Uber’s latest training and recruitment tool is a video game

If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to be an Uber driver but don’t want to actually get behind the wheel, there’s now a game for that.

The San Francisco on-demand transportation company released UberDrive on Thursday, a smartphone game that loosely mimics the experience of being an Uber driver. The game is available for anyone to download, but Uber’s own drivers may benefit most from it, according to developer Mike Truong, who is also a product manager at the company.

“UberDrive was designed as a fun and engaging resource for our driver-partners to hone their navigation skills if they choose to,” Truong wrote on the company’s site. “It’s also a great way for prospective drivers to experience firsthand what it’s like to drive with Uber –– there are links to sign up and start the screening process from directly within the game.”

Players are presented with a city map (San Francisco is the only option at the moment) on which they tap on intersections to draw their route. The goal is to drive passengers from point A to point B as quickly and as safely as possible.

Along the way, players will encounter traffic and hazards, as well as standard game design elements like the ability to unlock new cars and score bonus points in “hot zones.”

Twitter: @traceylien