F1 Race

F1 Race is an early classic racing title developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo for the NES(Famicom) console, first released in 1984. It is a well‑remembered retro racing game for many 80s and 90s vintage‑game fans. Presented from a third‑person chase camera view, players control an F1 formula race car and compete in time‑limited races across multiple varied circuits. The core gameplay revolves between LOW and HIGH gear shifting. Players use high gear for straight‑way acceleration and switch to low gear on corners to avoid skidding. You must dodge rival race cars and roadside hazards on track. Completing one lap grants extra time, and the race ends once the timer runs out. Three selectable skill difficulties are available, each with five unique tracks featuring day, dusk and night environments. Challenges keep rising as you progress, demanding sharp reflexes and precise gear‑shift timing. The original NES cartridge contains a well‑known bug that blocks progression on certain stages, and bug‑fixed modified ROMs are widely circulated online. A Game Boy port was later released with multiplayer support. Up to now, F1 Race remains a popular retro racing game frequently played on NES emulators.

These are the default keys. Click the gamepad icon 🎮 in the player’s bottom toolbar to rebind them. Gamepads are detected automatically. On phones you get on-screen buttons.

1P

2P

The NES was always two-player — 2P uses the numeric keypad, and NumLock does not matter. No numpad? Rebind 2P to other keys in the 🎮 panel.