Asphalt

Asphalt launched in 2004 with Asphalt: Urban GT and was arcade racing rather than simulation from the start – exaggerated drift turns, flashy stunt crashes, destructible scenery, and fast cars instead of detailed physics or vehicle damage. Gameloft built it primarily for mobile phones and handhelds, so the series quickly became one of the most widespread racing experiences on the Java phones of the era as well as on the Nintendo DS and 3DS, devices where full-fledged console racing games simply weren't available and players wanted quick, undemanding fun between rounds of other things.

Later entries – Asphalt 4: Elite Racing, Asphalt 5, Asphalt 6: Adrenaline, Asphalt 7: Heat, and Asphalt 8: Airborne – gradually added licensed cars from real automakers, flashier and more varied tracks, and the signature mid-jump airborne drift that became one of the series' trademarks. Asphalt 8 also added online multiplayer and player clubs, and thanks to regular content updates it enjoyed an unusually long life, staying popular for years after release. The series was then capped in 2018 by Asphalt 9: Legends, which streamlined the controls even further, added a more developed career mode, and brought the visuals up to the level of modern console racers.

The gradual shift from simpler mobile phones and handhelds to smartphones ultimately made the series one of the best-known mobile racing brands of all – accessible, visually flashy, and focused on instant fun rather than faithfully replicating real driving.