The Original Game
Desert Bus was created by Penn & Teller for their unreleased 1995 Sega CD game "Smoke and Mirrors." It was designed as a satire of claims that video games were too violent — by creating the most boring, non-violent game possible.
Desert BusWestfalia Edition
Supporting Desert Bus for Hope & Child's Play
The “Worst Video Game”
Ever Made
Drive 360 miles through the empty Arizona desert in a 1979 VW Westfalia. At 45 mph. In real time. The steering wheel constantly pulls left. No pause button. For 8 hours.
8 hour trip360 miles1 point per runDateland halfwayFollow Alex home
Desert Bus
Penn & Teller's
Desert Bus
Westfalia Edition
Drive 360 miles through the empty Arizona desert in a 1979 VW Westfalia. At 45 mph. In real time. No pause button.
W / ↑ Accelerate · A / D Steer · H Horn · F Fullscreen
ROUTEJEROME → LA JOLLA
DRIVERALEX
TRIP#1
POINTS0
Tucson0% to Prescott ValleySan Diego
VW
0.0 mi360.0 mi remaining
ELAPSED00:00:00
SPEED0 MPH
ETA--:--:--
ENGINE
STEERING
HORN
ALEX
TOW
The wheel pulls LEFT — keep steering RIGHT
↔
◄ LeftTouch · anywhereRight ★
GAS
BRAKE
●
Keyboard Controls
Accelerate:W / Arrow UpBrake:S / Arrow DownSteer Left:A / Arrow LeftSteer Right:D / Arrow Right (HOLD THIS!)Horn:H / SpaceWipers:VFullscreen:F
Remember: The wheel pulls LEFT. You must constantly steer RIGHT!
Gamepad supported: left stick to steer, RT to accelerate, LT to brake, X to honk, Y for wipers, Start for fullscreen.
Leaderboard
RSSNo runs saved yet. Complete a trip or quit to record your first entry.
Supporting Desert Bus for Hope
This tribute game celebrates the annual charity marathon by LoadingReadyRun that has raised over $8 million for Child's Play charity, providing games and toys to children in hospitals worldwide. Visit desertbus.org to learn more and donate!
Original Desert Bus created by Penn & Teller. This browser tribute is unofficial and free.
All donations go directly to Desert Bus for Hope via their official site.
Mile 180 — Halfway There
Dateland, Arizona
There's a small, beloved oasis along I-8 called Dateland. Famous for one thing: the date milkshake. Thick, sweet, cold, and loaded with Medjool dates from the surrounding groves. In our game, Dateland is the halfway point — the exact moment where you start to believe you might actually finish this.
Keep an eye on the horizon for the DATELAND sign rising out of the heat shimmer. You'll hear a chime when you pass it.
From the real road trip
Polaroids from the desert
The creative brief for this game came from a real VW bus road trip through the Arizona desert. These are the actual Polaroids. Scanned exactly as they were found — bent corners, lint, dust, and all.
Stopped to stretch somewhere off I-8. The orange one is Alex’s.
Somewhere west of Gila Bend
Towering clouds rolling in. A highway sign counting down the miles.
AZ-95 heading toward Yuma
Golden hour. Green highway sign. You lose track of time out here.
Approach to the California border
The Story Behind the Bus
Desert Bus for Hope
Since 2007, the comedy group LoadingReadyRun has hosted an annual charity marathon playing Desert Bus for Child's Play. To date, they've raised over $8 million for children in hospitals worldwide.
This Tribute
A lovingly authentic rebuild in a 1979 VW Westfalia cockpit — with the air-cooled boxer engine, the left-pulling wheel, Alex's occasionally smoking car, and fellow VW buses who honk as they pass.
Play the game. Then donate to Child's Play.
Every kid in a hospital bed deserves a game, a toy, a moment of joy. That's why Desert Bus for Hope exists. This tribute only cost you some hours — consider paying that forward.