Ridge Racer is a 1993 racing video game developed and published by Namco for arcades. Ridge Racer was notable for being the first arcade video game with 3D texture-mapped graphics, with its System 22 hardware capable of texture mapping and Gouraud shading.

The Story Behind Ridge Racer

In addition, the game was also made available as part of the same series for the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S, as well as the original Arcade Archives for the PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch. Therefore, the team decided to create a game which allowed players to test their driving skills and experience cars' manipulation at high speeds while mastering drifting. During the release for arcade system board, Namco described Ridge Racer as "the most realistic driving game ever".

With the Nintendo Switch 2 announced for release on June 5, 2025, during a Nintendo Direct, Hamster Corporation released the original arcade version for the first time as part of the Arcade Archives 2 series the same day the Nintendo Switch 2 was released. It was a sequel to Eunos Roadster Driving Simulator, a Mazda MX-5 driving simulation arcade game that Namco developed with Mazda and released in 1990. It featured three-dimensional polygon graphics with texture mapping.

How Ridge Racer Plays

The disc can be replaced during gameplay, although the game does not update; regardless of what disc is inserted, there will always be six tracks, corresponding to the starting points of the tracks on the game disc. In the PlayStation version, a mini-game of Galaxian can be played as the game loads. If won, eight additional cars become available.

Checkpoints that grant additional time when passed through are present throughout. Namco's NeGcon controller can be used to play the game. The cars' specifications vary: some have a high top speed, others have better acceleration or handling, and some present a balance of the three.

Why Players Still Load It Up

The machine used multiple System 22 arcade boards to drive the additional monitors and was only available in the sit down version. This adds up to units sold in Japan and the United States. Whereas Ridge Racer focused on simulation, Daytona USA instead aimed for "funky entertainment".

John Davison of 1UP.com said that Ridge Racer was an "unbelievable demonstration of what the PlayStation could do". It was released initially on the Namco System 22 arcade system board and ported to the PlayStation home console in 1994. Development took eight months, and the game is based on a trend among Japanese car enthusiasts, which involves racing on mountain roads while drifting around corners.

Ridge Racer — Frequently Asked Questions