If you’re wondering which of the year’s titles are going to have you burning rubber on the tracks as you let loose and push your engines to their limit, we’ve got you covered. Here’s a list of a few great racing titles that are confirmed, and a few more that might just make an appearance in 2026 and beyond.

1. Forza Horizon 6

The good news is that this one is confirmed for a 2026 release. The bad news is that Playground Games has yet to give us a precise release date for a very ambitious fourteenth addition to the Forza franchise. It takes the action to Tokyo this time around, with some of the city’s iconic locations making an appearance alongside a respectful take on Japanese racing culture being promised.

With Tokyo City shaping up to be the “most complex and intricate drivable space” in the franchise and its largest map ever, this one’s definitely one to watch out for this year.

2. RIDE 6

Milestone Games is all-set to bring adrenaline on two wheels to your gaming systems in February this year, with over 340 different motorcycles for you to climb onto in a game that’s welcoming to both newcomers and veterans. Its Arcade and Pro modes are great ways to take on a Career Mode that’s looking really good.

And speaking of good looks, the visuals on this one are quite impressive, and we can’t wait to see if hitting the circuits on offer feels as real and as good as the real thing.

3. Screamer

This arcade racer is futuristic, fascinating, and just plain old fun from the little snippets of it we’ve been checking out. With a unique control scheme in which you steer with your left stick and drift with your right, coupled with an anime vibe that’s sure to catch your eye, Screamer takes the best of its past iterations and brings them to an experience that’s poised to take the franchise to the future.

There’s also speed boosts on accurate gear shifts, and even Shields and abilities that let you take other racers out of the equation entirely. We’re already drooling at the thought!

4. Gear.Club Unlimited 3 (Switch 2)

With a global fleet of over 40 fully customizable cars, and a Highway Rush mode alongside a story mode that takes you across France and Japan, the Switch 2 debut of this one is sure to give you and your buddies a solid reason to get together for more than a few game nights.

As a timed exclusive on the Switch 2, this one is sure to find a few takers when it releases later this year and eventually makes its way to other platforms later down the line.

5. Tokyo Xtreme Racer (PS5)

We were quite impressed with Genki’s revival of this classic arcade-style racer when it was released for the PC last year. It brought great visual and audio design to an experience that was both fresh and familiar, thanks to its faithful recreation of what put Tokyo Xtreme Racer on the map in the first place.

And now you get to weave in and out of traffic on the PS5, the Shuto Expressway being the stage for some very nerve-wracking racing action that rewards speed and reflexes in a way that makes this one a very satisfying racer.

6. Star Wars: Galactic Racer

If racing around in fancy vehicles in a galaxy that’s both immediately recognizable and yet far, far, away sounds like your thing, this arcade racer is sure to have caught your attention when it was announced at TGS 2025.

With different vehicle classes that vary in terms of their physics, a single-player campaign and multiplayer options, this is definitely a racer you want to try for yourself when it comes out later this year.

7. LANESPLIT

If you’re looking for a plug-and-play experience in which you just hop on your bike and speed away as you weave between vehicles in traffic, this one’s for you. Sure, it may not be the most polished one on this list, but it more than makes up for that with its simplicity.

While the early access demo didn’t have too much of a roster of bikes for us to choose from, the full release, due later this year, comes with a respectable amount of options to use in its no-frills gameplay loop.

8. Super Woden: Rally Edge

Solid driving mechanics, an excellent career mode, class-specific events, head-to-head races, and so much more make this one of 2026’s most well-rounded racing simulators. There’s even an option for four players to play on a split-screen if you buy it as a way to bring the gang together for some racing fun.

There are a lot of cars and stages for you to choose from, and as far as racing games go, this one is sure to bring you many hours of fun if you give it a shot. While there is room for minor improvements, this one is good enough to make you overlook them, thanks to how well-implemented it is and how engaging it is to play.

9. Assetto Corsa EVO 1.0

This one managed to grab quite a few eyeballs when it dropped on early access in 2025, and with the full release poised to bring a lot of excellent additions to the table, we’re definitely excited to see how it shapes up.

With several game modes, a good selection of cars and tracks, and some excellent physics making each race feel as authentic as it can be, this is a title that purists are going to enjoy to the fullest.

10. Carmageddon: Rogue Shift

Carmageddon is making a return this year, and how! You’re driving around in a literal dystopia, with a zombie apocalypse well underway in this arcade-racing roguelite.

With dynamically adjusting difficulties across procedurally generated stages, a bunch of cars, weapon types, and so much more to discover, this is a fun-filled rampage that’s sure to bring some fond memories of the titles that came before it.

11. Wreckfest 2 1.0

With a revamped visual flavor courtesy of the ROMU Engine and a gameplay loop that’s every bit as destructive as fans of the first title would remember, Wreckfest 2 is going to be one hell of a destructive derby racer when it launches sometime in the near future.

The destruction is all there, as are a lot of options to have some fun behind the wheel of a newly customizable car. This one is sure to have you grinning from ear to ear as you let your intrusive thoughts take the wheel.

12. Endurance Motorsport Series

Realistic driving physics coupled with faithful recreations of tracks from all over the world make this one a simulator worth looking into. Adding more flavor to the mix is the fact that it isn’t just your driving that counts in this one, but in the way you and your team adapt to varying conditions out on the track.

Expect to make some fast decisions while you’re trying to get out ahead of your competition, and for an experience that could be as close to the real thing as it can get.

13. F1 2025 Paid Expansion

There won’t be an F1 26 this year, but F1 25 is getting a paid expansion that’s poised to add a ton of new content to the game while switching up its rules and systems to better align with this year’s Formula One season.

That’s great news made even better by the knowledge that the developers now have more time to focus on what’s shaping up to be a very ambitious title being lined up for the franchise in 2027!

14. Akina

If you can’t seem to let go of your Tokyo Drift obsession, this arcade racer set in the Japanese mountains and countryside is going to catch your fancy. Set for release later this year, this one takes you back to an age of Japanese racing that many enthusiasts look back on quite fondly.

With a world that’s charmingly crafted, and the scope for some sharp turns on the cards, Akina might just be the one to beat if drifting is your thing.

15. CarX Drift Racing Online 2

If you’re thinking about taking a more professional approach to drifting, this one might be the perfect choice for you. Realistic physics coupled with gameplay systems that are tuned to mimic competition rules in the real world, along with single and multiplayer modes for you to take on, make this one a viable alternative to Akina and a more serious contender for the genre’s best titles.

Building on its predecessor’s best features while bringing excellent changes of its own, this one has us eager to try it out when it drops in the first quarter of 2026.

And that’s a wrap on all of the racing titles we’re quite excited to try out in 2026 and beyond! We hope to see you on the track.

Saros (Release Date: April 30)

Saros is a true spiritual successor to Returnal, taking everything that worked and doubling down on it while introducing some clever design tactics to make it feel more inclusive. Early teases suggest another fast-paced, mechanically demanding action experience, but this time with a stronger focus on world-building and character progression that stays in between runs. With Housemarque’s proven ability to blend tight gameplay with striking visuals, Saros is shaping up to be one of the most intriguing PS5 exclusives on the horizon.

Intergalactic

Naughty Dog’s brand-new IP, Intergalactic marks a major shift for the studio known for grounded storytelling. Set in a retro-futuristic sci-fi universe, the game looks to blend cinematic storytelling with expansive exploration and combat systems that are a lot more dense than what we are used to. While details remain scarce at the moment, Naughty Dog’s pedigree alone makes this a project worth watching closely and we will be observing it more closely in the coming weeks and months.

Marvel’s Wolverine (Release Date: Late 2026)

Insomniac Games has cemented its reputation as one of the best names in Sony’s first-party roster of developers, and Marvel’s Wolverine is the next big step for the team. Set to release in 2026, Marvel’s Wolverine will allegedly focus on a more personal narrative, and the gameplay trailers show some amazing and fast combat which comes together to make it one of the most highly-anticipated games of the year.

Phantom Blade Zero (Release Date: September 9)

Phantom Blade Zero is all about defeating enemies and taking part in lightning-fast combat encounters, and doing it all with absolute style. It blends traditional Chinese martial arts with a dark and gritty aesthetic, and the game seems poised to deliver fluid swordplay that emphasizes precision and timing over swinging flashy combos and racking in multipliers. Unlike many Soulslikes, Phantom Blade Zero appears to focus more on speed and spectacle without sacrificing depth which is a rather interesting premise. If it delivers on its promise of seamless combat animations and stylish encounters, this could be a standout action title for PS5 players craving something fresh.

Nioh 3 (Release Date: February 6)

Nioh has gone on to become a highly successful Souls like series, and Nioh 3 seems poised to continue on that goodwill. It’s largely built around the same combat framework, but Nioh 3 introduces the addition of both Samurai and Ninja combat styles which not only add more variety but should also add an element of personal expression to the meticulous dance of dodges. The visuals and art direction look striking, and Nioh 3 is definitely on our radar when it comes out on Feb 6, 2026.

Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls

Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls looks to bring Marvel’s iconic characters into a more mechanically focused fighting game framework. Rather than chasing realism, the game leans into stylized visuals and fast-paced combat that’s inspired by classic arcade fighters. The combat will unsurprisingly focus on tight inputs, flashy supers, and tag-based mechanics that reward both mechanical prowess and game knowledge.

Fairgame$

Fairgame$ is Sony’s bold attempt at a competitive, multiplayer-focused experience built around high-stakes heists and player-driven chaos. Developed by Haven Studios, the game emphasizes planning, teamwork, and adaptability rather than pure gunplay. Each match is designed to create unpredictable scenarios where things can go wrong very quickly, forcing players to think on their feet. Its vibrant presentation and stylish tone give it a distinct identity, and Fairgame$ has the potential to stand out if its systems encourage memorable, emergent moments.

Ballad of Antara

Ballad of Antara is a dark fantasy action RPG that blends Souls-like sensibilities with a narrative that’s a lot easier to digest. The game’s dual-reality mechanic lets players to shift between different versions of the same world, and that adds an interesting layer to both exploration and combat. Encounters appear deliberate and punishing without feeling overly restrictive, striking a balance between challenge and accessibility. Combined with stellar art direction and ominous atmosphere, Ballad of Antara looks like a title that could become a huge hit.

Arknights: Endfield (Release Date: January 22)

Arknights: Endfield marks a significant evolution for the franchise, morphing from its mobile tower-defense roots into a full-scale action RPG experience. The game features real-time combat, squad-based mechanics, and expansive environments that place a greater emphasis on exploration. Its already a big hit on the PC, and we are hoping to see a similarly positive response on the PS5 when it comes out in January this year.

Cairn (Release Date: January 29)

Cairn takes a refreshingly grounded approach by focusing almost entirely on climbing and survival. It’s completely devoid of any combat, and the game challenges players through careful resource management, environmental awareness, and precise movement. Every ascent feels dangerous, with mistakes carrying real consequences. It flaunts a rather tasteful art direction which gives the game a unique look and feel. Cairn may not appeal to everyone, but for players looking for something slower, more methodical, and deeply immersive, it stands out as one of the more unique PS5 exclusives in development.

Tokyo Xtreme Racer (Release Date: February 26)

Tokyo Xtreme Racer’s return brings back a style of racing that prioritizes atmosphere and one-on-one rivalries over flashy spectacle. Set on Japanese highways, the game focuses on high-speed duels, vehicle customization, and learning the nuances of each track – but it’s all quite nostalgic. On PS5, the series looks poised to modernize its visuals while retaining the moody tone that made it so memorable in the first place.

Brocade-Clad Guard

Brocade-Clad Guard immediately stands out thanks to its striking art direction and historical inspirations. Drawing from ancient Chinese aesthetics, the game emphasizes elegant yet deadly combat encounters against some of the fiercest enemies in the land. Swordplay is all about deliberate and disciplined, rewarding timing and positioning over reckless aggression. While details remain relatively scarce, the game’s visual identity alone makes it one of the more intriguing action RPGs on the list.

Exiledge

Another game from PlayStation’s China Hero Initiative, Exiledge is shaping up to be a slick action RPG with an emphasis on speed and fluidity. Combat revolves around being an aggressive warrior, encouraging players to chain attacks, abilities, and movement into seamless encounters. The futuristic aesthetic and vibrant visual effects give it a strong identity, helping it stand apart from the barrage of traditional fantasy RPGs.

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic Remake

The remake of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic remains one of the most anticipated PS5 exclusives, even after a prolonged and uncertain development cycle. Rebuilding such a beloved RPG for modern hardware is a massive undertaking, and while details on the actual implementation remain scant for now – but updated visuals, refined combat systems, and fully voiced characters could breathe new life into its iconic story and open this experience up to a whole new set of fans.

Physint

Physint marks Hideo Kojima’s long-awaited return to the stealth-action genre, and expectations are understandably sky-high. Described as a spiritual successor to Metal Gear Solid, the game aims to blend cinematic storytelling with deep, systemic stealth gameplay. While concrete information remains tightly under wraps, Physint is very much in a position to serve as a major tentpole release for PlayStation.

4:LOOP

4:LOOP is an experimental sci-fi title built entirely around repetition and discover where each run challenges players to learn more about the world and its systems. Rather than relying on traditional progression, the game encourages mastery through knowledge and experimentation. This structure allows for organic storytelling and player-driven problem-solving. If executed well, 4:LOOP could offer a deeply engaging experience that rewards curiosity and patience, standing apart from more conventional action-driven releases on the platform.

Psycho Dead

Psycho Dead puts players in the shoes of a little girl who has to escape from a secret laboratory that’s filled with all sorts of bizarre creatures. The game flaunts great use of environmental storytelling, using the surroundings to tell a story rather than relying on pure exposition. There are stalker enemies in the vein of something like Mr. X, psychic powers that can be used against enemies, and puzzles that need to be solved in order to progress – so fans of the genre should definitely check this one out.

Parasite: Mutant

Parasite Mutant blends action and horror through a mutation-driven progression system that allows players to evolve their abilities by absorbing enemy traits. This creates an interesting risk-reward dynamic, as greater power often comes at a visible cost. Combat appears fast and aggressive, complemented by a gritty, body-horror-inspired aesthetic. The game’s tone feels unapologetically dark, setting it apart from more polished action titles. If its mechanics are balanced well, Parasite Mutant could deliver a uniquely brutal and memorable PS5 experience.

Loulan The Cursed Sand

Loulan The Cursed Sand draws inspiration from ancient myths and desert folklore, and presents a hauntingly beautiful world filled with mystery. Played in an isometric perspective, the moment-to-moment gameplay revolves around crawling through enemy-infested dungeons and taking part in free-flowing combat that’s just as deliberate as it is flashy. The art direction on offer is also something worth noting, and Loulan The Cursed Sand does stand out amongst the barrage of other RPGs that are set to come out in the near future.

Project The Perceiver

Currently in development at 17ZHE, Project: The Perceiver is all about using different masks to gain special powers in battle and use them to conquer the fiercest enemies of the land. It operates on a Sekiro-esque framework where the power fantasy of being a warrior has to be rightfully earned, and the visuals look really breathtaking. Project: The Perceiver has a lot of great things on its sleeve, and it’s definitely something that could end up being really big if it plays out correctly.

We quite like worlds that set us loose right from the get go, sprinkling interesting distractions along the way to keep us exploring away until our eyes, or hands, or even our controllers demand some rest. And 2025 has blessed us with quite a few of those titles, with each experience bringing a very unique bunch of mechanics to keep things interesting.

With that being said, we have a few that are believed to be a cut above their peers. The nominees for the best open-world games of 2025 are:

1. Where Winds Meet

Everstone Studios has blended wuxia with an action RPG adventure whose sprawling lands and bustling cities are a stage for a very ambitious take on player agency and freedom. This is a world that actively encourages going off the beaten track, its systems being a reward on their own for diligent players.

But that’s not all. With the game actively including clever touches upon actual history and using that to blend in fantasy elements makes for an experience that’s a wuxia fever dream. Where Winds Meet deserves a place of honour among 2025’s best RPGs for its sheer scale, ambition, and the sense of freedom it gives you from the get-go.

2. Dying Light: The Beast

By making the Castor Woods feel like a character in Kyle’s latest adventure, this open world survival horror loop never fails to entertain. You never know what you might end up against as you leave the safety of your hideouts, while the night conceals terrors that can bring a very quick end to your strolls.

But it’s in how the world blends several activities and a well-written story together with some excellent parkour-based traversal and new powers for your character to make an experience that continues to call out to us long after we rolled the credits on it.

3. Kingdom Come Deliverance 2

A worthy successor to the first title, Deliverance 2 builds on everything that was great in the first game while expanding on it in both scale and quality. Its story brings a lot of interesting twists to the tale, while the wit and charm of its characters and NPCs can be both endearing and amusing.

This is a world where exploration feels like a very entertaining trek through a world in which you can find both conflict and comedy in equal measures as you go where the roads take you on your quest to witness an end to Henry’s story.

4. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered

This one definitely was a surprise when it was shadow-dropped by its developers earlier in the year, but it certainly isn’t a surprise that it has made its way back into our hearts after the many years since its original release.

A brilliant visual overhaul aside, improved animations and a revamped enemy AI made the entire adventure feel quite immersive. That’s quite an advantage in an open world like Cyrodiil, where there’s just so much to tease out through careful exploration and countless battles. This is a nostalgia fix you shouldn’t miss out on, and a must try if you happened to have missed the original game.

5. Assassin’s Creed Shadows

Ancient Japan’s chapter of the Assassin’s finally made it to our hands, and Naoe and Yasuke didn’t disappoint. The Anvil Engine brought this excellent recreation of feudal Japan to life in a giant map that was both dazzling to see and riveting to explore.

With secrets to discover, targets to hunt down, fortresses to raid, and so much more, the changing seasons are a showcase of how this game continues to stand tall among 2025’s best RPGs, as resilient as the snow-capped structures it recreates so beautifully.

6. Death Stranding 2: On The Beach

Sam Porter’s second adventure was bound to be more ambitious than the first one, but On the Beach brings an astounding level of visual flair, engaging gameplay, and a vast world for you to work your magic on this time around.

The game’s opening hour was enough to showcase how Kojima Productions had managed to bring a sequel worthy of its predecessor in every way, while doing enough to stand out on its own as an open world title that’s unforgettable and melancholically haunting.

7. Elden Ring: Nightreign

While it can be easy to see open-world games as ones that have you gradually explore their maps and take things at a generally slower pace, FromSoftware’s roguelike debut put a timer on the exploration and gave you a set of moves and traversal methods that were built for efficient speed.

Making your way across a map before the Night begins to eat away at your life force demands strategy and skill, and taking on the many threats you find along the way with player-controlled Nightfarers at your side could lead to some truly memorable battles or some epic fails. Either way, this one’s a great option for a player who likes to pick up the pace.

8. Tokyo Xtreme Racer

Roaming the streets of Tokyo in your quest to become a street racing legend is a very entertaining part of this game’s racing experience. Challenging racers from rival gangs or just looking to make a mark on their own is never going to get old, and this is a title that is entertaining to both pro and casual racing fans.

This is definitely worth a shot if street racing in an open world is your thing, and it is sure to give you more than a few challenging tracks to take on and rivals to beat.

9. Ghost of Yotei

Atsu took over the reins from Jin Sakai in a sequel that has cemented the Ghost franchise as a powerhouse in PlayStation’s lineup of exclusives. This is a world in which serene beauty, deadly dangers, and riveting stories are waiting to be found, the wind at your back slowly guiding you to them.

Of course, there’s the entire quest for revenge and your blood feud to tend to, but they often take a back seat when an adorable little bird flits into view, urging you to follow it to potentially new discoveries. Ezo is a world that’s a treat to explore despite the many dangers you’re going to have to face down, weapons drawn and reflexes at the ready.

10. Monster Hunter Wilds

Among the more popular additions to the open world genre, this successor to Monster Hunter Worlds was quite an upgrade, adding new mechanics, systems, and massive biomes teeming with monsters to take on for its players.

The game pulled no punches with Wilds, and the effort has made the Forbidden Lands a game map that’s going to be as entertaining now as it was when we first began exploring it. And given the heavy competition in the genre, that’s an achievement worth having.

11. Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon

Retracing the legend of King Arthur in this darker take on the king’s story was an interesting time, with a frankly astounding number of quests that you can find in its open world. Dealing with the Red Death and the Wyrdness is often the catalyst for smaller, more nuanced tales that tell you more about the world that once was, while also giving emotional heft to the world that now exists.

It’s a map that takes you to places you cannot forget once you visit them, while the game’s other systems and story work well to have you forgetting the hours as you immerse yourself into the adventure.

12. S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl (PS5)

With GSC finally bringing out the PS5 version of STALKER 2 and making great use of the console’s unique features, the experience that the studio set out to deliver is finally here. The Zone has everything you’d expect from a title in the iconic franchise, and exploring it is a gaming experience that remains unique among its peers.

This is a title that keeps you on your toes, its story and the grind for survival working well to make your character feel like the predator and the prey. This one is definitely worth checking out if you haven’t had the chance to experience a very unique flavor of mayhem.

13. Days Gone Remastered (PS5)

While the choice to remaster Days Gone might have raised a few eyebrows, this remaster is now the best way to experience the original title’s utter unpredictability and terrifying chases through uncharted territory with hordes of vicious zombies on your tail.

Deacon’s harrowing adventure is a great story and an even greater launchpad for an open-world experience that’s both chilling and engaging. It’s just you, your motorcycle, the open road, and of course, the zombies in a game that can stay with you long after you complete its story.

14. Borderlands 4

It was a joy to rejoin the ranks of the Vault Hunters after all this time and take on the Timekeeper in this addition to the Borderlands franchise. WIth laughs and a thrilling looter shooter making this one a very fun way to enjoy your gaming hours, this is an open world that can have you lost in its cel-shaded adventures.

It’s also a great option to get your buddies together for some cooperative play in a map that can have a lot of fun just waiting for you to discover.

15. S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Legends of the Zone Trilogy – Enhanced Edition

If you’re wondering what the fuss about the STALKER franchise is all about, this one is a great way to experience the original games in all their glory and then some. With improvements to both visuals and performance on each of the three titles packed in, there’s a lot to like in this bundle, thanks to how the STALKER games are engaging enough to gain a following over the years.

These are worlds that you just cannot miss, thanks to how memorable they have managed to be despite the years that followed their release.

While each of these games brought a lot of fun and innovation to the table, we must pick a winner.

The winner of best open world game of 2025 is:

GHOST OF YOTEI

Atsu’s story and her trip across Ezo is simply too well-crafted to be ignored in favor of other games. This is an open world that engages with you just as much as you interact with it. It’s alive and humming, willing you to listen and follow its paths to your next hours of adventure. Mount Yotei and its surroundings have been a pleasure to explore, and Sucker Punch has nailed its take on the turbulent land.

Ghost of Yōtei

Everything about Sucker Punch’s sequel is a step up from Ghost of Tsushima. The exploration feels more organic as Ezo is brimming with interesting stories, Mythic Tales, and activities (with far fewer restrictions on where to go). Combat is more visceral than ever, with the different weapons mixing up the formula in fun ways. All in all, a fantastic sequel and a stellar open-world game in its own right, which brings us to…

]]> 629864 https://gamingbolt.com/tokyo-xtreme-racer-review-return-of-the-old-school Fri, 03 Oct 2025 17:27:10 +0000 https://gamingbolt.com/?p=629161 There is a style of arcade racing that has essentially been lost to the ravages of time, since the closest we get to the genre’s hey day is with sim hybrids like the Forza Horizon series. However, quite a few smaller studios have been picking up the slack where big companies like EA have left franchises like Burnout and Need for Speed to languish. Tapping into the old-school style of arcade racing—the kind we used to see on the original PlayStation and PS2—is Genki with its latest release, Tokyo Xtreme Racer.

Now, don’t get me wrong; Tokyo Xtreme Racer isn’t a brand new, fresh IP. Rather, it is a revival of a surprisingly old franchise which has roots all the way back in the 1990s with its first title having come out on the Super NES. While the series has been dormant since PS2 title Tokyo Xtreme Racer: Drift 2 back in 2005, the franchise is back after having essentially been forgotten about for almost two entire decades.

"The Shuto Expressway that you’ll be racing along has a great variety of curves and sharp turns, along with plenty of straights that you can blaze through, and you’ll rarely have to tough the brakes, even if you see a big turn coming up."

The strangest thing about Tokyo Xtreme Racer is just how old-school it really feels. Now don’t get me wrong; the production values, especially when it comes to visuals and audio are quite great. The game isn’t looking backwards through time for its visual identity either. Rather, everything around these aspects feels decidedly old-school, from the core racing gameplay, to navigation through the menus, and even how the game has been overall structured.

The core racing leans heavily on the arcade style of gameplay. The Shuto Expressway that you’ll be racing along has a great variety of curves and sharp turns, along with plenty of straights that you can blaze through, and you’ll rarely have to tough the brakes, even if you see a big turn coming up. The gameplay is fast, and most importantly, emphasises a sense of speed and rewards quick reflexes in how you dodge traffic throughout your races.

Despite being an arcade-styled racer, Tokyo Xtreme Racer doesn’t shy away from giving players some customisation options, however. Once you get the right kind of upgrades, you get a whole new set of sliders to play around with to further fine tune the performance of your car. For example, getting a new transmission system lets you switch up your gear ratios. Getting a new suspension system, on the other hand, will open up your car’s height adjustment options.

"The entire story mode revolves around you driving around the highways of Tokyo, Japan, taking on any racers you might find along your routes in 1-on-1 sprint races."

The main gimmick powering the gameplay in Tokyo Xtreme Racer is its SP Battle system. The entire story mode revolves around you driving around the highways of Tokyo, Japan, taking on any racers you might find along your routes in 1-on-1 sprint races. These races are also structured differently from other racing games since you’re not exactly trying to get to a finish line before your opponent. Rather, the goal is to get enough distance between you and your opponent that their SP bar – essentially a health bar – drains all the way to zero. If you’re stuck behind your opponent, you will similarly have to catch up before your SP bar drains to zero and you lose the race.

The SP Battle system forms the core foundations of racing in Tokyo Xtreme Racer, since you’re encouraged to keep driving along the highway, regardless if you win or lose, to take on more challengers. Winning a race offers three core rewards: CP that can be spent to buy new cars, part upgrades, and liveries, BP that can be spent on unlocking the chance to get new cars, perks, and passive bonuses like more SP or higher rewards from races, and progression along the main campaign.

Just about the entirety of Tokyo Xtreme Racer takes place on Tokyo’s Shuto Expressway. You start out in your garage, from where you have to pick your targets to race against before you’re then thrown into the world in the appropriate lane of the Shuto Expressway as close as you possibly can be to the nearest target. You then get to drive up to your target, and with a flash of your headlights, you enter a race. Things don’t really get more complicated than that; finishing a race leaves you still riding along the highway unless you hit a story threshold, with the game outright encouraging you to race as long as your tyres will let you, after which you then have to bring an end to that night of racing by going back to your garage.

"The story in Tokyo Xtreme Racer is minimal, but the little bit that is present is quite charming."

Your primary opponents throughout the campaign in Tokyo Xtreme Racer are various racing teams who you must defeat before ultimately ending up in a showdown against that team’s leader. Each team is part of one of three distinct storylines, which each also have their own main boss that triggers progress in the overall story.

Speaking of which, the story in Tokyo Xtreme Racer is minimal, but the little bit that is present is quite charming. It taps into classic Japanese street racing fiction, with the main plot revolving around you taking on progressively tougher racers in a bid to become the best racer along the Shuto Expressway. You aren’t really going to get complex character arcs or deep storylines here. In fact, the story in the game does little more than get in the way of your racing time, since story triggers will instantly pull you off the road and send you back to your garage. There also aren’t really any cutscenes; rather, most of the story is told through static images with dialogue boxes like you would expect from a PSOne title.

There is definitely a fair bit of charm, however, thanks to the melodramatic weight placed on your progress through the various racing teams. After beating a boss, for example, you will often be met with scenes with fancy text-only narration proclaiming things like you being “captured by the mystique of the Shuto Expressway,” or the few characters you meet forming “the light of a soul emitted only by those who tread into the abyss.” This kind of writing, along with characters with names like Happy Chappy, Rolling Guy, Crimson Boy and Cinderella Past Midnight did nothing short of bringing a smile to my face whenever I was playing.

"These early game progression issues are further hurt by the fact that, once you start driving, you can’t really fast travel or switch to the other lane"

However, despite all of this charm and the simple-but-fun racing gameplay, Tokyo Xtreme Racer certainly has its issues. One of these is the main progression system. You can only buy upgrades for your cars once you’ve unlocked the appropriate upgrade in your skill tree, for which you need plenty of BP. You also need to spend BP on other things, like getting some passive abilities like increased health or SP damage. In fact, you can’t even buy new cars unless you unlock them through the skill tree. While this essentially stops being an issue once you hit the late game parts and can get plenty of BP through a single night of racing, it’s certainly a major pain in the early game where you’ll often be starved for BP just because there aren’t that many racers to challenge in a single night.

These early game progression issues are further hurt by the fact that, once you start driving, you can’t really fast travel or switch to the other lane; you’re stuck going in the direction you picked at the start of the racing night. One instance where this was an obvious problem for me was when I had a single boss fight along one lane of the Shuto Expressway, and a single other race in the other lane, which ultimately necessitated four distinct loading screens before I could wrap those stories up.

On the bright side, Tokyo Xtreme Racer feels like an incredibly well-optimised game. Playing it on a PC with an AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D CPU, 32 GB of DDR5-6000 RAM and a Radeon RX 7800 XT GPU at a resolution of 1440p let me hit my desired frame rate limit of 144 FPS quite easily with a little tweaking in the settings screens. While I couldn’t crank the title all the way up to Ultra without giving up too many frames, it still looked great on the High preset while ensuring fast, responsive gameplay thanks to high and stable frame rates.

"Ultimately, you will want to mute the game’s music and set up your own playlist on the side"

The audio side of things are decidedly less impressive. While the vehicles sound great, and Tokyo Xtreme Racer even goes as far as accurately modelling the screeching you’d hear when using the brakes at high speeds on a car that’s mostly using stock parts, and the engines sound great too. However, the music is a bit of a let down. The first few hours are great, since the bass-thumping electronic music with a few bars of metal guitar riffs suit the atmosphere quite well, there just isn’t enough variety in the game. Ultimately, you will want to mute the game’s music and set up your own playlist on the side if you don’t want to go insane from listening to the same EDM track for the thousandth time.

Tokyo Xtreme Racer is a strange title that feels like it was lifted right out of an alternate universe version of 2003 where the PS2 is as powerful as our modern gaming systems are. The high frame rates and visual fidelity certainly match the more modern presentation we see in games today. However, the menus, the gameplay structure, and even the second-to-second driving feels like it belongs in a bygone era where brakes were considered an optional component of a racing game. However, I can’t deny that it’s fun.

The game doesn’t really need you to have been a fan of the long-running franchise, or even to have been aware of its existence. All you really need to enjoy when it comes to having fun with Tokyo Xtreme Racer is fast-paced driving gameplay, a sense of danger, and a love of campy storytelling that wants to praise the grandeur of getting into races along a city’s highway network.

This game was reviewed on PC.

These include new car models and parts for the Skyline 2000GT-R (KPGC10), Nissan GT-R Premium Edition T-Spec (R35), Honda Integra Type R (DC2), Nissan Fairlady Z Version ST (RZ34), and more. There will also be a new story chapter and rivals to challenge, alongside game balance changes and adjustments.

Unfortunately, the Replay Feature has been delayed due to prioritizing more story content. There’s no ETA, but Genki is doing its best to ensure the feature is “polished and ready” in future updates. Meanwhile, Steam Record Ranking won’t be added at all due to “insufficient cheat prevention measures.”

“We believe introducing the feature without being able to provide a fair playing field for all players would negatively impact the player experience.”

Stay tuned for more details on the launch version in the coming weeks. You can also read our early access review of Tokyo Xtreme Racer for our initial thoughts at launch.

Along with Steam achievements, Tokyo Xtreme Racer now also has additional rules that players can enable that allows them to control their cars’ water and oil temperature while they are driving. When these additional rules are enabled, players will have to take care to not let their oil or water overheat. To take some of the stress off, players can also toggle a “safe” mode which limits engine speed, output torque, and other performance-related aspects of the car to make sure that the overheating doesn’t happen.

Playing with these additional rules also comes with some extra rewards rather than just being for players who enjoy the challenge; the reward for defeating rivals is multiplied by 1.5. The additional rules can be enabled through an option in the game’s GARAGE screen.

The overall UI while racing is also seeing some changes. Along with the oil and water temperature gauges above the tachometer, the game now also has an odometer and a tripmeter so that players can track the mileage of their car. The nitro gauge has also been made smaller, and players can now tell if they’re in a slipstream more easily. All of these UI elements can be set to be displayed or hidden through the game’s options menu.

Along with these, Tokyo Xtreme Racer has also added a few more customisability options in the form of new license plate names. For more details about the update, check out the patch notes below. And while you’re at it, also check out our review.

Tokyo Xtreme Racer Version 0.13.0 Patch Notes:

UI

The UI layout while driving has been revised with the addition of water and oil temperature gauges.

• Water and oil temperature gauges: Added water and oil temperature gauges above the tachometer. Only visible when Water/Oil Temperature mode is enabled.
• ODO/TRIP meter: In response to requests to be able to check the mileage while driving, an Odometer and a Tripmeter have been added.
• Nitro Gauge: The size on the screen has become smaller, the available amount and effect remain the same.
• Slipstream: The effect of slipstream is now clearly visible.
• Input Value: Added an on-screen indicator that shows the amount of value being sent from the input device.
• CP and BP: You can now check not only your current CP but also your BP.

Team Defeat

• Added a visual to help make it clearer that the rival team has been defeated.

Option

• On OPTION screen, each UI item could choose whether to display or hide during a race.
• The gauge layout has also become selectable.

Race

• Bonus: A bonus has been added when preventing an overtaking attempt by a rival.
• Shift-up Alert: If the gear shift is manual, a warning sound will go off when it is time to upshift.
• Sky Patterns: The background changes randomly to reflect the daily sky patterns. However, there will be no changes to the road surface due to the background weather.

Language

• Added Traditional Chinese character to the language switcher.

Various Adjustments

Various adjustments include:

Rivals

• The positions of your car and rival’s cars at the start of a battle have been revised.
• If you initiate a battle on the course, you will start the battle behind the rival’s car.
• If a rival initiates a battle on the course, the battle will start in front of the rival car.
• If you challenge a battle at PA, the battle will start in line.

Vehicles

• The center of gravity of vehicles with horizontally-opposed engines has been lowered slightly.

Vehicle AI

• Adjusted the rivals to make it harder for them to collide with other vehicles in corners.

PA

• Adjusted the battle start positions of Tatsumi PA and Daikoku PA to be parallel.

Option

• Battle BGM start timing has become selectable.
• Force feedback strength can now be increased up to 5 times.
• Feedback strength changes correspond to each type of feedback.

Fixed

• The following fixes have been made:

Vehicles

• Fixed some bugs with some vehicle models.

Vehicle AI

• Fixed an issue where it was not possible to direct rivals at certain forks in the course.
• Fixed an issue where some Other Cars would hit walls while turning corners.

Rivals

• Fixed an issue where more rivals than intended would appear on the course.

Course

• Fixed some bugs in the course model.

Photo Mode

• Fixed an issue where screenshots taken under certain conditions on Steam Deck were not saved to a folder.
• Fixed a bug that caused sounds to stop playing before and after Photo Mode.
• Other minor bugs have been fixed.

UI

• Fixed minor issues with the DEALER screen.
• Fixed a minor bug on the COLLECTION screen.
• Fixed minor issues with the TUNE screen.
• Fixed a minor bug on the AERO screen.
• Fixed a minor issue with the LIVERY screen.
• Fixed a minor bug on the MAP screen.
• Fixed minor issues with the PERK screen.
• Corrected mistranslated text on some screens.

B.A.D.NAME

• Fixed an issue where some B.A.D.NAMEs could not be acquired.

“I’ll refrain from commenting on specific sales figures (laughs), but if you ask me whether I consider TXR a hit as Genki’s marketing rep, I’d say that it’s off to a great start,” responded Sato when asked whether studio Genki considered the racing game a hit. “However, I do think there is still room for growth.”

The question came from the fact that, on release, Tokyo Xtreme Racer saw a fair bit of positive attention, and even got around 15,000 concurrent players on Steam. Sato believes that the Tokyo Xtreme Racer franchise name has helped in the latest title’s Early Access success.

“It’s performing well now thanks to the franchise’s popularity, but I think it has potential to do even better,” said Sato about the game’s success. “The reviews we’ve received from players so far have been very positive, so I think we can expect more growth in the future.”

When asked about how many of the Steam wishlists that Tokyo Xtreme Racer ended up on ended up as sales of the game, Sato said that, while the ratio between sales to wishlists was higher than the studio expected, it fell within projections for the studio.

“It turned out almost exactly as I’d calculated,” said Sato. “It was a little higher than anticipated, but mostly within the expected range.”

A revival of classic racing franchise, Tokyo Xtreme Racer was released back in January as an Early Access game on Steam. While it features the same emphasis on speed and making tight corners well as other racing games, what sets Tokyo Xtreme Racer apart from its contemporaries is its SP Battle system.

The system makes use of a numerical value called Spirit Points that measures the willpower of drivers in the game. Making good use of these Spirit Points is one of the aspects players will have to master in their time with Tokyo Xtreme Racer.

For more details on Tokyo Xtreme Racer, check out our Early Access review.

That said, there are some excellent racing games coming this year, and the list we’ve provided here – which, for the record, is ordered via least to most anticipated – arguably displays more promise than 2024. Note though, racers we’d expect to see new entries for – namely F1 25, MotoGP 25, and possibly RIDE 6 – have been left out to give space for some lesser-known titles to shine.

Endurance Motor Series

Experience the slow-burning drama of endurance racing in Endurance Motor Series, upcoming from studio KT Racing who’re deviating from their usual fayre of WRC and MXGP games (glossing over Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown) to put you behind the wheel of the world’s most hardwearing motorcars. However, honing your stamina for long-distance racing is only half the experience. In a unique twist, in Endurance Motor Series you can virtually hot desk between the car and the pit wall, modifying race strategy via abundant data sources including a neat weather radar.

The gameplay in Tokyo Xtreme Racer is extremely straight forward. Featuring a battle system called as “Spirit Battle”, you need to wipe out your opponent’s health by luring them into making a mistake, crash into them or overtake them and extend the lead over a certain distance. Initial races in the game are 1v1 encounters which begin by getting behind your rivals and flashing your headlight. As noted previously, this gameplay mechanic is simple but extremely addictive at the same time.

"Featuring a battle system called as “Spirit Battle”, you need to wipe out your opponent’s health by luring them into making a mistake, crash into them or overtake them and extend the lead over a certain distance."

Taking place in a map which is stretched across 180kms of Shuto Expressway, there are plenty of rivals that you can face-off against, each with varying levels of competence and AI behaviors. This can result into races that can be completed within seconds or some that could last several minutes resulting into a challenging, mouse and cat like experience. You could easily crash into barriers or into ongoing traffic, thereby losing the lead and thereby the match. In fact, your competitor AI can also make the same mistakes and give away the lead to you. It’s this unpredictable system that makes racing in Tokyo Xtreme Racer a blast.

At its core, Tokyo Xtreme Racer is an arcade experience, but it’s backed up by some engaging progression mechanics. As you race and win more duels, you will be awarded with skill points which can be used to unlock more vehicles, garage space, new parts and even improve attack and defense parameters of the vehicle. While most of these addons like unlocking parts or increasing vehicle stats make sense in the context of a racing game, some of the stuff like limiting capacity to earn money behind certain skill barriers is absurd. If you do not upgrade this skill type, you will not be able to earn any more money beyond a certain point. You would need to continuously upgrade that skill type so that you do not lose your race credits. It’s a weird mechanic that makes no sense at all, and I question and wonder about the logic behind such a system.

Tokyo Xtreme Racer also allows you to buy new vehicle parts and even adjust several settings of your vehicle. It’s not as detailed as say something like Gran Turismo 7, but it’s an option for players who want to control some of the finer settings of the vehicles. You can also customize various sections of the vehicles like bumpers and tyres with new cosmetic fittings. Want a cool neon light coming out from all the sides of your vehicle? The game has you covered. All in all, despite being an arcade game, Tokyo Xtreme Racer surprisingly had an in-depth progression and customization mechanic.

"Tokyo Xtreme Racer also allows you to buy new vehicle parts and even adjust several settings of your vehicle."

Tokyo Xtreme Racer also features a story that is told through unvoiced text lines and basic imagery. However, this was one of the least interesting parts of the experience as the game makes no effort in engrossing the player in its plot. It’s so basic that the game would be completely fine without it. Hopefully, more will be revealed about the story in the final version, but as it stands now, I found its inclusion to be quite worthless.

As noted earlier, Tokyo Xtreme Racer features 180 kilometers worth of the Shuto Expressway to race upon. The map is divided into ramps, and they can be unlocked once you pass through them. However, the game implements a rather inconsistent fast travel system. Once you unlock a ramp, you can only fast travel to it by going through the garage. However, when you are on the track, you cannot fast travel to any ramps of your choice. This made mission completion a tedious endeavor as each rival is located in a different area of the map. So, you have to either drive to reach there (mind you, some of the locations are quite far away) or quit and go back to garage and fast travel to nearest ramp.

Another fundamental design flaw is that the game’s map lacks intermediate diversions. Assume that you are on one side of the road and want to make your way on to the opposing side. You have two ways to do this and both of them are tedious. You can go back to garage and fast travel to the nearest ramp or just travel to a diversion that will likely be miles away from your current location. In a racer that is focused on fast and quick action, these weird design choices deter it from reaching its full potential. Hopefully, these obstructions will be removed or redesigned in the final release. In its current, they merely serve to artificially increase the gameplay time.

In its early access release, Tokyo Xtreme Racer features only a handful of soundtracks. They get the job done and jibe well with the action but hopefully the list will be expanded upon with future updates. Visually, the game is going for a unique but a nostalgic art style that is reminiscent of the PlayStation 2 era. After all, not every game has to be a Forza or a Gran Turismo in terms of graphics. The Tokyo Xtreme Racer series has always had its own identity, its own look and feel, and I am glad it sticks to that. The game is also pretty light on PC requirements, and I was able to run at a stable 60fps with every setting maxed out at 4K resolution.

As noted earlier, Tokyo Xtreme Racer’s gameplay is based on draining your opponent’s health bar. However, when cars crash into each other, there is no visual damage indicator. There is no need for complex damage physics like the ones seen in the F1 games, but at least static damage marks and destruction vfx effects should have been implemented. This is a little detail, but something that will make the racing even more immersive.

"In its early access release, Tokyo Xtreme Racer features only a handful of soundtracks."

Tokyo Xtreme Racer, according to the developer, will be in early access for four months, so, hopefully, the team will be able to aforementioned issues through updates. At the time of writing this review, I haven’t been able to find a roadmap for the game, so it’s difficult ascertain what kind of updates are coming in the future.

So, the current state of the early access version of Tokyo Xtreme Racer is largely satisfying. There are a few design issues in terms of map layout, fast travel and locking max currency limit behind multiple skill barriers, but there is a lot to like here. The sense of speed, the visuals and performance, the simple yet addictive gameplay and its adherence to the series’ roots is what makes Tokyo Xtreme Racer standout from the competition.

This early access version of the game was reviewed on PC.