This game is exceptional.
I like drift games. I have played many over the years. Usually they do not hold my attention for very long. I love the focus on skill, getting in the zone, balancing and tuning cars... but in the end I put them down and don't pick them up again, apart from Reckless Racing I which is a no-longer-supported old android game, but anyway...

Star Drift, for me is the perfect top-down drift racer. Everything is spot-on, the vehicle handling (there are many vehicles), the (many, many) tracks, the career mode which somehow managed to avoid the whole grind for cash, it has time trials, special events that are interesting, a variety of leader-boards, local (lan or split screen) and internet multi-player...
The camera work and camera options are just perfect, the graphics and sound and handling really combine to make you feel the tyres on the track, this is true for my Xbox controller or laptop keyboard... I could go on but the free demo has so much content just try it out.
The exceptional nature of this game is really in the nuanced and... just I dunno harmonious balance of everything the works just right.

This review is based on my experience on a mid-spec (for 2023) linux laptop.

It is really a puzzle that this game is not a popular classic. I found it randomly in a sale and it is now one of my favourite games. A keeper for sure.

A jewel of a racing game for competitive players. After the AI races (for casual players) and beating all expert times, the fun (...) begins: lap time racing, against yourself and the leader board, to up your skill rating and climb the ladder. Daily challenges still have players (2024), mostly top tier/ten, and are a great motivation.

To cut a couple of 100th off your lap time can be sometimes so hard, you'll need a diamond. Well, you got it.