JDM: Japanese Drift Master Gets March 26 Release Date

The latest open-world drifting game to hit the market lets you drift through more than 250 kilometers of stunning, varied Japanese landscapes.

Following a brief delay from its initial planned release, JDM: Japanese Drift Master is now confirmed to launch on March 26, 2025, for PC via Steam, GOG, and the Epic Games Store. The official announcement came alongside a freshly released trailer above, bringing the best in-game footage we’ve seen yet, and it’s certainly got us excited!

Inspired by Initial D, JDM: Japanese Drift Master will bring a unique insight into Japanese culture. The game focuses mainly on open-world drifting, but you also get to show off your skills in grip and drag races, time trials, and head-to-head battles.

Set in the fictional Japanese prefecture of Guntama, the game is inspired by the real-world Honshu region and boasts over 250 kilometers (around 155 miles) of touge roads, cities, towns, and highways to explore.

While sliding through the huge map, you’ll be treated to traditional Japanese vibes, breathtaking scenery, and (as you probably guessed) plenty of cherry blossom trees!

Alongside the open-world experience, the latest trailer reveals that there will also be tracks in the game, such as ‘Tsugoya Circuit’ in the image above.

Don’t worry; the game isn’t just about sliding around without any real purpose. Its in-depth Story Mode follows the journey of Touma, a Polish street drifter looking to prove himself on the Japanese street racing scene.

The story is presented through unique, hand-drawn manga-style cutscenes, with comic book pages leading into each event, with more than 40 story challenges and various side quests to complete.

There’s a decent roster of licensed JDM cars, with Subaru, Mazda, and Nissan confirmed so far, with more rumored to be announced in the coming weeks.

It targets the “simcade” market, balancing simulation and arcade-style gameplay. The physics difficulty is similar to what you’d expect from CarX Drift Racing or Forza Horizon rather than more hardcore sims like Assetto Corsa.

As you can see from the trailer, JDM: Japanese Drift Master brings stunning visuals, dynamic day/night cycles, a realistic weather system (including some crazy conditions!), and AI traffic, just like Drift Hunters MAX.

The team also worked hard on the audio, creating original recordings of the vehicles, along with Japanese-themed radio stations that provide the perfect soundtrack while you slay your tires on the streets.

Fans of the Japanese car culture and games like Tokyo Xtreme Racer are likely to feel right at home. Drifting fans won’t complain about the heavy emphasis on sideways action, which was a little lacking (well, non-existent) in TXR!

If you want to know more about what JDM: Japanese Drift Master has in store, check out our in-depth article, which discusses everything we know so far.

We’ve got good news for those of you who can’t wait until March 26 to try the game. A free prologue demo, JDM: Rise of the Scorpion, is already available on Steam, offering a generous taste of what to expect from the full game.

Needless to say, alongside the recent Tokyo Xtreme Racer release and the upcoming Night-Runners, 2025 is shaping up to be an incredible year for JDM fans!

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