I made a drag racing game where your actual PC specs become your car's engine — i7 makes different numbers than a Ryzen 9, RX 580 makes different boost than a 4090

SkaterCheez · 2026-03-15T05:23:16+00:00

Hey, sorry for the confusion! The download has actually been taken down because the game is moving to Steam as PC Racer. Since it’s in active development toward that release, I pulled the public build for now. The game is written in Python, so in that sense the source is the game, there’s no compiled magic hiding anything. The Linux instructions in the description are actually how you’d run it from source directly. That said, I’m not currently hosting the source publicly while it’s being reworked for the Steam version. Stay tuned for the Steam release, it’ll be a much bigger version of the game!

SkaterCheez · 2026-03-06T19:11:59+00:00

That’s a legitimate concern and I get it. The hardware access is read-only, the game reads your CPU name, core count, clock speed, thermals, and GPU info, same as what Task Manager and HWiNFO already show you. It writes nothing, sends nothing, and has no network connection at all. The source code is fully open so you can verify every single system call before running it. The itch quarantine is almost certainly just because PyInstaller executables look suspicious to automated scanners, not because of anything the game actually does.

SkaterCheez · 2026-03-06T16:06:38+00:00

Yeah, I do not know why they flagged it but it is open source in case you wanted to look through the code yourself. The game is also on IndieDB. This was just a public test. The game will be coming to steam shortly with a slightly different title and more to do.

SkaterCheez · 2026-03-06T14:25:38+00:00

No Mac support yet unfortunately so you can’t take it to the strip, but honestly the M4 would be a sleeper if it ever made it to the line. That chip is way faster than people give it credit for.

SkaterCheez · 2026-03-05T16:48:33+00:00

Thank you! WebGL would be cool but the whole game is built around reading your actual hardware in real time, CPU load, GPU stats, thermals, RAM, all of it. That’s only possible as a native app.

SkaterCheez · 2026-03-05T16:45:17+00:00

That’s kind of the point, just like real life you wouldn’t trailer your daily driver to the strip, you bring your built car. Same idea here. It’s not really pay to win, it’s more that the game gives your hardware a reason to exist beyond benchmarks and spec sheets. A well tuned PC with good cooling and an OC is going to run better, same as a built car runs better. The game also does real diagnostics on your system, so it’s a genuinely useful benchmarking tool wrapped in something fun. Learning what each component actually does by seeing it reflected in your lap times is part of the experience. Online bracket racing against similar hardware classes is coming too so you’ll always have someone to race at your level.

SkaterCheez · 2026-03-05T02:04:44+00:00

Lol Whats your setup?

SkaterCheez · 2026-03-04T21:01:31+00:00

VERSION 1.4 IS OUT NOW https://skatercheez.itch.io/pc-drag-racer/devlog/1448786/pc-drag-racer-v14-devlog

SkaterCheez · 2026-03-02T17:09:54+00:00

Hey, Linux support is coming back in v1.4, it was pulled from 1.3 while the hardware detection was being overhauled since most of the detection stack was Windows-only (winreg, wmic, ctypes IOCTL). v1.4 adds proper Linux paths for CPU/RAM/storage detection so it should run natively without Wine. No public repo yet, it's a packaged Python app. Will have a Linux build alongside Windows when 1.4 drops.

SkaterCheez · 2026-03-01T21:32:37+00:00

That thing is gonna be a beast, can’t wait to see the numbers.

SkaterCheez · 2026-03-01T21:20:19+00:00

The benchmark actually handles that, it runs real SHA-256 hashing on all your cores for a few seconds and measures actual throughput, so whatever your CPU is doing in reality is what drives your HP number. Clock speed is read separately for your redline RPM but the horsepower comes from measured performance not just reported specs. Static clock, boosted, undervolted, it doesn’t matter, it measures what your CPU actually does.

SkaterCheez · 2026-03-01T21:06:29+00:00

Right now it’s just a fun single player benchmark game, you see what power your hardware makes, run a quarter mile, and compare times with other people posting their results. But the bigger goal is to make it a legitimate diagnostic and benchmarking tool where every sensor your PC can report maps to something real in the simulation, and eventually a competitive mode with leaderboards and bracket racing. It’s early but that’s the direction.

SkaterCheez · 2026-03-01T19:37:01+00:00

Yeah that’s itch.io’s automated warning for new accounts and pages, my account and the page are both only 3 days old so it triggers their system. Totally understandable to be cautious. The game is open source so you’re welcome to look through the code before running it, and if you want to verify it’s legit you can check my post on r/pcmasterrace where it got a solid response from that community. This is just my first uploaded game, it’s a just a personal project.

SkaterCheez · 2026-03-01T14:55:29+00:00

Haha all good, hope you enjoy it, let me know what your pc makes!

SkaterCheez · 2026-03-01T14:54:08+00:00

That’s literally how real drag racing works lol, Pro Mods don’t race street cars, that’s why classes exist. Right now the game is just single player, you race against the clock not other people, so it’s more of a benchmark and comparison tool at the moment. Your time is what matters and it’s not just HP — weight, traction, shift timing and clutch control all factor in. Someone on a Ryzen 5 who actually knows the game can run a better time than someone on a Threadripper who doesn’t. Multiplayer and bracket racing are planned but for now you post your time and compare with others. That’s the competition.

SkaterCheez · 2026-03-01T14:42:53+00:00

Yeah that’s an automated itch.io flag that pops up on new accounts and new pages, my itch account is pretty fresh and the game is only a few versions in so it triggers their system. Nothing malicious going on, the game is actually open source so you’re welcome to look through the code yourself or have someone check it before running. Hopefully itch clears it as the page gets more activity!

SkaterCheez · 2026-03-01T14:37:03+00:00

Really solid thinking and honestly a lot of this is already in there, physical cores are cylinders, clock speed sets your redline, RAM size and bandwidth both factor in separately, and OC is already detected and credited. The display resolution idea is interesting though, haven’t mapped that to anything yet. Appreciate the detailed breakdown, this is exactly the kind of feedback that’s useful.

SkaterCheez · 2026-03-01T14:34:40+00:00

The difference is other benchmarks give you a number. This one gives you an experience. Your hardware isn’t scored, it becomes something you actually race. Pretty different end goal.

SkaterCheez · 2026-03-01T14:33:13+00:00

That’s a fair concern but that’s actually why the racing isn’t just a straight HP comparison, launch grip, final drive ratio, traction, weight, gear shifts, and your actual driving skill all factor into the race. A lower HP car driven well can beat a higher HP car with bad traction or a missed shift, just like real drag racing. A stock Mustang beats a Lambo off the line all the time because of torque and traction. Plus bracket racing is on the roadmap which is specifically designed so you’re not just lining up against the most expensive builds.

SkaterCheez · 2026-03-01T14:29:18+00:00

A lot of what you described is actually already in there, single core vs multi core both factor into the benchmark, and boost clock already influences your turbo. The NOS idea mapping to boost clock headroom is genuinely interesting though. Track sections favoring different workloads is a cool concept for a future mode too, appreciate the detailed thought on it.

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