| Asphalt | |
| Genre: | Racing |
| First Release Version: | |
| First Release Date: | November 15, 2004 |
| Latest Release Version: | Asphalt: Moto Blitz DX |
| Latest Release Date: | September 11, 2023 |
Asphalt is a series of racing video games mainly developed and published by Gameloft. The series typically focus on fast-paced arcade racing set in various locales throughout the world, tasking players to complete races while evading the local law enforcement. Gameplay includes teaming up with allied racers and gang groups to assist in police pursuits and shootout races against rival groups such as crime families and terrorists.
Incarnations of the original game for various other platforms soon followed, the latest in the main series being Asphalt Legends Unite (formerly Asphalt 9: Legends) released in 2018; a number of spinoffs were also released, such as the endless runner Asphalt Overdrive, Asphalt Nitro, a minimal version of Asphalt for low-end devices with procedural generation as a selling point, Asphalt Xtreme, an off-road-centric entry into the series, and the drag racing game Asphalt Street Storm.
The series puts emphasis on fast-paced, arcade-style street racing in the vein of Need for Speed, along with elements from other racing games such as Ridge Racer and Burnout; the spin-off game Asphalt Xtreme takes place in an off-road racing setting, with open-wheel buggies, sport-utility vehicles and rally cars in lieu of supercars as in previous games. Each game in the series puts players behind the wheel of licensed sports cars from various manufacturers, from entry-level models such as the Dodge Dart GT, to supercars like the Bugatti Veyron, and even concept cars such as Mercedes-Benz's Biome design study.[1]
Police chases are a recurring gameplay element especially in the early games, but were de-emphasized in favour of stunt jumps and aerobatic maneuvers as of Airborne; they made a return, however, with Overdrive, Asphalt 9: Legends and Nitro, the latter of which combined elements from Airborne and previous games in the series.
Over the course of the games, players are gradually given access to various race courses, most of which are modelled after real-world locations and major cities, and upgrades for vehicles which can be bought from money earned in a race, or in later games, points or through in-application purchases using real currency. Events are presented in increasing difficulty as players advance through the game, sometimes requiring them to complete bonus challenges, e.g. taking down a given number of opponent racers or finishing the race without wrecking their vehicle.
The first mainline game in the series is , which was released for the Nintendo DS and N-Gage on November 21, 2004, with simplified versions for J2ME mobile phones being released on December 2.[2] A video on Gameloft's YouTube channel however lists their mobile phone adaptation of Speed Devils as the first game in the series.[3]
was the first game in the series to be released for Android.[4] was the first game in the series to be released for iOS.[5] marks the first game in the series to be released for macOS; later home computer releases in the series are exclusive to Microsoft Windows, with being the first to be released on the Windows Store.
, the eighth main installment and tenth title overall, was released in 2013 for iOS, Android, Windows and Blackberry platforms to critical acclaim, becoming one of the bestselling games on the iOS App Store and Google Play Store. Asphalt Nitro, the twelfth title in the series, was quietly released on Gameloft's own app store in May 2015 for Android, alongside a 2.5D J2ME version of the game for feature phones. A main selling point of Nitro was the game's small resource footprint, which was aided by the use of procedural generation.[6]
A free-to-play spinoff entitled Asphalt Overdrive was released for iOS and Android in September 2014.[7] Unlike prior titles in the series, the game is presented as an "endless runner" similar to the Temple Run franchise and Subway Surfers, and does not offer a traditional racing mode. Overdrive was then followed by Asphalt Xtreme, which focuses on arcade-style off-road racing, and in 2016 with Asphalt: Street Storm, a rhythm-based drag racing game in the vein of NaturalMotion's CSR Racing. Street Storm was quietly released in the Philippines in December 2016 for iOS devices.[8]
The ninth and latest mainline game in the series, Asphalt Legends Unite, previously titled Asphalt 9: Legends, was released worldwide on July 25, 2018, for Nintendo Switch on October 8, 2019, for macOS on January 17, 2020, for Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S on August 31, 2021, and for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 on July 17, 2024.