How to Build an Addictive Subway Surfer-Like Game

Hyper casual games have become a hegemon in mobile games over the last few years. They are easy to play, in most cases, reveal minimalistic design and simple mechanics, and most importantly allow players to quickly figure out how to play the game. Broad audience, indeed, as it is attracted to quite possible quick entertainment by casual players. This also had a major contribution from the increasing adoption of smart devices, as this has led to players now being able to access the games at any time and at any location.

Elements of hypercasual development popularity:

• Simplicity: Games that do not require very long tutorials but are relatively easy to pick up and begin playing.
•  Short Sessions: The games take relatively short periods and are perfect for playing short breaks.
•  Free-to-Play Model: Most hyper-casual games are free to download with the only purchases made within that game, which does not hamper progress in any form and can be shared without any hindrances
•  Social Sharing: Hypercasual development encourages their players to share scores and achievements on social media, which goes a long way in improving community engagement.

Subway Surfer stands alone as the unequaled leader of this genre. Subway Surfer is just one of those crazy ways in which a hyper-casual game has skyrocketed to monumental heights since its release back in 2012. 

Subway Surfers has been downloaded more than four billion times since launch, making it the most downloaded mobile game.

Its endless runner format has simply been catchy, and its imagery is engaging for both children and adults alike. The essence of a hyper-casual game is to get out from an inspector while collecting coins and power-ups. That is why Subway Surfer is so popular in the hypercasual development space.

Why Subway Surfer is Everyone’s Favorite Game?

Through its ability to evolve and change through updates and events, Subway Surfer game keeps its player coming back for more, thus it strongly stands in the competitive grounds of mobile gaming. In this section, we’ll discover the key reasons that make Subway Surfer popular and have kept people drawn into the game.

Leading casual gaming apps in the Google Play Store worldwide in August 2024, by daily active users.

• Addictive Gameplay: The mechanics have been designed in such a way that there is a very interesting loop of trying to beat the previous scores and collect more coins.
• More Frequent Updates: Regular updates introduce new locations, characters, and challenges, making gameplay fresh and exciting. For example, the “World Tour” series takes players to various cities around the world.
• Sensory Visual Appeal: Colorful graphics with lively animations enhance the overall experience.
• Community Engagement: With leaderboard and social sharing capabilities, this allows competition with friends and sharing of achievements with others, keeping them attached for a longer time.
• Accessibility: Subway Surfer is available across all popular platforms: iOS, Android, and Windows. This allows mass users without the complications of high-end devices.

Game Mechanics of Subway Surfer

Subway Surfer uses various game mechanics to playfully make the game so addictive:

The game is supported by two different formats- the Endless Runner format, where it generates endless tracks while evading obstacles such as trains and barriers, and promotes playing continuously without an endpoint. The Power-ups further add strategy to the gameplay; by collecting different power-ups during the run, a player can get various benefits, such as acquiring a jetpack to fly over obstacles, magnets to attract coins, and many more.

• Character Customization: Over 50 characters to select from. The uniqueness of each character gives that feature to enhance gameplay.
• Daily Challenges and Events: These daily challenges make the players play the game every day because of coins, or the exclusive items they get over time can be considered as wages.
• Offline Playability: Subway Surfer is accessible anywhere at any time without requiring an internet connection to play.

These mechanics not only make the playing experience great but keep Subway Surfer relevant in the ever-evolving landscape of games.

Steps to Create Subway Surfer Clone From Scratch

Developing Subway Surfer clones would be such a thrilling experience for aspiring game developers. The viral endless runner game known for its bright colors and interesting gameplay has enabled players to run across urban landscapes, evading obstacles and gathering coins. In developing your version, you will be learning about the subject of game design and programming while unleashing the creative expression inside in designing characters, environments, and game mechanics. Below are the detailed procedures to help you develop a Subway Surfers clone from scratch.

1. Choose Your Development Platform

• Unity: A high-strength game engine, especially suited for 2D and 3D game development. It features detailed documentation and has an enormous community for support. Suitable for professionals with some programming background.
• Scratch: A visual programming language designed for non-programmers. This lets you create games with blocks that you drag and drop into place, making it great for understanding the basics of programming.

2. Set up your project

• New Project: Open up your game engine of choice and create a new project. Enter a name for your project relevant to what you’re going to make. For example, “Subway Surfer Clone.”
• Asset Organization: You will have folders for sprites, sounds, scripts, and scenes. This will guide you on how to manage your assets as your project grows.

3. Game Asset Design

• Character Design: Design or find a character sprite that will fit your game’s theme. You can use Adobe Illustrator or free alternatives like GIMP and Inkscape for such purposes.
• Environment and Challenges: Create the race track, buildings, trains, and challenges. Ensure they look unique and fit in with the art style of the Subway Surfer clone.
• Collectibles: Design coins or power-ups for the player to collect in-game. Brighter colors might attract more attention.

4. Character Movement Implementation

• Basic Controls: Program the character to move when using a keyboard or touch input. Swiping left or right to the right or left, respectively, would move the character sideways and swiping up makes the character jump.
• Physics Interaction: Use your Subway Surfer clone platform’s physics engine that could automate the gravity and collisions from the process. This would help the movement feel a lot more realistic.

5. Develop Infinite Runner Mechanics

• Infinite Track Generation: Develop a system that generates new tracks in the game world as the player continues. To do this, you can set a set of pre-fabricated track pieces which you can instantiate whenever you need.
• Object Pooling: Implement object pooling to optimize your performance. Instead of constantly spawning obstacles on-screen, reuse the existing ones. This really cuts down on using up memory resources and increases the actual frame rates of your game.

6. Inclusion of Obstacles and Collectibles

• Diversity in Obstacles: Provide the player with a mix of trains and barriers that make him react to their presence. Their speed and placement should be the least predictable.
• Collectible Mechanics: Come up with logic for collectibles to be placed randomly on the track. Introduce power-up items that can give temporary powers to players like invincibility or quick movement.  These elements make the Subway Surfer Clone more dynamic and enjoyable for players.

7. UI Design

• Main Menu: Design a simple main menu. It should show some options, such as starting the game, high scores, and settings.
• In-game UI: This shall be shown within the game and shall include information regarding the score, distance traveled, and the lives left. Ensure that fonts are clear and colours are highly contrasting.
• Game Over Screen: Design a screen that will be displayed whenever a player has lost the game. On this screen, the player can see his or her score and then either restart or go back to the main menu.

8. Scoring System

• Distance-Based Scoring: Reward scores based on how far you have to run from where you are. Increase the score gradually as they progress through each stage.
• Collectible Points: Determine the value of points for each collectible that will fall. You could add multipliers for collecting things in a back-to-back scenario.
• High Score Tracking: Store high scores locally or use an online service to save across a range of devices. High scores can be displayed on the main menu for encouragement through competition.

9. Test Your Game

• Playtesting: Playtest your game often during development to find hidden bugs or gameplay-related issues. Pay attention to character responsiveness, placement of obstacles, and overall enjoyment.
• Collect Feedback: Share your Subway Surfer game with friends or online communities for feedback. Use their insights to refine gameplay mechanics and improve the user experience.

10. Publish Your Game

• Final Polish: Debug and optimize performance to make sure the game runs well on all devices.
• Publishing Options: Look into publishing options: Google Play Store, Apple App Store, or itch.io. Follow the guidelines on how to submit them.
• Marketing Your Game: Make pictures, trailers, and descriptions of your game to popularize it among gamers. Use social media, as well as internet gaming forums, to get word of your game out.

Partner with the Best Hypercasual Development Company

 Experience cutting-edge innovation and creativity with our award-winning hypercasual development company with a proven track record to breathe life into addictively engaging games. Antier uses state-of-the-art technology and the best developers on board to help bring your gaming ideas to fulfillment. We sustain clients throughout the whole development lifecycle process, from conceptualizing a game to launch day. Our intuitive interface will cater to all player captivation and revenue-generating needs.

Come together with Antier and profit from our knowledge and expertise in the industry, as well as our collaborative approach. Tailor-made solutions based on special needs are offered here, allowing you to stand out from the crowd in the field of hypercasual. Along with our overall quality and timely delivery, you can count on us to enrich your game portfolio and make the maximum possible impact for you in the market. Be one of the leaders in the hypercasual development space—let’s create something extraordinary!