You can also put your foot down with this one on the Nintendo Switch.
If you’ve ever wished someone would mash up Sega Rally, Ridge Racer, and those chaotic four-player weekends from the late 90s, 4PGP: Four-Player Grand Prix might be the game you’ve been waiting for. Announced by Tokyo-based publisher 3goo, it’s a proper Japanese arcade-style racer built around the simple idea of grabbing your mates, hitting the track, and causing absolute mayhem.
Launching February 5th on Nintendo Switch — and with a beefed-up Nintendo Switch 2 edition landing the same day — 4PGP comes in at a friendly price: $19.99 USD on Switch and $24.99 USD on Switch 2.
A racer built for “let’s just play something”
4PGP leans hard into the “instant fun” philosophy: short races, bold colours, chunky cars, and difficulty options that scale from Rookie to Expert. There’s even an Assist Mode for younger players, so no one is stuck bouncing off the barriers forever.
You can race solo, but 4PGP clearly wants you to squeeze together on a sofa and shout at each other. The Switch version supports up to four-player split-screen, while the Switch 2 edition adds GameShare — meaning you can race locally or online without everyone needing their own copy.
Definitely one for family gatherings, dorms, and “one more race before bed” sessions. This has something that Mario Kart doesn’t have — a grounding in the real world, a reflection of the Sunday afternoon sessions watching ludicrously expensive cars attempting to edge ridiculously well paid drivers through the chequered flag.
(My wife will love this, and I suspect my son will, too.)
What you actually get under the hood
Despite the arcade lean, there’s a decent amount of variety. You can fire up a quick race, go for the full Championship experience, or chase your ghost in Time Attack. Races take place across 14 tracks and a growing collection of 19 unlockable cars.
The Switch 2 edition gets the proper next-gen treatment too, with support for 4K and 120fps. Not a bad way to revisit 90s racing energy — only much cleaner and without the CRT.
Built by people who really know arcade racing
One of the more exciting parts of the reveal is who’s working on it. The development team includes Kenji Sasaki, whose work on Sega Rally and Ridge Racer basically defined an era of arcade racing. Add to that a soundtrack by Tomoyuki Kawamura — known for Sega Rally, Virtua Racing (one of my arcade favourites way back), and Tokyo Xtreme Racer — and 4PGP is suddenly carrying some serious pedigree.
Nicolas Di Costanzo, CEO of 3goo, says the goal was simple: social fun that still rewards skill. In his words, it’s “the game you put on when someone says, ‘Let’s play something together.’” Hard to argue with that.
One to watch?
There’s a real gap in the modern market for a good couch-multiplayer racer with a bit of old-school charm. 4PGP looks like a straight shot to that nostalgia vein — approachable, colourful, and clearly made by people who know their craft.
We’ll be watching this one closely as we get closer to launch in February. In the meantime, you can catch the reveal trailer on the official channels and start picking which friends you want to thrash first. Learn more on the 4PGP website.
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Christian Cawley is the founder and editor of GamingRetro.co.uk, a website dedicated to classic and retro gaming. With over 20 years of experience writing for technology and gaming publications, he brings considerable expertise and a lifelong passion for interactive entertainment, particularly games from the 8-bit and 16-bit eras.
Christian has written for leading outlets including TechRadar, Computer Weekly, Linux Format, and MakeUseOf, where he also served as Deputy Editor.
When he’s not exploring vintage consoles or retro PCs, Christian enjoys building with LEGO, playing cigar box guitar, and experimenting in the kitchen.
