As a lifelong fan of arcade racing games, I can’t help but feel a little bummed out by the current state of the genre. What used to be a thriving space filled with over-the-top, pedal-to-the-metal action has taken a backseat. Too many arcade racers have been delayed, canceled, or just vanished into the void — and honestly, it sucks. It feels like no one wants to go fast anymore… at least, not in the wild, unrealistic way that made arcade racers so special.
Growing up during what I consider the golden age of gaming, I got to experience some of the best arcade racers ever made. Some were good, others downright legendary — but all of them delivered that pure, no-holds-barred fun you just don’t get from today’s sim-heavy titles. Sure, we’ve seen plenty of games try to blend arcade and simulation, but let’s be real: nothing hits quite like a true arcade racer that throws physics out the window and tells you to just buckle up and enjoy the ride.
So with that in mind, I’m kicking off a new feature: Forgotten Arcade Racing Gems — a look back at the high-speed, adrenaline-fueled games that left a mark on me. And where better to start than with one of the all-time greats: Project Gotham Racing 4.
Project Gotham Racing 4: Where Style Met Speed
Project Gotham Racing got its start as an Xbox-exclusive racing series — Microsoft’s answer to the once-PlayStation-only Ridge Racer. But what some may not know is that PGR didn’t just pop out of nowhere. It actually evolved from a Dreamcast classic called Metropolis Street Racer (MSR). That game introduced a little something called the Kudos system, which didn’t just reward you for winning — it gave you points for how you drove. Drifting, clean corners, overtakes — the flashier, the better. In other words, you weren’t just fast; you had to look good doing it.
Everything MSR laid down, Project Gotham Racing picked up and polished to a high shine. If it weren’t for the Dreamcast and MSR, there’s a good chance we’d never have seen this legendary series at all.
For everything that Metropolis Street Racer and the prior Project Gotham Racing games brought to the table, Project Gotham Racing 4 took it to the next level. The presentation was slick, the licensed car models looked amazing, and the environments were incredibly detailed for their time. The racing itself felt tight and rewarding, especially with the Kudos system keeping you on your toes. There was a massive roster of cars, tons of global locations to rip through, and even bonus content like the fan-favorite mini-game Geometry Wars: Waves. It was a neat nod to Ridge Racer, which let you play Galaga during load screens to unlock cars — back when loading from slow optical discs was the norm and hard drives weren’t standard.
Ah, the good old days. Consider that a little slice of gaming history — no tip jar required.
While each Project Gotham Racing game pushed the genre forward in its own way, it was the final main entry — PGR4 — that truly took things to the next level. It was one of the first racers to introduce a dynamic weather system that didn’t just look cool but actually affected how you raced. Rain, snow, fog — it all changed how your car handled. And if that wasn’t wild enough, it even pulled real-world weather data from The Weather Channel to mirror the current conditions in-game. You haven’t truly lived until you’ve taken on Nürburgring in a snowstorm while AI opponents try to shove you into the guardrails.
And yes, PGR4 added motorcycles to the mix. They were a blast to race, even if they felt a bit broken compared to the cars. Still, ripping through corners on two wheels was just one more reason to love this game.
But the real crown jewel? The online mode. Fully functional and ahead of its time, it let you battle other players in pure, competitive races or jump into made-up modes like “Cat and Mouse” — no gimmicks, no fluff. Just you, your ride, and the track. It was chaos in the best way possible. The physics were also surprisingly tight for an arcade racer. Rear-wheel drive cars would whip out on you if you weren’t careful, while front-wheel drive machines stuck to the road like glue. And everything — from hot hatches to hypercars, and yes, even the bikes — felt dialed in. I honestly can’t recall a single moment where the handling felt off. That’s not easy to pull off, especially with this kind of variety.
To me, PGR4 was the ultimate console arcade racer of its time — and honestly, it still holds up as one of the best in any generation. It was bold, polished, and ahead of its time. It even managed to hold its own against genre titans like Ridge Racer. And yet… Microsoft never pulled the trigger on acquiring Bizarre Creations, the brilliant minds behind the series. That decision proved fatal, as Activision eventually swooped in and acquired the studio to work on their own arcade racer, Blur — which, by the way, I’ll be revisiting in a future article.
And just like that, Project Gotham Racing came to an end on Xbox. To make things worse, the only way to play these classics today is to hunt down physical copies and fire them up on either the original Xbox or an Xbox 360. None of the PGR titles were made backward compatible — so forget about playing them on Xbox One or even the Xbox Series X|S. Another dagger to the heart.
As for Bizarre Creations, after being acquired by Activision and releasing Blur, the studio was ultimately shut down when the game didn’t meet sales expectations. The team scattered to other studios, but some of that MSR and PGR DNA lives on in other titles they touched. Their legacy didn’t vanish — it just evolved.
That said, I like to think Project Gotham Racing lives on in spirit through Forza Horizon, which captures some of the flash and freedom that defined the series. But there’s still more than enough room in Microsoft’s lineup for a true arcade racing revival. They still own the rights to PGR — they’re just letting them collect dust. And honestly? That’s a waste.
….
If you’re an arcade racing fan and you own an Xbox 360, I highly recommend you scooping up a copy of Project Gotham Racing 4 and discovering or rediscovering one of the best console racing games of all time.
