Highway Rash
A 3D motorbike brawl down five California roads
Illegal street races where the rules end at the start line. Punch and kick the riders beside you, grab their clubs and chains, dodge traffic and cows, and stay ahead of the police.
Play now — freeRuns in your browser. Keyboard, gamepad or touch.
Summary
Highway Rash is a combat racer played from behind your bike. Fourteen rival riders share the road with you on five routes: the Pacific Coast, the Sierra Nevada, a redwood forest, the Palm Desert and Grass Valley. Finish fourth or better to qualify and win prize money, qualify on all five roads to move up a level, and spend your winnings on faster bikes at Rusty's Bike Shop. There are five levels, each with longer races and meaner rivals. It runs in real-time 3D in the browser, with shadows, fog and a chase camera that leans into the corners.
How to play
- 1Pick a road from Race. The lights count down from three, then hold the throttle.
- 2Ride up beside a rival and punch or kick them. Empty their bar and they go down. Knock over a rider carrying a club or chain and it is yours.
- 3Watch two bars: Rider empties and you are knocked off, Bike empties and it is wrecked. A wreck costs a repair bill.
- 4If you crash with a police bike close behind, you are busted and pay a fine. Can't pay a fine or a repair bill and the game is over.
- 5Finish fourth or better to qualify and win cash. Qualify on all five roads to reach the next level.
- 6Buy a faster, heavier bike at the shop. Heavier bikes hit harder and take less damage.
- 7Write down the password after a race to carry on later. Progress also saves on the device you play on.
Controls
| ↑ / ↓ | Throttle and brake |
|---|---|
| ← / → | Steer |
| A / D | Punch left / right (uses your weapon if you have one) |
| Q / E | Kick left / right |
| P | Pause |
| Gamepad | Stick to steer, A throttle, B brake, X / Y hit |
| Touch | On-screen buttons on phones and tablets |
The original: Road Rash (1991)
Electronic Arts
The original Road Rash was released by Electronic Arts for the Sega Genesis (Mega Drive) in September 1991. It was produced by Randy Breen and designed by Breen, Dan Geisler and Walter Stein, with music by Rob Hubbard.
It mixed racing with fist fights at a time when racing games were about lap times. Players raced fifteen riders across five levels, needed fourth place or better to qualify, bought bikes with their winnings, dodged motorcycle police and kept their progress with passwords. GamePro gave it a perfect score, and it became EA's most profitable title at release.
Its popularity carried it to other machines: the Amiga in 1992, then the Game Gear, Master System and Game Boy in 1994. It grew into a series, with Road Rash II and Road Rash 3 on the Genesis, Road Rash 64 on the Nintendo 64, and Road Rash: Jailbreak in 2000.
An original game. The riders, bikes, roads, music and art are all new and drawn in code; nothing is taken from Road Rash. Not affiliated with Electronic Arts.
Screenshots
