Learning To Drift In Nitro Crosswind

When I started Nitro Crosswind I treated the brake like a sim racer and crawled through corners. That is exactly the wrong instinct. This game wants you to drift, and drifting is where the boost comes from.

The trick is committing early. Tap into the slide before the apex, hold it through the turn, and release as the track straightens. Do it right and your boost meter fills, do it late and you smack a wall. It took me a track or two to trust the momentum.

Switch to the touch controls with onscreen pedals. I know tilt is the default, but the precision you get from manual steering makes the harder circuits far more forgiving, especially on those cliffside hairpins.

Chain drifts whenever the track lets you. Linking two corners without dropping your boost is where the game really sings, and it turns a decent lap into a great one.