- HOTAS support, Gamepad + Keyboard input rebinding - 2.13.0 is now LIVE! - 14 September 2026
RACERS!We’re back with another update for Dart Racer! This time, we’re delivering a long-awaited feature that many of you have been asking for, along with complete control over how you fly and navigate through the tracks.Here is what’s new in version 2.13.0:HOTAS Support: Take immersion to the next level! You can now plug in your flight stick and throttle setup for a true futuristic cockpit racing experience.Gamepad + Keyboard input rebinding: Whether you play on a Gamepad or Keyboard, you can now fully rebind your controls to match your playstyle.Full Changelog:- input rebinding - you can now rebind keys in controls menu!- HOTAS support- fixed respawn exploit on certain tracks- fixed teleport gates on asteroid field track 3 pitching Dart down Drop by the Discord server to let me know what you think of the update. Yours,LubSoft
- Dart Racer update 2.12.1! - 18 August 2026
Just a couple fixes in this one. Changes: - fixed darts colliding with ground on ice maps in certain spots - fixed blackout blinking in some circumstances - fixed race HUD being on top of blackout Content is cooking!
- New dart, new tracks, online ghosts - Dart Racer 2.12.0 is now LIVE! - 10 August 2026
Racers!Thank you all for the fantastic reception of the Dart Racer Early Access. It's heart-warming to see you all making your way up in the leader boards, and it's great to hear all of the feedback from you all. This makes it so much more fun to work on the game! And that's what today's update is all about - more fun. And by more fun I mean more speed, and more risk. Introducing Xotka the dart of the daring. It's very fast, very fragile, and quite tricky to handle. It's a perfect choice for these of you, who look for higher scores and want to prove their skill.Speaking of proving yourself - there's a new way to compete with other players in the leader boards. Their best attempts are now saved online, and can serve as online ghosts you can race against. This way, you're competing right there on the track - not just in the high-score table.To celebrate the occasion, Dart Racer enters its…
- Dart Racer update 2.11.6 hotfix! - 21 July 2026
A tiny hotfix! Changes: - fixed ground hits slowing Darts excessively - fixed Darts sometimes rotating before race starts - fixed haptics after race end Let me know if you encounter any issue!
- Dart Racer update 2.11.6! - 20 July 2026
Another small, but meaningful, update is upon us! The highlight this time is revamped hit response. Wall hits resulting in loss of control and wild bouncing around, are no more! Changes: - revamped hit response - it is now easier to push other darts - revamped dart engine plume effects to allow different shapes - revamped cockpit shield setup to allow different shapes - added 'mute in background' toggle - fixed dart engines being nearly silent after race restart in front view - fixed mouse capture at start of the game when window is not in focus Let me know if you encounter any issue! Actual new content is cooking...
- Dart Racer update 2.11.5 - 6 July 2026
Another small one, finally fixed that annoying crash that could happen after end of the race! Changes: - Escape button now goes to top menu instead of quit menu in garage - Fixed common crash issue - thanks Aardcore! - Various performance optimizations - Sound improvements See you on the leaderboards!
- A small Dart Racer update 2.11.4 is here! - 26 June 2026
Thank you for reports and suggestions, keep them coming! Changes: Added alternative gamepad circular split throttle input option. Instead of forward/backward movement for throttle, use circular motion for greater precision. You will figure it out! Added Dart trail preview in garage Added basic Vive input bindings to allow garage movement and ui interaction. Use gamepad for racing. Added pickup sounds Partial revamp of view distances for higher scalability levels Increased damage feedback Added a couple tutorials Fixed Super Chill effect not working correctly for non vented boost types Fixed various reported issues Fixed rare crash See you on the leaderboards!
- Dart Racer - Early Access starts NOW! - 23 June 2026
RACERS!After 3 years of its initial Steam announcement Dart Racer is publicly available on Steam! After a terrific Next Fest run we're ready to start Early Access and allow the very first pretendents for the coveted Galaxy Cup to launch their Darts and laugh in the face of gravity. IT IS ON!This is a HUGE milestone in the game's development and we're super-excited to have you all blazing through the exxxtreme tracks available in this early version. More to come! Because this is Early Access after all, despite our QA team's best efforts - you may, and probably will encounter some bugs. Please be kind - report them via Discord or in the Dart Racer Steam community hub.The DEALThe game is priced a bit lower in Early Access than it will be when it launches in full. That's our way of saying "thank you" to all the players who have chosen to join us early on and support Dart Racer at the very b…
- STEAM DECK VERIFIED! + NEXT FEST Bonus content: Extra vehicle, extra track - 19 June 2026
Racers!Eight time's the charm. Seven times have I withdrawn Dart Racer from participating in Next Fest, only to promise myself (and some of you) that the Next Next Fest will be the one I'll take the plunge. Boy, was it worth it! This is just PERFECT for the quickly-approaching Early Access launch on Tuesday, June 23!There's a lot of you playing the game, and even more adding it to their wishlist. In fact - Dart Racer's wishlist count has almost DOUBLED in size over the course of the last 10 days or so. THANK YOU. Time for a little token of appreciation. The Next Fest demo (only available until June 22nd!) has been expanded by a new Desert track, as well as a spiffy new Dart - called the M4gnum along with some upgrades.Why not launch the demo right now, and take it for a spin, shake up some dust in the Scorched Grounds? By the way - don't worry too much that the demo is going away. You'l…
- Dart Racer coming to Steam Early access on June 23rd! - 3 June 2026
RACERS!Brace yourselves, Early Access launches on June 23rd!The development of Dart Racer started back in the times when dinosaurs still roamed the Earth, but our very dedicated (albeit small) community never gave up hope throughout all the eons. It feels a bit surreal to announce it after all that time and all the rounds of playtesting and polishing the game, but hey - it had to happen, eventually: Dart Racer has a Steam release date! Watch our spiffy new trailer.Steam Next FestEight time the charm! This time around Dart Racer demo is actually making its way to Steam Next Fest. If you want to check out the game before you buy it, make sure to drop by between June 15th and June 22nd, when the new, improved, and updated demo will be making its limited-time run. Meanwhile - if you haven't yet - please make sure to wishlist the game. You can use this here handy widget below:That's it for t…
- Last 48hrs in DART RACER's final playtest before Early Access! + Steamdeck news! - 9 May 2026
Racers!This is just a quick heads-up: we're ALMOST ready to wrap up the final playtest that's currently active. We'll be taking it down around this time on Monday, That's 48 more hours (just 48!) to join, race around, make your mark on the leaderboards, and give us some feedback. Than the darts get locked away in their hangars until Early Access launch (date to be announced soon!). A quick reminder. The game can be played in VR mode using any of the Steam-supported headsets, but it can be enjoyed just as well in "flat mode" - either on desktop or... on Steam Deck! Feast your eyes on this fresh Dart Racer on Steam Deck gameplay footage!Again, this is the final 48 hours to jump in on the playtest and have a bit of high-adrenaline fun. So, don't wait - use the widget below to get to the Steam Page and click the big, green "Join playtest" button: While you're there - remember to add the gam…
- (final?) PLAY TEST - 25 April 2026
RACERS!It's a bit of a running joke in the (small, but dedicated!) Dart Racer community, that the game is always heading to Steam Next fest but never actually makes it. No, really. It's not an exaggeration. This June it will be the 8th attempt at launching the demo and participating in the festivities alongside all those fantastic games that will attempt (and hopefully fail miserably) to steal our thunder. What makes this time different is that we're very much certain that we have more than enough material to launch the full game soon, let alone a demo in June. In fact, there's a bit too much content to put in a demo. A Next Fest demo needs to be short and sweet - say all the Steam marketing sages. This is where you come in, play the (final?) PLAY TEST that's starting just NOW, and let us know what you think. Which tracks should we keep for the demo? Which playmode is the most engaging?…
- Steam Deck compatibility! - 21 April 2026
Did you know Dart Racer is fully playable on Steam Deck out of the box? Now you do! Gamepad navigation is fully supported and it runs at stable 90fps! You will have a chance to try it out soon!
- Dart Racer update 2.9.5: new Dart and VR controls! - 23 February 2026
Racers!Fresh out of the oven update is now available for the playtesting!The main feature is a the new Dart! You can unlock it in regular place :)Additionally there are major adjustments to VR 'immersive' controls. You can adjust it's many settings in comfort menu and enable GUI that shows exactly how it works.There is also all new 'virtual steering wheel' option! Works how you would expect, you can enable it in comfort menu.Update 2.9.5 changes- new Dart! - updated immersive steering controls.- new virtual steering wheel mode, replaces immersive steering when enabled.- decorated City Track 3- minor fixes and polishA small bug fix update is now in the works and will be released ASAP!
- Upcoming VR immersive controls improvements! - 14 February 2026
Updates to VR immersive controls are coming along nicely, racing in VR will be even more exciting! You will be able to configure various settings, such as:max angles for forward/reverse throttlesmoothing when left and right are of similar valuespeed final throttle changes at Here's a sneak peak of work in progress UI! More stuff cooking!
- Track shortcuts and new track! - 3 February 2026
Racers!Freshly baked update is now out in playtest build!The main feature is a new track in City locale. As a test, it is available in three width variants. Regular, wide and extra wide. Let me know which you like best on Discord or forums!Update 2.9.4 changes:added new city track with 3 width variants for testing!extra far camera testsound polishextra polish and fixes for plenty of thingsRecent previous changes:Shortcuts and hazards on certain tracksAdded boost pickups, grab them first to refill part of the boost meter!Significant AI improvementsAdded controls guide in settingsImproved collision responseSide boost improvementsIn next update, new Dart! Have a little tease ;)
- Track shortcuts are getting close! - 21 January 2026
Track shortcut system is coming along nicely! Here are shortcut types that are coming to the demo when time comes: Teleport gates that you need to aim for to slip to corresponding one... And less risky side paths that are a bit trickier to navigate than regular track Another new feature is also coming, but more about it next time! More soon!
- Happy New Year from me, the Dart Racer team! - 4 January 2026
Let's make it an eventful one! Development continues...
- Dart Racer update 2.9.1: A lot of polish! Also boost pickups?! - 27 December 2025
Important notice:Demo will be deactivated early 2026 in preparation for Steam Next Fest! Racers! Latest update is now live (in demo build)! Changes:- Added boost pickups, grab them first to refill part of the boost meter!- Significant AI improvements- Added controls guide in settings- Improved collision response- Collision between darts is enabled by default. You can disable it with 'Ghost Darts' setting- Side boost improvements- Reworked tutorial system, added new tutorials- Marked certain races as legacy- fixed Valve Index input bindings- Various sounds improvements- Various other tweaks and fixesLet me know how it goes on Discord or in forums!
- Dart Racer update 2.9.0: Player Ghost and polish! - 6 December 2025
New update is now live (in demo build)! Changes:- Added player ghost to time trial game mode! - Time trial no longer stops when a medal time is achieved, you can continue to race to improve your time and get more resources for upgrades and darts!- Added haptic effects to various in game events. You can adjust their strength in comfort settings- Polish pass on Sky Track B- Various UI improvements- Various polish and fixesLet me know how it goes on Discord or in forums!Next polish update is under development, will be out before Holidays!
