Desert Child

Overview
You are a hungry, young hoverbike racer who needs to get off Earth before it E-X-P-L-O-D-E-S. Hunt bounties, throw races, and do whatever you can to get to Mars and win the Grand Prix.
SteamMixed (56%)
358 Steam user reviewsMetacritic60/100
No current offer is available.
Screenshots & media
Features, requirements and screenshots describe the Steam PC version. Other stores and editions may differ.
All source screenshots (12)
Gameplay
Find Desert Child gameplay on YouTube ↗
Search for actual gameplay, including no-commentary footage. Check that the video shows the platform and edition you want.
How to get the game
No current offers. This permanent game page remains available.
About the game
- Developer
- Oscar Brittain
- Publisher
- Akupara Games
- Released
- Dec 11, 2018
Description & review sources
- You are a hungry, young hoverbike racer who needs to get off Earth before it E-X-P-L-O-D-E-S.
- Hunt bounties, throw races, and do whatever you can to get to Mars and win the Grand Prix.
Read full description
- Hunt bounties, deliver pizzas, throw races - do anything you can to earn cash
- Explore a pixel-art solar system inspired by Cowboy Bebop, Akira and Redline
- Customize your beloved bike with Guns, Amplifiers and shameless advertising
- Dine on a range of interplanetary cuisine with sweet buffs to help you win
- Master deep combat and racing mechanics and define your own style
- Race, shoot, and get better! Designed for replayability, with secrets that keep you coming back
- Chill to an original lo-fi hip-hop soundtrack
- Challenge your friends through local multiplayer
About the Game
You’re broke, you’re hungry, and your only friends are a vintage hoverbike and a bowl of ramen noodles.
In Desert Child, you are a young and talented hoverbike racer who needs to figure out how you can scrape enough cash together through racing and odd jobs to punch your one-way ticket to the Red Planet to enter the biggest race in the universe, the Grand Prix.
The world as we know it is slowly starting to become unhabitable, as many people on Earth have moved to Mars for a better quality of life, thanks to a government subsidy that assisted in relocating citizens by providing affordable passage. After several years of running this program, the government announces that in two weeks, tickets to Mars would go up in price, making the exodus to the Red Planet unobtainable for regular citizens.
You’ll deliver pizzas, collect gun parts, hunt bounties, and make some fans along the way. In between races, you’ll explore colorful cities where you can repair and upgrade your bike, dine on the local cuisine, and fight your way through gangsters, bounty hunters, and all sorts of interesting characters, just so that you can have a decent meal and keep your bike running.
Nothing’s free in Desert Child.
- Developer
- Oscar Brittain
- Publisher
- Akupara Games
- Released
- Dec 11, 2018
Ratings & review sources
SteamMixed (56%)
358 Steam user reviewsMetacritic60/100
System requirements
Features, requirements and screenshots describe the Steam PC version. Other stores and editions may differ.
Windows
Minimum
Minimum:- OS: Windows 10
- Processor: 3rd Gen i3/AMD FX-4100 Series
- Memory: 4 GB RAM
- Graphics: GeForce 7 Series/Radeon R7 Series
- Storage: 150 MB available space
Recommended
Recommended:- OS: Windows 10
- Processor: 5th Gen i5/1st Gen Ryzen (or better)
- Graphics: GeForce 7 Series/Radeon R7 Series (or better)
- Storage: 150 MB available space
macOS
Minimum
Minimum:- OS: Mac OS X 10.7.3 (Lion)
- Processor: 2.2 GHz
- Memory: 4 GB RAM
- Graphics: GeForce 700 Series
- Storage: 120 MB available space
Recommended
Not provided by the platform.
Linux
Minimum
Minimum:- OS: Ubuntu 14.04 LTS
- Processor: 2.2 GHz
- Memory: 4 GB RAM
- Graphics: GeForce 700 Series
- Storage: 120 MB available space
Recommended
Not provided by the platform.
Accounts, launcher & DRM
No current store offer. Check the store when an offer becomes available.
Not specified
- Launcher not supplied
- DRM not supplied
Features & game information
Features, requirements and screenshots describe the Steam PC version. Other stores and editions may differ.
Play modes
- Single-player
- Multi-player
Gameplay & accessibility
- Adjustable Difficulty
- Keyboard Only Option
Steam features
- Steam Achievements
- Steam Trading Cards
- Remote Play Together
- Family Sharing
Other features
- PvP
- Shared/Split Screen PvP
- Shared/Split Screen
- Gamepad Recommended
Controller & mod support
- Controller support
- full
- Mod support
- Not specified
Content advisory
- The game has some strong language, and use of tobacco and alcohol.
Game details
- Genres
- Action
- Indie
- Racing
- RPG
- Simulation
- Developer
- Oscar Brittain
- Publisher
- Akupara Games
- Released
- Dec 11, 2018
- Content type
- game
- Operating systems
- windows
- mac
- linux
- Achievements
- 23
All community tags
Community tag votes
- Racing171
- Action-Adventure162
- Shooter160
- Singleplayer156
- Shoot 'Em Up154
- Pixel Graphics154
- Funny152
- Local Multiplayer144
- Side Scroller140
- Anime135
- Sci-fi133
- Indie129
- 2D127
- Retro123
- Space111
- Action105
- Fast-Paced96
- Aliens89
- Arcade86
- PvP84
Languages & audio
- English
- French
- Italian
- German
- Japanese
- Russian
- Portuguese - Brazil
- Simplified Chinese
- Spanish - Latin America
Related editions & add-ons
Steam purchase options; availability and pricing are confirmed on Steam.
Sources, updates & publisher notice
- CheapShark Oct 11, 2026 14:27 UTC
- Steam Spy Oct 11, 2026 15:58 UTC
- Steam Store Oct 11, 2026 15:58 UTC
- Steam reviews Oct 11, 2026 19:07 UTC
Steam Spy playtime estimates
- Average: unavailable
- Median: unavailable
Source zero values are not a reliable game-length estimate.
Community tags describe the game. Source timestamps indicate when the stored data was checked.
Publisher notice
© 2018 Oscar Brittain



