Desert Sprint
Shortcuts: Ctrl+P pause · Ctrl+M sound · Enter play again
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Resets every Monday (UTC).
About Desert Sprint
Desert Sprint is an endless runner starring a small scarfed fox dashing across golden dunes. Cacti rise out of the sand and birds swoop in at body height. You have two moves, jump and duck, and the run keeps getting faster until one mistake ends it. The rules are tiny, which makes every retry quick and every near miss tense.
It suits anyone who wants a game that can be learned in ten seconds, from kids to commuters. Runs last from a few seconds to about four minutes if you stay sharp. A good run passes several 100 metre milestones, which flash on screen, and survives the long fast stretch where cacti come in pairs.
How to play Desert Sprint
- Start running automatically once the countdown ends. You only control jumping and ducking.
- Jump over cacti before they reach the fox. Taller cacti need you to jump earlier.
- Duck, or jump, when a bird flies toward you. Ducking keeps the fox low enough to pass under both bird heights.
- Keep an eye on the metres counter and the milestone pop-ups every 100 metres.
- Run until you touch anything. The run ends instantly and your distance becomes your score.
Controls
| Keyboard and mouse | Press Space, Up arrow or W to jump. Hold Down arrow or S to duck. You can also click the upper part of the game to jump and the lower part to duck. |
|---|---|
| Phone and tablet | Tap the JUMP button or the upper area of the game to jump, and press and hold the DUCK button or the lower area to crouch. |
Scoring
Your score is the distance run in metres, shown at the top while you play. There are no coins or bonuses, so every point comes from simply surviving longer. A run past a few hundred metres is solid, because speed keeps rising for a long time.
Tips and strategy
- Jump a little early rather than late. Pressing jump just before landing is remembered for a split second, so back-to-back hops flow without waiting.
- Birds only start appearing after about 60 metres. Stay ready to duck from then on, and remember that holding Down mid-air also makes the fox fall faster.
- Pairs of cacti show up once you pass roughly 150 metres. Treat them as one wide obstacle and jump near the start of the gap, so you land clear of both.
- Speed climbs steadily with distance, so your timing window shrinks. Judge by where the cactus is on screen, not by how long ago you last jumped.
- Release the duck as soon as the bird passes. Staying low for no reason makes the fox's hitbox wide at exactly the moment a cactus arrives.
Desert Sprint FAQ
▸Does the game ever stop getting faster?
Yes, eventually. The speed rises with distance until it reaches a cap, which is more than double the starting pace, and then stays there.
▸Can I jump over birds?
Yes. If you time it well, you can hop over a low bird, but ducking is safer because it clears both bird heights.
▸Why did I die when it looked like I missed the cactus?
Collision uses a solid box around the fox with only a tiny margin. A back foot or tail clipping the top of a cactus still counts, so jump a little earlier than feels necessary.
▸Is there a way to keep my best distance?
Your best score is shown beside your current distance during play. It also counts toward the weekly leaderboard.
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