Trial Games

Trial games are bike challenges where speed isn't the point. What matters is keeping your balance over ramps, logs, drops and obstacles. There are more than 100, free, in your browser with no downloads, and almost all of them scroll from left to right.

How they work

The setup is the same in nearly all of them: the bike moves along a course full of obstacles and you control the throttle and the tilt. The danger isn't hitting another car, it's losing your balance and landing on your head. You win by reaching the finish, sometimes against a time limit and sometimes for the highest score possible.

There are two styles. In some, a fall ends the level or sends you back to the last checkpoint, and you try again. In others you can get back up and keep going, though you lose time. That changes the difficulty a lot, so play the first level to see what you're dealing with.

Game families

The Moto X3M series is one of the most popular in the section: Moto X3M Bike Race Game, Moto X3M Spooky Land, Moto X3M 4 Winter and Moto X3M Pool Party. They're tracks with ramps, jumps and traps, and a timer that pushes you to go fast. Bike Mania, Bike Mania 2, Bikemania 4 and Bike Mania on Ice follow a similar formula, with more emphasis on balance.

Closer to classic trial are Trials Ride, Bike Trial, Dirt Bike Trials, Moto Trial Fest, X Trial Racing MA and Trial Bike Pro. With familiar characters there are Mario Moto, Mario Bike, Naruto Bike and Super Mario Halloween Wheelie. And if you want to change vehicles, MTB Hill Bike Rider uses a mountain bike and Trial Tractor a tractor.

Tips

Open the throttle gradually, because most crashes come from too much gas. Use the arrows to tilt the bike in the air and land on both wheels, and don't brake in mid-jump. When you fail, look at where you went down and try again more calmly.

• To start: Bike Mania or Moto X3M.
• For more technique: Dirt Bike Trials or Trials Ride.