The mobile racers that finally nailed touch controls

Every racing game promises supercars and gorgeous tracks. Almost none of them tell you how the thing actually steers on a touchscreen, which is the only thing that matters when you're holding a slab of glass at 200 kmh.

After a lot of testing, the winners share a few traits: a big, forgiving brake zone, a drift input that's separate from steering, and the option to fully remap buttons. Tilt steering still divides people — I turn it off immediately, but I know players who swear by it.

Nitro Boulevard is my current go-to because it lets you move the boost button and gives you clear drift feedback. Games that lock the layout tend to frustrate within an hour.

If you're shopping for a racer, ignore the trailer and spend five minutes in the settings menu. A game that lets you tune the controls to your hands will always beat one with prettier cars and a fixed layout.