Tokyo Xtreme Racer plays surprisingly well on Steam Deck  

When Tokyo Xtreme Racer’s system requirements were announced, there was cause for concern that lower-spec systems would struggle to run the rebooted highway racer. Thankfully, this is not the case.

Even in at this first stage of Early Access, Tokyo Xtreme Racer is so well-optimised that you can already play it on Steam Deck.

Officially, Tokyo Xtreme Racer’s Steam Deck compatibility is listed as “unknown” as Valve hasn’t tested it yet. For reference, fully playable games are “verified” by Valve, while “playable” games indicate they may have issues or require extra configuration on Steam Deck. “Unsupported” games, on the other hand, won’t run on the platform.

Our hands-on with the Early Access release reveals that Tokyo Xtreme Racer is not only playable on Steam Deck, but it performs remarkably well on the portable machine.

Smooth on Steam Deck

Playing with default low graphics settings, Tokyo Xtreme Racer maintains a stable 60fps in most scenarios as you weave through traffic on the Shuto Expressway. The only exception is that playing in bumper causes the game to run at a slower speed.

Issues like this are expected in Early Access builds and will hopefully be ironed out in the final release, which is expected in around four months. In fact, the performance has already improved in recent patches.

It’s a shame you can’t cap the frame rate at 30fps in favour of boosting the visual quality – 60fps is currently the lowest frame rate option. While the upscaling options have a performance preset and you can tweak graphical settings like the shadow quality, you can’t manually set the resolution on Steam Deck.

Further optimisation is needed for menu text and subtitles during rival encounters, which are sometimes hard to read on the Steam Deck’s smaller screen. Optimisation will also hopefully improve the battery life – we struggled to play for more than a couple of hours on an original Steam Deck with medium birghtness settings.      

Running on Unreal Engine 5, Tokyo Xtreme Racer is a respectable-looking game with shiny, detailed car models and neon-lit highways, though the surrounding urban scenery looks bland.

A lack of weather effects, day and night cycles, and the fact that you always race against one opponent also likely help keep the performance steady. Considering that it’s an Unreal Engine 5 game in Early Access developed by a relatively small team, Tokyo Xtreme Racer is surprisingly well-optimised on Steam Deck.

Heading out to the highway

Longtime fans will feel right at home as the reboot recaptures the spirit of the original series. As before, races play as head-to-head battles against street racers with quirky personalities and modified cars.

Simply approach a rival, flash your headlights, and an impromptu ‘SP Battle’ will start. Each competitor has a health bar, which depletes if one car falls behind or crashes. It’s a unique system that gives a Tokyo Xtreme Racer a distinct identity.     

In a surprise twist, you can challenge any traffic car on the road, triggering races against kei cars, taxis and even flatbed trucks to win some easy credits. As you hunt down rivals on the highway, the short SP Battles feel tailored for playing on the go.

Tokyo Xtreme Racer’s arcade-style handling feels responsive on the Steam Deck’s control pad, but there’s little depth. Cars also have too much grip. This makes the driving immediately accessible as you effortlessly weave through traffic at high speed, but it feels unengaging. Cars are also stubbornly reluctant to oversteer, even when liberally pulling the handbrake in an RWD car.

Money earned from races can be used to upgrade your car, or you can use perk points (BP) to unlock new ones in dealerships. Most cars cost millions of credits, so prepare to grind. Tokyo Xtreme Racer’s vehicle roster currently includes 48 cars from Japanese manufacturers such as Nissan, Mazda and Suzuki.

Models range from the Mazda Roadster RS (Japan’s version of the Mazda MX-5) to the compact Daihatsu Copen and multiple Nissan Skyline generations. Honda is sadly absent for now, but Genki plans to add more cars in future builds.

It’s a superb selection if you love Japanese cars, but there are currently no Western manufacturers. While they may seem out of place in a Tokyo highway racing game, later games in the series introduced manufacturers such as Ford, Chevrolet and Lotus, so we’re hoping to see them return.

Tokyo Xtreme Racer’s gameplay loop is unique, but the similar head-to-head races and lack of location variety results in repetition, even with a skill tree progression system for unlocking perks and new Expressway areas to unlock. More game modes and weather effects would inject some much-needed variety.  

Another downside is there’s no multiplayer yet, and Genki hasn’t announced if there are plans to add online racing in the future. While we would love to cruise the Tokyo Expressway or have battles with friends, at least there’s no online connection requirement to lock you out of the game – something that plagues modern racers like Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown and, more recently, Assetto Corsa EVO.  

A throwback to a simpler era

For longtime fans, Tokyo Xtreme Racer’s 2025 reboot is a return to form and a throwback to a simpler era of arcade racers. Its simplicity and single-player focus are refreshing, making it an oddity in the modern era – but a welcome one. On the other hand, newcomers to the series may find it repetitive and be turned off by its eccentricities – particularly the bonkers narrative.

If you have a Steam Deck and crave a no-frills arcade racer that’s easy to pick up and play, Tokyo Xtreme Racer plays remarkably well with no settings tweaking required.

Its casual highway cruising and short head-to-head battles are well-suited for playing on the go in small bursts. With further optimisations, the Steam Deck could become the perfect platform for Tokyo Xtreme Racing.

Have you tried Tokyo Xtreme Racer on Steam Deck? Let us know in the comments below.