World Tour Is So Much Bigger Than the Original Crazy Taxi – Here’s What You Should Know

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The classic arcade game Crazy Taxi came out 27 years ago and spawned several sequels, but the series has been quiet for a while. Now, after nearly ten years, a new game is on the way – and it’s coming to all major consoles, PC, and is built with the Unreal Engine. From the gameplay footage I’ve seen of Crazy Taxi: World Tour, it looks like it will please longtime fans and attract new players too.

Kenji Kanno, the creator of Sega’s Crazy Taxi, recently presented Crazy Taxi: World Tour at Summer Game Fest 2026, showing around 15 minutes of gameplay. The demonstration highlighted how the new game stays true to the original arcade experience while updating it for modern consoles and players. While picking up and dropping off passengers remains central to the gameplay, World Tour offers more than just point-to-point transportation.

During the presentation, Kanno and a fellow developer demonstrated a very accurate remake of the original Crazy Taxi map – the West Coast, which many will remember as being based on San Francisco. They began with simple rides and showed off the game’s basic driving mechanics, like jumps and drifts, giving viewers a sense of how Crazy Taxi looks on today’s systems. Honestly, it felt exactly as you’d expect after all this time – still fun and arcade-like, with a nice touch of nostalgia, but updated enough to feel modern. Then, they moved on to showcase the new features.

Axel has picked up some new tricks in Crazy Taxi: World Tour. Besides jumping and drifting, he can now perform a ‘Crazy Backdash’ – a 180-degree reverse flip. It seems odd considering the fast-paced, forward driving, but it really helped him reach fares quickly during the demo. It’s a key new feature in this version of the game. Oh, and you can also drive through water now!

If you’re not interested in giving people rides, you can still use your car for deliveries! Axel lets you quickly deliver pizzas around town, but be careful – crashes with the powerful engine could mean lost pizzas and a lower score. You can also help a fisherman by driving him to the dock and skillfully reversing to help him catch fish – anything from small ones to even sharks, as seen in the trailer! And if you prefer a classic driving challenge, timed trials are also available.

Beyond just the basic gameplay, Crazy Taxi: World Tour aims to be a major step forward for the series. The original Crazy Taxi was restricted by older technology, but this new version for modern consoles and PC allows Sega and the development team to create a much larger and more ambitious experience. As the name suggests, World Tour will take players around the globe with Axel traveling across five continents. While details are still limited, players won’t be confined to San Francisco anymore. A new feature is the inclusion of different times of day, with four distinct time periods to choose from.

The recent gameplay reveal of Crazy Taxi: World Tour showed us a glimpse of what’s to come, but many details remain unknown. Sega and Kanno confirmed the game will feature multiplayer, a highly requested feature, and customizable cosmetics. We can expect even more game modes and features to be announced soon, as World Tour is scheduled to release in 2027.

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2026-06-10 02:10