Motocross is a free online dirt-bike racing game: four riders on the gate, two laps, and a track of tabletops, doubles, triples, whoops, step-ups and berms between you and the chequered flag. It is a race, not a stunt show. Speed is everything, and you keep it or lose it in two places. The first is the landing: touch down square on the downslope of a jump and the bike rolls away almost as fast as it took off, land flat or short on the face of the next ramp and the speed is gone, land far off the slope and you crash. The second is the berms, the banked corners that a side view shows as a wall of dirt — each one has a top speed set by how tight it is, posted on a board before you reach it, and arrive faster than that and the front wheel washes out. Eight tracks run from a gentle Amateur valley to an Elite championship, and finishing on the podium unlocks the next. The three rivals are not scripted: each is a computer rider on a slower bike, riding the same physics you are, so the times you have to beat are times the track really allows.
How to play Motocross
- The gate drops after a 3-2-1 countdown. Hold → (or the Gas button) to accelerate and ← (or Brake) to slow down. You can hold the gas on the gate.
- Race two laps against three rival riders. Your place is the big number in the top-left, and the bar under the track shows where everyone is.
- Jumps throw the bike into the air on their own. While you fly, ↑ tips the nose back and ↓ tips it forward; the bike also drifts nose-down by itself as it falls.
- Land with the bike square to the ground under you. On the downslope of a jump you keep nearly all your speed; on flat ground or the face of the next ramp you lose it; far off the slope you crash.
- Too slow for a double and you come down in the gap — the bike cannot climb out, so after a moment you are set back up past the jump, standing still.
- Berms are the banked corners. The board before each one shows its top speed in km/h; go in faster and you wash out. The speed readout turns red when you are carrying too much.
- A crash costs you a couple of seconds on the ground and all your speed. Finish 1st for gold, 2nd or 3rd for the podium — the podium unlocks the next track.
Tips
- Brake early and in a straight line before a berm, then get back on the gas the moment you are in it. Braking late is how most races are lost.
- Doubles and triples need speed: if a berm comes just before one, carry as much speed out of the corner as the board allows rather than tiptoeing round it.
- Watch the landing, not the take-off. If the nose is still high as the downslope comes up, tap ↓; if it has dropped too far, tap ↑. Small taps beat holding the key.
- On tabletops, aim to clear the flat top and land on the back slope. Landing on the table is safe but slow; overshooting onto the flat bottom is slow too.
- Whoops are a row of small bumps. Hit them with speed and the bike skims the tops; crawl through and you ride every bump.
- If you come up short on a step-up, keep the gas on — a bike with a little speed can still climb the ledge face.
- The rivals ride the same physics on slower bikes, so they show you the line: follow one through a section you keep crashing on.
FAQ
Is Motocross free to play?
Yes. All eight tracks are free to play in your browser, with no download, no account and nothing to buy. Your unlocked tracks and best times are kept in your own browser.
Does Motocross work on a phone?
Yes. On a touch screen the Gas and Brake buttons sit in the bottom-right corner and the two lean buttons in the bottom-left, so you can play with both thumbs. It works held sideways or upright; upright shows less of the track ahead.
How do you win a race?
Cross the line ahead of all three rival riders after two laps. First place wins gold, second silver and third bronze, and any podium finish unlocks the next track. Fourth still finishes the race; it just does not unlock anything.
Why did I crash on the landing?
The bike landed too far off the angle of the ground under it. Watch the slope you are about to land on — the downslope of a jump tilts away from you — and use ↑ or ↓ in the air to match it. A short hop never crashes, however the bike is pitched; it is the real jumps that need lining up.
What is a berm and why do I wash out?
A berm is a banked corner. Seen from the side it is the wall of dirt behind the track, and each one has a top speed that depends on how tight it is — the board before it shows that speed in km/h. Enter faster than that and the front wheel slides out. Brake before the berm, not in it.
Are the rivals scripted?
No. Each rival is a computer rider on a slower bike — less engine and less grip in the berms — riding exactly the physics you ride. Their finishing times are whatever those bikes actually manage on each track, which is also why they come up short on the big jumps now and then.
What are the Amateur, Pro and Elite classes?
The eight tracks are raced in three classes. The first three are Amateur, where the rivals ride the slowest bikes; tracks four to six are Pro; the last two are Elite, where Kai rides a bike every bit as good as yours. We measured a rider who just holds the gas and brakes only when the speedometer turns red: it is just enough to win the opening track and gets a podium on every Amateur track, but it finishes off the podium on three of the five Pro and Elite tracks and never wins one. From there on, the landings and the berms are where races are won.
How is this different from Bike Stunt Rider?
Bike Stunt Rider is a trials game: you ride alone against a clock and a crash allowance, and the challenge is getting over each obstacle at all. Motocross is a race against three riders over two laps, with berms to brake for, and the challenge is keeping your speed — every landing and every corner either keeps it or throws it away.