GUIDE Subway Surfer

subway surfers is one of the most popular endless-running games, following on from the success of the likes of Temple Run. However, uniquely, the latest iteration of Subway Surfers transports players around the world with each update, taking on all-new locations, challenges and obstacles. Developed by Kiloo and Sybo Games, fans of Subway Surfers champion its polished graphics and slick presentation, as well as the fun and varied gameplay - something hard to come by in this genre.

This guide will focus on the latest edition of subway Sufers, entitled Subway surfers: World Tour Rome. Previously there have been Halloween, holiday, new york and rio editions of the game. In each one the gameplay stays much the same, with characters and locations being swapped out - so this guide will remain relevant for any version encountered. More information will be added as it is discovered and more learned about the game.

The premise behind subway surfers is that you play a teen spraying grafitti on the subway. You are interrupted by a character known as The Inspector. Deciding to flee rather than face your crimes, you must run through the subway, dodging obstacles including moving subway trains, to evade your pursuer.

Lanes

Like most endless running games, play takes place in what is known as a 'lane'. There are in fact three of these, helpfully indicated by train tracks on each one. The game will throw various obstacles at you, including moving trains, signposts, dumpsters, tunnels, bridges, buildings - pretty much anything you could imagine to make your life a bit more difficult. Because there are only three lanes, you have a very straightforward role: pick a lane for the upcoming obstacles.

Now, you will often have to be looking at the horizon of the screen, trying to see what obstacles are coming up and working out how best to tackle them. As you stay alive for longer in each level, the obstacles will get harder. The game facilitates this by putting obstacles close together, and by requiring more complex moves to get past them. For example, you may have to dodge to the right then instantly back to the left to avoid something in your path.


You can see how lanes work in the image below - each track is in a different lane

Winning

Unlike conventional gaming, endless running games are just what they say: endless. This means you are getting great value (although the game is free!) as you could potentially play one level for an unlimited amount of time. Players can compete for scores and time, rather than the achievement of beating a particular level. Moreover, there are challenges to complete which require and characters to unlock which require a lot of dedication and many hours spent playing. These factors, plus the fun gameplay and frequent updates, combine to keep people coming back for more.

Obstacles

A good tip for beginners is merely to spend a lot of time on the game learning the patterns of obstacles. Everything is randomly generated, so no two runs will ever be the same, but you will often find multiple obstacles grouped together, certain sections repeating themselves, and various advanced maneouvers required frequently. Similarly, while the shiny easter eggs or mystery chests may look tantalizing, it is often not worth risking your run just for the sake of picking them up. Don't be afraid to ignore coins and power-ups if you are on a good run just to stay in your current lane and not take any unnecessary risks.

Moving Left and Right

Movement is basic in subway surfers and takes place primarily through swiping the screen. Occasionally you will be required to tap, but not to avoid obstacles. The camera is centered behind your character, so you swipe left to move to the left and right to move to the right.

Jumping

As well as having to dodge between the lanes, subway surfers also features vertical gameplay. This means that you will have to jump over obstacles and onto new paths above your head. To do this, simply swipe up on your screen.


There are just a few basic moves, making Subway Surfers a breeze to pick up and play


Rolling

The opposite of jumping. If you come across and obstacle that is too low for your character to fit under while running, then swipe downwards on the screen. This will cause them to roll under the object.

TIP: Bear in mind that there are some obstacles which give you a choice of jumping over or rolling under them. In these cases the game is trying to make you doubt yourself and change your mind at the last minute. You should make a decision on which path you are going to take and stick with it to avoid any nasty accidents in these situations!

Diagonal

The most advanced move in subway surfers is the diagonal jump. You cannot move diagonally while on the ground - only straight to the right or straight to the left. However, when you are in middair, after jumping, you are able to change lanes without having to touch the ground. To be clear, you should swipe up to jump, then, while in the air, swipe left or right to adjust your position before landing.

This is a crucial move in the game which you should endeavor to learn before really aiming for the more advanced challenges and unlockables.

TIP: The diagonal jump means it is always safest to stay on top of trains. This is because you can jump off it and adjust your positioning in mid-air. When you are on the ground, this simply isn't possible.

Unlike most games nowadays, Coins form the only currency in subway surfers. That means that, refreshingly, there is no premium currency where the game keeps asking you for money. Instead, everything in the game can be purchased using the Coins that you collect on each run. While some items may be prohibitively expensive, effectively forcing you to use real money to buy them, this is far preferable to having a fenced-off premium currency like most free games do.


Coins can be used to purchase items in the Shop

Spending Coins: 

Using Coins you are able to purchase upgrades, power-ups and new characters. Also, you can skip any missions that you are finding too troublesome by shelling out some of your hard-collected coinage.

The game has various Missions that you can take on to earn extra bonuses such as score Multipliers. To see your current mission, tap the menu on the top left corner of the main menu. You can also access this by pausing while playing - this is useful if you happen to forget what you are supposed to be aiming for mid-run.

You can tell when you have completed a particular mission because it will inform you after the run, telling you what exactly it was that you did to complete it. Some Missions are cumulative. This means that, using coins as an example, they will add up the total number until you reach the goal. So if you are required to collect 1,000 Coins, you can visit the Missions tab to see how many you have done so far on your way to that goal. The game also uses Missions such as 'Spend 2,000 Coins' to get you to part with your hard-earned Coins.

As well as these Missions, you are also able to take part in various Daily Challenges. These change, as you might expect, once each day, and reward you with a special prize each time. Daily Challenges tend to take the form of collecting a particular string of letters to make up a word, such as 'B L A S T'. Once you get them all you will receive a bonus, usually more coins.


This is an example of one of the letters in a Daily Challenge task

You can see a complete list of all the unique missions in subway surfers by looking below. There are 49 of these, after which time they start to repeat themselves.

Set 1
- Collect 500 Coins

- Score 1,000 Points in one run

- Pickup 2 power-ups

TIP: This is an easy mission to get you started - none of these should be too taxing.

Set 2
- Collect 200 Coins in one run.

- Jump 20 times

- Pick up 2 Super Sneakers

TIP: To jump up and down as quickly as possible, swipe up and then down, as this brings your character down quickly rather than partaking in the usual floaty jump.

Set 3
- Get 2 character tokens from Mystery Boxes

- Roll 30 times in total

- Spend 2,000 coins

TIP: Spend your 2,000 coins purchasing Mystery Boxes and you will move through two of these objectives at once.

Set 4
- Complete 1 Daily Challenge

- Dodge 20 barriers

- Score 6,000 points in one run

TIP: Dodging a barrier means to jump over it or roll underneath it.

Set 5
- Collect 2,500 Coins

- Jump 30 times in one run

- Buy 1 Mystery Box.

Set 6
- Use 1 Hoverboard

- Pick up 5 Coin Magnets

- Stumble into 2 barriers

TIP: To use a Hoverboard, which you should have collected a fair few of by now, simply double tap the screen.

TIP: Stumbling is quite difficult, but is achieved when you have jumped to clear an obstacle, but your timing is wrong. So jump too late, or too early so that you fall back onto the barrier. You know if you've successfully stumbled because you will hit the obstacle but won't fail the run - although the Inspector will catch up.

Set 7
- Pick up 2 Jetpacks

- Beat 1 Friend

- Use 1 Headstart

TIP: If you are doing better than all your friends, you may have to make some new ones or arrange for a friend to overtake you to be able to fulfil this objective.

Set 8
- Bump into 3 trains in one run

- Pickup 40 coins with a Magnet

- Get caught in first 10 seconds of run

TIP: Bumping into trains is done by running next to them and swiping into it. You lose time by doing this but don't fail the run. Just make sure the Inspector is a fair distance away before you attempt it. This is also how you fail in the first 10 seconds of a run - swipe to bump into a train so that the Inspector catches you.

Set 9
- Use 1 Hoverboard without crashing

- Pick up 2 Mystery Boxes

- Roll 30 times in a single run

TIP: The Hoverboard normally prevents you from crashing - i.e. it will disappear if you hit an obstacle. To achieve this mission, you have to remain on the Hoverboard until it disappears naturally. So in this case, it's a good idea to activate it right at the start of your run.

TIP: It will be hard to achieve this unless you are specifically trying to do so - you should swipe down over and over again (when safe to do so) to tick off this mission.

Set 10
- Score 20,000 Points in one rune

- Pick up 12 power-ups

- Jumpe over 2 trains

TIP: To completely clear a train by jumping over it, use the Super Sneakers and aim for moving trains. Jump just before they hit you and you should be able to clear them relatively easily.

Set 11
- Score 4,000 Points without collecting any Coins

- Roll 50 times in the center lane

- Collect 5,000 coins

TIP: You should use a Headstart to avoid any coins at the start of the level.

Set 12
- Complete 2 Daily Challenges

- Dodge 40 Barriers

- Pick up 5 Super Sneakers

Set 13
- Bump 2 bushes

- Pick up 160 coins with a Magnet

- Pick up 2 Magnets in one run

TIP: Like bumping trains, simply swipe into the side of a bush to count as 'bumping' it.

Set 14
- Pick up 4 Mystery Boxes

- Roll 40 times in one run

- Collect 400 coins in one run

Set 15
- Collect 100,000 points

- Pick up 5 Jetpacks

- Bump into 12 light signals

TIP: It's quite hard to hit the light signals, but you want to direct yourself into them on the way past to register the 'bump'.

Set 16
- Complete 3 Daily Challenges

- Pick up 3 Super Sneakers in one run

- Jump over 4 trains

Set 17
- Score 50,000 points in one run

- Spend 4000 coins

- Pick up 15 Coin Magnets

Set 18
- Pick up 2 Jetpacks in one run

- Bump into 8 trains in one run

- Use 3 Hoverboards without crashing

Set 19
- Use 5 Hoverboards

- Pick up 3 Magnets in one run

- Get 5 character tokens from Mystery Box

Set 20
- Collect 250,000 points

- Jump 40 times in one run

- Pickup 25 Powerups

Set 21
- Stumble into 15 barriers

- Buy 3 Mystery Boxes

- Pick up 240 coins with a Magnet

Set 22
- Dodge 80 barriers

- Spend 8,000 coins

- Pick up 4 Super Sneakers in one run

Set 23
- Use 8 Headstarts

- Jump over 10 trains

- Pick up 15 Jetpacks

Set 24
- Pick up 8 Mystery Boxes

- Roll 200 times in the center lane

- Complete 4 Daily Challenges

Set 25
- Collect 15,000 Coins

- Score 120,000 points in one run

- Jump over 3 trains in one run

Set 26
- Roll 50 times in one run

- Collect 500,000 points

- Score 12,000 points without collecting coins

Set 27
- Get 10 character t

Below you will find tips for some of the generic mission types which the game will throw at you:

Dodging: Dodging a barrier means to jump over it or roll underneath it.

Stumbling: Stumbling is quite difficult, but is achieved when you have jumped to clear an obstacle, but your timing is wrong. So jump too late, or too early so that you fall back onto the barrier. You know if you've successfully stumbled because you will hit the obstacle but won't fail the run - although the Inspector will catch up.

Use Hoverboards Without Crashing: To do this, activate the Hoverboard at the start of your run, where there arent many obstacles and it's easiest.

Jump Over Trains: You need to use Super Sneakers to be able to completely jump over a train.

Avoid coins: Use a Headstart to help you avoid Coins.You should use a Headstart to avoid any Coins at the start of the level.

Bumping: To 'bump', swipe into the side of an object.

Stay In The Same Lane: To do this, use a Mega Headstart, then a Hoverboard.

Avoid Jumping: To avoid jumping, using a Mega Headstart, then a Hoverboard straight after it. You can then safely ignore any obstacles.

Jump 'x' Number of Times: To complete these missions, swipe up and then down immediately to do a quick jump - then repeat as required.

Still Stuck? Don't forget you can skip missions by spending coins in the Shop.

Once you've got bored of the missions there are normally some collectibles on offer depending on the edition of the game you are playing

The Weekly Hunt is similar to the Daily Challenge, except, as the name suggests, it takes place over the course of a week. For every edition of subway surfers: World Tour, there are four Weekly Hunts. To complete the Hunt, you must find a certain number of Tokens to receive a reward.

The Tokens are specific to each edition, with new orleans featuring Pumpkin tokens, while Tokyo used Japanese keychains for the collecting purpose. They are usually harder to come across than the Daily Challenge tokens, largely because you have a week to get them rather than just one day.

The Weekly Hunts began following the Rome edition and its Egg Hunt.

Power-ups can be picked up during play, and may have a profound impact on your success in any particular run.

There are two main types or power-up: Single Use and Upgradable. Single-Use are ones that are activated either by you, or are activated in the background automatically. Upgradable power-ups are the ones that you collect while on a run. These can be upgraded in the Shop to make them more effective. You can also purchase Coin multipliers using real money.

See below for more information on the power-ups available in subway surfers:

Single-Use
Hoverboard

This is by far the most useful power-up, as it effectively saves you from death. You will earn plenty of these in your travels, but it's worth buying them every now and then as they come in handy for completing certain missions.

To activate the Hoverboard, double tap the screen. You will then be on a hovering skateboard, and, should you hit an obstacle, you will simply lose the Hoverboard and go back to running.

Cost: 300 coins

Mystery Box

The Mystery Boxes can be purchased in the Shop and collected in game. They are chiefly the way that you find the parts required to unlock new characters, as well as other goodies. Currently the prizes on offer in the Mystery Boxes are as shown in the image below. Notice how there are tiers of rarity.

Cost: Free on a run, or 500 coins in the shop.


These are the items you can get in each Mystery Box


Score Booster

This increases your Multiplier by 5 for a single run. It is an expensive power-up, but if you have lots of Hoverboards saved up and are planning that epic, high score-beating run, then equipping the Score Booster is a great idea.

Cost: 3,000 coins

Mega Headstart

The Mega Headstart allows you to skip ahead by 1,000 meters on a run. It is useful for completing various missions, as well as for giving you a breather and a healthy-dose of points at the start of a run. Once you purchase it, Headstarts appear in the bottom left-hand corner of the screen and you simply tap them to activate.

Cost: 2,000 coins

Skip Mission

You will have as many of these available to purchase as missions you have oustanding. They simply allow you to move on past one mission and proceed to the next, if there's one that you think is going to take you hours of work to achieve.

Cost: 1,800 coins


The Hoverboard is vital for getting high scores


Upgradable
As mentioned above, the power-ups below can be found dotted around the subway on each run. You can increase the length of time that each one lasts by upgrading them in the Store.

Jetpack

This is a really fun power-up whereby your character uses their spray cans as a jetpack. They ascend above the tracks and can avoid all obstacles, essentially skipping ahead while still earning points. In the Shop you can upgrade the Jetpack, for a few which increases from 500 coins upwards depending on what level your Jetpack is already. The upgrades increase how long the Jetpack power-up lasts for.

Super Sneakers

These allow your character to jump far higher than normal, as if they have springs on their shoes. By upgrading them in the Shop you can increase the length of time that they last for. The Super Sneakers are generally useful for bypassing trains - you can jump right over them if you time it right, and allowing you to spend most of your time in the air - where it is safest to be.

Coin Magnet

This is a great power-up which draws in coins from the lanes around you. The good thing about this is it saves you from having to change lanes, meaning you can focus on avoiding obstacles rather than collecting Coins. As with most of the other upgrades, you can increase the duration of the Coin Magnet in the Shop.

2x Multiplier

The 2x Multiplier is great for getting some massive scores. Once you pick it up, every Coin you collect will be doubled for as long as the power-up is in effect. This is why it's a good idea to upgrade your 2x Multiplier in the Store - to make it last longer.


The Coin Magnet is a good way to maximize the Coins available on any section of a run


UPDATE: Power Jumper

The Power Jumper allows you to jump even higher than you were previously able to using the Super Sneakers and collect any coins that might otherwise have been out of reach. This can also allow you to access routes on rooftops and on top of trains more easily.

Some rooftops are only accessible with the Power Jumper. It is very similar to the Super Sneakers but can only be used for one jump. It is often positioned near to a roof or tunnel that contains coins on top, allowing access. However, you must be careful when using it as you can find yourself on top of a building when you would rather be below it collecting all the Coins.

It also takes a lot of getting used to in terms of the landing, so use it wisely. You are not able to upgrade the Power Jumper. The Power Jumper was introduced with the Beijing edition of subway surfers: World Tour.

Premium
Premium power-ups are those which you can only attain by paying real money for them. Surprisingly, there is only one of these in Subway Surfers.

Double Coins

This does exactly what it says. For a modest fee, you can double all of your Coin pickups. This gives you a real advantage against other players, meaning you can upgrade all of your other power-ups fare more easily. The question is, are you willing to spend real cash on it, as opposed to the imaginary coins of subway surfers?

There are a variety of characters available in subway surfers, with more added every time a new update or variant of the game is released. If you would like to be able to unlock one of the limited characters but the time of that offer has passed, you are able to do so by changing the clock on your device. For more information on this, check out this guide's Cheats section.

A full list of the characters are below, along with details on how to unlock or purchase each one. Where it says 'find' a certain number of a particular item, you have to do this by locating Mystery Chests and getting lucky with the contents in there.

Permanent Characters
Brody

350,000 coins

Fresh

Find 50 Stereos

Frank

40,000 coins

Frizzy

150,000 coins

Jake

Starting character

King

80,000 coins

Lucy

7,000 coins

Ninja

20,000 coins

Prince K

980,000 coins

Spike

Find 200 Spike Guitars tokens

Tagbot

12,000 coins

Tasha

30,000 coins

Tricky

Find 3 Hats

Yutani

Find 500 Yutani UFOs tokens

Zoe

120,000 coins


The list of characters is quite extensive


Limited Characters
NOTE: You can still get these characters even after the time has passed by changing the Time and Date in your device's settings. For more information on this, see this guide's Cheats section.

Zombie Jake (Halloween)

95,000 coins

Elf Tricky (Holiday)

95,000 coins

Tony (New York)

95,000 coins

Carmen (Rio)

95,000 coins

Roberto (Rome)

95,000 coins

Kim (Sydney)

95,000 coins

Harumi (Tokyo)

95,000 coins

Nick (Miami)

95,000 coins

Coco (Paris)

95,000 coins

Sun (Beijing)

95,000 coins

Alex (Moscow)

95,000 coins

Eddy (New Orleans)

95,000 coins

Jamie (London)

95,000 coins


The game also provides numerous limited edition characters depending on the game's current scenario and setting