Out now on the Mac App Store · iPhone and Android in beta
Stuck, found a bug, or have a suggestion? We read every message. Most answers are below; if yours isn't, write to us.
Email: [email protected]
To help us respond quickly, include your Mac model or device, your macOS (or iOS or Android) version, the controller if you use one, and a short description of what happened. We aim to reply within two to three business days.
Runoff runs on macOS 12.0 (Monterey) or later, natively on both Apple silicon and Intel Macs. It is a one-time purchase on the Mac App Store, with no in-app purchases, no ads and no account. Play it with the keyboard or a game controller.
Throttle is shared by both pods and stays where you leave it; steering and strafing spring back when you let go. The default keys:
| Action | Key | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| THROTTLE UP | W or Up arrow | Raise both pods' thrust. It stays where you leave it. |
| THROTTLE DOWN | S or Down arrow | Lower the thrust. Below zero it pushes back and brakes. |
| STEER LEFT / RIGHT | A / D, or Left / Right arrow | Turn: the opposite pods push harder. Springs back. |
| STRAFE LEFT / RIGHT | Q / E | Slide sideways without turning. Springs back. |
| FINE | Shift (hold) | Small moves: slower throttle, gentler steering. |
| CUT | Space | Throttle straight to zero. |
| STRAIGHTEN | Tab | Steering straight back to centre. |
| RESET | R | Back to the start line. In a race, restarts the race. |
| TELEMETRY | F1 | Shows the engineering readout over the race. |
| CORE · GYRO · LIMITER | F2 · F3 · F4 | Free run only: the energy budget, the spin catcher and the spin cap. |
Yes. Open SETTINGS, then CONTROLS, pick an action and press the key you want. RESET TO DEFAULTS puts everything back. Esc, Enter and Backspace are kept for the menus, and the arrow keys keep working alongside whatever you choose.
Yes. Connect a gamepad and it takes over straight away. Each stick drives the pod on its own side: push both up to go, ease one off to turn. The face buttons are below; you can reassign them on the same CONTROLS page, which also has a CONTROLLER MAP. The sticks themselves are the board and can't be reassigned.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Left stick / right stick | Left pod / right pod. Both up to go, one to turn. |
| Top face button (Y on an Xbox layout, Triangle on PlayStation) | RESET |
| Right face button (B / Circle) | CORE in free run; Back in menus |
| Left face button (X / Square) | GYRO in free run |
| Bottom face button (A / Cross) | LIMITER in free run; Confirm in menus |
| D-pad | Moves through menus |
| Select / View | Leaves the race for the title screen |
| Start / Menu (hold) | Quits the game |
Tap Esc (or Select on a controller) to leave the race for the title screen. Hold Esc (or Start) for just over a second to quit the game. To start a race again from the line, press R.
The phone versions are in beta. Two on-screen sticks drive the board's two pods: the left half of the screen is the left pod, the right half the right pod. Each stick anchors wherever your thumb lands, so there is nothing to aim for. In a race, tap the bottom centre of the screen to reset your board, or hold it there to leave the race; free run has a MENU button instead. To join a beta, see testing on iPhone or testing on Android.
On your device only. Your career unlocks, rider, difficulty, music and control settings, and your records (best lap on each circuit, races and wins, achievements) are stored locally by the game. Nothing syncs through iCloud or any other cloud, so progress on your Mac does not carry over to another device.
It is optional. Signed in to Game Center, Runoff posts your best lap on each of the ten circuits, your total race wins and nine achievements, and shows each leaderboard's top three on the RECORDS page. That exchange is between your Mac and Apple, never us. Signed out, everything works the same and your records simply stay on your Mac.
Head-to-head runs over your own local network, with up to four riders and the empty seats filled by the computer. Both machines join the same network (home Wi-Fi does it). One player chooses HOST ON THIS NETWORK and reads out the join number on screen; the other chooses JOIN ON THIS NETWORK and types it in. Head-to-head races always run at STANDARD difficulty. If your device asks for local network access, allow it, or the two can't see each other.
No. Career, free run and head-to-head all play with no internet connection. The only part that reaches beyond your own network is Game Center, and only if you are signed in to it.
In SETTINGS. MELLOW makes charging easier and the pack hangs back, STANDARD is the league's own race, and HEAVY pays out less from the green and has the pack riding to win.
You ride as them and race the other three. The roster is ordered slowest to fastest, so your pick sets the race: take the fastest board and the field is easier on two counts. You have the quickest board, and it isn't racing you. Pick a slower rider and the fastest one is on the grid to beat.
Purchases on the Mac App Store are handled by Apple, so refunds are too. Request one at reportaproblem.apple.com, signed in with the Apple Account you bought Runoff with. If something isn't working, write to us first: we may be able to fix it.
No. There is no account, no ads, no analytics and no crash reporting, and we run no servers. Everything the game saves stays on your device. The full details are in our Privacy Policy.