Subway Surfers, created by SYBO Games, is a famous endless runner mobile game. Players run along subway tracks, dodge trains and barriers, collect coins, and escape the inspector and his dog. This FAQ answers common gameplay, currency, technical and progress questions.
### Q1. What is the main goal of Subway Surfers?
There is no final level or end to the game. Your goal is to run as far as you can, avoid crashing into obstacles, collect coins, and earn the highest possible score. You can complete missions to unlock permanent score multipliers and earn rewards.
### Q2. What are the basic swipe controls?
- Swipe Up: Jump
- Swipe Down: Roll under obstacles
- Swipe Left / Right: Switch running lanes
- Double tap: Deploy a hoverboard, which saves you from one crash
### Q3. Can I play Subway Surfers offline?
Yes. Core endless running gameplay works fully offline once the game is downloaded. However, online leaderboards, seasonal events, reward videos and cloud save require an internet connection.
### Q4. What are power-ups and what do they do?
- **Jetpack**: Fly above all ground obstacles and collect coins safely.
- **Coin Magnet**: Automatically draws nearby coins to you.
- **Super Sneakers**: Higher jumps to leap over trains and large gaps.
- **2X Multiplier**: Doubles your current score multiplier temporarily.
You can upgrade these power-ups with coins to extend their duration.
### Q5. What are Coins and Keys?
- **Coins**: Main free currency, collected while running. Use coins to upgrade power-ups and buy some characters and hoverboards.
- **Keys**: Rare premium currency. Keys let you continue your run after crashing, unlock limited-time characters and boards, and open mystery boxes. Keys can be earned through events and daily rewards or purchased.
### Q6. How to unlock new characters and hoverboards?
Some base characters can be bought with coins. Limited-edition characters and special hoverboards are only available during World Tour seasonal events, mystery boxes or by spending keys. World Tour updates rotate to new city themes regularly.
### Q7. What is the Score Multiplier and how to increase it?
Your base multiplier grows by completing missions. The higher your permanent multiplier, the more points you get for every meter you run. You can stack it further with 2X multiplier power-ups and score boosters during a run.
### Q8. What are Mystery Boxes?
Mystery boxes are loot boxes you earn from runs, missions or events. They can give coins, keys, hoverboards, character tokens or other bonus rewards.
### Q9. How to save my game progress?
The game saves locally on your phone automatically. To back up progress across devices, link the game to Google Play Games (Android) or Game Center (iOS) in the settings menusubwaysurf....
### Q10. Why does my game lag or crash?
Common causes are low RAM, outdated game version, many background apps, or low storage space. Fixes: close background apps, update the game, free up storage, restart your phone, and lower graphics quality.
### Q11. Is Subway Surfers free to play?
Yes, you can download and play the full game for free. In-app purchases for coins, keys and bundles are optional. Purchases do not make you run faster or win automatically.
### Q12. What is a Hoverboard?
A hoverboard is a one-time protective item. If you crash while a hoverboard is active, you do not end your run. Use them for tricky high-speed sections to protect your high score.
### Q13. Can I reset my game progress?
Local progress can be cleared by deleting and reinstalling the game, but if you are logged into Google Play or Game Center, your cloud save may restore your old data. Back up carefully before resetting.
### Q14. What is World Tour?
World Tour is Subway Surfers’ rotating event system. Every few weeks the map changes to a new city theme with exclusive limited characters and hoverboards for that location.
Quick Beginner Tip
Focus on completing missions first to raise your permanent score multiplier. Save hoverboards for later stages when the game speeds up, and upgrade your magnet and jetpack first to collect coins faster.