Tokyo Xtreme Racer – Everything You Need To Know

Tokyo Xtreme Racer finally returns after nearly twenty years! Here’s everything to expect during Early Access and what we know about the full release.

A Brief Introduction To Tokyo Xtreme Racer

If you’ve never heard of Tokyo Xtreme Racer (or Shutokō Battle as it’s known in Japan), you’re in for a treat.

This isn’t your typical racing game trying to compete with modern titles like Forza Horizon or Assetto Corsa EVO.

In TXR, you’ll be cruising along the Japanese highways at night (unfortunately, no drifting), and flashing your headlights at rivals before diving into intense one-on-one battles, with an engaging storyline along the way.

The series started in 1994, taking inspiration from Japan’s illegal highway racing scene and popular manga. It takes a deep dive into what makes underground Japanese street racing so special, featuring in-depth tuning, relatable Japanese street racing vibes, and raw highway racing action.

If you’re trying to understand what TXR is like, forget trying to compare it to anything else on the market right now. It’s a traditional, old-school Japanese arcade highway racer.

Many feared the series had gracefully faded with the evolution of modern gaming, but thankfully, they were wrong! After sitting dormant for 18 years, the series developer, Genki, resurfaced at the end of 2024 to inform the fans that a new game was coming.

Little did they know then, but as soon as 2025 began, the team announced that the reboot would be released in just a few weeks – much sooner than anyone expected.

The team has stayed true to what made the original games special. They’re not trying to reinvent the wheel or fall for the typical modern racing game gimmicks. It’s clear that they genuinely want to work with the game’s huge fanbase to deliver a worthy modern successor to the cult classic series and keep the retro feel alive.

While a modernized throwback of a classic game might not be everyone’s ideal choice, most die-hard longtime fans couldn’t be happier to see the series stay true to its roots.

Thankfully, the wait is over, so let’s explore what’s on offer!

How To Get The Early Access Game

Tokyo Xtreme Racer will be available via Steam Early Access on January 23, 2025, at midnight PST (3 a.m. EST, 8 a.m. GMT/UTC, 9 a.m. CET).

The Early Access version, initially priced at $29.99 USD, will run for approximately four months. The full PC release is expected around May 2025.

While the final version’s price hasn’t been revealed yet, Genki has indicated there will be an increase. Don’t worry, though – if you grab the Early Access version, you’ll get the full game at no extra cost when it launches.

Although many fans are disappointed to hear it’s not coming to consoles immediately. However, the decision to launch on PC first was well-planned, with their best intentions in mind.

Genki explains, “The reason we chose PC first was because we believe it will allow the most ease of access to our fans all over the world as well as allow us to tweak and improve the game as quickly as we can.”

The team seems genuinely invested in community feedback and providing the best game possible, adding: “Our fans are some of the most passionate in the racing game community (they’ve stuck with us for nearly two decades of absence, after all!) and it would be foolish of us not to listen to their thoughts and feedback on the new game.”

What’s Included In Early Access?

For the first time, you’ll experience the “sealed-off future Tokyo” we’ve heard so much about, featuring over 180 kilometers (110 miles) of Shuto Expressway, freshly redesigned for the new game.

At launch, you’ll have access to 50 licensed Japanese cars. Notably, several major manufacturers are missing from the initial Early Access lineup, with Honda’s surprising absence being the main disappointment for many.

There are still many cars yet to be announced, but we’re yet to confirm whether we’ll also see more manufacturers added.

When you first start the game, you’ll get the choice of three cars:

• TOYOTA SPRINTER TRUENO GT-APEX 3door (AE86) ’87
• SUZUKI SWIFT Sport (ZC33S) ’22
• MAZDA ROADSTER RS (ND5RC) ’15

You’re given enough credits to pick your favorite and some spare cash for the all-important mods!

The signature SP (Spirit Points) Battle system returns. Like a fighting game’s health bar, your SP decreases when trailing your opponent. This time, it’s complemented by a new player skill progression system.

You’ll manage two currencies: Battle Points earned through completing objectives unlock new items, while Credit Points from race wins let you purchase them.

The Early Access version includes roughly half the planned story mode and plenty of rivals and objectives to beat.

Tuning & Customization

Staying true to the series’ roots, the Early Access version already brings an in-depth tuning system.

Upgrades offer multiple progression levels. While engine swaps aren’t available at launch, they will likely appear in future updates.

Other tuning aspects, such as suspension, offer plenty of tweaking, allowing camber, toe, ride height, and offset adjustment.

They’ve also taken a deep dive into specifics like the brake setups, with various choices such as twin calipers, multiple rotors, and adjustable caliper angles.

When it comes to body kits and aftermarket parts, you’ll find legendary names like BN Sports, Bomex, C-WEST, and Varis, while performance upgrades come from respected brands like BLITZ, Knight Sports, and TOM’s.

The wheel selection includes more licensed options from Enkei, BBS, RAYS, WORK, and many more much-loved JDM brands.

The livery editor brings a huge variety, including fade effects, though some customization features currently missing will roll out through regular updates that the team has promised.

How’s The Soundtrack?

TXR’s soundtrack has always been a huge part of the series, and this time is no different.

The team has crafted perfect remixes of classic tracks while introducing fresh additions. Fan favorites like “Clever Drive” and “Chaos” from TXR Zero return with modern twists that’ll hit you right in the feels!

What To Expect From The Final Release (And When)

The game’s Early Access period is expected to run for four months, with the full release expected to drop around May 2025.

While the initial release lets you experience roughly half of the story mode, the complete version will conclude the story, alongside (hopefully) much more.

Expect to see more rivals emerge with their own storylines and unique personalities. More vehicles will also be on the lineup, alongside potential expansions to the 110-mile highway.

As many fans have pointed out, several classic TXR features, such as the engine temperature mechanic, widebody and fender mods, etc, aren’t present in the Early Access build. However, there are hints we may see things added in (or before) the final release.

From what we know, the team plans to build upon and refine the Early Access version. We’re yet to hear of any major planned changes, but we’ll update the article if we get any fresh updates.

Will There Be Multiplayer?

The Early Access version launches as single-player only, though there are hints at future online features.

Currently, on our Early Access version, the in-game leaderboards display “COMING SOON,” suggesting some online connectivity is planned. However, Genki hasn’t made any official announcements about multiplayer features yet.

Confirmed PC System Requirements

Thankfully, TXR brings impressive optimization on PC, built on Unreal Engine 5.4, and has proven to run smoothly even on lower-spec hardware than the stated minimum requirements.

Minimum Requirements

• 64-bit processor and operating system
• OS: Windows 10/11 64-Bit
• Processor: Intel® Core™ i7-7700 or Intel Core i5-8400 or AMD Ryzen™ 5 1600X or AMD Ryzen™ 7 1700
• Memory: 16 GB RAM
• Graphics: NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1050 Ti(VRAM 4GB) or AMD Radeon™ RX 580
• DirectX: Version 12
• Storage: 12 GB available space
• Additional Notes: 1920×1080 with graphics set at “Low” recommended. SSD recommended.

Recommended Requirements

• 64-bit processor and operating system
• OS: Windows 10/11 64-Bit
• Processor: Intel® Core™ i7-13700 or AMD Ryzen™ 9 7900X or AMD Ryzen™ 7 7700X
• Memory: 16 GB RAM
• Graphics: NVIDIA® GeForce® RTX 3060(VRAM 8GB) or AMD Radeon™ RX 6700
• DirectX: Version 12
• Storage: 12 GB available space
• Additional Notes: Graphics set at “High” recommended. SSD recommended.

The graphics settings offer plenty of customization, including FXAA, TSR, and DLSS anti-aliasing options.

You can fine-tune various aspects like global illumination and texture quality, with disabled Lumen Global Illumination providing a significant performance boost for older cards.

Can TXR Be Played On Steam Deck?

It runs well on the Steam Deck, maintaining a solid 60 FPS on low settings. You can also bump up Textures, Global Illumination, and Draw Distance to Medium without compromising performance.

Native 1280×800 resolution support means no black bars, and there’s touch and gamepad input.

While official control presets aren’t available yet, the manual gamepad config and Steam Deck button prompts work well.

There are some minor drawbacks. The UI is also quite small on the screen, and the game slows below 60 FPS, meaning you can’t use the 40Hz mode. Also, as you might expect, it drains the battery a little too quickly for our liking!

When Will TXR Release On Consoles?

Genki has been clear about their “PC first” approach, which allows them to focus on optimization and gather community feedback before moving on to possible console versions.

PlayStation and Xbox Releases

TXR is expected to land on PlayStation and Xbox consoles sometime after the full PC release, which is scheduled for May 2025. However, no specific dates have been confirmed yet.

Although it’s not ideal for console fans, we respect Genki’s focus on delivering an optimized and polished experience, which should be perfected by then.

What About Nintendo Switch?

We’ve yet to hear anything about TXR being released for the Switch.

Given that it currently runs on Unreal Engine 5.4 and has relatively demanding specs, any potential Nintendo version would more likely need to wait for the Switch 2 release.

Will It Come To Mobile?

While Genki hasn’t confirmed a mobile version, they acknowledged this early on, stating, “The environment in which people play games and the technology behind game development have evolved rapidly, allowing for a variety of gaming platforms including PC, mobile, and VR.”

Whether this is a general observation rather than a confirmation is yet to be decided, but we’re hopeful!

Does TXR Have VR Support?

When Genki acknowledged the evolution of gaming platforms, Virtual Reality (VR) was also mentioned.

However, VR support seems unlikely since the game doesn’t include an in-car view or cockpit camera – a series tradition that continues in this latest release.

While we’d love to be proven wrong here, don’t get your hopes up just yet!

Compatible Wheels & Controllers

While the official support hasn’t been confirmed in English, we found this producer letter from Genki on the Japanese Shutoko Battle X (formerly Twitter) page, providing details. While we can’t promise the translation is ENTIRELY accurate, it seems pretty clear-cut from the English parts we can see!

Standard Controllers

• Xbox controller
• DualShock controller
• DualSense controller
  • Other USB controllers can also be configured through the game’s options menu.

Steering Wheels

• Logitech G923 TRUEFORCE Racing Wheel (tested at sensitivity 53 and 360-degree range)
• Logitech G29 Driving Force
• Logitech PRO Racing Wheel
• Thrustmaster T300RS (confirmed with 360-degree range of motion)
  • The letter notes that force feedback is still being developed during the Early Access period.

Shifter Support

• Thrustmaster TH8S Shifter Add-On

More devices may work, but this is just what’s confirmed so far.

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