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Special Modes

Dedicated game modes that completely change how a race plays — from arena battles to drift competitions and chaos runs.

Face To Face Racing

Intermediate 2–12 players

Face To Face (F2F) is a two-sided race format. Side A and Side B start at opposite ends of the track and race toward each other through the same checkpoint chain. Both sides pass through all checkpoints but travel in opposite directions.

How F2F tracks work

  • The track has two checkpoint chains: a primary chain (Side A) and a mirrored secondary chain (Side B).
  • Both chains have every checkpoint set to Random Class → Custom → Host Class Pool in the creator — vehicles change at every gate automatically.
  • The lap field in the database is 0 for F2F tracks. The server reads this and automatically forces per-checkpoint vehicle synchronisation — you do not need to enable Synchronised Roll manually for changes to fire.
  • When you click a Face To Face category track in the race browser, the Game Mode selector automatically switches to Face To Face.

Setting up an F2F race room

F2F vehicle changes happen automatically at every checkpoint — the track type tells the server to swap vehicles without you needing to enable Synchronised Roll just for changes to fire. What you control is:

  • Which vehicles appear (Track Class or a Random class pool)
  • Whether everyone gets the same vehicle (Sync ON) or each player rolls independently (Sync OFF)

Settings matrix — all four combinations

Important — use Random, not Track Class, for F2F: F2F tracks use Host Class Pool checkpoints, meaning the vehicle pool is whatever the host sets in VP Race Settings at race time — not a class baked into the track. Track Class vehicle mode reads the track's icv field (the class saved when the track was built) and uses that class instead, which may be the wrong class for your session. Always use Random and pick the class yourself in VP Race Settings for F2F races.

Random — you pick the class (recommended) Track Class (uses class baked into track at creation)
Same vehicle — all players Vehicles: Random · Class filter in Race Settings · Sync: ON · No Repeats: ON Vehicles: Track Class · Sync: ON · No Repeats: ON
Any vehicle — each player independent Vehicles: Random · Class filter in Race Settings · Sync: OFF · No Repeats: ON Vehicles: Track Class · Sync: OFF · No Repeats: ON
  1. Select a Face To Face track → Game Mode auto-sets to Face To Face.
  2. Set Vehicles Mode → Random.
  3. Open Race Settings → 🚗 Vehicles tab:
  4. Vehicle Classes → tick the class(es) you want (e.g. Super, Sport, Muscle)
  5. Synchronised Roll → ON
  6. No Repeats → ON
  7. Click Apply → Start Race.

At every checkpoint all players simultaneously receive the same vehicle drawn from your chosen class. No model repeats across the sequence.

Combination 2 — Random class, each player gets their own

  1. Select a Face To Face track → Game Mode auto-sets to Face To Face.
  2. Set Vehicles Mode → Random.
  3. Open Race Settings → 🚗 Vehicles tab:
  4. Vehicle Classes → tick the class(es) you want
  5. Synchronised Roll → OFF
  6. No Repeats → ON
  7. Click Apply → Start Race.

At every checkpoint each player independently draws their own vehicle from your chosen class. Players will be in different cars from each other.

Combination 3 — Track Class, same vehicle for everyone

Uses whatever class was saved into the track's icv field at creation time. If you don't know what class the track was built for, use Combination 1 (Random) instead and pick the class yourself.

  1. Select a Face To Face track → Game Mode auto-sets to Face To Face.
  2. Set Vehicles Mode → Track Class.
  3. Open Race Settings → 🚗 Vehicles tab:
  4. Synchronised Roll → ON
  5. No Repeats → ON
  6. Click Apply → Start Race.

What happens during the race: at every checkpoint, all players are simultaneously transformed into the same vehicle, drawn at random from the class the track creator pre-set (the track's icv field — e.g. Super, Motorcycle, etc). The vehicle pool is fixed by the track, not by you. No model repeats across the sequence (No Repeats ON).

Use this when: you trust the track creator's class choice and want a quick "play this F2F the way it was designed" setup with no manual class picking.

Combination 4 — Track Class, each player independent

  1. Select a Face To Face track → Game Mode auto-sets to Face To Face.
  2. Set Vehicles Mode → Track Class.
  3. Open Race Settings → 🚗 Vehicles tab:
  4. Synchronised Roll → OFF
  5. No Repeats → ON
  6. Click Apply → Start Race.

What happens during the race: at every checkpoint, each player independently draws their own vehicle from the class the track creator pre-set (the track's icv field). Players will be in different cars from each other — Player A might be in a Cheetah while Player B is in a Banshee at the same moment. The vehicle pool is fixed by the track, not by you. Each player won't get the same vehicle twice across their own race (No Repeats ON, applied per-player).

Use this when: you want F2F chaos — the class is consistent (everyone's in roughly comparable vehicles) but each player faces a slightly different challenge each gate.

Combination 5 — Custom Vehicle List (hand-picked vehicles)

  1. Select a Face To Face track → Game Mode auto-sets to Face To Face.
  2. Set Vehicles Mode → Random.
  3. Open Race Settings → 🚗 Vehicles tab → 📝 Custom Vehicle List → Edit List:
  4. Pick at least as many vehicles as the track has checkpoints (see callout below).
  5. Synchronised Roll → ON (or OFF for independent random per player).
  6. No Repeats → ON.
  7. Save & Apply → Apply → Start Race.

What happens during the race: at every checkpoint all players are swapped to the next vehicle in your hand-picked list (or, with Sync OFF, each player rolls their own from your list). Vehicle Classes are ignored when a Custom List is set — your list takes priority. The modal's 📐 pool-size hint shows the exact count required for the current track; the 📊 worst-case capacity chip shows the maximum it covers.

⚠ Pool size matters for F2F. F2F fires one swap per checkpoint — your list must have at least as many vehicles as the track has checkpoints, or the rotation runs out before the race ends. Most F2F tracks have 10 checkpoints, but some have 11 — build your F2F presets to 11 vehicles to cover both. Extras on 10-CP tracks are simply unused (harmless). See Pool Size Rules and Building Presets for the Worst Case in the race-setups guide.

Important notes

  • You do not need to manually enable Synchronised Roll for F2F vehicle changes to fire. The server forces per-checkpoint vehicle swaps automatically based on the track type. Synchronised Roll only controls whether all players receive the same vehicle each swap (ON) or each player rolls independently (OFF).
  • No Repeats should always be ON for F2F — without it a player can receive the same vehicle again later in the race, which feels unfair.
  • F2F checkpoint counts vary — most tracks are set to 10, but some have 11. When using Custom Vehicle List, build your presets to 11 vehicles so a single preset works on every F2F track. The 11th slot just sits unused on 10-CP tracks. The modal's 📊 worst-case capacity chip turns green at 11+.
  • Recommended starting point for F2F: Combination 1 (Random class, Sync ON, you pick the class). Track Class is fine if you trust the track creator's icv choice, but Random gives you full control. Custom Vehicle List is best when you want a specific curated set rather than a whole class.
  • If no class is set and no track class is defined, the pool falls back to all land vehicles (no boats/planes/helicopters).

Creating an F2F track in raycin_creator

  1. Open the creator → create or import a point-to-point route.
  2. For every checkpoint in the primary chain: Toggle Random ON → Random Class: Custom → Extra Random Setting: Host Class Pool.
  3. Repeat the same for every checkpoint in the secondary chain (Side B).
  4. Set the Track Category to Face To Face.
  5. Publish.

Destroy Last Place (DLP)

Advanced 3–16 players

DLP adds pressure to the trailing racer. After a grace period, the player in last place receives a countdown warning — if they don't escape last place in time their vehicle explodes.

How it works

  1. Host enables Destroy Last Place in the Race Settings before the race.
  2. Race starts. DLP is dormant for the Grace Period (default 60 seconds).
  3. After grace, the server monitors which active racer has the lowest progress.
  4. The last-place player receives a pulsing red LAST PLACE banner with a countdown (default 30 s).
  5. If they overtake someone before the countdown hits 0 the banner clears and "✅ Safe!" appears.
  6. If the timer expires while they are still last their vehicle explodes. Normal respawn follows and the cycle immediately restarts.
  7. DLP does not fire when fewer than Min Players (default 3) active racers remain.

Race Settings

Setting Default Description
Grace Period 60 s Seconds from GO! before DLP begins monitoring
Warning Seconds 30 s Countdown length before explosion
Min Players 3 Minimum active racers required for DLP to fire

Tips

  • DLP is continuous pressure — it fires again immediately after each explosion.
  • Unlike Elimination, DLP can be escaped by overtaking anyone — just improve position.
  • Combine with Elimination Mode for maximum pressure on the field.
  • DLP does not activate in the final 2 players scenario (Min Players threshold).

Elimination Race Mode

Advanced 4–16 players

Every N seconds (or every lap), the last-place driver is eliminated and sent to spectator mode. Eliminations continue until only minSurvivors players remain, then the rest race normally to the finish.

How to Enable (host)

  1. Open the Race Settings.
  2. Toggle Elimination Mode ON.
  3. Adjust the interval and warning sliders.

Race Flow

  1. Race starts normally.
  2. After intervalSeconds seconds a ⚠️ WARNING is broadcast: "Player X eliminated in 10s".
  3. The player currently in last place is eliminated (DNF) when the countdown expires.
  4. Tie-break for bottom positions: total checkpoint count.
  5. Cycles repeat until minSurvivors players remain; the remaining drivers race to the finish.
  6. Eliminated players enter spectator mode.

Per-Lap Elimination

Set per-lap mode in server config to eliminate one driver at the end of each lap instead of on a fixed timer. The warning is broadcast when the leader crosses the lap line.

Configuration

Setting Default Description
Interval Seconds 60 Seconds between eliminations (timer mode)
Warning Seconds 10 Countdown before each elimination
Min Survivors 2 Stop eliminating when this many remain

Drag Race Mode

Beginner 2–8 players

Replaces the standard 3-2-1-GO countdown with a Christmas-tree start light sequence (3 amber lights → green). Reaction times are recorded and displayed on the results screen.

How to Enable (host)

  1. Open the Race Settings.
  2. Toggle Drag Race ON.
  3. Laps are automatically set to 1.

Start Sequence

  1. All drivers load and hold at the start line (vehicles locked until green).
  2. Three amber lights appear sequentially with a short delay between each.
  3. After the third amber, a random delay (0.5–1.5 s by default) precedes the green light.
  4. Green light → race begins. Reaction time counts from green.
  5. Any throttle input detected before green triggers a false start:
  6. DNF mode → player is immediately disqualified.
  7. Penalty mode → player's finishing time gets a penalty added.

Results

  • Reaction time (green → first movement) is shown in a NUI popup immediately after the player moves.
  • Reaction time also appears in the race results table.

Tips

  • Use Specific vehicle for the fairest comparison of reaction times and top speed.
  • Fair Start → ON gives all players the same grid position at the start line.
  • Do NOT use Staggered Start — defeats the side-by-side format.
  • Nitro (Race Settings → Nitro ON) can be added for turbo-boosted drag racing.

Drift Score Mode

Intermediate 1–8 players

A timed session where players score points for sustained sideways slides. Score = angle × speed × time × combo multiplier. Highest drift score when time runs out wins. Checkpoint order is not enforced.

How to Enable (host)

  1. Open the Race Settings.
  2. Toggle Drift Score Mode ON.
  3. Adjust the duration slider (default 5 minutes).

Drift Score Mode, Cannonball Mode, and Hot Lap Challenge are mutually exclusive — enabling one disables the others.

Scoring System

Factor Effect
Drift angle (°) Higher angle = more base points per second
Vehicle speed (m/s) Faster speed = multiplied score
Combo multiplier Every 3 seconds of unbroken drift advances combo (×1 → ×5 max)
Break in drift Combo resets to ×1

HUD

A bottom-centre Drift Score overlay shows: - Current score (large number) - Active combo multiplier (e.g. ×3) - Pulsing glow effect when combo is active

Session End

When the timer expires, scores are submitted. Results are ranked by drift score instead of finish time. Top scores are stored in the drift_records database table.

Tips

  • Pick an open, flat track with wide corners. Narrow circuits are frustrating for drift scoring.
  • Best vehicles: Drift Tampa (tampa3), Banshee 900R (banshee2), Jester (jester).
  • Minimum angle to score: 15°. Minimum speed: 5 m/s.
  • Score is individual — players are not racing each other to checkpoints.

Pursuit Mode (Cops vs Racers)

Advanced 4–16 players

A team-based game mode where one group of players are Cops and the rest are Racers. Racers must reach the finish line; Cops must stop every racer before any of them cross it.

How to Enable (host)

  1. On the Race Creation screen, set Game Mode → Pursuit.
  2. Select any track (city streets and highways work best — see Map Tips below).
  3. Start the race normally.

How Roles Work

The server automatically splits players into teams when the race starts:

Role Count Assigned by
Cops 1–2 (scales: ~1 per 3 racers) Server auto-assigns
Racers All remaining players Server auto-assigns

Cops receive: - A police vehicle (replacing their spawned car) - A red overhead blip visible to all players - Toast: "You are a COP! Stop the racers before they finish!"

Racers receive: - Their normally assigned vehicle - A blue overhead blip visible to all players - Toast: "You are a RACER! Reach the finish before cops stop you!"

Racer Elimination (Busted!)

A racer is busted and eliminated if their vehicle's speed stays below 5 km/h for 5 continuous seconds. This represents being stopped by a cop — physically block them, PIT maneuver them, or box them in until the timer expires.

  • Busted racers enter spectator mode.
  • All players receive a toast: "[Name] was busted!"

Win Conditions

Result Condition
Racers Win Any racer crosses the finish line
Cops Win All racers are busted before any one of them finishes

A full-screen result banner is shown to all players when the race ends:

  • 🚓 COPS WIN! — displayed in red if all racers were busted
  • 🏎 RACERS WIN! — displayed in blue if any racer reached the finish

The banner remains visible for several seconds before the scoreboard appears normally.

Map Tips

Good track types: - City street circuits with multiple intersections — cops can cut across roads to intercept - Highway point-to-point routes — high-speed chases feel authentic - Urban P2P routes — racers have a clear goal; cops can predict the route ahead

Avoid: - Tight circuits where cops can only follow (no interception angles) - Long tunnels or narrow corridors (cops get bottlenecked) - Off-road/rally tracks (police vehicles struggle on rough terrain)

Creator Workflow for a Pursuit Map

  1. Open raycin_creator → New Track
  2. Build a P2P route through city streets (LS downtown works well)
  3. Use wide roads with cross-streets — place checkpoints along the main route
  4. Set Track Category to "Street"
  5. Grid slots 1–N: racer spawn positions at the start line, facing the route
  6. Grid slots N+1 onward: cop spawn positions, slightly behind or to the sides
  7. Minimal props recommended — open roads are better than obstacle courses for vehicle chases
  8. Publish normally — no special flags needed in the track JSON

Notes

  • The cop vehicle model is set in server config (PURSUIT_COP_VEHICLE, default: police).
  • Cop count scales: min(2, max(1, floor(playerCount / 3))) — 1 cop for 3–5 players, 2 cops for 6+ players.
  • Any race format (circuit, P2P, timed) works with Pursuit Mode.

Cannonball / Chaos Run

Advanced 4–16 players

Players spawn on foot, scattered around the start grid with no vehicle. They must reach the finish checkpoint by any means: steal NPC vehicles, run, carjack, or find whatever transport they can.

How to Enable (host)

  1. Open the Race Settings.
  2. Toggle Cannonball Mode ON.

Mutually exclusive with Drift Score Mode and Hot Lap Challenge.

What Changes

  • No race vehicle is spawned for any player.
  • Each player spawns as a pedestrian at a random position within ~150 metres of their grid slot.
  • Checkpoint detection uses ped position so players on foot are detected correctly.
  • Normal checkpoint order is still enforced — players must hit checkpoints in sequence.
  • NPC vehicles on the road are enterable as normal (GTA mechanics).

Tips

  • Works best with a track that starts in an open area (parking lot, airfield, beach).
  • Tell players in the Race Message (MOTD) that they spawn on foot — surprising players who don't know is part of the chaos.
  • First to a fast vehicle has a large advantage — but finding the vehicle is the game.
  • Set laps to 1 for the cleanest chaos format.

Creating a Cannonball Map in raycin_creator

Cannonball mode is toggled by the host in Race Settings — the track itself needs no special category. Any track works, but these layout rules make Cannonball dramatically better.

How spawning works: Every player spawns as a pedestrian at a random position within 150 m of their grid slot. The scatter is random each race — players will not land in the same spot twice. Place all grid slots in a tight cluster at your chosen spawn point; the scatter radius handles the spacing automatically.

Step-by-step:

  1. Open raycin_creator → New Track.
  2. Place all grid slots in a compact cluster at the spawn location (they can all sit on the same spot — they will scatter). A car park centre, a town square, or an airfield apron all work well.
  3. Place checkpoints along the route as normal — make them wide (toggle the Round option on) and close to road level so players on foot or in unusual vehicles can hit them easily.
  4. Track Category can be anything — "Custom", "Street", or a custom label. No special category is required for Cannonball.
  5. In the Track Description field, add a note: ⚠ Designed for Cannonball Mode — host must enable Race Settings → Cannonball ON before starting.
  6. Set laps to 1 (P2P / sprint format works best) and Publish.

In the race room (host): Open Race Settings → Cannonball Mode → ON before clicking Start Race.

What makes a great Cannonball spawn area:

Spawn concept Why it works
Multi-storey car park Dense NPC vehicles, multiple exit routes
LSIA cargo apron Airport trucks, tugs, forklifts, wide roads
Sandy Shores main street Scarce vehicles, high risk — forces foot travel
Maze Bank Plaza car park Urban density, fast access to the highway
Del Perro beach car park Mix of cars, quads, and a long coastal sprint

Route design tips: - Route through busy NPC-traffic streets so players encounter vehicle options throughout the race, not just at the start. - Avoid off-road checkpoints that land vehicles can't reach — a player on foot can't climb a cliff. - A route of 1–3 km is ideal — long enough for a vehicle advantage to matter, short enough that foot travel at the start isn't hopeless.

Cannonball Classic

Advanced 1–16 players

A different, unrelated mode to Cannonball / Chaos Run above, despite the shared name. Players spawn in the sky with a parachute, land wherever they choose, then must find/steal a vehicle and hit a set of strictly ordered checkpoints — GPS automatically points at whichever one is next, but the route between them is entirely up to the player.

Do not confuse this with Cannonball / Chaos Run (above) — that's a ground scatter-spawn toggle a host flips per-race in Race Settings. Cannonball Classic is a property of the track itself, set once when the track is built, and needs no host configuration at all.

How to Enable (track creator)

Cannonball Classic is a Race Type, chosen when authoring the track in raycin_creator — not a per-race host toggle:

  1. In raycin_creator, open Race Type and pick Cannonball Classic (instead of Standard).
  2. The track's Starting Grid becomes the aerial spawn point — build it up in the sky (see below), and place checkpoints normally at ground level.
  3. Publish. Any host who selects this track automatically gets Cannonball Classic behaviour — no Race Settings toggle to remember.

What Changes

  • Players are held frozen in the sky at the Starting Grid's position (no vehicle) until GO, then automatically deploy a parachute.
  • No vehicle is ever assigned — land and find/steal any NPC or parked vehicle, and you can freely exit one to swap for a better one at any time.
  • Checkpoints stay strictly ordered (touching checkpoint 3 before checkpoint 2 does not register) — but you're free to choose any route between them.
  • GPS/minimap automatically re-points at the next required checkpoint every time you touch one.
  • Dying mid-race resurrects you on foot with no vehicle (at your last touched checkpoint, or safely on the ground below the aerial grid if you haven't reached any checkpoint yet) — it never hands you a replacement vehicle.

Building a Cannonball Classic Track in raycin_creator

The Starting Grid must be up in the sky. There's no special placement tool for this — build the grid normally at ground level first (Grid Builder / Auto-fill Grid, same as any track), then lift the whole thing at once:

  1. Go to Placement → Starting Grid → Move & view.
  2. Set the Change Speed step selector to its largest step (10× = 10 m per press).
  3. Use Shift all — Z and hold the arrow to raise the entire grid formation together, keeping spacing and headings intact, as high as you want.

Ground checkpoints (CP1, CP2, CP3...) need no special handling — place them exactly like any normal race, at ground level.

Traffic matters more than Vehicle Class here. Since players find their own vehicle rather than being assigned one, the Default Class / Vehicles Mode settings have no effect on this mode. What actually matters is where the parachute lands — a real city street gives varied traffic to steal, a remote area gives almost none — and making sure Traffic isn't set to OFF in Race Settings for the race.

Don't also enable the Cannonball Run (Chaos Run) toggle above on a Cannonball Classic track — the two features conflict, and the Race Options panel now greys that toggle out automatically with an explanation whenever the loaded track is already Cannonball Classic.

Hot Lap Challenge

Beginner 1–16 players

A server-wide open session where any player can join mid-session and set lap times against the current field. All players are automatically ghosted. A live leaderboard shows ranked best laps.

How to Enable (host)

  1. Open the Race Settings.
  2. Toggle Hot Lap Challenge ON.
  3. Set the Challenge Duration (default 600 s / 10 minutes).

Mutually exclusive with Drift Score Mode and Cannonball Mode.

How it Works

  1. Host creates the room — session starts when the race loads.
  2. Any player can join mid-session and begin lapping immediately.
  3. All players are fully ghosted (no collision forced on).
  4. The server broadcasts an updated leaderboard to all participants every 5 seconds.
  5. Session ends when the configured duration expires.
  6. Final standings = sorted by best individual lap time.

Challenge Leaderboard HUD

A persistent overlay (top-right of screen) shows: - Ranked list of all participants with their current best lap time - Your own row is highlighted - Updates live during the session

Tips

  • Use Specific vehicle so all lap times are on a level playing field.
  • Good for: practice nights, server records events, new track showcases.
  • Host can watch others drive without affecting the session.
  • Late join is enabled — players can arrive at any point during the session.

Sumo Modes (Arena Battles)

Advanced 2+ players

Added 29 August 2026. Sumo was pulled from the Mode dropdown on 28 May 2026 and re-added 26 June 2026 as two separate modes. This site never got an entry for it — this section closes that gap. Full creator/build reference (zone placement, timing math, prop setup) lives in SUMO-MODES.md at the resource root; this page covers hosting an existing Sumo map.

Two arena game modes, played on dedicated Sumo maps (built with Map Type = Sumo Remix or Sumo Classic in the creator — they carry no checkpoints):

  • Sumo Remix — a safe zone that shrinks and relocates each round on a master countdown. Anyone outside it when the round ends is knocked out. Ends in a sudden-death deathmatch where the final zone closes in real time. Optional falling-platforms hazard.
  • Sumo Classic — knock-off. No shrinking zones; ram opponents off the arena, and falling below the arena floor eliminates you. Last player/team standing wins. Dedicated arenas only.

How to Enable (host)

  1. Open a race and pick a map filed under Sumo Remix or Sumo Classic — the mode is set by the map itself, not a toggle.
  2. Set Win Mode — Survival (last standing) or Score (most knockouts).
  3. Set Teams — FFA or Teams (Purple vs Orange).
  4. Set Rounds — first to — 1 / 2 / 3 / 5 round wins.
  5. Sumo Remix only: Falling Platforms — ON/OFF hazard.
  6. Start.

How it plays

  • A zone is one closing circle within a round (ZONE 2/5 on the HUD) — authored per-map by the track creator, more zones = a longer fight.
  • A round is a full bout: everyone fights through the zones (Remix) or the open arena (Classic) until one team/player is last standing, who wins that round. Everyone respawns with a fresh car and the match replays until someone banks the host's "first to N" round wins.
  • Vehicles default to Personal — hosts and players keep their picked car.
  • Falling off the edge blows you up at the arena's lowest point (GTA-style). Players don't respawn mid-bout — Score mode respawns and tallies points for a set time; Survival removes eliminated players until one is left.

HUD

A master race clock (TIME 4:30, gold) counting the whole match down, a ROUND X / Y + per-zone timer, a red DEATHMATCH label in the final phase, and a GET TO THE ZONE warning when you're outside the safe area with the round ending.

Tips

  • Sumo Remix's 8-zone / 30s-first / 30s-per-zone / 60s-sudden-death timing matches GTA Online's own pacing almost exactly — a good default if the map's built-in timing feels off.
  • Knocked-out players sit out the rest of that round only — they're back in for the next one.
  • Falling Platforms only does anything on prop-built arenas, not Rockstar-imported ones.

Tournament Brackets

Advanced 4/8/16 players

⚠️ Not currently accessible — confirmed 29 August 2026. The backend is fully built and working (server/tournament_server.lua, client/tournament_client.lua, the raycin_races:nui:createTournament NUI callback are all wired end-to-end), but the current UI (html_v3/) has no screen, button, or menu entry that calls it — a grep across every html_v3/js/*.js file for "tournament" returns nothing. There is currently no way for a host to reach this feature at all; the everything below describes the intended flow once a UI entry point exists, not something you can do today. See Quick Reference → Known Issues.

A single-elimination tournament where players race head-to-head. Winners advance; losers become spectators for the remaining rounds. One player is crowned champion at the end.

Player Limit

  • Minimum: 4 players (including host)
  • Maximum: 8 players (including host)
  • Player counts that are not a power of 2 (e.g. 5, 6, 7) are automatically padded with BYE slots. BYE slots advance instantly without a race.

How to Start (intended flow — no UI entry point yet, see warning above)

  1. Open the Series / Tournament panel from the race menu.
  2. Select a track.
  3. Choose Tournament mode.
  4. Invite 3–7 other players.
  5. Click Create Tournament — the bracket is sent to all participants.

Bracket Structure

Example with 8 players:

Round Matches Winner count
Quarter-Finals 4 races of 2 4 winners
Semi-Finals 2 races of 2 2 winners
Final 1 race of 2 1 champion

With 5 players: 8-slot bracket. 3 BYE slots auto-advance → Round 1 has only 2 real matches (the 2 players with no BYE race each other, 3 players advance automatically). Then normal SF and Final.

How It Runs

  1. After the bracket is sent, a 3-second delay allows clients to process the bracket overlay.
  2. The first match launches automatically as a real race room.
  3. The first player to finish the race (not just cross the line — only one winner counts) advances.
  4. After a 5-second pause, the next match or next round launches automatically.
  5. Players who are not in the current match receive bracket update overlays in real time.
  6. Losers enter spectator mode for all subsequent rounds.
  7. The champion is announced to all participants when the Final is complete.

Bracket Overlay

All participants (racers and spectators) see a live bracket overlay in the NUI that shows:

  • All player names in their bracket position
  • Winners drawn in as each match completes
  • The champion highlighted when the tournament ends

Notes

  • If the host disconnects, the tournament ends immediately and all players are notified.
  • Using the same track for all rounds is recommended for fairness — all matches use the track selected when the tournament was created.
  • Tournament matches are standard race rooms — all existing VP settings from the base room apply.
  • Race Points are awarded normally for each match result.