Tokyo Xtreme Racer is a PlayStation 2 game. Now, years of YouTube comments from cynical types who were likely still jostling around inside an ovary at the dawn of the millennium may have taught you that ‘PS2’ is a pejorative – a one-size-fits-all put-down wielded against anything that doesn’t melt the multiprocessors off a graphics card.
But it doesn't have to be. The PS2 was an incredible console, brimming with great, approachable games that achieved exactly what they set out to do, were hopelessly addictive, and completely unburdened by microtransactions and live-service malarkey.
This succinctly describes Genki’s 2025 Tokyo Xtreme Racer reboot, which recently arrived in early access on Steam: a fantastically moreish blast from the past that’s simple on the surface, steeped in high-speed thrills, and (for now, at least) unapologetically single-player.
That’s what makes it a game in the grand style of the PS2 and, for that, I already love it.For clarity, I’m aware that the overall lineage of this series dates back to 1994’s Shutokou Battle on SNES, and the Tokyo Xtreme Racer name itself can be traced back to the series Dreamcast debut (and sequel) in the US.
However, in PAL territories those carried different titles, and that’s why I’m waxing romantic about the PS2: because 2001’s Tokyo Xtreme Racer on Sony’s all-conquering console was my first exposure to the series, and I admire how closely Genki has stuck to its enduring format well over two decades later.For those who haven’t had the pleasure, the Tokyo Xtreme Racer series focuses strictly on highway street racing, taking a heavy dose of inspiration from the real-life underground racing scene that peaked on Tokyo’s expressways back in the ’90s. (This was made infamous by the likes of the highly secretive Mid Night Club – an allegedly disbanded racing community still shrouded in mystery today thanks to anonymity amongst its members and its strict, low-profile policies).After choosing an on-ramp to enter the