Original Ridge Racer arcade classic coming to PlayStation in June

Say it with us: It’s Ridge Racer! Riiidge Racer!

Namco’s classic arcade racer is sorely missed, with the series dormant for well over a decade apart from a few forgettable mobile titles. In June, fans can relive the original arcade classic on home consoles.

Last month, a port of the original 1993 Ridge Racer arcade game was announced as a Nintendo Switch 2 launch title as part of the new Arcade Archives 2 programme by Hamster Corporation, which has ported other retro Namco arcade racers like Pole Position and Rally-X to modern systems.  Namco was not involved with Ridge Racer’s new port.

With no other platforms announced, it appeared to be a Switch 2 exclusive. This is not the case, however with Hamster confirming that Ridge Racer is heading to PlayStation 5 and 4 on 5^th June alongside the Switch 2 version.   

In addition to the original game modes, the Arcade Archives 2 port will include a new Time Attack mode challenging you to complete the game as fast as possible. There will also be new quality of life features including multiple save slots, a rewind feature and quick start.

VRR (variable refresh rate) support will enable “more accurate reproduction of the original arcade game’s experience.” It’s not yet known if Ridge Racer will offer PlayStation trophy support.

Notably, this will be the first time the original arcade game has had a home console release. The 1994 PlayStation game was a fantastic port that showcased Sony’s new console’s graphical prowess, but it ran at a lower frame rate with downgraded visuals compared to the arcade version.

The last mainline game was 2012’s combat-focused Ridge Racer Unbounded developed by Bugbear, best known for the FlatOut and Wreckfest demolition derby games.  

Last month, gameplay footage of a cancelled Ridge Racer 8 game reportedly taken from a Nintendo Switch developer kit leaked online, suggesting the series was due to make a comeback on Nintendo’s hybrid console.

Ridge Racer received several arcade-only sequels, including Ridge Racer 2 and Rave Racer, so let’s hope they get ported in the future too. Or better still, let’s hope Ridge Racer’s new arcade port generates enough interest to persuade Namco to revive the arcade racing series.