Tire Friend

Released: Feb 8, 2024
Platforms
Last updated: 15 Sep 2026, 11:23 GMT

Updates & announcements

20 posts

04 Sep 2026Developer post
NEW COURSE: Tire Friend's Bound 'n Bide!
Navigate a deceptively simple course filled with blocks somehow hovering in the sky! Many of them rotate, which can throw you off, reveal goodies, or change your bounce angle. There are also some bug fixes, including earning T-Ranks without actually having to meet all of the requ
28 Aug 2026Developer post
Major UI enhancements and (optionally) faster gameplay
Among other things, an arrow appears on the ground while you're bouncy , showing you exactly how you'll bounce. It's a definite improvement. The arrow will also flash if your bounce angle—and speed—would kick you into Overdrive. Also, you can now set the game speed to up to 150%.
Among other things, an arrow appears on the ground while you're bouncy, showing you exactly how you'll bounce. It's a definite improvement. The arrow will also flash if your bounce angle—and speed—would kick you into Overdrive.
Also, you can now set the game speed to up to 150%. The game timer still runs in real time, so you can get some cool record times that way. There's a score boost with a higher speed, too.
Other changes:
The UI for your air supply follows you around so that you don't have to dart your eyes around the screen to figure out whether you're going to die. It also conveys more info, but it's also more compact at the same time.
Similarly, the "Rev-up-ometer" encircles Tire Friend rather than being shoved into the corner.
A tire pressure warning light also appears when you're low on air—mostly because I think it's funny.
In the Options > Gameplay, the two Challenges have been combined into a single "Challenge Mode". More straightforward and easier to explain that way.
Bug fixes and tweaks to courses, because of course there are.
Next up is actually a new course. It involves lots and lots of blocks. It's in the works. Happy Tiring!
Original post
15 Aug 2026Developer post
FINALLY, some Tire Friend lore: Qāt Kēwini, Tablet I!
What a find! Tirechaeologists have translated the first tablet of Qāt Kēwini —or Hand of Kevin — from its original Tirekkadian! Now, we have some partial insight into how Tire Friend—and the whole of Tire Friend Planet—have come to be! Wow, how exciting! Okay, okay. It's fed a fe
What a find! Tirechaeologists have translated the first tablet of Qāt Kēwini—or Hand of Kevin—from its original Tirekkadian! Now, we have some partial insight into how Tire Friend—and the whole of Tire Friend Planet—have come to be! Wow, how exciting!
Okay, okay.
It's fed a few lines at a time in the Pause screen for now—at random—but there will probably be other (better) ways in which it's presented in the game later.
Other things:
The Hub World has been made into much, much more of a playground—bounce, roll, and climb without even having to enter a course.
Along the same lines, there's a lot more movement in things that you knock over (traffic cones, traffic barrels, ...) because it's more fun that way.
"Those medal things you collect": The Golden Hubcaps actually look like hubcaps now.
The "Rev Up" move has been clarified in the tutorial course ("Driver's Education"), because some have had some trouble with it.
Several bugs have been fixed, including (pinball) Bumpers activating more than once at the same time, a softlock in "Driver's Education", and momentary switches activating/deactivating when they shouldn't.
Next up is probably a better hat selection dialog and (maybe? finally? this time?) a use for the Sapphire Lugs. Probably a new course after that. Always open to suggestions.
Happy Tiring!
1. When THE world did not exist [by Kevin's hand], 2. And his friend had not yet come into being, 3. When rubber had not yet met the road, nor been given breath of life, [...] 63. And that was That Day.
Original post
18 Jul 2026Developer post
Beat the summer heat with a dip in... BATTERY ACID BASIN!!
The Battery Acid Basin course has been completely rebuilt. From scratch, even. It was long overdue. Either way, you'll brave a rising and falling pool of corrosive acid through quick timing, smooth moves, and some brain stuff, too. Use that Spin Grip off of the cliff walls to nav
The Battery Acid Basin course has been completely rebuilt. From scratch, even. It was long overdue.
Either way, you'll brave a rising and falling pool of corrosive acid through quick timing, smooth moves, and some brain stuff, too. Use that Spin Grip off of the cliff walls to navigate the treacherous terrain—without falling in, of course!
Other things:
The camera engine has been reworked. A lot. Cameras have no business inside walls anyway. Also features better tracking of Tire Friend, especially at high vertical speeds. It's not perfect (yet), but it's much closer!
Related, the camera's range is visualized (see the top right), and the camera in several of the courses has been retooled.
The Spin Grip is showcased in the Driver's Education (tutorial) course.
The Bumper-to-Bumper Bouncer course has been retooled a little bit.
More Sapphire Lugs have been added throughout a few of the courses.
Several bugs have been fixed, including oddities with pipes (as per the course Tubular), pausing near the ground when Quick Dropping, and drop shadows being offset.
Up next? Maybe a use for the Sapphire Lugs.
Happy Tiring!
Original post
24 Jun 2026Developer post
Tire Tinkering for the Steam Summer Sale
Most significant is that the Spin Grip move (Hold Jump -> Rev Up -> Touch a wall) has been greatly improved in ways that ought to lead to even more creative movement. When you latch onto a wall, it becomes your new "ground", just as if you climbed onto it from a slope. You
Most significant is that the Spin Grip move (Hold Jump -> Rev Up -> Touch a wall) has been greatly improved in ways that ought to lead to even more creative movement.
When you latch onto a wall, it becomes your new "ground", just as if you climbed onto it from a slope. You can jump off from it—or even accelerate down it into Overdrive! It's also much more powerful, able to launch you upward even more than before.
Of course, you can chain all of this into Double Jumps, bounces, Quick Drops, and so on.
Other things:
There's now a Courses Summary screen, accessible in the Hub World.
The tire is actually symmetrical now, rolling back and forth without actually turning around. Related, the headlight in dark levels is much more predictable in where it shines.
Probably the best hat in the game, hands down, is now in.
More Sapphire Lugs are hidden throughout the courses.
Bug fixes:
Tire Friend no longer falls through the floor sometimes upon spawning into a level. Oops!
Quick Drop no longer pauses near the ground.
Rolling off of, and then quickly back onto, momentary (red) or multi-use (blue) switches doesn't glitch.
Got some camera improvements in the pipeline, too. Probably also a new course, but I wanted to get this update out there and into your hands before that.
Happy Tiring!
Original post
29 May 2026Developer post
Rebinding: Control Tire Friend your way! ...also, under-the-hood enhancements!
Finally, you can rebind controls! Navigate to... well, Controls ... in the Options menu. It should handle pretty oddball key/button configurations. The appropriate dialog will pop up whether you're using a gamepad or keyboard/mouse. If there's another way that you prefer to see t
Finally, you can rebind controls! Navigate to... well, Controls... in the Options menu. It should handle pretty oddball key/button configurations.
The appropriate dialog will pop up whether you're using a gamepad or keyboard/mouse. If there's another way that you prefer to see that handled, I'm all ears.
I did change some of the default controls (swapped face buttons for Bounce and Brake), but you can change them back yourself!
Also:
Made some adjustments to several courses, including "Spoo-Key House", "Ballistics on the Bluffs", and "Bumper-to-Bumper Bouncer".
Made controlling the camera using the mouse (including zooming in and out) much, much smoother.
Made the "camera velocity lead factor" a sliding scale, rather than a toggle, so that you can see farther ahead of you if you'd like.
Restricted the camera looking angle range, just for simplicity. In my own testing of this Early Access product, it hasn't broken anything, but please let me know if it has.
There's now an option to tilt the camera slightly downward if you're falling. ... like in Bubsy 3D. It's useful for a tire that's ready to bounce!
There's now an option to have "interactables" (Valve Caps, Powerups, Tire Friend himself, ...) cast shadows from light sources in addition to (or instead of) the "drop shadows" that they cast directly below them.
Adjusted the angle and speed of the "Quick Dive". It gets you to the ground faster while still allowing you another way to dodge deadly traps.
Finally updated the trailer on the Steam page.
Optimized many parts of the underlying codebase.
Okay, now next up should be another course.
Also, I'm always open to feedback.
Happy Tiring!
Original post
10 May 2026Developer post
New save file selection dialog and other things
Previously, save files were tucked away in a menu on the title screen. Now, you'll be able to select one on hitting "Play" instead. There's also a "percentage completion", which is more of an estimate until the game itself is actually 100% complete. Also, Menus are overall more r
Previously, save files were tucked away in a menu on the title screen. Now, you'll be able to select one on hitting "Play" instead.
There's also a "percentage completion", which is more of an estimate until the game itself is actually 100% complete.
Also,
Menus are overall more responsive.
Some levels have "themed" spiky balls and logs. (I'm looking to create more theme-appropriate gimmicks throughout, too.)
Chunks of "Battery Acid Basin" have been overhauled.
Probably adding another course soon. I have a couple in the works, so we'll see.
I also have some ideas for the camera. And also oddities in controlling the camera with the mouse, which are less "ideas" and more "annoyances to fix". So, camera stuff later, too.
Happy Tiring!
Original post
02 May 2026Developer post
Remodeled the playroom
The Tire Friend's Twist 'n Tow course has seen a significant upgrade: much more twisting and towing! Also: Lighting has been improved all throughout. You can cancel out of a Quick Dodge with a Double Jump. The Level bubble in the upper right corner grows and shrinks depending on
The Tire Friend's Twist 'n Tow course has seen a significant upgrade: much more twisting and towing!
Also:
Lighting has been improved all throughout.
You can cancel out of a Quick Dodge with a Double Jump.
The Level bubble in the upper right corner grows and shrinks depending on your distance from the ground, conveying some more information on when and where you'll bounce.
Lots of internal improvements, especially to keyboard and gamepad glyphs (paving the way to rebinding controls in the near future).
In the Hub, you can hold BACK (or the "Windows"?? button) or BACKSPACE to warp to the next course. Hold BRAKE while doing so to warp to the previous course.
Fixed some bugs, such as Quick Dodge locking or tire up in 2D sections, clearing Checkpoints from all other courses when you enter/exit a course, .., and more,
Next up is probably a new course.
Happy Tiring!
Original post
04 Apr 2026Developer post
Airship antics abound in a new course: "SKY-HIGH HAUL"!
"SKY-HIGH HAUL", the 20th course so far, has you navigating rockets, explosives, flame, spiked logs, tilting platforms, and more on an airborne frigate. You'll also be able to haul blocks, flamethrowers, and more to make creative use of the airship's floorplan. There are plenty o
"SKY-HIGH HAUL", the 20th course so far, has you navigating rockets, explosives, flame, spiked logs, tilting platforms, and more on an airborne frigate.
You'll also be able to haul blocks, flamethrowers, and more to make creative use of the airship's floorplan.
There are plenty of secrets on board with you, too—and plenty of opportunities to bounce around and go fast, as tires strive to do.
Also new is the "Quick Dive" maneuver. Hold Brake, then hold a direction, then press Bounce to move laterally quickly—perfect for dodging incoming spike logs, gaining a tiny bit of air superiority, or exhausting a bit more "oomph" to make a tight jump. Of course, it can be chained with the Brake Jump, the Bounce, and more. It's especially worth trying with the Air Brake Powerup equipped.
Other things:
Brushed up the animation routines to make them much snappier. Your tire doesn't have arms or a face, so clear, responsive visual cues are extremely important for this game.
Made some improvements to the Hub World to make the whole thing more interconnected—also, more playground areas.
A new Achievement for an oddball thing to do in one of the courses. More of those sort on the way.
Fixed some minor bugs, such as skid marks appearing on some moving objects (and then floating in midair when those moving objects.. you know, move) and Traffic Barrels sometimes not quite getting out of the way when they should.
Still working some usability items, like rebinding controls. Some more music tracks should be on the way, too, to differentiate the courses a little more.
As always, I'm wide open to suggestions on courses, features, and so on.
Happy Tiring!
Original post
21 Mar 2026Developer post
Minor update
A couple things: ESC now opens the menu. I have no idea why I hadn't thought to do that until now. (Full controls binding should be coming at some point...) Fixed bugs related to some of the new course-oriented Achievements. Sapphire Lugs always appear in courses when you have Ch
A couple things:
ESC now opens the menu. I have no idea why I hadn't thought to do that until now. (Full controls binding should be coming at some point...)
Fixed bugs related to some of the new course-oriented Achievements.
Sapphire Lugs always appear in courses when you have Challenges active, even if you haven't completed them before.
Tweaked some models and UI elements.
Happy Tiring!
Original post
07 Mar 2026Developer post
New course full of glitz and glamor: "BUMPER-TO-BUMPER BOUNCER"!
" Bumper-to-Bumper Bouncer " sees Tire Friend using pinball flippers and bumpers to navigate through obstacles in a flashy 2.5D outing—a perfect complement to his already bouncy, speedy, stylish movement. There are more than a few opportunities to chain moves together. Large scor
"Bumper-to-Bumper Bouncer" sees Tire Friend using pinball flippers and bumpers to navigate through obstacles in a flashy 2.5D outing—a perfect complement to his already bouncy, speedy, stylish movement. There are more than a few opportunities to chain moves together. Large score payouts make it possibly among the easiest S-Ranks to earn, but its T-Rank is still a beast.
The course is placed in the middle of the other courses—it's unlocked before "Snowblind Grind" and "The Tirebetan Plateau".
Other things:
Gameplay:
The Arc Rated Tire Cover now also absorbs a hit from spiky things (keeping its immunity to fire, lasers, etc.).
You can tap Brake in midair while bouncing to "set" your new bounce height. It's good for even more vertical control and maneuvering around obstacles.
The camera can be zoomed in and out closer and farther away. This does give five discrete "steps" for the camera on every button press, which may be too many. Open to feedback.
New Achievements, including one for a super quick time in "Asphalt Hill Zone".
The "Drift Dash" is in. You can get a speed boost by skidding around corners. May tweak exactly how that works in the future.
There are some more Sapphire Lugs sprinkled throughout old courses.
Fixes/tweaks:
Drop shadows no longer populate "offset" sometimes.
Keys and some powerups have new models.
The Powerup Reserve clearly indicates which Powerups you have equipped (yellow number).
Camera zooms in on our tire when in the "Change Tire" customization dialog (Options > Change Tire).
More loading screen hints.
Up next? Probably a new course (set in space?) while working on some "big rock", such as controls rebinding (finally!).
Happy Tiring!
Original post
19 Feb 2026Developer post
Reach new heights in "THE TIREBETAN PLATEAU"!! ... also, a lot of small things.
A new course (the 18th so far!), "The Tirebetan Plateau" , is now available. It's the most vertically-oriented course in the game. Combine that with a tire that can (a) bounce from and back up to great heights and (b) roll straight up steep walls at high speed, and—well, you've g
A new course (the 18th so far!), "The Tirebetan Plateau", is now available.
It's the most vertically-oriented course in the game. Combine that with a tire that can (a) bounce from and back up to great heights and (b) roll straight up steep walls at high speed, and—well, you've got yourself another playground!
This course also has the distinction of housing every single powerup in the game. ... with an asterisk.
Many other enhancements are here, too—of varying degrees of importance. In some particular order...
Gameplay
The loading screen includes hints and tips. These were also on the pause screen, but they're hardly noticeable there. You'll probably learn a thing or two.
A few courses, such as "Battery Acid Bayou", have new little areas and branches in them. Maybe more to come.
The "Driver Assist" (previously "Bubble") powerup that spawns after you've failed a course a few times has been tweaked a bit. It's subtler visually, you still lose Powerups on getting hit (so they can't be farmed)—though you're otherwise invulnerable, and some records aren't recorded if it's active.
Equipping Powerups (except the "Driver Assist") no longer decreases your score multiplier.
The "Spin Grip" (Rev up -> touch wall -> launch high) has been buffed, because it's fun to pull off. The Chains Powerup buffs it even more.
There are more Sapphire Lugs spread throughout the courses. There are probably more to come.
You can set off fireworks when crossing the Finish Line under... certain conditions.
In keeping with the theme of the new course, bouncing from greater heights (and maintaining your verticality) is more reliable.
Tweaks
The UI should better accommodate different aspect ratios, such as 4:3 and ultrawide. This is most noticeable in (say) the loading screen. (I'm wide open to feedback to the contrary, since I'm a 1920x1080 main..)
Certain visual oddities have been fixed, and other visual improvements have been made. Together, these include oddly placed shadows from pipes (in "Tubular"), drop shadows from certain moving objects in certain circumstances, textures such as those on the Finish Line, new models for (e.g.) guard rails, and Tire Friend casting shadows on entering a course. Items have more flourish when they're collected, lines of Valve Caps are placed on slopes more cleanly.
Quite a few little things have been optimized under the hood (different mechanism to translate and rotate certain objects, smarter use of certain Unity functionality). These seem to affect load times and performance for the better, even on higher graphical settings. As always, more optimizations to come.
Credits have been updated.
Other under-the-hood improvements allow for quicker development and configuration of little mundane things, such as tips, course information, and other text. This ought to pave the way for localization, too. ... maybe.
What's next? Probably some more polish—fixing the camera clipping through terrain sometimes (hopefully), more rendering optimization, and even more physics testing. Probably also a new course.. got some more prototypes that could be fleshed out. Maybe also actually using Sapphire Lugs to unlock hats or concept art or some such. There's also another music track or two in the hopper. Oh, and enabling players to rebind controls, view progress summaries in a list of courses, browse and pick hats using a better UI, ...
In any case.. Happy Tiring!
Original post
31 Jan 2026Developer post
Now: even worse quality! (Okay, hear me out...)
The super-low quality option (Options > Graphics and Sound) should be even friendlier to potato computers now. There's also a separate "draw distance" option, which can be set very, very low. These should boost performance. That's not supposed to be a cop-out. There are also s
The super-low quality option (Options > Graphics and Sound) should be even friendlier to potato computers now. There's also a separate "draw distance" option, which can be set very, very low. These should boost performance.
That's not supposed to be a cop-out. There are also some performance improvements and optimizations across the board. More of those to come.
There are also these:
Gold and blue Traffic Barrels hide some Golden Hubcaps and Sapphire Lugs, respectively. You've got to hit these in Overdrive to release the goods.
Bugfixes with drop shadows, reflection probes, and some invisible Valve Caps for some reason.
Courses will indicate that you cleared a Course using the Invulnerability (blue orb thing) until you've cleared them without Invulnerability.
The new Course, "Mesa Valley Rally", is also in progress.
Happy Tiring!
Original post
18 Jan 2026Developer post
Rebalanced tire
A couple things. Courses are easier to open in a couple ways: You'll get 6 Golden Hubcaps rather than 4 when completing a Course. (There are now 12 total in each Course, and also you're retroactively awarded the 6 for any Courses you've completed.) Course entry requirements are m
A couple things.
Courses are easier to open in a couple ways:
You'll get 6 Golden Hubcaps rather than 4 when completing a Course. (There are now 12 total in each Course, and also you're retroactively awarded the 6 for any Courses you've completed.)
Course entry requirements are mostly lowered, and they're generally set so that completing all the previous Courses will usually net you enough. There are some exceptions, especially later down the line.
Some Courses have been reordered.
Lots of physics-based fixes (rolling Spiked Logs, things on Paths [well, hopefully fixed], pipes [hopefully], camera, etc.)
Some tweaks to some Courses.
Some tweaks to some assets and models.
More Sapphire Lugs (for which I still need to find a purpose) and other secrets.
Fixes for a couple of annoying bugs (including, say, the camera not panning correctly when multiple Courses are unlocked in one go).
Next up is probably that new Course, though there are some other improvements that can be made, too.
Happy Tiring!
Original post
27 Dec 2025Developer post
This new year... keep on track!
Among those minor improvements are: Some more visual improvements—better tire tracks, scratch marks, kicking up grass and dust, burns, stuff frozen in the snow and covered with grass and dirt, completely retextured terrains, and so on. You can deface a course with your tire! A no
Among those minor improvements are:
Some more visual improvements—better tire tracks, scratch marks, kicking up grass and dust, burns, stuff frozen in the snow and covered with grass and dirt, completely retextured terrains, and so on. You can deface a course with your tire!
A nondescript party hat. Celebrate any occasion, including minor updates to game about a tire. ... or a new year!
Changed unlock criteria for several Courses. Some require a certain number of other Courses to be cleared, rather than a number of Golden Hubcaps. Since some Courses would be literally impossible to get to in the demo, then, the Courses in the demo have changed.
Tweaking and bug fixes!
New course and/or performance enhancements soon.
Happy tiring!
Original post
13 Dec 2025Developer post
Improved lighting, moveset enhancements, Achievements, and more!
A bunch of little changes here: Enhanced lighting all throughout! A much more powerful—and much more fun—"Spin Grip" (aka "Wall Roll"), which lets Tire Friend use angular momentum to launch himself right up a wall! New course "themes" to differentiate some of the courses even mor
A bunch of little changes here:
Enhanced lighting all throughout!
A much more powerful—and much more fun—"Spin Grip" (aka "Wall Roll"), which lets Tire Friend use angular momentum to launch himself right up a wall!
New course "themes" to differentiate some of the courses even more ("Dec-Cadent Ascents")!
New Achievements, with even more on the way!
More and improved little tutorial video things that show up in the corner sometimes. You know, so you can see exactly how to perform the Slip Grip yourself!
Next up is a new course (the ~18th so far!), this time centered around speeding up walls.
Happy Tiring!
Original post
02 Dec 2025Developer post
Two* new courses, including: Pipe Plunger!
In Pipe Plunger, Tire Friend will... well, plunge through pipes. They scoot and shoot him all over the place. He'll also have to avoid many, many spiky things. *There's another new course that's also technically in the game, but it's impossible to get to at the moment since it's
19 Nov 2025Developer post
Motion blur, tweaks, and bug fixes
A minor update, since the work-in-progress course "Pipe Plunger" apparently needs more testing. Motion blur is in the game. You can disable it in Options > Graphics . Many models have been tweaked or otherwise optimized. Some courses have, too (see: Spinswagger Speedway). Also
31 Oct 2025Developer post
Cloud saves
Well, the Halloween update was a couple weeks early, so here's a more... par-for-the-course update. First, the game supports cloud saves. (I thought it did before, but they were disabled. Whoops!) Please let me know if you have trouble with this. If you do, my excuse is that the
11 Oct 2025Developer post
Halloween update: Dress up and creep through "Danger: Low Visibility"!
Don't be afraid. Be a witch, a pumpkin, a boring man, a plumber, a Jr., or any number of other things instead. Just head to Options -> Change Tire to dress up! The new course "Danger: Low Visibility!" has you illuminating some creepy hallways and finding secrets along the way.

Updates & announcements

Gameplay

Tweaks