Asphalt 8 adds a new two-tiered system to their signature speed boosts, allowing players to trigger a super ‘perfect nitro’ boost with the correct timing. The heart of the game remains, however: turbo is still the key to victory in Asphalt, gained on the course by drifting, flying through the air, or knocking over opponents and objects scattered around the track.

Realistic sound effects, addictive nitro-fueled racing, a plethora of cars and modes - what else do I need to say about Asphalt 8 With Asphalt 8, they’ve taken that formula and turned the notch up to 11, adding a few key features that put the previous entries in the series to shame. Throughout the Asphalt series (which began with the Nintendo DS/Java mobile title Asphalt Urban GT in 2004), Gameloft’s maintained the game’s core formula as a lightning-fast arcade racer full of knockdowns, turbo boosts, and drifting at insane speeds.

Take to the glorious, exhaust-filled skies Not only is Asphalt 8 a fantastic step up from the enjoyable Apshalt 7 – it’s far and away the best racing game available on iOS, racing or simulation. Thankfully, Gameloft’s avoided slapping the F2P tag on one of their signature series Asphalt 8 is not a free to play game: and priced at $0.99, is easily one of the best values available in the App Store right now. So when Gameloft announced Asphalt 8: Airborne a few months back, it was hard not to be hesitant – after all, who wants to install another racing game full of timers, paywalls, and simplistic gameplay? As one of the larger publishers in the App Store, Gameloft’s recent descent into free-to-play monstrosities or thrown-together movie tie-ins been quite disappointing, especially when signature franchises take a turn for the worst (I’m looking at you, Dungeon Hunter 4).

Asphalt 8 airborne game play