If you’ve ever played Subway Surfers and wondered how those cool flying boards under Jake or Tricky actually work, you’re in the right place. Hoverboards are one of the most useful tools in the game. They save you from crashing, help you grab tricky coins, and look amazing while doing it. But a lot of players never use them properly — and they end up wasting boards or missing out on free ones every single day.

This guide will walk you through how to use hoverboards in Subway Surfers step by step. We’ll cover how to get them, how to switch between them, what each special board does, and the small tricks that pros use to keep their runs alive longer. Whether you’re new to the game or you’ve been surfing for years, you’ll pick up at least a few new ideas here.

By the end, you’ll know exactly when to double-tap, which boards to chase, and how to stop dying right before that big high-score moment. Let’s get rolling. 🛹

What Are Hoverboards in Subway Surfers?

A hoverboard in Subway Surfers is a flying skateboard-style power-up. It’s not a regular board with wheels — it floats slightly above the tracks, glowing and sometimes making cool sound effects. When your character is on one, they get a magic shield that protects them from one crash. So if you slam into a train, fall into a hole, or get hit by a sign, the board takes the damage instead of you.

Think of it like a video game seatbelt. You can keep running for as long as the timer lasts (30 seconds by default), and if nothing crashes into you, the board just disappears at the end of that timer. If you do crash, the board breaks, your character does a quick recovery animation, and you keep running.

Hoverboards have been part of the game since the very first version released in 2012. Over the years, the developers (SYBO Games and Kiloo) have added hundreds of designs. Some are basic and easy to unlock. Others are themed for special cities like Tokyo, Paris, or Rio. And a few have special powers that change the way the game feels.

The Three Types of Hoverboards You’ll See

• Standard hoverboards — Look different but all work the same way. Just give you the 30-second shield.
• Special-power hoverboards — Boards like Bouncer, Teleporter, Freezer, or Mini that change how you play.
• Limited-edition hoverboards — Themed boards from World Tour events. They often look stunning but usually have standard powers.

Why Hoverboards Matter (More Than You Think)

Most beginners ignore hoverboards or save them “for later” — and never end up using them. That’s a huge mistake. Hoverboards are basically free extra lives, and you’ll get a lot more out of every run if you actually use them.

Here’s the truth: in Subway Surfers, the speed gets faster the longer you survive. After about a minute, the trains are flying at you so quickly that even good players miss a swipe. That’s exactly when a hoverboard saves your run.

Three Big Reasons Hoverboards Help You Win

1. They save your high-score runs. Activate one when the speed gets crazy — usually after the 30-second mark — and you’ll often double your distance.
2. They help you grab risky coins. See a coin you’d normally skip because it’s between two trains? Pop a board and grab it without fear.
3. They help you finish missions. Many missions ask you to “Use 5 hoverboards” or “Travel X distance on a hoverboard.” You can’t finish those without using them.

How To Get Hoverboards (8 Easy Ways)

Getting hoverboards is easier than most players think. The game gives you tons of free chances every day. Here are the eight best ways to keep your inventory full without spending real money.

1. Daily Challenges

Every single day, the game gives you a small list of challenges. Things like “collect 100 coins on a single run” or “jump on 5 trains.” Finish them in order and the final reward is usually a free hoverboard or Mystery Box. This is the easiest, most reliable way to keep boards stocked.

2. Word Hunt Missions

The Word Hunt is a long-running mission system. You collect letters during runs to spell out a word like “SURFER” or “TROPHY.” When you finish a word, the game rewards you with coins, a hoverboard, or a Mystery Box. Always grab the floating letters when you see them.

3. Mystery Boxes

Mystery Boxes drop randomly during runs. Pick them up by running into them, and after the run ends, you can open them. The rewards include coins, mystery items, characters, and hoverboards. The bigger the box, the better the reward.

4. Watching Reward Ads

After a run ends, you’ll often see an option to watch a short video ad in exchange for a free reward. Sometimes the reward is a hoverboard. It’s a 30-second time cost for a free board — well worth it.

5. The Top Run / Weekly Hunt

During World Tour events, the Weekly Hunt asks you to collect themed tokens. Hit the goal and you’ll usually win a brand-new event-themed hoverboard you can’t get anywhere else.

6. Buying With In-Game Coins

You can buy hoverboards directly from the shop with coins. Standard boards cost around 7,000–25,000 coins. It’s a slow way to collect, but if you save up your run rewards, you’ll afford one in no time.

7. Season Pass and Special Events

Some seasons offer a Season Pass with hoverboards as milestone rewards. You don’t need to pay — there’s almost always a free track that includes at least one or two boards.

8. Friends and Gifts (When Available)

Some versions of Subway Surfers connect with Facebook or in-game friends, allowing you to send and receive small gifts. When this feature is active, you can pick up extra boards just by checking in.

How To Activate and Use Hoverboards (Step by Step)

Now for the part everyone wants to know — how do you actually use a hoverboard during a run? The good news: it’s super simple. Here’s the full process from start to finish.

Step 1: Equip Your Favorite Board First

Before starting a run, tap the Hoverboards menu on the main screen. You’ll see all the boards you own. Tap one to set it as your active board. This is the one your character will jump on when you double-tap during the run.

Step 2: Start Your Run

Tap “Play” and your character starts running like normal. Don’t activate the board right away — you don’t need it for the first few seconds when the speed is slow.

Step 3: Double-Tap To Activate

When you want the shield on, simply tap the screen twice quickly (anywhere on the screen — left, right, top, or bottom). Your character jumps onto the board with a small visual effect, and a 30-second timer appears at the top of the screen.

Step 4: Keep Playing Normally

You can still swipe up to jump, swipe down to roll, and swipe left/right to switch lanes — all the normal moves work on the board. The only difference is that one crash will be absorbed by the board instead of ending your run.

Step 5: Reactivate If You Have More Boards

When the timer runs out or your board breaks from a crash, you can double-tap again to use another board if you have one. This is great for back-to-back protection during the fastest parts of the run.

The Best Hoverboards in Subway Surfers (Ranked)

Not all boards are equal. Some are pure cosmetic — they look cool but do the same thing as any other board. Others have special powers that change how you play. Here’s an honest ranking of the most useful hoverboards based on real player experience.

If you love the look of these in-game boards and want to see what real-world hoverboards look like, you can check price on Amazon for popular models like the Hover-1 Sypher.

The Bouncer wins for most players because it does something useful on every run. The constant high jumps help you grab coins above trains and clear obstacles you’d otherwise hit. If you can only have one special board, this is the one.

Special Hoverboard Powers Explained

Special boards are where the game gets really fun. Each one changes the feel of your run. Here’s a quick breakdown of what to expect from the most popular special boards.

🦘 Bouncer

The Bouncer makes your character automatically jump high every couple of seconds. This is great for grabbing high-up coins and avoiding low obstacles like barriers. The downside? Sometimes it jumps when you didn’t want it to, and you might fly into a low ceiling on rooftops.

🌀 Teleporter

The Teleporter randomly changes your lane every few seconds. It’s chaotic but can save you from a train you didn’t see coming. Use it for fun runs, not when you’re chasing a personal best.

⚡ Daredevil

The Daredevil board is faster and lasts longer than the standard 30 seconds. The trade-off is you’ll have less reaction time because of the higher speed. Perfect for experienced players hunting high scores.

❄️ Freezer

If you crash on the Freezer, the game freezes for a half-second before continuing — giving you a small window to react and dodge. It’s a beginner-friendly board with training-wheel vibes.

🪶 Mini

The Mini shrinks your character’s hitbox slightly, making it easier to squeeze through tight gaps. Subtle, but if you’re playing in tight spaces, you’ll feel the difference.

Pro Tips and Tricks That Actually Work

If you’ve read this far, you already know more than 80% of casual players. But here’s where things get really good. These are the tips that experienced players use to push their high scores into the millions.

• Time your activation. Don’t pop a board at the start — wait until the speed feels too fast (around 45 seconds in). That’s when boards save the most runs.
• Stack two boards back-to-back. If you’ve got 4–5 boards, use one right after another for a full minute of protection during the fastest part of the run.
• Activate before risky jumps. Going for a Mystery Box surrounded by trains? Pop a board first.
• Pair with the Jetpack. Activate a hoverboard during a Jetpack run so you’re already shielded when you land.
• Check daily missions for “use hoverboard” tasks. Knock those out first to recycle the boards quickly.
• Always watch the reward ad. Yes, every time. Free coins and free boards add up fast.
• Equip the Bouncer when grinding coins. The auto-jumps grab way more coins than you can grab manually.

“After I started using my hoverboards every single run instead of saving them, my high score went from 800k to over 3 million in two weeks. They’re free — use them!” — A common piece of advice repeated by top players in the Subway Surfers community.

Common Mistakes (And How To Fix Them)

Almost every player makes these mistakes when they first start using hoverboards. The good news? They’re all easy to fix once you know about them.

Real Player Stories and Social Media Wins

The Subway Surfers community is huge. There are TikTok creators, YouTubers, and Reddit forums full of players sharing their best hoverboard moments. Here are a few patterns that come up over and over in those stories.

The “Last-Second Save” Story

One of the most-shared TikTok clips in the Subway Surfers community goes like this: a player is mid-run at huge speed, sees a wall of trains approaching, and double-taps just in time. The board absorbs the hit, the run continues, and the score keeps climbing. This is the dream. And it happens way more often when you train yourself to keep your thumb ready over the screen.

The “Bouncer Coin Magnet” Story

YouTubers chasing huge coin totals almost always equip the Bouncer. With the auto-jump combined with the Coin Magnet power-up that appears in the run, you can rack up 10,000+ coins in a single 60-second stretch. It’s the most efficient coin-grinding setup in the game.

The “Daily Streak” Story

Long-time players talk about hitting 365-day login streaks just to keep their daily-mission rewards rolling in. Most of those rewards include hoverboards. After a year of daily play, some players have boards stacked so deep they don’t even know what to do with all of them. The lesson? Show up every day, even for 5 minutes.

Subway Surfers Hoverboards vs Real Hoverboards

If the boards in the game ever made you wonder what real-life hoverboards are like, you’re not alone. Real hoverboards (technically called self-balancing scooters) are very different from the floating fantasy boards in the game — but they’re a lot of fun in their own way.

If the in-game hoverboards have inspired you to try a real one, models like the Hover-1 Sypher are popular for beginners. You can view on Amazon to see current options. Just remember real hoverboards need a helmet, a flat surface, and a bit of practice.

For more information on real hoverboards, check our guides on best hoverboards for beginners, hoverboard safety tips, and what UL 2272 certification means.

Frequently Asked Questions

Final Action Checklist

The Bottom Line

Hoverboards are one of the simplest tools in Subway Surfers, but they make a massive difference once you actually start using them. Double-tap to activate, equip the Bouncer if you can, complete your daily missions for free boards, and stop saving them for a “perfect moment” that never comes. The more boards you use, the more boards you earn, and the higher your scores climb.

If you take only one thing from this guide, let it be this: use your hoverboards on every single run. The free ones flow in like water once you’re in the rhythm. Your high scores, your coin totals, and your daily streak will all thank you for it.