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Over the years, I’ve reviewed a lot of games, especially mobile games, but few of the games are as universally acclaimed as Subways Surfers. And in this article I’m going to give a full blown review of Subway Surfers, the good, the bad, and the ugly.
As a part of my attempt to diversify my gaming portfolio, and spend some time away from Lords Mobile for a well-deserved break, I’ve started playing other mobile games to get a feel of what the plebs are doing with their time. One such game is the now-ancient Subway Surfers, but don’t let its release date fool you. It still has some kick to it and can provide plenty of fun when you’re riding a bus to work or just killing time at home.
There really isn’t much else to say, so I’ll just start with the actual game review. Enjoy. Or don’t. I don’t care about your enjoyment, as long as you click on my links.
I rank this game a strong 8.5/10, and I’m especially impressed that this game has managed to pass the test of time and is still one of the most popular games in its genre!
Basic Rundown on Subway Surfers
Subway Surfers is an endless runner game. Compared to the drudgery that mobile strategy games can be while you wait for the next batch of resources to be done, this is a much more active and fast-paced game that rewards awareness and reflexes.
The premise is quite simple. You’re a graffiti “artist” who’s running away from a security guard (and his dog). You jump over or dodge obstacles along the way and collect coins in the meantime. You have three lanes to run in and can swap between them by swiping across the screen. Some routes will have obstacles, while others will have coins. You can also climb up on a train’s ramp to run along the trains’ roofs. You can duck under some ramps by swiping down and jump over them by swiping up. When you hit a smaller obstacle, the guard gets a chance to catch up. If you hit a train, it’s game over, and you have to start from scratch.
After a while of playing, the game starts to ramp up the hardness, increasing the speed at which your game character runs. This speeds up how quickly new obstacles appear. The obstacles become more challenging as well, introducing moving trains that need a faster reaction time to dodge. Your success in the game pretty much depends on how fast you can swipe (or can’t swipe).
The coins you collect during each of your runs can be used to unlock more content, like gameplay improvements or cosmetics. They also present a scoring system by themselves, although there’s another, separate scoring system based on how far you’ve managed to run.
Btw, I also have a Subway Surfers Tips and Tricks Article. Feel free to check it out!
Is Subway Surfers Safe for Kids?
Yes. Subway Surfers is a perfect game for kids. There are no real life skills to be learned but it is enjoyable and safe. Subway Surfers has an “E for Everyone” rating from the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB). This means that players of all ages can enjoy it. Just make sure that you have your in-app purchases locked otherwise they may end up spending all your money.
There is no in-play communication with other players (which is a big deal for child-safety), and the “violence” of crashing into trains is so lighthearted that it doesn’t really feel problematic, imho.
How Fun is Subways Surfers?
I can’t believe that I’m writing this, especially since I’m known as a cynic, but Subway Surfers is actually really enjoyable. I can play on it for a solid hour without getting bored. And I get bored easily.
They do have some random “sub-missions” and “side quests” which are straight-up stupid, but the core gameplay is fantastic.
I rank this game as the best endless running game, tying in first place with Temple Run.
Review of Core Mechanics and Controls
Subway Surfers is built on four simple inputs. Swipe left, swipe right, swipe up to jump, and swipe down to roll. That’s it. No on-screen buttons, no combos to memorize, and no controller needed. It’s bloody genius, and such a successful playout of the classic running-gameplay.
The character moves extremely seamlessly and it genuinely feels like you’re running in a 3D environment (instead of 6 position 2D field).
Mechanic graphics are great. The “rolling under a tunnel” at full speed or jumping into a hoverboard landing feels natural, not forced or weird.
Review on Graphics of Characters, Hoverboards, and Maps
The graphics for the characters (the weird looking players who do the jumping) in Subway Surfers should have been its strength. Instead, the characters are without a doubt one of the game’s weakest elements. The designs lean heavily into exaggerated proportions, glossy textures, and stiff facial features. The result feels closer to uncanny valley than cartoony charm. Rather than looking endearing or mischievous, many characters look oddly artificial. Their faces don’t express much and their front-facing movements feels rigid. It’s not charming or rebellious. It’s just strange. For a game rooted in personality and youthful flair, the cast feels surprisingly soulless.
Thankfully, from behind, the characters look great! But its such a shame that they couldn’t get the characters looking normal from the front. Weird!
The hoverboards and other assisting accessories, while mechanically useful, don’t rescue the visual experience either, especially from the front (not in actual gameplay). It’s really strange, because otherwise, almost every part of the game is fantastic!
Thankfully, the maps do the heavy lifting in the personality department. Every new location bursts with color, motion, and cultural energy. The World Tour environments are visually excellent. The subways feel alive, and they throw in landmarks and vibrant scenery that reflects the actual location. The maps are genuinely great. They look inspired, playful, and memorable. And unlike the characters, the maps are an actual charm point. They keep the visuals fun, fresh, and worth collecting.
Review of Special Items
Subway Surfers fills its tracks with special items that fall into two categories: useful and dangerous.
The coins, keys, mystery boxes, score multipliers, and seasonal tokens all serve a clear purpose (and it is quite easy to understand what is what). Coins fuel upgrades and unlocks. Keys act as a safety net, letting you revive after a crash. Mystery boxes bring a surprise (hence the bloody word “mystery”) and they offer anything from currency to limited rewards. The item system is not deep, but it is effective. The game showers you with collectibles early to build momentum. The brilliance is not the items themselves but rather how they motivate you to keep running just a little longer.
Where the system excels most is in how it pairs with the maps. The items may look like standard runner collectibles, but the locations they appear in elevate them. Grabbing tokens in Tokyo or keys in Berlin feels better than grabbing them in a generic tunnel. The World Tour environments add emotional context to otherwise ordinary pickups. That makes the item system feel richer than it is.
The downside is the visuals… As mentioned above, the characters and boards look synthetic, but the maps look inspired.
Cosmetics and Locations
The game has mostly thrived due to its abundant cosmetic options. Every so often (usually a month or so), the game’s setting changes, overhauling the background design, introducing new playable characters, and changing how some items appear. The updates so far have focused on putting the game into different real-life locations (such as Amsterdam, Miami, Zurich, Seattle, etc.), but recent updates have pushed the envelope further.
Pros and Cons of Subway Surfer
Subway Surfers wins on feels (and the past 15 years are proof positive of that). The gameplay loop is tight, instant, and endlessly replayable. The controls are clean, easy to master, and very responsive. The maps are the game’s biggest personality win. Every new World Tour drop feels like a fresh city postcard. In short, there are a lot of pros for Subway Surfers.
Regarding the cons, the game stumbles on visuals. The characters look strange rather than stylish. They don’t feel like rebellious heroes. They feel like awkward 3D figures dropped into beautiful environments they don’t deserve. Monetization is also very aggressive. Ads and in-app purchases are frequent, sometimes breaking up the quick pacing the game works so hard to build. Difficulty scales smoothly, but progression slows sharply later. That can make unlockables feel like a grind rather than a reward.
But, the core game is great and I still play, and so the cons are really not overwhelming.
Similar Games to Subway Surfers
If you find the fast-paced gameplay of Subway Surfers addictive, here are my other recommendations of mobile games that offer similar thrill. Below is my expert list of my top five mobile games that capture the “vibe” of the Subway Surfer experience but add their own unique styles. I haven’t yet written individual reviews for them yet, but I probably will soon.
- Temple Run 2. Another classic endless-runner with fun environments, sharp turns, and power-ups.
- Jetpack Joyride. A side-scrolling runner with verticality, gadgets, and constant action.
- Sonic Dash. A high-speed runner starring Sonic. Enough said!
- Minion Rush. Missions and sets inspired by the Minions universe. Strongly recommend!
- Alto’s Adventure / Alto’s Odyssey. Another visually beautiful endless runner.
Mark’s Verdict on Subway Surfers
Subway Surfers isn’t for everyone. The game’s core is relatively simple, and it emphasizes reflexes and speed over strategy and tactics. If you’ve been playing Lords Mobile for a while, this game will pose a significant challenge simply due to how different it is.
While the game’s aesthetics get overhauled multiple times a year, the core gameplay doesn’t stray from the “run as far as possible” strategy and can get repetitive after a while. If you happen to enjoy the genre, great. If not, you’ll probably have a better time going back to strategy games.
Also, the game has been going on for over ten years now, and is still receiving updates. It was also the most downloaded game of its decade. If that’s not impressive, I don’t know what is.
In short, I’m a massive fan of Subway Surfer.
