right
- Space
- Handbrake (drift)
- Shift
- Nitro boost
- H
- Horn (flags you on the minimap)
- F
- Fire at targets
- ←↑↓→
- Free-look camera
- R
- Respawn on track
- F5
- Fullscreen
Gamepad
Xbox labels shown; PlayStation equivalent in brackets.
- RT
- Throttle
- LT
- Brake / reverse
- L stick
- Steer
- X (□)
- Handbrake (drift)
- A (✕)
- Nitro boost
- B (○)
- Horn
- RB (R1)
- Fire at targets
- R stick
- Free-look camera
- Y (△)
- Respawn on track
Go faster: drift, nitro and the racing line
Anyone can finish a lap. These three things win the race.
Drift
Tap the handbrake into a tight corner to break the rear loose, countersteer, and feed the throttle back in. Slides carry speed through hairpins the grip line cannot.
Nitro
Your boost is a limited resource. Save it for long straights and corner exits where the extra top speed pays off most, not for a corner you are about to brake into.
Racing line
Brake in a straight line, turn in late, clip the apex, and let the car run wide on exit. The smooth line beats the short line almost everywhere.
Want the detail? The guides break down drifting, tuning and the racing line corner by corner.
Race types and modifiers
The lobby host picks the format and can stack optional modifiers, so no two grids play the same.
Race types
Standard
Classic grid race against other players, with AI rivals filling every empty slot.
Time Trial
A solo run with no bots on track. Chase down your own best-lap ghost.
Elimination
Each lap, the last car yet to complete it is knocked out until one remains.
Modifiers
Power-ups
Item boxes along the track grant boosts, shields, an EMP and the odd self-malus.
Guzzoline
Start on a full tank that drains as you drive. Thread the petrol stations to refuel, or smash in and explode.
Animals
Dogs, cats, wild boar, deer and elephants dart across the road. Clip one and you slow down for a moment.
Grid handicap
Slower cars (lower PI) start ahead on the grid, tightening the field for a closer race.
Now put it into practice
89 cars, 15 circuits, and a full grid every time. Free, and it runs in your browser.