Excitebike (1984) | Nintendo NES Video Game
Experience Excitebike on the NES, Nintendo classic motocross racing game from 1984. Learn how to play, master turbo boosts, create custom tracks, and relive one of the system most iconic racers.
Game Intro
Released in 1984 for the Nintendo Entertainment System, Excitebike is one of Nintendo's earliest racing games and remains a memorable part of the NES library. Developed by Nintendo and directed by Shigeru Miyamoto, the game puts players on a motocross track filled with jumps, bumps, and hazards that require more than just holding down the accelerator.
Unlike many racing games of its era, Excitebike focuses heavily on timing and bike control. Success depends on managing your speed, landing jumps correctly, and keeping your engine from overheating. The game's smooth side-scrolling movement was impressive for its time and even helped influence the technology used in Nintendo's later hit, Super Mario Bros.
Simple to pick up but surprisingly challenging to master, Excitebike became one of the NES's most popular early releases and laid the foundation for Nintendo's Excite series.
How to Play
In Excitebike, you take control of a motocross rider competing on obstacle-filled dirt tracks. The goal is to complete races as quickly as possible while avoiding crashes and maintaining your momentum.
The game offers two main race options. Selection A is a solo time-trial style race where you're focused on beating the clock. Selection B adds computer-controlled riders to the track, creating more traffic and making races feel more competitive.
Before reaching the championship events, you must finish high enough in qualifying races to advance. As the tracks become more difficult, you'll encounter larger jumps, rough terrain, narrow sections, and other obstacles that can slow you down or send your rider crashing.
One of the game's most important mechanics is engine temperature management. Using the bike's turbo boost increases your speed significantly, but overusing it causes the engine to overheat. When that happens, your bike stops completely until it cools down. Learning when to use the boost and when to ease off is essential for setting fast times.
Jumps also play a major role in every race. While airborne, you can adjust your rider's position to prepare for landing. Smooth landings help preserve speed, while awkward landings often lead to crashes or lost momentum.
Track Editor
A standout feature in Excitebike is its built-in Design Mode. This mode allows players to create custom tracks using a variety of ramps, obstacles, and terrain layouts.
For a game released in the mid-1980s, the inclusion of a track editor was surprisingly advanced. Players could experiment with different course designs and create tracks that ranged from beginner-friendly circuits to extremely challenging obstacle courses.
The original Japanese version even supported saving custom tracks through the Famicom Data Recorder accessory, although this feature was not available in most regions outside Japan.
Controls
Desktop/PC Controls
- Left / Right – Move between track lanes
- Up / Down – Adjust the rider's balance while jumping
- Z Key – Accelerate
- X Key – Activate turbo boost
- Enter/Return Key – Play/Pause the game
- Select – Switch game modes and menu options
NES Controls
- D-Pad Left / Right – Move between track lanes
- D-Pad Up / Down – Adjust the rider's balance while jumping
- A Button – Accelerate
- B Button – Activate turbo boost
- Start – Pause the game
- Select – Switch game modes and menu options
Touch Devices Controls
You can use onscreen trontrols in touch devices like android mobile, applie phone, iPhone, tablet, iPad and other touch support devices
Why Excitebike Still Holds Up
Excitebike's straightforward controls make it easy for anyone to start playing, but mastering the game's jumps, boost management, and track layouts provides a satisfying challenge. The combination of arcade-style racing and precise bike handling gives it a unique feel that still stands out among early NES titles.
Its track editor was also years ahead of its time, giving players creative freedom long before custom content became common in video games. While modern racing games offer far more features, Excitebike remains a fun and historically important classic that helped establish Nintendo's reputation during the early days of the NES.
