Climb straight, lift off in mud: driving jeeps, trucks and tractors
The trick to off-road games is using less throttle, and using it evenly. Build speed before a climb and hit the slope head-on, then ease off as you near the crest. Going down, ride the brake instead of the gas. When the wheels start spinning in mud, lift off, roll back a little and try again. A jeep is light and forgiving, a truck reacts late, and a tractor is all about balance. Below you get the rules step by step, then a closer look at each vehicle.
Hills, descents and mud: step by step
Off-road, the ground itself is your opponent. Be ready for these situations in order:
- Before the climb: pick up speed on the flat. Truck Cross Country spells it out: hit a steep slope without momentum and the truck stalls halfway and starts sliding back.
- Into the climb: point the nose straight up the face. Take the slope sideways or on a diagonal and the weight shifts to one side until the vehicle tips over.
- The crest: a few car lengths from the top, come off the gas. Crest a hill flat out and you leave the ground, and in the air neither steering nor throttle does anything.
- The descent: lift off and feather the brake. Gravity is already speeding you up, and at the bottom you will not make the turn at that pace.
- Mud and rocks: when the wheels start to slip, cut the throttle for a moment. Steer towards where you want to go with small inputs, never a big yank.
Rather than memorising five steps, ask one question at every hill: do I need speed right now, or grip? At the foot of the hill you want speed; at the top and in the mud you want grip.
Steady throttle instead of low gear
In a real 4x4 you crawl up a steep bank in low range: the engine has plenty of pull but the wheels turn slowly, so they slip less. Most browser games have no gear key at all; throttle and brake share one key each. You fake the low gear with your gas key instead.
A key cannot be half pressed, so the keyboard version of part throttle is a rhythm of short taps. When the tyre bites, the vehicle creeps forward; in the gaps between taps, the wheelspin dies down. Tractor Trial says the same thing in its own tips: a steady mid throttle gets you over a steep climb sooner than full power. The cargo hauler American 18 Wheeler Truck Sim goes a step further and suggests slowing on descents with engine braking in a low gear rather than the pedal, because the loaded trailer pushes you from behind.
Keeping the load and the balance
The quickest way to lose off-road is to roll over. In the games below you are not loading anything into a truck bed, but the vehicle's own weight behaves like cargo: it shifts rearwards on a climb and forwards on a descent. The tractor shows this most clearly. Go too fast and the front wheels lift until it flips onto its back; skip the light brake on the way down and it pitches forward instead.
If you want to see real cargo in play, try the truck sim: drop the load or tip the rig and the job starts over. The rule is the same everywhere: sudden throttle, sudden braking and sudden steering all throw the weight around. Start every input half a second early so the vehicle can carry its mass smoothly.
Jeep, truck and tractor compared
Jeep: light and forgiving
Offroad Jeep Simulator offers several jeep models with different weight and grip. A jeep answers quickly, so you usually get a chance to correct a mistake. If you get stuck, the game's own advice is to reverse and take another run at it, since forcing it with steady throttle only spins the wheels.
Truck: late reactions, long routes
A truck is heavy and slow to respond to the wheel. Truck-Cross-Country-Game tells you to keep steering small in the mud; because the truck reacts late, your corrections stack on top of each other and it starts to wallow. The suspension bounces on every bump, so hit the humps too fast and you lose direction on landing. In both truck games the route matters as much as speed: skip a single checkpoint and the finish does not count.
Tractor: balance, not speed
In Tractor Trial you have balance keys on top of throttle and brake to adjust the nose. Barrels and logs need to be met with the wheels square to them. Flip over and you restart from the last checkpoint, and R resets the whole level.
Example: a muddy climb with a stream behind it
In Truck Cross Country, one checkpoint sits behind a hill. The foot of the hill is muddy and beyond the crest there is a stream. Build speed on the flat with W and aim straight up the slope. As soon as the wheels start slipping in the mud, let go of W for a beat and press again. The truck finds grip and keeps climbing.
Near the crest, ease off and start the descent on the brake. Plunge into the stream bed at speed and the truck is out of your hands. Fall into the water and the game lets you carry on from that spot once; fall in again and you may have to replay the level. So on the first attempt, go for a clean run rather than a fast one.
Common mistakes
- Cresting at full throttle. You take off, lose your heading on landing and often miss the checkpoint.
- Flooring it in the mud. The wheel spins and the vehicle digs in. Lifting off and backing up is quicker.
- Climbing on a diagonal. Both the heavy truck and the jeep roll easily at that angle.
- Accelerating downhill. The weight is already adding speed and leaves no room to turn at the bottom.
- Visiting checkpoints out of order. Driving past one and doubling back wastes the most time in both truck games.
Which game to practise in
On a phone, start with Truck Cross Country; it has on-screen driving buttons and lets you pick your own route.
Tractor Trial is a good school for balance on its own. On a phone you play it with the on-screen throttle and brake buttons.
With a keyboard, try the different jeeps in Offroad Jeep Simulator using WASD; free driving lets you explore the terrain without a clock.
To feel the weight of a truck on a cross-country course with checkpoints, there is Truck-Cross-Country-Game. It needs a keyboard, so play it on a computer.
For practising lifting off at the crest on tarmac that keeps rising and falling, Slope Racing does exactly that job. The road has no barriers, and once you are airborne at the top the steering is gone.
For a small child, Monster Trucks Kids Racing runs on big buttons with no time limit and nobody knocked out; collecting the stars on the bumps is the whole goal.
For more vehicles, browse the Cars and Simulation categories. The overall map of car game types lives in our car games guide, and heavy rigs such as lorries and coaches are in the bus and truck simulator list. If you would rather go fast on tarmac, move on to racing lines and braking points.
Frequently asked questions
Why does my vehicle keep rolling over?
Usually you are either taking the slope side-on or cresting at full throttle. Climb straight, lift off near the top and brake on the way down.
Can I play off-road games on a phone?
Truck Cross Country, Tractor Trial and Monster Trucks Kids Racing work on a phone with touch buttons. Offroad Jeep Simulator, Truck-Cross-Country-Game and Slope Racing need a keyboard.
I am stuck in the mud. What now?
Stop holding the gas. Roll back a little, point the nose gently where you want to go and try again with a run-up. Steady throttle only spins the wheels.