You Can Now Play Ridge Racer 64 On Nintendo Switch

It’s been 13 long years since we last had a new entry in the Ridge Racer franchise (no, we’re not counting the mobile-only titles that have appeared since), and even longer since there was a good one, but it seems the beloved racer is still getting some attention.

That’s because Ridge Racer 64 – the first title to be developed for and released on a Nintendo console, rather than arcade or PlayStation hardware – has just been ported to the Switch.

Ridge Racer 64 was first launched in 2000 as a North America and Europe-exclusive title for the Nintendo 64 (as its name suggests). While most games in the series were developed by Namco, RR64’s development was largely handled by Nintendo Software Technology in the US.

The formula, though, was much of what the world had come to expect from Ridge Racer – fast-paced, drift-heavy racing featuring fictional cars (with the usual bonus curveballs thrown in) on a variety of courses in exotic locations.

The game was subsequently re-released in 2004 as Ridge Racer DS, a launch title for the eponymous handheld console, and it’s now available on the DS’s spiritual successor platform too.

It arrives as part of the Switch Online + Expansion Pack, which, for £34.99 a year, unlocks a huge library of titles ported over from previous Nintendo consoles. The Switch version gets all the content and features of the original, including 30 cars, eight tracks and four-player split-screen – a first for the series when RR64 originally launched.

Does this make up for the absence of a proper new Ridge Racer title? Not really, but we won’t complain about the chance to play another classic game with the added benefit of modern hardware. In the meantime, we’re still thinking about flights to Japan for one of those Ridge Racer club nights.