Minimalist motorsport strategy game Golden Lap heading to mobiles

Nearly two years after its initial Steam release, Golden Lap, a minimalist motorsport strategy game by Funselektor and Strelka Games, is getting a mobile port, courtesy of Canada’s Noodlecake.

The Formula 1-inspired strategy game can be pre-ordered on iOS and Android and is expected to launch in July.

In a departure from Funselektor’s other driving games, such as Art of Rally and the upcoming Over the Hill, Golden Lap is played from a 2D top-down perspective, with cars represented as coloured dots.

A tribute to the “golden era of motorsport,” you take the role of a team principal managing a 1970s single-seater team, hiring drivers and overseeing the race strategy, from timing pit stops to monitoring fuel levels.

You must also manage your budget, negotiate sponsorship deals and oversee car development to stay competitive. 

While none of the teams or circuits are licensed, there are plenty of references to their real-world counterparts, including the Chapman team referencing the founder of Lotus, Colin Chapman.

To adapt the game for mobiles, a simplified UI featuring larger icons can be seen in screenshots and the announcement trailer.

Pricing details for Golden Lap’s mobile port have not yet been announced, but the Steam version costs £13.75.  The beginning of the game will be free-to-play, with a one-time purchase unlocking the full game.

In our review, we lauded Golden Lap as a “refreshingly different take on the genre.”

“If you prefer to give the orders and watch little circles carry them out, you’ll find a lot to love here. It is an engrossing, addictive and refreshingly different take on the genre, in need of some balancing, perhaps, but full of emergent stories you won’t forget in a hurry.”

Meanwhile, Funselektor’s next game, the off-road exploration title Over the Hill, is targeting a 2026 release.