✏️ Draw Car Climb

Your drawing is your wheels

Draw Car Climb is a free racing game where you don't choose a car: you draw it. At the bottom of the screen is a squared drawing pad. Scribble a shape on it with your mouse or finger and, the moment you lift off, that shape is copied onto your little red car as both of its wheels. The car's motor turns the wheels at a steady speed and the real physics engine does the rest. A neat circle rolls like a normal wheel. A straight line flips end over end like a pair of legs. A wobbly potato bumps along in a funny, lumpy way. Whatever you draw, it will move somehow, and finding out how is half the fun.

The drawing is scaled to the same size every time, so a tiny scribble and a huge one make the same size wheels. What matters is the shape: how round it is, how long its arms are, and whether it has corners that can hook over a step.

Circles for speed, legs for climbing

The track changes as you go, and no single shape is best everywhere. On flat ground and smooth hills a round wheel is the fastest thing you can draw, because it keeps the same height as it turns and never wastes energy bouncing. But the moment you reach a staircase, a pile of blocks or a tall wall, a round wheel just spins against the edge and gets stuck.

That is when you want legs. A long straight line reaches up over a step, hooks onto the top and heaves the car up. A cross or a star has several arms, so one of them is always ready to grab the next ledge. Legs are slow and bumpy on the flat, though, so the winning trick is to switch: draw a circle for the straight, a leg shape just before the stairs, then a circle again once you are over the top. You can redraw as often as you like, even halfway up a wall.

Ten tracks to climb

The tracks get harder one by one. First Scribble is a gentle hill to learn the idea. Stairway and Big Steps add flights of stairs, small and then tall. Bumpy Road is a line of humps that make round wheels bounce. Block Party piles up boxes of different heights. Mountain Pass is one long, steep climb and a fast run down the other side. Staircase Mix puts stairs, bumps and slopes together. The Wall has sheer walls you can only get over with long legs. Rollercoaster is a string of steep hills and dips, and Grand Climb, the last track, has a bit of everything.

Every track ends at a chequered flag. The little strip at the bottom of the track view shows how far each car has got, and the box in the corner shows your place and how many metres are left.

Two computer racers

You are not racing alone. A blue car and a green car start next to you, and they draw too. They look at the ground ahead and swap between round wheels and legs by themselves, so they are quick on the straights and can climb as well. On the first tracks they are a little slower than you; on the later tracks they are almost as fast, so you need to change shape at the right moments to win. If a computer car gets stuck, it tries a different shape and has another go.

Coming first earns three stars, second place two stars and third place one star. Your best result on each track is saved, and finishing any track opens the next one. Your total number of wins and the number of shapes you have drawn are kept as well.

Tips for a better drawing

For a fast wheel, draw a circle in one smooth stroke and join the ends. A closed shape rolls far better than an open curve. For climbing, a single straight line is strong and simple; a plus sign or a star with four or five arms is steadier because it always has an arm touching the ground. Very spiky shapes grip well but shake the car about. Try something silly too: a zigzag, a heart or your own initial. Some strange shapes turn out to be surprisingly good climbers.

If your car tips over or falls off the edge, don't worry. It is put back on the track a little way behind, with the wheels you last drew, and carries on racing.

Learning through play

Draw Car Climb is a playful way to see some real physics. Children quickly discover why wheels are round, why a round wheel can't climb a step taller than itself, and why legs and tracks are better on rough ground. It encourages trying an idea, watching what happens and changing the plan, which is what engineers do every day.

The game is free, needs no download or account, and saves your stars only in your own browser. It works with a mouse or a touchscreen on computers, Chromebooks, tablets and phones. See the Parents & Safety page for details. For more physics driving, try Mega Ramp Stunts 3D, Offroad 4x4 Trails, Dirt Trail Rider, or browse all our Car Games.

Frequently asked questions