Tokyo Xtreme Racer gets off to a flying start in Early Access, heralded as a return to classic arcade racing 

Tokyo Xtreme Racer entered Early Access on Steam on January 23, quickly earning a flurry of positive reviews on Steam. Developed and published by Japanese studio Genki, it is the first game in the franchise in 18 years, and is being heralded as the triumphant return of classic arcade racing. 

Like the name suggests, Tokyo Xtreme Racer is set in a futuristic Tokyo. You compete in super high-speed street races down the faithfully recreated Shuto Expressway.  The game brings back the series’ distinctive Spirit Point Battle system, in which racers aim to deplete their opponents’ SP gauge by making them fall behind or hit obstacles. After facing off against opponents in distinctive cars with dangerous driving styles, Tokyo Xtreme Racer lets you spend your winnings on customizing your ride to create your own unique race car. 

Tokyo Xtreme Racer is the first full game in the series since 2006’s Shutoko Battle Evolution on the Xbox 360 (released as Import Tuner Challenge outside Japan). Judging by user reviews, it seems that enthusiasm for the series and arcade racing games in general hasn’t faded away. At the time of writing, Tokyo Xtreme Racer has already earned an Overwhelmingly Positive review status on Steam (out of 1,794 reviews) with a high of 14,778 concurrent players (source: SteamDB) 

Many users praised the game for its stratifying, adrenaline-fueled gameplay, and nostalgic return to the days of single-player, offline gaming. It’s Unreal Engine 5 graphics, the OST and the customization options also got plenty of enthusiastic feedback, with many seeing it as a “labor of love” by the developer. Some pointed out small glitches and UI issues but still thought the lack of bugs was impressive for an Early Access title. 

Genki notes on Steam that they will be incorporating player feedback during the approximately 4-month Early Access period, and that they aim to release the full game with even more features like additional storylines, cars and rival characters. A letter from the producer posted on X yesterday thanks all the players and reiterates that the team will continue to work towards the game’s full release while taking into account player feedback. 

Tokyo Xtreme Racer is currently available in Early Access on PC (Steam).