In the Driver’s Seat with Tokyo Xtreme Racer

Growing up, one of my good friends owned a black Toyota Supra Turbo, earning the attention of numerous girls at our school. I owned a SEGA Dreamcast with a copy of Tokyo Xtreme Racer which didn’t impress any females. But it did result in a tight-knit group of guy friends who constantly loitered in my room, waiting for their turn to take a Nissan Skyline GT-R or Honda NSX on a simulated version of Tokyo’s Shuto Expressway.

Yet, it wasn’t just the ability to race nimble imports that gave TXR distinction. Here, you’d prowl the same expressways made famous by the notorious Mid Night Club, a street racing crew who’d often hit speeds of 300 km/h (186 mph). Flashing your headlights at a rival to initiate a race before snaking through a sleeping metropolis felt different than any other racer on the market.

For the next seven years, developer Genki iterated on formula, producing a number of sequels, with roughly half of them securing a Western localization. But when the franchise followed trend and became a mobile title, Tokyo Xtreme Racer abruptly ran out of gas, resulting in the lack of a single console entry across the last eighteen years. Fortunately, Genki’s come to their senses and reinvigorated Xtreme Racer. It’s time for a new generation to find their turb-charged reprieve from teenaged loneliness.

Your Playground is 160 Kilometers of Asphalt

Here’s the important thing about 2025’s Tokyo Xtreme Racer for returning racers: it plays and looks just like you’d expect. The game’s Early Access launch provides access to 48 different cars, and they’re mostly methodically rendered. This isn’t Gran Turismo, so you aren’t privy to interior views of each vehicle. But head into the in-game dealership or your garage’s view mode and you’ll see some impressive renditions of classic JDM cars.

You’ll begin your racing career by selecting from a Mazda Roadster RS, Suzuki Swift Sport, or Toyota Sprinter Trueno GT-Apex. But by earning Credit Points (or CP) across battle races, you’ll be able to upgrade your starter with parts from real-world manufacturers. However, it will take a bit of grinding before you’re able to purchase a new set of wheels from other carmakers like Daihatsu, Mitsubishi, Nissan, and Subaru. But at present, Genki hasn’t made a deal with Honda, so don’t any vehicles from this heavyweight.

That 1997 Toyota Supra RZ Requires Battle and Credit Points

Tokyo Xtreme Racer’s twin-currency system is a bit of killjoy. Advancing through the chaptered campaign provides a resource that is spent on driver upgrades, skills, perks, parts, and cars. For the latter two, it can feel like you’re paying twice: once to unlock the item with Battle Points and once more with Credit Points to purchase actually purchase them. Even worse, you’ll undoubtedly be outclassed by the horsepower harnessed by some bosses and team leaders. The only way to remain competitive is through the steady grind of taking down low-level wanderers, which many will find to be tedious. A quarter-century on, TXR still hasn’t figured out how to renovate the series’ most prevalent complaint.

That said, there are a few modernizations that diminish some of the game’s chronic inconveniences. No longer are you forced to memorize the hang-outs of rivals. Now, Tokyo Xtreme Racer provides a Pokédex-style record of their preferred locations once you encounter them on the expressway, easing the process of checking off an inventory of rivals. But getting the attention of some of TXR’s bosses remains perplexing at times, tasking players with having a specific car mod or repping a specific prefecture on your license plates.

Where Racer Meets Fighting Game

Crucially, the game’s handling and physics are mostly commendable. Racing still involves pulling ahead to dwindle your opponent’s fighting game-style battle meter. At present, using a controller to meander through the slender corridors of the Shuto Expressway is effective and even lenient when it comes to high-speed cornering. Presently, the only problem with racing occurs when contact is made. Sporadically, a nudge from behind seems to invoke a bit of magnetism. At present, steering wheels don’t deliver feedback. But typically, peripheral support often arrives at the tail end of development, so we’ll cut Genki some slack. Fortunately, Steam Deck owners can rest easy, thanks to a mostly fluid framerate and visual fidelity that allows for landmarks like Tokyo Tower.

There is definitely some room for both improvement and growth with Tokyo Xtreme Racer. Beyond some balancing to make racing a bit less grindy, the inclusion of Honda’s vehicles, additions like simplified sticker importation (for itasha) would be welcome. While offering an offline, single-player focused campaign is commendable, the inclusion of PvP racing could make TXR a serious contender.