Races

A Race Event is a weekly BTD6 event where everyone plays the same map with the same rules, and the only thing that counts is how fast you beat the final round. Your best time goes on a global leaderboard, and your position decides your rewards. The key mechanic that makes races different from a normal game is that you can send the next round before the current one has finished spawning, so the fastest players stack many rounds on top of each other.

How Race Events work

A race usually starts on Friday at 07:00 UTC and ends on Tuesday at 03:00 UTC. Before a major update the event can end early, and you cannot start a new attempt in the final five minutes, so do not leave your last run too late.

The timer runs while you play and stops once every bloon from every round has been popped. Each race has its own map and rule set. The most common setup looks like this:

• Difficulty and mode: Medium, Standard. Other modes, even CHIMPS, have been used.
• Starting cash: $650 ($850 with the More Cash knowledge).
• Lives: 200, though some races use a single life.
• Rounds: 1 to 80 is the most common, but races can start much later or end on round 100.
• Restrictions: usually one hero, no Banana Farm, no Powers, no continues, and no Double Cash or Fast Track. Most races also limit the tower list.

Monkey Knowledge is normally enabled, which means players with more knowledge points have a real advantage at the top of the leaderboard.

Entry cost and the Race Pass

Your first attempt in each race is free. After every attempt, starting another one costs 100 Monkey Money for the next three hours (90 with the Grand Prix Spree knowledge). After three hours it becomes free again. A Race Pass makes all further attempts in the current race free, and if you own one it is used automatically when you start a paid attempt. If you back out of a race game, that attempt is wiped, so you cannot save and come back later.

Pause penalty

Pausing is limited to stop players from planning every move with the game frozen. At the start of a run and after each pause, a red timer fills the settings gear for 25 seconds. Pausing again while it is visible adds a 2 second penalty, and each further pause in that window adds one more second. Opening a tower's upgrade panel counts as pausing too, so learn your upgrade hotkeys before going for a serious time.

How to send rounds early

The race-specific button lets you send the next round while the current one is still spawning. There is a minimum gap of 0.2 seconds between sends, so autoclickers do not help. The faster you can send rounds without leaking too much, the better your time.

A good race run follows a simple rhythm:

1. Build a defense that is stronger than the current rounds need.
2. Send several rounds at once until the defense is close to its limit.
3. Use the cash from those pops to upgrade, then send the next batch.
4. Slow down only for rounds that can actually beat you, such as the first Camo, Lead or MOAB waves.

Leaking some lives early is normal at the top of the leaderboard. With 200 lives you can afford a few leaks in the first rounds if it buys you seconds. Just make sure the leaks stop before the dense rounds, where one mistake can end the run.

Typical race setups

There is no single best race strategy, because the map, tower list and round range change every week. The towers that win races share a few traits:

• High pierce. Sending many rounds at once creates huge clumps of bloons. Towers that hit lots of bloons per attack, such as blade or fire Tack Shooters, Glaive Boomerangs or explosive towers, handle those clumps far better than single-target damage. See pierce for why this matters.
• Cheap, fast power spikes. Upgrades that double your popping for a small price let you send more rounds sooner.
• A clear MOAB answer. The final rounds are usually blimp-heavy, so plan your MOAB damage well in advance.
• Strong heroes with good early value. The hero is often the backbone of the first 20 rounds.

Since Banana Farms are almost always banned, the cash you get from pops and end of round bonuses is your only income, and sending rounds faster also earns that money faster.

Common mistakes

• Opening upgrade panels mid-run. It counts as pausing and stacks penalty time.
• Sending without a plan. Write down or memorize your build order. Improvising costs both time and lives.
• Forgetting Camo and Lead. One Camo round with no detection ends a fast run instantly. Know which tower covers Camo and Lead.
• Overbuilding. Every dollar spent beyond what the rounds need is time you could have saved by sending earlier.
• Ignoring the last rounds. Many runs die on the final MOAB-class waves after a fast start.

Rewards

The first time you complete each race you get 50 Monkey Money and 2 Trophies, plus a free Insta Monkey if the race ends on round 100. The bigger prizes depend on your final placement once the event ends:

• 1st: 1,000 Monkey Money, 100 Trophies, a Power and a random Tier 5 Insta Monkey.
• 2nd: 750 Monkey Money, 50 Trophies, a Power and a random Tier 4 Insta Monkey.
• 3rd: 500 Monkey Money, 40 Trophies, a Power and a random Tier 4 Insta Monkey.
• Top 50: 450 Monkey Money, 30 Trophies, a Power and a random Tier 3 Insta Monkey.
• Top 100: 400 Monkey Money, 25 Trophies and a random Tier 3 Insta Monkey.
• Top 10%: 300 Monkey Money, 20 Trophies and a random Tier 2 Insta Monkey.
• Top 25%: 200 Monkey Money, 15 Trophies and a random Tier 1 Insta Monkey.
• Top 50%: 100 Monkey Money, 10 Trophies and a random Tier 1 Insta Monkey.
• Top 75%: 50 Monkey Money, 5 Trophies and a random Tier 0 Insta Monkey.

You are also placed in a smaller Mini-Race leaderboard with its own rewards, so even an average time can earn extra Monkey Money and Instas. During a Collection Event, the global leaderboard also hands out collection items. Trophies go to the Trophy Store, and medals for your profile are awarded based on your global placement.

The practical takeaway: even if you will never be top 100, finishing every race is worth it. A top 50% time is achievable for most players with a reasonable strategy, and it pays every single week.

Race guides on this site

We post strategies for current races in our Race Event guides, including tower placements and the send timings that matter. For a full walkthrough, see our videos on the BTD6 Master YouTube channel.

Frequently asked questions

When do BTD6 races start and end?

Races usually start on Friday at 07:00 UTC and end on Tuesday at 03:00 UTC. The schedule can change around big updates, and new attempts are blocked in the last five minutes.

How much does it cost to retry a race?

The first attempt is free. After each attempt, the next one costs 100 Monkey Money for three hours, after which it is free again. A Race Pass makes every attempt in that race free.

How do you send rounds early in a race?

Races have a button that sends the next round while the current one is still spawning. You can press it repeatedly with a minimum gap of 0.2 seconds between sends.

Does pausing add time in BTD6 races?

Yes, if you pause again within 25 seconds of the start or of your last pause. The first extra pause costs 2 seconds and each further one costs one second more. Opening the upgrade panel counts as a pause.

Do I need full Monkey Knowledge for races?

Not to finish, but it matters for top times because most races allow Monkey Knowledge. Players aiming for the top 100 usually have nearly all of it.

Can you use Powers in races?

Powers are disabled in almost every race, along with continues, Double Cash and Fast Track. Plan to win with your towers, your hero and good send timing.