The announcement of the first new Tokyo Xtreme Racer title in 18 years took everyone by surprise in pretty much the best way possible last fall, and thankfully, we won’t have to wait very long to get our first taste. Developer Genki has shared that the street racing game will launch on January 22 in early access for PC players via Steam. A price has not yet been announced.
Steam Early Access games tend to garner mixed response because they’re exactly what they’re labeled on the tin—early. Developers sometimes launch titles this way as a method of testing; the game’s design is usually tweaked based on player feedback, and performance is optimized so that it can run on the plethora of graphics cards and CPUs that comprise the PC gaming market. It can be a good experience or a messy one, and it really depends on the state the game is in when the dev releases it to the masses. Gamers always say they want to see how the sausage is made, and this is it.
In a “producer letter” posted to X, the TXR team offered its own insight as to why the game will be introduced this way. “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. By incorporating the feedback we receive, we aim to further improve and evolve the game to provide a superior gaming experience for our fans.”
SURPRISE! See y'all on the Shuto Expressway in just under three weeks! 🔥
— Tokyo Xtreme Racer (@Tokyo_Xtreme) January 6, 2025
Wishlist now on @Steam : https://t.co/hccHVQUKdE #TokyoXtremeRacer #TXR #Genki #GenkiRacingProject pic.twitter.com/4lxKmXbIME
Further down in the message, Genki reflects on how the gaming space has changed so dramatically since the release of Shutokou Battle X, a.k.a. Import Tuner Challenge as it was known in the States, in 2006. “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. The reason we chose PC first is 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.” This is a good thing, because TXR is still in development and likely will be for a decent chunk of 2025. Once the game is in a polished state, it’s far likelier that Genki will bring it to PlayStation 5 and the Xbox Series platforms, though it’s too early to share any plans on that front.
It’s estimated that the evaluatory Early Access period will last four months; after that point, Genki will determine what’s left to be done and provide a date for the final version. The game as shipped in two weeks will include approximately half of the single-player campaign, with more than 200 rivals, roughly 50 cars to choose from, and over 110 miles of the highway system to race on, per TXR’s Steam listing page. The price—which is still unknown—may be raised after Early Access, but if you buy it later this month, you will still own it when the complete edition drops.
This is all very exciting news. Out of nowhere, January is shaping up to be a blockbuster one for racing game fans (or, at least those who play on PCs) between the release of this and Assetto Corsa Evo on the 16th. Kunos Simulazioni, the team behind ACE, has also adopted an Early Access approach. And though it’s a very different kind of racing game than TXR, it will also eventually have an open-world component, set in and around the Nürburgring.
We at The Drive expect to have TXR upon its release, and will share our impressions as soon as we have them. We may also have an opportunity to chat with the devs (fingers crossed!), so if you have any questions for the team at Genki, please drop them down in the comments.
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