A brand-new ZX Spectrum game that would have been jaw-dropping in 1990 — full wireframe 3D racing with digitized speech on 128K hardware — and the browser emulation makes it painless to try. The rivals actually race dirty, which keeps every circuit unpredictable. Retro enthusiasts and Wipeout fans alike should pick VIPER and see how long the fragility lasts.
About TurboVektor
TURBOVEKTOR is an anti-gravity racer rendered in real vector 3D, written from scratch in Z80 assembly for the ZX Spectrum — and it plays right in your browser through emulation. Pick your ship and hit the track: jump off the bumps, blast through tunnels, and watch a city skyline scroll past on the horizon.
Three ships with distinct stats: STRIKER is light and balanced and starts every race with 3 missiles, TITAN trades speed for heavy armour that takes half damage and rams twice as hard, and VIPER is the fastest and most agile but fragile. Across 8 circuits with neon cities, desert pyramids, snowy peaks and industrial docks, rivals shoot, ram, pick up items — and can even be knocked out of the race entirely.
There's a championship mode with standings and a final podium, a minimap tracking every racer, missiles, repair kits and turbo pads, and a life bar that ends in a big explosion. The 128K version adds AY music for every circuit and digitized speech; the 48K version runs the full game with beeper sound. The page credits programmer Iker Lobo with the design and every decision, noting AI assistance (Claude) was used as a development tool for the soundtrack and some graphics.
How to Play
Choose a ship and a circuit, then race rivals across 8 tracks while grabbing missiles, repair kits and turbo pads. Jump the bumps, thread the tunnels, and survive to the podium — championship mode tracks standings across the season.
Controls
At the title screen choose controls with keys 1 to 4:
1 – Keyboard: Q / A speed, O / P steer, SPACE fire
2 – Kempston joystick · 3 – Sinclair joystick · 4 – Cursor joystick
Playing in the browser: press 4 and use the arrow keys, with 0 to fire
0 – confirm in menus · H – pause · M (while paused) – return to menu
If the keys stop responding, click the game screen first
Tips & Tricks
TITAN's ram does double damage — if you keep crashing into rivals anyway, lean into it instead of avoiding contact.
Repair kits are worth a detour on the faster circuits; one explosion costs more time than the item pickup ever will.
Browser tip from the developer: pick control scheme 4 (cursor joystick) and use arrow keys with 0 to fire.
Features
Real vector 3D anti-gravity racer written in Z80 assembly for the ZX Spectrum
Plays in-browser via emulation; .tap/.tzx/.sna downloads for real hardware and emulators
3 ships with distinct stats: STRIKER, TITAN and VIPER
8 circuits — neon cities, desert pyramids, snowy peaks, industrial docks and more
Rivals that shoot, ram, grab items and can be knocked out of the race
Championship mode with standings and a final podium
128K version: AY music per circuit and digitized speech; 48K: full game with beeper sound
Latest Updates
Added to PlayBloo
Real vector 3D anti-gravity racing on a ZX Spectrum — tunnels, missiles and rivals that fight back.. Discovered on itch.io's new releases feed and added to the PlayBloo catalogue with verified source details.
PlayBloo
