The PlayStation 2 game is called Okyo Xtreme Racer. Now, you may have learned from years of YouTube comments from cynical people who were probably still squirming inside an ovary at the beginning of the new millennium that “PS2” is a derogatory term that is used to disparage anything that doesn’t blow the multiprocessors off a graphics card. However, it need not be. The PS2 was a fantastic console, full of fantastic, approachable games that accomplished their goals, were utterly free of microtransactions and live-service jargon, and were utterly addictive.
Genki’s 2025 Tokyo Xtreme Racer remake, which just became available on Steam in early access, is a deliciously moreish throwback that is straightforward on the surface, full of fast-paced excitement, and (for the time being, at least) shamelessly single-player. That’s what makes it a PS2-style game, and I already adore it for that reason.
For the sake of clarity, I am aware that the Tokyo Xtreme Racer name itself can be traced back to the Dreamcast series’ premiere (and sequel) in the United States, while the series’ entire ancestry dates back to 1994’s Shutokou Battle on the SNES. However, those had different titles in PAL territories, which is why I’m getting so excited about the PS2: I was first introduced to the series in 2001 with Tokyo Xtreme Racer on Sony’s all-conquering console, and I respect how closely Genki has adhered to its timeless format more than 20 years later.
The Tokyo Xtreme Racer series, for those who haven’t enjoyed it, is primarily about highway street racing and draws heavily from the underground racing scene that existed on Tokyo’s motorways in the 1990s. This was made notorious by groups like the extremely exclusive Mid Night Club, a purportedly closed racing club that remains a mystery to this day because of its members’ secrecy and its stringent, low-key rules.
The goal is to cruise and find other racers to challenge after selecting an on-ramp to enter the highway system, which accurately replicates Tokyo’s genuine Shuto Expressway network. Flashing your headlights behind possible competitors starts races, which are won unusually. Here, there are no finish lines; instead, when they fall farther and farther behind you, bump into people, or scrape the walls, their “Spirit Point” bar will drain to empty. It still functions as good as ever and is a hybrid of a racing and fighting game.
Genki has wisely left all of this intact, and it will continue to serve as the framework for Tokyo Xtreme Racer’s 2025 early access rebirth. Although the graphics have been given a tasteful modern update, the overall experience is firmly traditional. The outcome is amazing, and I’m hooked again.
Even in early access, Tokyo Xtreme Racer has over 200 named opponents to seek, stalk, and destroy—some of whom are boss characters who will only appear after you’ve encountered the rest of their race team members and left them for dust; others can only be found and raced under specific circumstances or if you perform specific tasks, the clues for which you can glean from conversations with rivals in parking areas. It may seem limited and repetitive to duel against one opponent at a time and race through late-night freeway traffic in one direction, but it’s utterly captivating.
I’ll admit that my experience has been a touch inconsistent because some of these opponents can have rather different skill levels. I’ll be destroying every buster I come across one minute, and then some mysterious hot shot will just be galloping off. The most enjoyable races are those with extremely equal teams and determined by tactical slipstreaming, which is the practice of luring your opponent into an obstruction. However, these races are a bit too rare.
Since many of the upgrade pathways are locked behind fulfilling specific requirements, this could occasionally cause a snag in your progress. If you’re already struggling to attract and defeat certain racers in the first place, having to defeat them to gain the right to buy better parts could be a pain in the neck. It’s a bit of a catch-22, and it’s probably the main reason why I don’t like these kinds of racing game obstacles. Generally speaking, I believe that if you have the money, you should be able to purchase any cars and components that fit within your budget. In any case, this kind of early access input should, hopefully, give Genki the information it needs to smooth out any bumps on its development path.
Verdict
The racing game Tokyo Xtreme Racer is a time capsule that is quite addictive. It just needs more menu polish and a significant amount of ferocity added to its music to truly make it stand out and be ready for even more vintage Japanese automobiles to race against. The asking fee for early access is already well worth it. Although it is limited in scope, the highway fight hook makes it impossible to put down, and it is refreshingly free of contemporary annoyances like microtransactions and tacked-on multiplayer.
