# DirtBound Not Working? Fixes for Loading, Lag and Sign-In > Most DirtBound problems come from graphics load, browser storage or the online account, and each one has a fix in the game's own settings or messages. DirtBound is made by Luke Baffait and Victor Boutros and is not the Dirtborn concept document, the Deathbound soulslike or Driftbound. This wiki is run by UBG76, which is not the game's developer or official site. Page: https://ubg76.uk/wiki/dirtbound/guides/not-working/ - Game: DirtBound - Verified version: Nov 1, 2026 build - Verified date: November 2, 2026 Most DirtBound problems fall into four groups: the game runs slowly, your saved times or circuits are gone, the Google sign-in fails or a lobby refuses you. Each one has a fix in the game's settings or a clear message on screen. This guide pairs the messages the game shows with what they mean, taken from the game's own English text on November 1, 2026. UBG76 does not run the game or its servers, so for problems that persist, use the Send feedback link at the bottom of the DirtBound home screen. ## What does DirtBound need to run? DirtBound needs a current web browser with WebGL. The game loads from dirtbound.fr, so you need a connection to open it. The game draws its 3D scenes with the three.js WebGL renderer, so it does not need the newer WebGPU. There is no download or plugin. We tested it only in Chrome, on a desktop and on a phone-sized touch screen. Online leaderboards, lobbies and publishing circuits also need a Google sign-in. | Item | What DirtBound needs | |---|---| | Browser | A current browser with WebGL | | Download | None | | Account | Only for leaderboards, lobbies and publishing | | Input | Keyboard, gamepad or touch | | Weaker computers | The Low graphics preset | ## Why is DirtBound slow or choppy? The graphics preset is the usual cause. DirtBound draws forests, shadows, smoke and lighting in real time, and the Normal preset expects a reasonable computer. Open Settings, then Graphics, and pick Low. It removes trees, rocks, campsites, shadows, smoke and glow, lowers the resolution and shows each frame as soon as it is ready for less input delay. The game labels it the preset for low-end PCs. A new preset applies at the next start, or right away from the pause menu. During a race you can also open the pause menu with Esc or P and turn on Performance mode. If you picked Ultra, which adds sunbeams, contact shadows, animated spectators and undergrowth, step back to Normal first. A slow frame rate does not make you slower on the clock, because timing counts physics steps and not drawn frames, but it makes the car harder to control. | Symptom | Try this | |---|---| | Low frame rate | Settings, Graphics, Low | | Stutter mid-race | Pause, Performance mode: on | | Blurry scenery on Ultra | Turn off Blur around the car | | No sound | Click or press a key once, then check the sound icon on the home screen | ## Why is there no sound? Browsers block sound until you interact with a page. DirtBound starts its music and engine sound after your first click, key press or tap. If it stays silent, check the bars icon on the home screen and the three sliders on the Settings, Sound tab. Music while racing is off by default, so a silent race with engine noise is normal. ## Why did my best times or circuits disappear? Without an account, DirtBound keeps your settings, best times and unpublished circuits in your browser's local storage. Nothing goes to the server. Clearing site data, a private window, a different browser or another device all start you over. If the editor says "The browser refuses to save (storage full?)", your browser's storage for the site is full or blocked. To keep a circuit safe, publish it. Published circuits and online leaderboard times are stored on the game's server under your account. ## Why does Google sign-in fail? The message on screen tells you which case you hit: - **"Accounts unavailable"** means the account server is down for the moment. Try again later. Solo play still works. - **"Sign-in cancelled"** means the Google window was closed before it finished. Pop-up blockers can do this. - **"Address not verified by Google"** means your Google account's email address is not verified. Verify it with Google first. - **"Session expired: sign in with Google again"** appears after the 30 day sign-in cookie runs out. - **"This username is already taken"** means another player has it. Usernames are 2 to 20 characters: letters, digits, spaces, underscores, dots and dashes. ## Why was my lap refused? The server checks every lap before ranking it. "Lap refused" comes with a reason, such as the ghost not going round the circuit or the lap not ending at the time given. They mean the server could not confirm the lap from its recorded ghost. Drive another lap and it is checked again. A lap driven with the [secret booster](/wiki/dirtbound/guides/secret-booster/) is not refused but simply never sent. ## Why can't I join a DirtBound lobby? Lobby errors are spelled out too. "Lobby full (8 players maximum)" means you need another lobby. "No lobby with this code" means the 5 character code is wrong or the lobby has closed, and lobbies close after 15 minutes without activity. "The game has already started" means you wait for the current race to end. "Lobby open in another tab" means DirtBound is open twice: close the other tab. The [Multiplayer page](/wiki/dirtbound/modes/multiplayer/) covers the rules behind these. ## Does DirtBound work on a phone? Yes. On a touch screen you hold a finger down and slide toward where you want to go, and the car accelerates by itself. We drove a stage this way on a phone sized touch screen. Phones have less power than computers, so the Low preset helps there too. ## Which wiki entries support this guide? Use these entries to check the game facts discussed in this guide. - [Low graphics](https://ubg76.uk/wiki/dirtbound/settings/#low): Low graphics is a DirtBound setting on the Graphics tab. No trees, rocks or campsites; no shadows, smoke or glow; lower resolution; frames shown as soon as possible for less latency. The game calls it the preset for low-end PCs. - [Ultra graphics](https://ubg76.uk/wiki/dirtbound/settings/#ultra): Ultra graphics is a DirtBound setting on the Graphics tab. Everything in Normal plus sunbeams between the trees, contact shadows, a high-definition rally road, animated spectators and undergrowth with flowers in spring. - [Key bindings](https://ubg76.uk/wiki/dirtbound/settings/#key-bindings): Key bindings is a DirtBound setting on the Controls tab. Two keys per action. Click a key, press the new one, Esc cancels and Backspace clears. Default keys restores them all. - [Multiplayer](https://ubg76.uk/wiki/dirtbound/modes/multiplayer/): Multiplayer is the DirtBound online mode: you create or join a lobby of 2 to 8 players, the host sets laps, stage length, collisions and camera, and the lobby votes on the next race. - [Circuit](https://ubg76.uk/wiki/dirtbound/modes/circuit/): Circuit is the DirtBound lap mode: you drive timed laps on a closed track, chase your best lap or the online record ghost and, when signed in, post your time to that circuit's leaderboard. - [Circuit editor](https://ubg76.uk/wiki/dirtbound/modes/circuit-editor/): Circuit editor is the DirtBound track builder: you draw a road, shape the ground around it, test it right away and, when signed in, publish it so other players can race and star it. ## DirtBound not working? What else do players ask? ### Why do I see DirtBound in French? The game picks its language from your browser. If your browser lists French first, you get French. Add ?lang=en to the address to force English for that visit. ### Why did my DirtBound circuit vanish? Circuits you have not published live in your browser's storage. Clearing site data, using a private window or switching browsers loses them. Publish a circuit to keep a copy on the server. ## Which other guides can help you play? 4 more guides cover DirtBound. - [Faster DirtBound Stage Times: Penalties, Lines and Resets](https://ubg76.uk/wiki/dirtbound/guides/faster-stage-times/): Faster DirtBound stage times come from avoiding the two time penalties and the slow grass, not from car choice, because every car drives the same. - [How to Play DirtBound: Your First Rally Stage](https://ubg76.uk/wiki/dirtbound/guides/how-to-play/): DirtBound starts on a 3D home screen in your browser, and a first rally stage takes three clicks: Solo, Stage and Start. - [Best Car in DirtBound: Does Your Choice Matter?](https://ubg76.uk/wiki/dirtbound/guides/best-car/): There is no best car in DirtBound: in the build we checked, all 17 rally cars share one handling model, so the garage choice changes looks only. - [DirtBound Secret Booster: The Konami Code Cheat](https://ubg76.uk/wiki/dirtbound/guides/secret-booster/): DirtBound hides a booster: type the Konami code during a solo race and Shift gives you more speed, but runs driven with it are never saved or ranked. [See all guides](https://ubg76.uk/wiki/dirtbound/guides/) ## Which sources support this page? DirtBound English game text (js/locales/en.js), DirtBound privacy page and UBG76 play test in desktop Chrome and a phone sized touch screen support this page, verified against version Nov 1, 2026 build. - [DirtBound English game text (js/locales/en.js)](https://dirtbound.fr/) Error, account, lobby and editor messages, read on November 1, 2026. - [DirtBound privacy page](https://dirtbound.fr/confidentialite.html) Where data is kept with and without an account, last updated October 30, 2026. - UBG76 play test in desktop Chrome and a phone sized touch screen November 1 and 2, 2026. ## Start - Play DirtBound: https://ubg76.uk/game/dirtbound/ (opens on dirtbound.fr) - DirtBound Wiki: https://ubg76.uk/wiki/dirtbound/ - Game modes: https://ubg76.uk/wiki/dirtbound/modes/ - Cars: https://ubg76.uk/wiki/dirtbound/cars/ - Official circuits: https://ubg76.uk/wiki/dirtbound/circuits/ - Experimental power-ups: https://ubg76.uk/wiki/dirtbound/power-ups/ - Stage options: https://ubg76.uk/wiki/dirtbound/stage-options/ - Controls: https://ubg76.uk/wiki/dirtbound/controls/ - Settings: https://ubg76.uk/wiki/dirtbound/settings/ - Game wikis: https://ubg76.uk/wiki/ - All games: https://ubg76.uk/games/