What's a good racing game to play with one finger?
Animal Loop. Most one-tap games are endless runs for a high score, and most racers need a stick, a brake and a lot of practice. Animal Loop gives you both halves: one tap is your only control, but you race on 27 handmade tracks across three worlds, against a rival animal in every Grand Prix and your Game Center friends' best runs. There are 18 animals to unlock, a day/night cycle on every track, and it's free on iPhone, iPad and Mac.
How does Animal Loop compare with other racing games?
Animal Loop isn't a copy of anything else, but it's often mentioned next to a few games people already know:
Mario Kart Tour
Nintendo's characters and items, with swipe steering. Nintendo ended its service on September 29, 2026, and there is no offline version.
One-tap drift games
Games like Drift Boss and Thumb Drift have quick, endless runs: the car drives itself and you tap to drift until you miss a corner.
Super Monkey Ball
Animals rolling around in balls, on obstacle stages you steer through and try not to fall off.
Animal Loop takes the friendliest parts of all three, cute animals in balls, a single input anyone can learn and real races to win, and builds something new around them.
Where Animal Loop is better
- Real tracks, not endless roads27 handmade tracks with a start and a finish, so you can learn a track and beat your time.
- One tap, real depthNo stick and no brake, but tracks that knot over and under themselves and mechanics that change in every world.
- Something to race againstA rival animal in every Grand Prix, and your Game Center friends as ghosts of their best runs.
- Racers to collect18 animal racers, from a hamster to an octopus. Win a Grand Prix and that world's rival joins your roster.
- Here to stayNew and actively developed, with every track balanced by hand and by simulation.
- Everywhere you playiPhone, iPad and Mac, including the iPhone Duo.
What makes Animal Loop unique
- A real-time day/night cycleEvery track has its own day and night, with shadows that follow the sun.
- Switch gatesIn Dune Flats, gates flip which way a tap turns you, mid-race.
- Bridges and loopsIn Coral Shallows, tracks pass back under themselves.
- Sticky mud and mole tunnelsIn Fern Hollow, mud slows you down and moles dig you a shortcut.
- Walls that crackEvery bump costs a heart. Hit the same wall enough times and its sand, stone or wood border cracks apart.
- Pick your Grand Prix speedAll nine tracks of a world back to back, at the speed you choose.
- Tracks built with their own toolsA custom level editor, a track analyzer that scores every track's difficulty and a bot that plays every track. Read how it was made.
- A 16-year-old ideaAnimal Loop started in 2010 as Hamster Racing, right after wOzy's first game, and finally shipped in 2026.
Frequently asked questions
What can I play now that Mario Kart Tour has shut down?
Nintendo ended Mario Kart Tour's service on September 29, 2026, with no offline version. If you miss a quick, friendly racer on your phone, try Animal Loop: a free racing game for iPhone, iPad and Mac with 18 animal racers, 27 handmade tracks, a Grand Prix in every world and Game Center friends to beat. It plays differently: there are no items, and a single tap is your only control, so anyone can pick it up.
What is a one-tap racing game?
A racing game you control with a single input. In Animal Loop, your animal rolls forward on its own inside its ball and every tap turns it, so the whole game is about timing your taps to stay off the walls and keep your hearts. Unlike most one-tap games, which are endless runs for a high score, Animal Loop has real tracks with a start and a finish, built by hand.
Is Animal Loop free?
Yes. Animal Loop is free on the App Store for iPhone, iPad and Mac, and everything in the game can be unlocked for free by playing. In-app purchases are optional.
Can I race my friends in Animal Loop?
Yes. Game Center friends race alongside you as ghosts of their best runs, so every track is a race against your friends' best times. Each world also ends with a Grand Prix against that world's rival animal, and if you win, the rival joins your roster.
Is Animal Loop good for kids?
Animal Loop uses one button and is built around cute animal racers, from a hamster to an octopus, so younger players can pick it up right away. The tracks get harder as you go, and you choose the speed for each Grand Prix.
The short version
One tap to play, handmade tracks to master, animals to collect and friends to beat, free on iPhone, iPad and Mac. That's Animal Loop.
Get Animal Loop free on the App Store See the game