Guide — Rainline
Rainline is a hot-lap racer that runs in a browser tab. One circuit, three laps, and your own ghost to chase.
What is this?
Rainline is a free racing game that runs in your browser: a hot lap — a time trial — rather than a race against a field. One circuit, Harbour Nine, nine corners through a wet harbour district after dark, and one thing to do on it. Go faster than last time. A lap takes about 45 seconds once you know it.
How to play
The circuit is already rolling under an attract camera when the page loads. Press any key and the camera drops in behind the car — that keypress is already your first driving input.
Steer with the arrow keys or A and D; throttle and brake are up and down, or W and S. On a phone: edges steer, centre brakes. Space is the handbrake, R restarts instantly from anywhere, Esc pauses.
You run three laps. All twelve checkpoints must be crossed in order for a lap to count, so cutting a corner does not pay, and going far off the road puts you back with a time penalty. At the end: your total, your splits, your ideal lap — your best time in each sector, added up — and a trace of the line you drove.
Your best run stays on this device and returns as a ghost — a translucent car driving your old lap beside you. The number top right is your gap to it at the last checkpoint.
Tips that will make you quicker
- Brake in a straight line. The tyres can slow the car or turn it, not both. Finish the braking, then turn in.
- The handbrake rotates the car, it does not slow it. Use it to point the nose at a slow corner’s exit, then get straight back on the throttle.
- The dry line painted into the road is the fast line. If the road under you is mirror-bright, you are off it.
- Turn 4 opens later than it looks. It invites you to unwind the wheel early, then tightens. Stay patient and you get on the power sooner than the driver who lunged.
- Turn 7, the hairpin, is a late apex and almost everyone takes it early. Go in deeper than feels comfortable, then use the whole width on the way out.
- Watch the barrier lights. The dashes tighten on the outside of every corner, warning you before you can see the corner.
FAQ
Is it free, and do I need an account?
Free, and there is no account.
Does it work on a phone?
It runs, at a reduced quality tier — no road reflections, half the rain — and steers with two thumbs on automatic throttle. It is not the same game: Rainline is built for a keyboard.
Where are my times saved?
On this device, in your browser’s local storage. Clearing your browsing data clears them, and there is no account to sync them to.
Is the leaderboard verified?
The board is for fun — times are reported by your browser and we do not verify them.
Why only one track?
Because one circuit built properly beats five built thinly. Harbour Nine is authored corner by corner.
What is it built with?
It is a web page: real-time 3D drawn with three.js on WebGL, no plugin and no download. The wet road is a true planar reflection, not a texture, and quality steps down by itself on weaker hardware.
Does reduced motion break anything?
No. The attract camera holds still and the effects calm down, but the game runs at full speed.