Tokyo Xtreme Racer feels like an old-school driving game with a new-school lick of paint in many ways. It has a wonderfully addictive gameplay loop, and progression feels rewarding as you always chase that next upgrade or money so you can buy a shiny new car.
A by-product of that retro feel is that Tokyo Xtreme Racer doesn’t always explain itself very well, which can be confusing at best and frustrating at worst.
If you want the best chance of falling in love with TXR, here are some tips and tricks to ensure you hit the tarmac at full speed.
10 Keep An Eye On Your Tires
Tread Saves Lives
Tokyo Xtreme Racing has a tire-wear system, and it’s a great place to start the list, as there are a few things to be aware of.
You can see the state of your tires in the HUD on the bottom right of the screen. White means healthy, and each wheel’s meter will slowly decay into red, where you will usually want to change them.
You can change tires for free by returning to the garage from the pause menu, so there’s no need to buy them from parking areas unless you’re doing something specific.
You can technically drive on broken tires, but you’ll slip and slide uncontrollably, so good luck winning a race.
9 Explore & Find Parking Areas & Ramps
Take The Scenic Route
If you’re wondering what I was talking about when I mentioned Parking Areas earlier, I don’t blame you, as they aren’t fully explained.
Several Parking Areas are scattered across the map, and you will only reveal them by driving past them.
On that note, you can also unlock more entry points into the map by driving past those. The best way to get them all is to take a couple of long drives around the entire city loop.
The circuit is pretty big, but you’ll thank yourself when you’re trying to track down specific rivals and can enter the fray right behind them.
8 Some Opponents Hide In Parking Areas
It’s Not Because They Are Afraid
Speaking of Parking Areas, racers often hide in them, making it difficult to track certain opponents down.
If you notice a ‘grayed out’ rival on your list, they are likely waiting for you in a Parking Area and are inaccessible until you unlock it.
When you arrive at each Parking Area, don’t forget to talk to everyone, as they can reveal clues on how to challenge particular wandering racers. You can also challenge some racers multiple times for maximum rewards.
7 Beware of Crossroads
A Cheap Mechanic
I adore TXR, but it does have a couple of archaic drawbacks, and crossroads are one of them.
You will frequently encounter areas on the map where the road splits, which usually pose no issue but can be problematic during races. If you’re chasing an opponent near a junction and drive down a different road from them, the race will end in a draw.
That’s fair enough in my book, but if you’re winning a race and your opponent decides not to follow you, the race ends in a tie in that scenario, too. Sadly, this quirk is mostly out of your control, but you can mitigate it by not overtaking near splits.
If you’re close to your opponent, you can slow down to follow them, although you may just want to reset the race.
6 Try Manual Transmission
It’s Not Just For Purists
Cars in TXR have automatic transmission by default, and while it’s ‘fine,’ the game typically changes gears early, which can result in an acceleration loss.
Manual transmission can mitigate this as it gives you much more control. I may get some flack from TXR pros for saying this, but manual transmission is entirely optional.
I’m currently using it as it feels more interactive, but I beat Cinderella Past Midnight with an Automatic Silvia and every opponent before her.
With this in mind, I recommend trying manual, but don’t sweat it if you don’t enjoy it and revert to automatic.
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5 Upgrades Over New Cars
I Know You Want That Shiny New Car, But…
My biggest mistake during TXR early access was saving up for a shiny new car without money to spare for upgrades. Ultimately, I felt forced to sell my previous vehicle as I couldn’t beat anyone in my shiny new ride.
New cars are essential in TXR, and you can’t rely on your starter ride forever. However, don’t make the same mistake as I did, and ensure you’ve got some spare change for upgrades unless you don’t mind flogging your previous set of wheels.
4 Spend BP Wisely
More Valuable Than Cash
Players earn BP by defeating rivals across the map, but the currency is finite as you only get BP from beating them for the first time.
I encourage you to spend your BP on what resonates with you, but spending most of it on Tuning is a good idea. Tuning perks are tied to upgrades like Exhaust and Power and are essential for taking down strong opponents.
Remember that there is a vast difference between the level of each upgrade. For example, a car with Power LV4 will always leave one with Power LV3 in the dust. Those top-tier upgrades are expensive but worth the grind.
Another essential purchase is Wallet upgrades. Better wallets increase your maximum cash capacity, so keep up to date, as your winnings can go to waste otherwise.
3 Play Dirty
Don’t Worry About The Paint Job
It may seem like an odd tip for a racer that looks as clean as TXR, but being a brute on the road will win you games. Many opponents later on will leave you in the dust, and you can mitigate this by ferrying them into traffic or corners.
The AI is TXR and can’t usually recover from a nasty crash, which can give you a win against opponents you have no chance against otherwise. Sure, it may be cheap, but good luck beating Melancholic Angel without the meta car otherwise.
Oh, Melancholic Angel’s AI brake checks you, so don’t feel bad about returning the favor.
2 NOS Is A Gamechanger
It’s Like A Fast And Furious Movie
You will unlock NOS on the Perks screen early in your TXR journey, offering a massive acceleration upgrade. NOS doesn’t replenish through drifting like in other street racing games but can be restocked for free by returning to the garage.
If you’re punching above your vehicle class, a burst of NOS at the start of a race can give you just enough push to secure an early lead and keep it.
One interesting quirk TXR doesn’t tell you is that boss cars don’t come with NOS, nor can they be fitted with it. Keep this in mind before blowing your hard-earned credits on a vehicle you cannot upgrade, even if it looks pretty.
1 Acceleration Is King
The Best Advice
My final tip for any budding street racer is that acceleration is king in TXR. You shouldn’t completely neglect your top speed, but if you can get ahead early, you will win most encounters.
You can block opponents charging from behind, and they will often give you a little push ahead if they hit you. I won’t turn this list into a tuning guide, but you can make one small adjustment to help many cars in the acceleration department.
Open the tuning page and choose Transmission. You can tinker with the settings if you have at least a LV1 Transmission. Push the ‘Final’ slider to the right, as I have done in the image above. The change reduces your top speed but will increase acceleration.
A bias toward acceleration has worked for me so far, but above all, you should experiment. There’s zero penalty for losing in TXR, and it’s single-player with no online meta to worry about.
Once you’re done with TXR’s early access offering, why not put your feet up and try out a driving game with no racing whatsoever?
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