Orbit Rush Guide – Drifting, Items, Best Ship and How to Unlock Every Stage
Orbit Rush is a free space racing game for your browser. You race seven rivals around neon tubes that orbit the planets. You can fly all the way around the tube, which makes it play very differently from a normal kart racer. This guide explains the systems that win races: drifting, gravity gates, items and the Hyperdrive. It also covers the stars and ship you need to reach the Event Horizon.
Stages and the stars you need
Each race is 3 laps against 7 rivals. Finishing 1st gives 3 stars, 2nd gives 2 and 3rd gives 1. Stars unlock new stages:
| Stage | Stars needed | What’s new |
|---|---|---|
| Earth Orbit | 0 | A few asteroids |
| Lunar Loop | 2 | First laser sweeper |
| Mars Rally | 5 | More rocks, two sweepers |
| Asteroid Belt | 8 | The densest rock field |
| Jupiter Storm | 11 | Four laser sweepers |
| Saturn Rings | 14 | First energy pulses |
| Solar Corona | 17 | Nine solar flare pulses |
| Event Horizon | 20 | Everything, on the twistiest tube |
Rival ships also get faster on every stage. On Earth Orbit you can win with the starter ship; from Saturn Rings onward, an upgraded ship makes a big difference.
Drift turbo: the most important skill
Hold Space while turning to drift. Your sparks change colour as the charge builds: blue after about 0.65 seconds (“TURBO!”), orange after 1.45 seconds (“SUPER TURBO!”) and purple after 2.4 seconds (“ULTRA TURBO!”). Release Space to fire the turbo. Each level lasts longer: about 0.55, 0.95 and 1.4 seconds of boost. Every drift turbo also adds a little charge to your Hyperdrive.
- Start the drift a little before the bend, not in the middle of it.
- Release on purple. Holding longer gives nothing extra.
- Drifting costs about 3% speed while you hold it, so don’t drift on straights.
- You can switch the drift to the other side by steering firmly the other way, and you keep your charge.
Gravity gates
Gravity gates are rings across the tube. Fly through the gold zone in the middle for a slingshot boost. Hitting the edge of the gate gives much less. Line up early, because adjusting at the last second costs more time than the boost gives back.
Rocket start
Press W exactly when “GO!” appears to rocket off the line. It is the cheapest overtake in the game: you can pass two or three rivals before the first bend.
Items: what each one does
Fly through ? crates to get an item. What you get depends on your position. Leaders mostly get defensive items; racers at the back get more powerful attacks.
| Item | What it does | Best use |
|---|---|---|
| Nitro | A short speed boost | Straights, or to recover after a hit |
| Triple Nitro | Three Nitro boosts | Spread them over a lap |
| Plasma Mine | Drops a mine behind you | When someone is right on your tail |
| Homing Missile | Seeks the racer ahead of you | When the next rival is close |
| Ion Shield | Blocks hits for 9 seconds | When you see “MISSILE INCOMING!” |
| Black Hole | A vortex that travels down the track ahead | Fire it behind a pack of rivals |
| EMP Blast | Hits every racer close to you, ahead and behind | In the middle of a pack |
| Meteor Storm | Drops meteors on up to 3 racers ahead of you | Only appears when you’re behind: use it at once |
Press E to use an item. Rivals use items too, so when you hold an Ion Shield in 1st place, keep it until a missile warning appears.
Hyperdrive
Collect stardust on the track, and land drift turbos, to fill the Hyperdrive bar. When it’s full, press Q. For a few seconds you fly at 1.75× your top speed, and nothing can knock you out: missiles, mines and rocks don’t spin you. Save it for the final lap, or use it to escape a pack that is about to hit you with items.
Hazards
- Asteroids float on the tube. Fly around them: hitting one sends your ship into a spin and costs your drift charge.
- Laser sweepers spin around the tube. Watch the gap and time your pass.
- Energy pulses appear from Saturn Rings onward, and Solar Corona is full of them. Watch their rhythm and pass between them.
An Ion Shield or the Hyperdrive protects you from all of these.
Ships and upgrades
| Ship | Cost | Speed | Acceleration | Handling |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Comet | free | 3 | 4 | 4 |
| Nova | 1,200 | 4 | 6 | 6 |
| Viper | 3,000 | 6 | 5 | 4 |
| Eclipse | 6,000 | 7 | 6 | 7 |
| Quasar | 10,000 | 8 | 8 | 7 |
| Singularity | 16,000 | 10 | 8 | 9 |
Buy the Nova first. It costs little and improves acceleration and handling, which matter most on the early, rocky stages. Then save for the Eclipse: it is the first ship that is good at everything. Skip the Viper unless you love top speed, because its handling is no better than the Comet’s.
Each ship has three upgrades, Engine (top speed), Thrusters (acceleration) and Booster (+7% boost power per level). Each goes up to level 5, costing 150, 300, 600, 1,000 and 1,600 coins. Upgrades belong to one ship, so upgrade the ship you plan to keep.
Earning coins
Every race pays coins by finishing place: 300 for 1st, 220 for 2nd, 170 for 3rd, down to 50 for 8th. Replaying an easy stage you can win is the fastest way to earn coins. The daily bonus pays out every day, growing from 100 coins on day 1 to 1,000 on day 7.
Quick tips
- Use the whole tube. The inside line around a bend is shorter, even if that means flying upside down.
- Brake (S) before tight bends on the Asteroid Belt rather than hitting a rock.
- Racing on a phone or tablet? Turn it sideways. Gamepads also work.
Ready to race? Play Orbit Rush free in your browser.