Ridge Racer 64 is now available for Nintendo Switch Online. For those keeping track, this is the first time in 25 years the game has been available (legally) on anything but the Nintendo 64 itself. Who wants to dust off an old consoleThe classic racing game is available to all Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack subscribers starting today.
Ridge Racer 64 first hit shelves in 2000, near the end of the console’s lifespan. That put it in competition with other games like Gran Turismo 4 and Need for Speed: Porsche Unleashed. Less than a year after its launch, the PlayStation 2 released and dominated console sales for years to come — and that means Ridge Racer 64 flew under the radar for a lot of people.
Despite being 25 years old, the graphics still hold up well. There’s a certain charm that accompanies the somewhat blocky textures, and hearing the announcer shout his trademark line of “Riiiiiiidge Racer!” is a dose of pure nostalgia. The game only has three tracks, but three varied environments create a total of nine courses to test your skills on.
Players start the game out with four vehicles to choose from, but there are a total of 32 in the game that can be unlocked, including the megacar-inspired Atomic Purple, based off the Lotec C1000.
Be aware, though: this game has a notorious difficulty spike in the later part of the game that stumped many racers. There are multiple different gameplay modes, including Car Attack and Time Attack, as well as several multiplayer game types that let you challenge your friends.
Tossing Ridge Racer 64 into the lineup brings the number of N64 games on Nintendo Switch Online to a whopping 38. This includes other major titles like Perfect Dark, Turok 2, and Banjo-Tooie. A Nintendo Switch Online membership costs $4 per month or $20 per year, but to get access to Sega Genesis and Nintendo 64 titles, you’ll need to pay $50 in total (though a family plan is $80 and allows up to eight people to use it, for those that want to save a few bucks.)
