Scrap Rush: rugby in the scrapyard, one finger at a time

Rugby, but the players are orange scrap carts and the pitch is a canyon. Scrap Rush is our pick today. It's a free browser game you can play online with no download, and one finger is all it takes.

How it plays

You steer a pack of carts, the Rustville Runners, down a long track. Drag left and right. The pack runs forward on its own. Gates change your numbers: plus, times, minus and divide. Teal tacklers trade carts with you one for one. Barrels and holes knock carts out. Bolts on the track are your cash.

At the try line your pack charges the defence and shoves through the maul. Whatever is left piles up the scoreboard tower, and the highest band you reach multiplies your pay, all the way up to ×10. Then a needle swings for the conversion. Tap while it sits in the green and the kick adds 50%. On golden posts, a good kick pays ×5.

Lose the whole pack and the run is over, but you keep every bolt you picked up. Nothing is ever taken away.

Captains with tricks

The ball carrier is your captain, and you collect them with shirt cards. Nugget is the cheeky starter. Bruiser Bo makes tackles cost less. Zip steers faster. Boots McGee gets a wider sweet spot for the kick. Mags pulls bolts in from further away. Big Mama Tonka pushes the maul and gets a tower band for free. Lucky Penny makes mystery gates go her way. And Grandpa Gristle? He only joins if you win the cup final.

Between runs, the club sells four upgrades: Starting pack, Engine, Bolt value and Kick power.

Six grounds, six derbies

Every ten levels you move to a new ground and meet a new rival: Canyon Run, Dry Riverbed Bridge, Mine Quarry Switchbacks, Wreck Beach, Rooftop Highway and the Floodlit Night Stadium. Every tenth level is a derby against the rival captain, from Rhonda "Rattler" Reyes and her rolling boulders to Big Brass, who throws everything at you. Win derbies to climb the league table. Level 60 is the cup final, and after that the endless Wasteland Cup takes over.

Five quick tips

1. Plus before times. A ×2 gate doubles what you have, so grow the pack first.
2. Pick your fights. Only run into tackler groups you clearly outnumber. Dodge the rest.
3. Trust the fans. Mystery gates are good about two times in three. The fan gate is always good.
4. Mind the size gates. They only open if your pack is at least the number shown. Too small and they cost you carts.
5. Detour for kit bags. Some hold a ball that bowls over the next group of tacklers.

Tower first, kick second. A tall pile and a clean conversion is where the big pay lives.

Where to next

Like the mud and the shoving? Try Scrap Tug for a tug of war over a mud pit, or see everything in Rugby Chaos. New to the yard? Start with our Scrap League welcome guide.