A round
Hold the keys to drive
Hold W or the up arrow to accelerate. Hold A and D, or the left and right arrows, to steer. S, the down arrow, or space brakes. Release the accelerator to coast. On a phone, hold the driving buttons; steering and throttle work together.
The steering turns a moving car. Slow down for the corner, watch both lanes, and get across the junction before turning left onto the far lane.
Find the finish line
The chequered gate is down the road to your left. Cross the junction, then drive through that gate in the left-going lane. Passing beside the gate or crossing it backwards does not finish the course.
You have twenty-five seconds from the start of your run. A collision or the clock running out ends it. The other driver gets out when you hit their car.
Same course, fastest finish
Every player starts from the same position with identical traffic. Each gets one complete run, including the last player. Fastest finish wins; equal times share the place. Anyone who finishes ranks ahead of someone who does not. Among nonfinishers, progress along the road decides the order.
The car is shared
Everyone watches the same server-controlled car. Your browser sends held key states, never a claimed position, time, or finish. Letting go, leaving the tab, or losing the connection releases the controls.
On the sheet
Questions people ask
Can I use arrow keys?
Yes. Arrow keys and W A S D do the same things. Hold up to accelerate, left or right to steer, and down to brake. Space also brakes.
Can I play on a phone?
Yes. Hold the on-screen pedals and steering buttons. You can accelerate and steer at the same time.
Can I play alone?
Yes. Drive the same course and try to set a clean finish time. A crash or the twenty-five-second limit ends the run.
What happens after a crash?
Your run ends and the next driver takes the keys. Your progress is recorded. A finisher always ranks ahead of a nonfinisher.
Does anybody have to install anything to play Left Turn?
No. It runs in the browser everyone already has open. One person opens a room, reads out the six-character code or pastes the link into the channel, and everyone else is at the table in a couple of seconds.
Do we need accounts?
No. There is no sign-up, no password and no email address anywhere in the flow. You pick a name when you sit down, and that is the whole of it.
How many people can play Left Turn?
1 to 8 — best with four. A room seats up to 12.
How long does a game of Left Turn take?
About 5 minutes, which is the length of a coffee break rather than the length of a games night. Nobody is the host in the sense of holding the controls, so a round finishes whether or not everyone is still looking at it.
Does it work over a video call?
That is what it is for. The game is on the screen and the talking is on the call — nobody has to describe a board to anybody, and the parts that must stay private stay on the server rather than being read out.