Zone

The player is slowly gaining speed indefinitely, without the ability to slow down. The challenge is to survive for as long as possible, with the Zone counter increasing every 10 seconds. The formal Speed Class increases approximately every 5-10 zones, depending on the Speed Class. It is important to note, however, that the actual speed progression isn't divided into traditional Speed Classes: rather, the speed progression is linear, and ranges of that speed are named after classes.

Zone results are measured in Score points. They are awarded constantly for the duration of the session, and bonus points will be awarded for:
- Clearing a zone;
- Not hitting any walls or going out-of-bounds for an entire zone;
- Not hitting any walls or going out-of-bounds for an entire lap;
- Performing a Barrel Roll;
- Going over a Speed Pad.

Like in WipEout Pulse, WipEout HD features unique “digital” versions of the familiar tracks for the Zone mode, and a Zone ship for the player to exclusively use in Zone events. Unique to WipEout HD, the Zone ship has light indicators for its Ship Energy in the back of its hull, on either side of it.

WipEout HD introduces unique visuals to Zone mode. When the Speed Class increases, a wave of light sweeps along the length of the track, originating from the player's ship, and changing the color scheme of the visuals. On billboards and the surface of the track, there are also animated equalizer effects that react to the music that's playing (this also works with custom MP3 songs, if any were added by the player.)