4PGP is the ’90s arcade racing comeback PS5 and PC players need

4PGP feels like the sort of racing game that knows exactly where it comes from. At first glance, it could almost be mistaken for a long-lost arcade cabinet from the mid-’90s, all bright colours, low-poly cars and clean, readable circuits. Look a little closer, though, and it becomes clear that this is not just a nostalgia act. It is a modern love letter to a very particular kind of racing game: fast, immediate, noisy, competitive and built around the simple pleasure of trying to beat the person sitting next to you. Coming to PlayStation 5 and PC after its Nintendo Switch release, 4PGP wears its influences proudly. The comparisons to Daytona USA and Virtua Racing are obvious, and frankly unavoidable, but that is also part of the charm. This is a game that understands the appeal of those old Sega racers was not only the technology or the spectacle, but the feeling. You dropped a coin in, grabbed the wheel, chose your car and within seconds you were racing. No long tutorials, no licence tests, no complicated upgrade trees. Just a track, a rival, a timer and the constant belief that the next lap could be better.

That same spirit runs through 4PGP. The cars are formula-style machines rather than road vehicles, the circuits are clean and colourful, and the handling is designed to be easy to understand without becoming shallow. It is the kind of racer where anyone can get around the first lap, but the real challenge comes from learning braking points, chasing perfect lines and finding out just how late you can turn into a corner before everything goes wrong. That balance is what made the arcade racing greats so addictive, and it is clearly what 4PGP is trying to capture. The game includes 19 cars, 14 circuits and reverse layouts, with modes such as Championship, Quick Race and Time Attack. On paper, that sounds straightforward, but straightforward can be a strength when the fundamentals are right. There is something refreshing about a racing game that does not seem desperate to become a lifestyle platform. 4PGP is not trying to bury players under menus or progression systems. Its appeal is much simpler: pick a car, pick a track and race.

The biggest clue to its real personality is in the multiplayer. With support for up to four players in split-screen, 4PGP is clearly built for couch rivalry, the kind of local chaos that used to define arcade racers before online play became the default. That immediately gives the game a different flavour from many modern racing titles. Four-player split-screen is not just a feature; it is a statement of intent. This is a game designed for shouting across the room, laughing at mistakes and demanding one more race because the last result absolutely did not count. The retro presentation helps sell that mood, but the new versions are not simply leaning on old tricks. The PlayStation 5 and PC editions promise crisp 4K visuals at 60 frames per second, with modern control options including remapping and analogue acceleration and braking. That matters because games like this live or die on feel. A retro racer can look charming, but if the steering is vague or the speed does not sing, the illusion collapses quickly. 4PGP appears to understand that the best old arcade racers were not crude; they were precise in their own direct, exaggerated way. There is also some genuine heritage behind the project.

The involvement of names connected to Sega’s racing legacy, including Kenji Sasaki and composer Tomoyuki Kawamura, gives 4PGP more credibility than the average retro-inspired throwback. This does not make it an official successor to anything, of course, but it does suggest a team that knows the language it is speaking. The music, the handling, the visual rhythm of the tracks and the emphasis on immediate competition all point toward a game made by people who understand why players still talk about Daytona USA, Virtua Racing and Sega Rally decades later. At a time when racing games often chase realism, massive car lists or always-online ecosystems, 4PGP is going in the opposite direction. It is smaller, brighter and more focused. That may limit its audience, but it also gives it a clear identity.

For players who want deep simulation, tyre strategy and laser-scanned circuits, this probably is not the main event. For those who miss the pure arcade rush of throwing a polygonal race car into a corner while a ridiculous soundtrack pushes everything forward, it could be exactly the kind of game that has been missing. The real test will be whether 4PGP can turn admiration for the past into something that feels alive today. Nostalgia can get players to the starting line, but only good handling, strong tracks and proper competitive energy will keep them coming back. Still, there is something instantly appealing about its confidence. 4PGP is not pretending to reinvent racing. It simply wants to bring back a style of racer that once ruled arcades and living rooms, polish it for modern hardware and remind players how much fun four wheels, four friends and one screen can still be.

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