Latest Tokyo Xtreme Racer Update Brings Several Highly-Requested Features, Including Past Fan-Favorites
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Following its Early Access launch on Steam in January 2025, after almost 20 years of silence, Tokyo Xtreme Racer has continued to blow fans of the series away by listening to their feedback and implementing updates just like they promised.
Once again, the latest update, Ver. 0.13.0, released on July 10, 2025, brings plenty more changes we’ve seen players requesting.
Water & Oil Temperature Systems Make A Comeback
Genki added an ‘Additional Rules’ system, which brings one of the most popular features we’ve seen many fans requesting.
The team initially decided not to integrate this, but did so due to popular demand, proving they’re keen to keep the fans happy.
For those of you familiar with the older games, it brings water and oil temperature management back into the mix. Thankfully, the system is completely optional, so don’t panic if it’s not what you were hoping for!
When you enable the system through the Garage screen, you’re essentially activating a more challenging mode. You’re rewarded for the added difficulty with a 1.5x reward multiplier for beating rivals.
If you push your car too hard, your engine will overheat, triggering a “Safe Mode” that drastically cuts the car’s performance until it cools down. You’ll know things are getting a little too warm when the tachometer gets a red zone expansion with flashing temperature alerts.
The system also calculates tire wear continuously during free runs (durability drains at a 25% rate).
While there’s still no cockpit view, which offered the best way to view the dials in past games, it’s still a welcome addition.
Steam Achievements Finally Arrive
These are the actual Steam achievements planned for the game’s full release, and you can start earning them right now during Early Access.
Battle System Tweaks
Start positions are now revised, and you’ll start behind when you initiate battles, ahead when someone challenges you.
Parallel start points were also added at Tatsumi PA and Daikoku PA for fairer racing.
New Gameplay Features
The blocking prize system rewards you for preventing rival overtakes. This one’s got the Wangan Midnight Maximum Tune crowd especially excited.
Shift-Up Alert gives manual transmission players an audio cue when it’s time to shift.
A ‘Team Defeat‘ visual adds some visual flair when you take down a rival team.
Visual & Technical Improvements
The Dynamic Sky System randomly changes weather patterns throughout your sessions, as we’ve seen previously in third-party Tokyo Xtreme Racer mods. It doesn’t affect the driving conditions, but it breaks up the visual monotony that some players complained about.
Force Feedback can now be cranked up to 5x strength and changes dynamically based on what’s happening. Wheel users have been pleased by this update.
Vehicle physics got tweaked, too. Cars with horizontally-opposed engines now have a lowered center of gravity, and rival AI is smarter about avoiding collisions in corners.
Enhanced Driving Interface
The UI got some love with the following changes:
- Water & Oil Temperature Gauges sit above your tachometer (when the system’s enabled.)
- Odometer & Tripmeter to track your total mileage and trip distances.
- Smaller Nitro Gauge has the same function, but with less screen clutter.
- Input Value Indicator shows your controller/wheel input in real-time.
- CP and BP Display keep both values visible during races.
- Visual Slipstream Effect makes drafting way clearer.
Additional Updates
- Traditional Chinese language support.
- New license plate names (fun for JDM customization fans.)
- Customizable Battle BGM start timing.
- Extensive bug fixes across vehicle models, AI routing, wall collisions, rival spawning, course models, and various UI screens.
The Improvements Keep On Coming
While we’ve not seen any huge new features (we know everyone wants more cars!), the update still shows that Genki is actively listening to their community and letting them guide the way in the Early Access period.
Making the temperature system optional instead of mandatory was a smart call that keeps everyone happy. The Steam Achievements addition gives Early Access players something extra to work toward, while the interface improvements make the driving experience smoother.
Players are consistently praising how well this Early Access is being handled, and it’s genuinely refreshing to see developers actually responding to feedback rather than just pushing their own vision.
The game continues to maintain its “Very Positive” feedback on Steam for good reason, and there will still be plenty more upcoming features to look forward to.
For console players, while there’s still no news, you can expect to see all these updates implemented in the final game when it arrives on Xbox, PlayStation, and perhaps the Switch 2, also. Time will tell!
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Bill is a writer and photographer who has been part of the Drifted team since 2015. His work extends to various print and online publications, including Wangan Warriors.
As part of the King of Nations team, he traveled extensively for several years, capturing top-tier international drift events worldwide. His hands-on experience, including rebuilding his own Nissan Silvia S15 drift car, gives him unique insights into drift car building and global drift culture.
When not behind the lens or keyboard, Bill can be found browsing classifieds for his next JDM project or shredding virtual tires on popular simulators like Assetto Corsa, CarX, and Forza.
You can learn more about Bill’s story here or follow his socials on X (formerly Twitter), Flickr, Facebook, and Instagram.
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