Ridge Racer 64 Review: Namco’s Arcade Racer Lands on Nintendo 64

Ridge Racer 64 brought Namco’s arcade racing series to a Nintendo console for the first time. Nintendo Software Technology developed the game, and Nintendo published it for the Nintendo 64 in 2000. Namco licensed the series to Nintendo rather than building the game itself, a break from a run that had kept Ridge Racer in arcades and on PlayStation hardware.

The result holds up. Ridge Racer 64 collects 20 race tracks, pulling some directly from Ridge Racer and Ridge Racer Revolution while adding courses built for this version. It supports single player and multiplayer, including split screen, and lets players race from a first-person or third-person view. The cars are new, and the graphics improve on what the PlayStation entries managed.

That combination is why the game earns an 8.2 out of 10. It is not the most ambitious racing game on the Nintendo 64, but it is one of the most complete, and it understands what the Ridge Racer name promises: speed, drift, and a track list worth learning.

Twenty Tracks and Two Consoles’ Worth of History

The track count is the headline. Twenty courses in a 2000 racing game is generous. Some of those tracks come from Ridge Racer and Ridge Racer Revolution, which means Nintendo 64 owners get to race courses that had previously belonged to PlayStation players.

The borrowed tracks carry the series’ history with them, and the new courses give the package its own identity rather than making it a straight port. Players who knew the PlayStation games get recognition; players who did not get a full set of tracks without needing to own another system.

The cars are new as well, and the graphics are improved over the PlayStation versions. Ridge Racer 64 is not simply a reissue of older content with a Nintendo logo attached. It is a rebuild, and the 20-track total reflects that.

Namco Hands the Keys to Nintendo

Ridge Racer 64 is the first game in the series not to appear in arcades or on a PlayStation console. Namco licensed the series to Nintendo, and Nintendo Software Technology handled development. That arrangement is unusual for a franchise this closely tied to a rival platform.

It also explains what the game is. Nintendo Software Technology was building for the Nintendo 64’s hardware, not porting from an arcade board, and the track list and car set reflect a team working from the series’ rules rather than copying its previous releases. The first-person and third-person camera options give players a choice between the arcade feel and a view that shows more of the car.

The licensing deal did not end the relationship. In 2004 the game was remade for the Nintendo DS as Ridge Racer DS, which uses the handheld’s touch-screen and wireless multiplayer. That version swapped mascots: Gina Cavalli from R: Racing Evolution replaced Reiko Nagase.

Ridge Racer 64 Against Ridge Racer DS

The comparison is not a knock on either version. Ridge Racer DS is a remake, not a sequel. The mascot change is the clearest sign that the DS version was treated as its own release rather than a straight carryover.

Gina Cavalli comes from R: Racing Evolution, another Namco racing title. Reiko Nagase had been the series’ mascot, and swapping her out for the DS version is a small decision with a large signal: the DS release was built around a new machine and a new audience.

A Second Life on Nintendo Classics

Ridge Racer 64 got its first official re-release on the Nintendo Classics service on January 31, 2025. A Japanese release followed on May 16, 2025. That is a 25-year gap between the original Nintendo 64 launch and the game’s return.

The re-release matters more than most. Racing games age badly when their physics and frame rates are tied to old hardware, and a game built around drift and speed depends on feel. Nintendo Classics puts Ridge Racer 64 in front of players who never owned a Nintendo 64, and it does so through an official channel.

The schedule below lays out the game’s release history as the source records it.

What the 8.2 Measures

A score of 8.2 out of 10 is a strong number, and Ridge Racer 64 earns it on content rather than novelty. Twenty tracks, new cars, improved graphics, split-screen multiplayer, and two camera perspectives add up to a racing game with more to do than most of its contemporaries.

The caveats are real but small. The game leans on tracks from Ridge Racer and Ridge Racer Revolution, so part of its content is inherited. The multiplayer is split screen, which means it needs people in the same room. And the series’ identity was built in arcades and on PlayStation, so a Nintendo 64 entry was always going to be judged against hardware it was not designed for.

None of that changes the total. Ridge Racer 64 is the first Ridge Racer game to leave arcades and PlayStation behind, and it stands on its own terms. Namco licensed the name to Nintendo, and Nintendo Software Technology delivered a game with enough tracks and enough speed to hold up.

The 2025 re-release is the part worth watching. Nintendo does not bring back every Nintendo 64 racing game. It brought back this one, and the track list shows why: 20 courses, borrowed history, and a full package of cars and modes.

The Case for the Borrowed Tracks

The inherited courses are the part of Ridge Racer 64 most likely to draw complaint, and they are also the part that makes the package work. A racing game lives or dies on its track list. Twenty courses is a lot to build from scratch, and pulling some from Ridge Racer and Ridge Racer Revolution gave the developers a head start on the total.

That is a trade, and Ridge Racer 64 comes out ahead on it. Players who want nothing but new content have a case. Players who want a racing game with a deep track list do not.

The first-person and third-person options matter here too. A borrowed track plays differently depending on the camera, and giving players both views is a real choice rather than a cosmetic one. It is a small feature that does more work than it looks like.

Ridge Racer 64 is a racing game with 20 tracks, new cars, split-screen multiplayer, and a clear idea of what it is. That is worth an 8.2 out of 10.

Namco · Nintendo 64 · Nintendo Classics · racing games · Ridge Racer 64 · Ridge Racer DS