Neon Drift Alley

Neon Drift Alley is exactly the kind of racer phones were made for. One touch to steer, tilt or tap to drift, and a boost meter that fills the longer you keep the back wheels loose. It's tuned so precisely that within a lap you stop thinking and just feel the corners.

The tracks lean hard into a nighttime city look, all reflections and rain streaks. It runs smoothly even on my older phone, which earns a lot of goodwill. There's a decent progression of cars, though the real hook is chasing your own best time on a track you've almost memorized.

My only gripe is the on-screen ads between longer runs, but the race-to-race loop is genuinely great. If you want something with actual skill under the arcade shine, start here.

What we liked

• Superb, learnable drift handling
• Runs well on modest phones
• Great track-time chasing loop