Air Racer shadows, replays and friend challenges
In Air Racer you can race your own best flight, which flies next to you as a see-through blue shadow. After every race you can watch a replay from four cameras. You can also save your best flight as a challenge file and give it to a friend, who races it as an orange plane.
Race your shadow
After your first finished race on a course, that flight becomes your shadow. Next time, it flies the course again right next to you, exactly as you flew it. It is see-through and cannot bump into you.
- After each gate, a line under the clock shows the gap for 2 seconds, like Your best · Ahead on the clock with a green ▲ and the seconds, or Behind on the clock with a red ▼.
- When you beat your best time, the result screen says New best!, and the new flight becomes your shadow.
- The result screen also shows You vs your shadow with the difference.
- After your very first finish it says Next time, race your shadow!
Your shadow is kept for each course, each plane and each flying mode. So the Trainer with Helper on has its own shadow, and the Racer in Pro has another. A crash is never saved as a shadow.
Turn the shadow on or off
Press G, the B button on a controller, or the Shadow button on the screen. The game shows Shadow: on or Shadow: off. In Settings, the same switch is called Your best flight.
Watch a replay
On the result screen, press:
- Watch this flight to see the race you just flew.
- Watch your best flight to see your best one.
The replay shows Your flight or Your best flight at the top. You can:
| What | Key | Button |
|---|---|---|
| Pause or play | Space | Pause / Play |
| Play slower or faster: 0.25×, 0.5×, 1×, 2× | 1 to 4 | Speed |
| Jump back or forward 2 seconds | ← / → | Back 2 s / Forward 2 s |
| Change camera | C | Camera |
| Move to any moment | The Flight time bar | |
| Watch from the start | Watch again | |
| Leave the replay | Esc or Backspace | Done |
On a controller, use the D-pad to move between the buttons. B is Done. Replays never change your save.
The four replay cameras
| Camera | What you see |
|---|---|
| Follow | From behind the plane, like when you fly |
| Cockpit | From the pilot's seat |
| By the gate | From beside the course, as the plane flies past the gates |
| Spin around | The camera circles round the plane |
By the gate is the best camera to check your line: did you go wide, or turn too late?
Your race times
The Your race times tile in the menu shows your ten fastest flights for the course, plane and flying mode you have chosen right now, with the date. If the list is empty, it says Finish a race to set your first time. Change plane or mode, and you see that list instead.
Challenge a friend with a flight file
A friend challenge lets someone else race your best flight on their own device.
To send a challenge:
- Fly the course and finish it. Your best flight is now saved.
- Open Your race times and press Save a challenge file.
- The browser saves a small file that ends in .airghost. Give it to your friend. Ask a grown-up to help you send it.
To race a challenge:
- Choose the same course, the same plane and the same flying mode as the file.
- Open Your race times and press Open a challenge file. Pick the file.
- The game checks the flight. Then it says Challenge ready! Race the orange plane.
- Race! The gap now says Friend challenge instead of Your best.
The game flies every move in the file again to check it, so a changed or made-up time never works. If a file does not fit, you see That flight could not be checked. It may use an older game version. That also happens when the course, plane or mode is not the same as the file's. Beating a friend's flight pays no extra coins, and their flight never replaces your own best. Medals still pay as usual.
Weekly race & friends
The Weekly race & friends button sits in Your race times and on the result screen. It opens the weekly race page on the Contenta Games portal. The weekly race always uses Harbour Sprint, the Trainer and Helper on, so everyone races the same way. Shared flights are checked before they appear on the board.
Common problems
| Problem | Fix |
|---|---|
| No shadow appears | Finish the course once with this plane and mode. Check that the shadow is on (G). |
| The shadow is gone after you switched planes | Each plane has its own shadow. Switch back, or set a new best. |
| Save a challenge file says "Finish a race to set your first time." | Finish this course with this plane and mode first: there is no best flight to save yet. |
| The challenge file won't open | Pick the same course, plane and flying mode as your friend. |
See also
- Grandpa and the rival pilots: rivals race you as shadows too.
- Advanced tips: use replays to find lost time.
- Controls: all replay keys.
- Back to the Air Racer guide, or play Air Racer.