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Race control · Message 00Back to the strategy

Responsible play

Free UK help, a private self-check, setting the flag, chasing tenths, road safety, breaks, sleep, flashing light, motion sickness and VR, spending, chat safety, PEGI labels, family controls and gaming disorder.

22 noticesAbout 8 min to read

01Why this page exists

Racing games are built around one more go: one more race, one more run down the mountain, one more try at a time a few tenths faster. That pull is part of the fun, and it is also why a site that recommends racing games should be honest about the downside and about how to keep play a pleasure rather than a habit that runs the evening.

02Free, confidential help

Paid random items such as loot boxes, mystery car crates and prize wheels share features with gambling: you pay before you know what you will get, and that uncertainty is what makes them easy to keep buying. If the time or money going into games feels out of control, for you or someone you care about, these organisations help for free and in confidence:

  • GamCare

    Free, confidential support for anyone whose play or spending feels out of control, and for the people around them. The National Gambling Helpline, 0808 8020 133, and live chat are open day and night.

    Visit GamCare

  • Gambling Therapy

    Free online support from trained advisers, with peer groups and self-help tools, available worldwide and in many languages.

    Visit Gambling Therapy

03Blocking and treatment

If gaming or spending starts to drift towards gambling, or you worry that it might, these UK services can block access, offer treatment and support families:

  • GAMSTOP

    Free UK self-exclusion. If play ever drifts towards gambling websites, it blocks every UK-licensed gambling site and app for six months, one year or five years.

    Visit GAMSTOP

  • Gordon Moody

    A UK charity offering residential treatment, online recovery programmes and support for families when gambling has become harmful.

    Visit Gordon Moody

  • NHS gambling support

    NHS advice on warning signs and self-help, and how to refer yourself to a specialist NHS clinic in England.

    Visit NHS gambling support

04Urgent help and young people

Free and confidential, for anything that is worrying you, not only games:

  • Childline

    For anyone under 19, about anything at all: call 0800 1111 free, or talk to a counsellor online.

    Visit Childline

  • Samaritans

    Someone to listen at any hour, without judging: call 116 123 free from any phone.

    Visit Samaritans

  • YoungMinds

    Mental health support for young people, and a helpline for parents and carers worried about a child.

    Visit YoungMinds

In an emergency, call 999. For urgent medical advice that is not an emergency, call NHS 111 or visit nhs.uk. You can also text SHOUT to 85258 for free, confidential support at any hour.

05A private self-check

Thinking about the last few months, how often is each of these true for you?

  1. I race for much longer than I meant to.
  2. Gaming pushes out sleep, meals, school, work or time with people.
  3. I feel restless, irritable or low when I cannot play.
  4. I spend more on games, car packs or extras than I planned, or keep the amount to myself.
  5. I play mostly to escape how I feel, not because it is fun.
  6. I restart the same race or time trial again and again after it has stopped being fun.
  7. I get angry with the game, other drivers or myself after a bad race.
  8. I log in for daily rewards, events or streaks even when I do not want to play.
  9. I have tried to cut down on gaming and found it hard.
  10. Someone close to me has said they are worried about how much I play.

This is a prompt to reflect, not a diagnosis. Your answers stay on this page and are never sent anywhere.

06Set the flag before the lights go out

  • Before the first race, decide how long tonight is and where it ends. Every review in our garage names a save point.
  • Plan tonight on the strategy screen: lights out, the flag, a pit stop between games and nothing bought during play.
  • Switch on the play-time limits on your console, computer or phone as well; they hold when willpower does not.
  • Box at a save point, never halfway through an event, so stopping never feels like losing progress.
  • Keep some evenings completely game-free.

07Chasing tenths

Time trials, ghost cars and leaderboards are a big part of racing games, and they can turn into restarting the same corner for an hour. If chasing a time has stopped being fun, hide the leaderboard or the ghost, drive a different track, or come back to it another day: times usually drop after a night’s sleep, not after the fiftieth restart.

08Racing with others

  • Agree when the session ends before you start, not when someone wants to leave.
  • Make “last race” mean the last race. Nobody should feel bad for leaving at the agreed time.
  • A bad race is part of racing. If it leaves someone upset, take a pit stop rather than an instant rematch.
  • Racing with people you know makes stopping easier: strangers in a lobby will never ask you to call it a night.

09The road is not a track

  • Racing games forgive mistakes that real roads never do. Never copy a game’s driving on a public road.
  • In the UK it is illegal to hold and use a phone while driving, including mobile games: six penalty points and a £200 fine.
  • Racing on public roads is a criminal offence. Real speed belongs on a circuit with marshals.
  • Do not drive tired after a late session.
  • Learner drivers learn with an approved instructor and the Highway Code, not a racing line.

10Breaks, eyes, ears and body

  • Every twenty minutes, look at something about six metres away for twenty seconds.
  • Every half hour or so, stand up for a few minutes, stretch and drink some water.
  • Loosen your grip between corners; with a wheel, keep your elbows slightly bent and your back against the seat.
  • Keep headphones at around 60% volume or lower, and turn on the headphone safety alerts your phone or console offers.
  • If your hands, wrists, neck or eyes hurt, stop, and see a GP if it keeps happening.

11Sleep

Switch screens off at least an hour before bed. Fast, bright games keep the brain alert long after the console is off, and late sessions almost always run long. Teenagers usually need eight to ten hours of sleep, adults seven to nine. Consoles and phones keep bedtime and downtime settings in their family controls.

12Flashing light and photosensitivity

A small number of people can have seizures triggered by flashing lights or patterns, sometimes for the first time and without any history of epilepsy. Neon tunnels, night races and speed effects can all flash. Read each game’s warning, play in a well-lit room, sit well back from the screen and stop at once if you feel dizzy or notice altered vision or twitching. If anyone in the family has epilepsy, talk to a doctor before playing.

13Motion sickness and VR

Cockpit cameras, camera shake, motion blur and fast scenery can bring on nausea, headaches and dizziness, and a virtual reality headset makes it more likely. Try a chase camera, turn off shake and blur, sit further from the screen, keep a light on and stop at the first sign of feeling unwell. In VR, start with ten to fifteen minutes seated, keep the play space clear and follow the headset maker’s age advice.

14Spending, car packs and paid random items

  • Agree a monthly amount before playing, never during a session.
  • Finish the base game before buying expansions or car packs, and buy them one at a time.
  • Work out what any coins or credits cost in pounds before spending them.
  • Avoid paid random items: not knowing what you will get is exactly what makes them hard to stop buying.
  • UK industry principles say under-18s should not be able to buy paid random items without a parent or carer knowing; platform spending limits are how that works at home.
  • Keep purchase approval switched on and remove saved cards from children’s accounts.

15Daily rewards, events and notifications

Login rewards, daily challenges, season passes, weekend events and limited-time offers are designed to bring you back on the game’s timetable, not yours. Turn off game notifications, let a challenge go without guilt and come back when you actually want to drive. None of the games in our garage needs you to log in every day.

16Who can talk to you online

  • Set text and voice chat to friends only, or off, in each game and on the platform.
  • Never share passwords, your address, school, phone number or photos.
  • Be careful with anyone who wants to move to another app, offers gifts, asks for pictures or asks you to keep a secret.
  • If an adult’s contact with a child feels wrong, report it to CEOP. Internet Matters has step-by-step setup guides for consoles and apps.

17Age labels

Games sold in the UK carry PEGI age labels: 3, 7, 12, 16 and 18, with notices for in-game purchases and in-game purchases (includes random items). PEGI 12, 16 and 18 are legally enforced for games sold in UK shops, overseen by the Games Rating Authority. The PEGI label guide explains every symbol. A label rates the game, not the other drivers in it.

18Family controls

Every console, computer and phone can set daily play time, a bedtime, spending approval and who can chat: Nintendo Switch Parental Controls, PlayStation Family Management, Xbox Family Settings, Steam Families, Apple Screen Time and Google Family Link. The parc fermé section of our home page says what each one covers.

19Assists are not cheating

Braking and steering assists, racing lines, rewind, subtitles, colour-blind modes, reduced motion and remapped controls are all part of driving comfortably. Using them is never cheating, and they often make the difference between a good evening and a frustrating one.

20When gaming becomes a problem

The World Health Organization describes “gaming disorder” when gaming takes priority over other interests and daily life despite the harm it causes, usually for a year or more. Signs to watch for:

  • regularly playing far longer than planned;
  • losing sleep, or missing meals, school, work or friends;
  • irritability, low mood or anxiety when not playing;
  • spending more than intended, or hiding it;
  • dropping other hobbies and people.

The NHS National Centre for Gaming Disorders treats people aged 13 and over in England and Wales, and a GP can point you to support anywhere in the UK.

21Helping someone else

Start by asking what they enjoy about the game and who they race with. Agree small steps together, such as an agreed save point or friends-only chat, rather than a sudden ban, and plan things away from screens that are genuinely fun: a bike ride, a meal or a trip to watch real racing all count.

22How this site is built

Tilebrisk has no accounts, notifications, streaks, countdown offers or rewards for coming back. Questions about this page are welcome through hello@tilebrisk.co.uk.