THERE'S A NEW TOKYO XTREME RACER GAME ON THE WAYYYY!!!! This is the best news for fans of this rather understated and obscure racing game. Also known as Shutoko Battle in Japan, this is a series of racing games by Genki, a Japanese game company that was founded in 1990.

Tokyo Xtreme Racer 3 is one of the most popular game in the series as it features many cars, opponents and an extensive map

For those that have never heard of these games, I'll give you a quick run-down. Inspired by the Japanese street racing phenomenon in the 90s, the games focused on racing on mountain roads (touges) and Japan's extensive expressway network.

The Tokyo Xtreme Racer series was created by Genki

So, what made these games so special? Well, unlike your typical racing games with a grid of opponents, and a goal of finishing in first place, the Tokyo Xtreme Racer games have a unique mechanism. Inspired by 1v1 fighting games such as Street Fighter, you and your opponent would each have a 'health bar' (called SP) in a race.

These games had a unique mechanism, that is clearly inspired by 1v1 fighting games

If you were to hit the wall or other traffic vehicles, your SP would be deducted, fall too far back from your opponent and your SP will get deducted as well. The goal is to stay ahead as much as possible till your opponent's SP reaches 0.

The Tokyo Xtreme Racer main series of games also allow you to drive around on Japan's expressways, once you approach an opponent you can flash your car's high beams at them to initiate a battle - much like what you see in the Wangan Midnight anime.

The Tokyo Xtreme Racer series of games featured lots of customisation options

Of course, racing is just one part of the game - customisation is where the game truly shines. Unlike other popular racing games of that era, Tokyo Xtreme Racer has plenty of customisation options, from body kits, to carbon fibre parts (that actually reduces the car's weight) and even engine swaps!

The Tokyo Xtreme Racer Drift is a spinoff of the main series, set in mountain roads

Apart from the main series, Genki also made a series of Tokyo Xtreme Racer Drift games that focus on mountain roads racing. While you don't get to roam around in an open-world map like the games that take place on the expressways, there are other gameplay modes in the Drift games, including drift battles, time attack, among others.

Yet another charming feature of the game is how each opponent has its own back story, which are sometimes rather humorous and ridiculous

The thing about the Tokyo Xtreme Racer games, are really how much character the games had - there are plenty of unique opponents, and each with their own short description and stories, there's also always an overarching plot for each game, and the games all have a connected storyline, a lore of sorts, which definitely made this series even more fascinating and attractive. Depending on your interactions, driving style, etc, you will also get an in-game nickname that evolves. In addition, there are also plenty of references to pop culture, such as characters and cars that are clearly parodies of anime, movie and manga characters.

After almost two decades, we are finally getting a new Tokyo Xtreme Racer game, and it's looking really promising!

Sadly, the last Tokyo Xtreme Racer game was introduced in 2006 as Import Tuner Challenge for the Xbox 360. That is, until now! Genki has just announced that it will be releasing an all new Tokyo Xtreme Racer game in 2025 - this year! There's already a page for it on Steam, and various videos have also been uploaded to the company's YouTube channel. 

I'm such a huge fan of the series that my car actually has a sticker paying homage to the developer of Tokyo Xtreme Racer - Genki Racing Project (the division in Genki that created these games)

After almost two decades, there's finally going to be a new game! Can you blame me for the excitement?!

- Zhi Xuan