How to Drift in a Racing Game: A Beginner Guide
Drifting is the fastest way to make a corner look good, and once it clicks it is also a genuinely quick way through tight, low grip turns. The trick is that it is a sequence, not a single button. Get the order right and the car does most of the work.
This guide breaks a drift into three stages you can practise one at a time.
Stage one: break traction
A drift starts by deliberately losing rear grip as you turn in. The two reliable ways to do it are lifting off the throttle sharply as you steer (a lift off), or tapping the handbrake for a beat. Rear wheel drive cars step out the easiest, which is why they are the classic choice for learning.
Do this before the apex, not at it. You want the car already rotating as you reach the tightest part of the corner.
Stage two: hold the slide
Once the back steps out, steer into the slide (countersteer) and feed in just enough throttle to keep the rear spinning without snapping straight or spinning fully around. This is the part that feels like balancing, because it is. Small, constant corrections beat big ones.
Keep your eyes on the corner exit, not the wall. You tend to go where you look.
Stage three: exit clean
As the corner opens up, gradually straighten the wheel and roll on the throttle so the car hooks up and fires down the next straight. Snapping off the throttle here is the most common way to spin, so be smooth.
Practise on a slower car first. A lower powered, well balanced car is far more forgiving than a hypercar while you learn the rhythm.
자주 묻는 질문
- What is the easiest car to learn to drift in?
- A rear wheel drive car with moderate power and good balance. Too much power makes the slide hard to control, and front or all wheel drive cars resist stepping out in the first place.
- Is drifting faster than gripping?
- Usually not on a wide, fast circuit, where holding grip is quicker. On tight, low grip or technical sections a controlled drift can carry more speed through the corner and looks far better doing it.