This game mode serves as a relaxing departure from competitive play.
Players can roam about the map freely and can collect various kinds of collectible items and bonuses. These collectibles give some amount of RP after exploring ends. Several combination's can be performed to gain combo-bonuses. The game ends when the time is up or all the collectible items have been found.
Users can roam around alone or with friends, and because collecting many powerups will be harder with more people, the number of users in this mode increases a multiplier in the RP/XP calculation at the end of the game.
Things that can be collected (Collectibles and Bonuses)
- Normal Items
The normal collectible items count towards base points. There are three types of normal collectibles. These types differ only in color and the different colors have a role in combo-making.
- Bonus Items
There are bonus items that do something useful for the player for a short period of time. These powerup bonuses, for example, can give more speed or better handling.
- Surprise Pack Item
There is a special item: the Surprise Pack. You won't know what it will be when you pick it up. Usually it gives some extra bonus (e.g. more points), but sometimes they do something strange.
- Combination's (Combos)
These combos are special combination's that must be performed in order. They give point multipliers for a limited period of time. There are many complex combination's in addition to the obvious combination's. Discover all the different combination's on your own or use the new Combo Seeker HUD item available in the shop to find them all!
- Scoring
In addition to the normal points, players will receive bonus RP and XP depending on the collected items, the combo they made and the number of players in that room.
Game elements
- Starting the game mode
- Enter from the Play Menu. Choose the lobby named “Explorer” after clicking on the Play button.
- You can enter a room by joining someone else's room or creating one yourself. When you create a room you may set the following options:
- Name Room
- Max Users (Maximum 8)
- Password On/Off
- The Password
- In Explorer Mode you may not turn Ghost Mode on
- Time limit Counter
Phase 1
- Represented by a progress bar on the HUD
- Counts from full to empty (from maximum to zero)
- Picking up any item resets the timer back to full again.
- Time limit: 2 minutes
Phase 2
- The time limit can dynamically change based on the number of users. The more users, the less time on the counter.
- End of the Game
- when the last item is picked up
- when the time counter gets to zero (time is up)
- Description of items
Every collectible item can be picked up by hitting them with your car.
Normal items:
- There are three kinds of normal items.
- These differ in colors and have different roles in combo-making.
Bonus items:
- Every bonus item effect lasts for 30 seconds.
- Types of bonus items (and what they give):
- More speed (150% speed & acceleration)
- Better handling (150% of braking & cornering)
- Magnet effect (every collectible item picked up automatically within a radius of the car)
- Compass (an arrow on the HUD shows the direction of the nearest collectible item)
Surprise pack item:
- The following events can occur when Surprise Packs are picked up (and their chances):
- Gives 4 RP – 30 %
- Gives 6 RP – 20 %
- Gives 10 RP – 10 %
- Gives a funny effect (listed below) – 20%
- Gives a bonus item effect (e.g. more speed) – 20%
- Distribution of collectibles and powerups:
| Number | Item | Percentage | Icon |
| 1 | Green | 25% |  |
| 2 | Blue | 25% |  |
| 3 | Red | 25% |  |
| 4 | Magnet | 2% |  |
| 5 | Speed | 3% |  |
| 6 | Handling | 3% |  |
| 7 | Compass | 2% |  |
| 8 | Surprise | 15% |  |
- Combinations (Combos)
- There is no time limit to complete a combination, only the order count matters.
- If a combo is made, it gives a multiplier bonus based on the items used to complete the combo.
- The combinations, their order and the bonus they give:
- 2x Multipliers
Magnet Magnet Magnet
Compass Compass Compass
Tire Tire Tire
Nitro Nitro Nitro
Green Green Green
Blue Blue Blue
Red Red Red
3x Multipliers
Nitro Nitro Tire Tire
Nitro Tire Nitro Tire
Blue Blue Green Green
Red Blue Green Blue Red
Blue Green Red Green Blue
Green Red Blue Red Green
Green Blue Green
Red Blue Green
Question mark Question mark Question mark
4x Multipliers
Question mark Magnet Compass Tire Nitro Color Color Color
Compass Question mark Compass Question mark
Nitro Tire Item Item
Magnet Compass Nitro Tire
Red Red Blue Blue Green Green
Scoring
- Every item picked up gives RP to the base points of the player (indicated on the HUD).
- In case of combo multipliers: the value that is added to the base point value equals the sum of values of the items used in the combo multiplied by the multiplier that the given combos give.
HUD elements
Mode specific elements:
- Time progress bar
- Items picked up / items left
- Total base points (aka Base RPs)
- List of players / number of items they collected so far
- The bonus effects icons / time-up progress bars. For each bonus effect (including surprise effects) there is an icon representing what effect is currently active.
Surprise Pack Events (in Surprise packs)
- Colorize the screen
- Screenflip
- Bomb
- Change the axis (exchange control keys)
- Shake the screen
- Berserk (the car will drive itself, try not to get engulfed in the madness!)
Explore Mode only items available for purchase
Explorer Pack 1 - 1.5X Combo Bonus and Positive Surprises last 45 seconds instead of 30
Explorer Pack 2 - 2 Combo Bonus and Positive Surprises last 60 seconds instead of 30
Explorer Pack 3 - 1.5X Combo Bonus and Negative Surprises last 7.5 seconds instead of 15
Explorer Pack 4 - 2 Combo Bonus and Negative Surprises last 3.75 seconds instead of 15
Positive Blind Boxes (Surprise Icons) – Will only get Positives Surprises
Extra Magnets - Magnet effect on for whole race
Extra Compass - Compass effect on for whole race
Combo Seeker - As you pick up icons shows ALL available combo's – very useful for Combo only games
Specialty Awards
Mission Keys awarded randomly during a race when Surprise packs collected. It could be either a Task or Driver’s Challenge key. While might not happen every race good chance of one per race being awarded.