Desert Child

Side-scrolling hoverbike racing to earn your way to Mars

Oscar Brittain · Published by Akupara Games · Released Dec 11, 2018

Reviews: Mostly Positive; 73% of 85
Recent reviews: Not enough recent
Players: 0; daily peak, Oct 29, 2026
Steam Deck: Verified
Last update on Steam: 7 years ago; Oct 9, 2019
Minimum PC: 7 Series; 4 GB RAM · 0.2 GB disk; Full requirements

What is Desert Child?

This side-scrolling racing game follows a broke hoverbike racer saving to reach Mars and enter the Grand Prix. You race and take jobs such as pizza deliveries and bounty hunting, then explore cities to buy food, repair your bike, and purchase upgrades.

For you if...

+you prefer simple arcade racing over complex driving simulations
+you want local competition on a shared screen

Not for you if...

−you want nonstop racing without city errands or bike upkeep

What players say

73% of 85 reviews are positive

Players praise the pixel art, animation, and soundtrack. Common complaints concern repetitive races and unclear race endings that make boost timing difficult to judge. Some players also criticize the lack of keyboard rebinding options.

Screenshots and trailer

Desert Child system requirements

Minimum: 7 Series, 4 GB RAM, 0.2 GB of disk space.

As published by the developer.

Can my PC run Desert Child?

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Minimum

OS: Windows 10
Processor: 3rd Gen i3/AMD FX-4100 Series
Graphics: GeForce 7 Series/Radeon R7 Series
Memory: 4 GB RAM
Storage: 150 MB available space

Does Desert Child have co-op or multiplayer?

Yes: PvP split-screen. It also has a single-player mode. With Remote Play Together, one copy is enough to play the local modes online with friends.

Does Desert Child run on Steam Deck?

Verified Yes, Verified by Valve: it works on Steam Deck out of the box.

All functionality is accessible with the default controller configuration
Shows Steam Deck controller icons
In-game text is legible on Steam Deck
Default graphics settings perform well on Steam Deck
External controllers are not supported for the primary player

PC version details

DRM: None declared on Steam
Controller: Full controller support
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux
Achievements: 23
Steam features: Family Sharing, Trading cards
Languages: Text only: English, French, Italian, German, Japanese, Russian, Portuguese - Brazil, Simplified Chinese, Spanish - Latin America.

Does Desert Child use AI-generated content?

No AI-generated content is disclosed on the game's Steam page.

Self-reported by the developer under Steam rules: it covers AI content that ships in the game, not tools used to make it. Steam page checked on Oct 27, 2026. How to filter AI games on Steam