A fairground classic
You probably remember the stall: a row of wooden lanes, a ramp ending in a set of holes, and a line of mechanical horses lined up above. Every ball you sink nudges your horse forward, and everyone is racing at once. Derbi brings that game to iPhone, with wooden lanes, brass rails, light-bulb marquee signs and a night fair glowing behind a ferris wheel. The controls are made for a phone: line up, flick, and go.
Races are short. Squeeze one in against the bots on a coffee break, set up a room with friends in the evening, and come back each day to shave a few tenths off your Daily Race time.
How to play
- Line up. Drag the ball sideways until it sits right below the hole you're aiming for.
- Flick. Swipe up the lane; the faster you swipe, the harder the ball rolls.
- Sink it. Like the fairground machines, the holes sit in three painted strips: 4 blue holes in front worth 1, 3 yellow holes in the middle worth 2, 2 red holes at the back worth 3.
- Gallop. Every point moves your horse along the track. The first horse to reach the finish line wins.
- Too soft and the ball rolls back down the ramp. The far end is closed with a padded cushion: a slightly hard throw bounces off it and can still drop into a hole on the way back, but a much too hard one races all the way back down.
- Rhythm matters: the faster and more accurately you throw, the faster your horse runs.
- Once anyone crosses the finish line, everyone else has 30 seconds. A race lasts 3 minutes at most, and the last 30 seconds are counted down on screen. If only one racer is left, the race ends right away. Anyone who didn't finish is ranked by points.
- Practice mode, on the How to Play screen, turns on the throw guide and takes the pressure off.
Ways to race
Single Player
Race the bots. Pick the difficulty (Easy, Medium or Hard) and 1 to 5 opponents. Easy bots are tuned for beginners. No internet needed.
Quick Race
Get matched with online players. Seats still empty after about 15 seconds go to bots, so you're never left waiting. No race runs longer than 3 minutes.
Friends Room
Open a room for 2 to 6 players with a code like DERBI42. Invite friends by nickname or share a link. Bots fill the gaps, and there's always a rematch.
Daily Race
One course, the same for everyone, every day. Set your best time and see where you land on the daily leaderboard.
Practice
Throw guide on, no rivals, no score to worry about. Ideal for warming up or learning a new course.
Reactions
Send emoji to your rivals during online races. The bots aren't shy either; they react too.
Five courses
New courses unlock as you level up, and each one gives the same game a new twist.
You also pick the lane surface: wood, grass or dirt. Change it on the My Horses tab or in Settings › Lane Surface. The surface only changes the look; the ball rolls the same.
| Course | What changes | Unlocks |
|---|---|---|
| Classic | A plain lane, a fair fight. | From the start |
| Windy | A crosswind pushes the ball; an arrow shows which way it blows. | Level 2 |
| Polished | A slick lane: the ball rolls farther, so ease off. | Level 3 |
| Golden Hole | A glowing hole scores double, and it moves around. | Level 4 |
| Bumpers | Brass mushrooms bounce the ball; play the angles. | Level 5 |
Horses, balls and badges
Tickets
Earn tickets from races, tasks, badges and your daily streak. Tickets are in-game points only: they can't be bought and have no real-money value.
XP and levels
Every race earns XP. Level up to unlock new courses.
8 horses
Emerald, Pearl, Chestnut and Midnight are in your stable from day one. Unlock Sapphire, Violet, Blaze and Golden with tickets. Horses are purely cosmetic; they all run at the same speed.
6 balls
Classic, Cherry, Mint, Gold, Midnight and Cotton Candy. Like the horses, they only change the look.
12 badges
First Win, Bullseye, Speed Master, Win Streak, Flawless, Collector and more. Each badge also pays out tickets.
Daily tasks
Three fresh tasks every day, such as "Finish 3 races" or "Hit the 3-point hole 5 times". Complete them for tickets.
7-day streak
Play every day and claim your reward. It grows day by day, with the biggest one on day seven.
Leaderboards
A weekly points table (global and friends) plus daily best times for the Daily Race.
Friends
Add friends by nickname, see who's online and pull them into your room with one tap.
Profile
Nickname, avatar, races, wins, best time, accuracy and your longest winning streak.
Sound, feel and accessibility
- Fairground atmosphere: original band-organ style music and sound effects made for the game, from the rumble of the ball to the drop into the hole and the clatter of hooves.
- Haptics: a little buzz on throws, hits and the finish. Music, sound effects and vibration can each be turned off.
- Accessibility: Reduce Motion, adjustable throw sensitivity and a throw guide that shows where the ball will go.
- Languages: English and Turkish. Derbi follows your device language by default; change it in Settings › Language.
Screenshots
Swipe sideways to see more.
Free, with no purchases
Derbi is free and supported by Google AdMob ads. Menus show a banner. Every so often a full-screen ad appears between races, and you may see an app-open ad when you launch the game or come back to it. Ads never appear during a race.
Rewarded ads are optional: watch one to double the tickets you just won, or to pick up free tickets a few times a day. There are no in-app purchases; tickets, horses and balls are never sold for money.
Privacy
Your progress, tickets, horses, badges and settings are stored on your device. When you play online, your nickname, avatar, race results and similar details are kept in a player account on our server (Cloudflare); we never ask for your email, phone number or real name. Your nickname and leaderboard position are visible to other players. Settings › Delete online account deletes the account and its server data right away. Google Firebase is used for usage statistics and crash reports; turn it off with Settings › Usage statistics. Ads are served by Google AdMob. Details are in the Privacy Policy.
App information
- Platform: iPhone, iOS 15.0 or later. Android later.
- Tabs: Home, My Horses, Rankings, Profile. Settings sit behind the gear icon in the top-right corner of the home screen.
- Languages: English and Turkish
- Price: Free, with ads. No in-app purchases.
- Internet: Not needed for single player, the Daily Race, practice, tasks and badges; needed for Quick Race, friends rooms and leaderboards.
- Account: No sign-up. For online features the app creates a player account automatically; you choose the nickname.
- Status: Coming soon to the App Store
- Developer: md9.net
Frequently asked questions
Is Derbi free?
Yes. Derbi is free and supported by Google AdMob ads. There are no in-app purchases. Tickets are earned only by playing; they can't be bought and have no real-money value.
Can I play offline?
Yes. Single Player, the Daily Race, Practice, daily tasks, badges and horses all work without a connection. Quick Race, friends rooms, the friends list and the leaderboards need the internet. You can run the Daily Race offline, but your time only reaches the daily leaderboard when you are online.
How do I race my friends?
Tap Play with Friends on the home screen, or With Friends on the Choose Your Race screen. On the Create tab, pick the room size (2–6 players) and the course. Share the room code or the invite link, or use Invite to call someone from your friends list. Your friend types the code on the Join tab or taps the link. Bots take any empty seats, and when the race is over, Rematch starts a new one in the same room.
The invite link didn't open the app. What should I do?
The link opens a page that shows the room code. If Derbi is installed, tap Open in the app. If the app doesn't open, copy the code, paste it on the With Friends › Join tab in Derbi and tap Join Room. Codes are not case-sensitive.
Are some horses faster than others?
No. All eight horses run at the same speed; horses and balls you unlock with tickets only change the look. Your throws decide the race.
The ball keeps coming back. What am I doing wrong?
The far end of the lane is closed with a padded cushion, so the ball either drops into a hole or comes back. If it turns around before it reaches the holes, the flick is too soft. If it hits the cushion and races all the way back, it is too hard. A slightly hard throw is fine: it bounces off the cushion and can still drop into a hole on the way back. Settings › Throw sensitivity changes how strongly the ball reacts to your finger, and Throw guide shows where the ball will go. Practice mode, on the How to Play screen, lets you try throws without any pressure.
How do I change my nickname or delete my online account?
Change your nickname in Profile › Edit Profile: 3–16 letters or digits, no spaces. Nicknames that are taken or inappropriate are not accepted. Settings › Delete online account permanently deletes your nickname, friends list and ranking points from the server right away; your progress on the device stays.
Is Derbi available on Android?
Not yet. Derbi is coming to the App Store for iPhone first; an Android version will follow later.
Support
Questions, bug reports, suggestions, reports of offensive nicknames and data protection requests: destek@md9.net
When reporting a bug, please include your device model, iOS version, Derbi version (at the bottom of Settings) and the screen where it happened.