HyperDrift
HyperDrift is an endless synthwave racer that runs entirely in the browser. No download, no install, no asset files. The world, the obstacles and even the soundtrack are generated live in code.
- Role
- Design & Code
- Year
- 2026
- Status
- Launched
- Tags
- Game, three.js, WebGL, WebAudio, Procedural, Browser
- Links
- Site ↗
What it is
HyperDrift is an endless synthwave racer that never stops accelerating. You thread neon rings, gamble everything on turbo and chase 270 MPH across an infinite electric sunset until the grid takes you.
It runs entirely in your browser. No download, no install, nothing to wait for. Two keys to steer, one to gamble, everything else is nerve.
Why I made it
I wanted to see how far a game could go with zero assets. No image files, no audio files, no 3D models, no build pipeline. Just code, maths and a browser powered by Claude Fable 5.
Synthwave was the obvious aesthetic. It is built from exactly the things you can generate procedurally: grids, gradients, a striped sun, pulsing neon. The whole look is a love letter to a decade I am definitely old enough to actually remember.
The run
Most runners ramp up then flatten out. HyperDrift keeps accelerating forever, and every 18 seconds the grid invents a new way to end your run. Slaloms become moving pylons. Pylons learn to hunt. Then the double walls and sweepers arrive.
There are three systems doing the real work:
- The turbo gambit. Hold turbo and the world goes gold: double score at 1.45x speed. The meter burns dry in three seconds and the walls arrive 45% faster while it does. Every burn is a bet that your reflexes cash the check.
- Precision pays. Thread rings to stack a streak multiplier up to 8x. Shave past a pylon with paint to spare and the near-miss bonus is yours. Cowardice is unprofitable.
- Three shields, then particles. Every eighth ring in a streak restores a shield. After that it is down to your hands.
Music that chases you
There are no audio files in HyperDrift. The night-cruise score, all pumping bass, half-time drums and wide analog pads, is synthesized live with WebAudio oscillators while you play. And it is listening. As your speed climbs the tempo climbs with it, from 111 up to 143 BPM, and the engine hum is pitched to your velocity.
Under the hood
- WebGL rendering with three.js, HDR bloom post-processing and custom GLSL shaders for the infinite grid and the striped sun.
- Synthesized audio, every note and sound effect generated at runtime, reacting to gameplay.
- A procedural world, where mountains, obstacle patterns and the ship itself are built from code and maths. Pattern geometry stretches with speed so the impossible stays fair.
- One file. It loads in seconds and runs at 60 FPS on a laptop, a desktop or the phone in your hand.
A family project
I did not build HyperDrift alone. I took design and engineering lead. My son ran QA and turned out to be a ruthless games tester, the kind who finds an unfair hitbox in four seconds and will not let it go. My daughter was the boss. Product manager, creative director and final word, all in one. She killed features without ceremony and was usually right.
HyperDrift was built with Claude Fable 5, hours before it was suspended over security concerns by the US government.