Xenon Racer

It's sorta like Ridge Racer, but cheap. Drifting feels similar enough, and there is no rubberbanding, so that is a point in its favour. Unfortunately, the AI opponents are extremely reckless. They have a tendency to crash into the barrier directly ahead of you after the first turn, necessitating a restart if you want to be in with a chance of winning, but the game is so fun that this is quickly forgiven. The first time I loaded it up, I played for hours without realising it, and that is high praise for any game.

I like everything about this game, except for having to start in a hoop-dee that can't drift.

If you like futuristic, drift-and-boost racers this is the ticket. Not sure why this game is sitting at Mixed, I've had an absolute blast with it. The early cars are rough so you have to give it some time, learn the tracks and push through until you unlock the GT LM002 which is just sublime. Online is dead but it fills with AI. Got the game 90% off at a dollar fifty and i would have paid three times that. Maybe I don't have as high of expectations but don't let the negative reviews fool you - for an indie racing game, its pretty darn good.

Is Xenon Racer a polished racing experience? Yes, and that's why I generally recommend it. It's a rather pretty game with good music and nice-feeling controls. Is it a fair game? Not at all. The race tracks have tight turns all over, and if you aren't doing well with them, the damage meter will make sure you know that. If you want to have a shot at winning your races, prioritize your drifting and handling (with some added max speed on the side). Once you know what to watch out for before starting your races, you'll for sure have a good time.

Xenon Racer, developed and published by 3DClouds, is a futuristic arcade-style racing game that attempts to capture the spirit of classics like Ridge Racer and Wipeout while blending it with modern visuals and mechanics. Set in the year 2030, the game imagines a world where flying vehicles have replaced traditional wheeled racing machines. In this imagined future, Xenon-powered supercars offer one final burst of high-speed glory before being rendered obsolete. This premise sets the tone for a stylish, neon-drenched racing experience that leans heavily into drift-based driving, explosive boosts, and high-speed spectacle. It’s a concept ripe with potential, aiming to rekindle nostalgia for the golden age of arcade racing while introducing a new generation to its energetic thrills.
Visually, Xenon Racer makes a strong first impression. The game’s environments are beautifully lit, with futuristic cityscapes, sleek tracks, and glimmering reflections that give every race a polished cinematic look. Locations like Tokyo, Dubai, and Boston are reimagined as glittering metropolises filled with gleaming lights and tight corners. The cars themselves are impressively designed, with aerodynamic bodies and glowing xenon cores that emphasize speed and power. The overall presentation is clean and vibrant, perfectly suited to the game’s high-tech atmosphere. When played on capable hardware, the game’s smooth lighting effects and reflections create an appealing sense of velocity. The soundtrack complements this futuristic aesthetic with energetic electronic beats that echo the pulse of classic arcade racers.
Gameplay in Xenon Racer centers around mastering the art of drifting. Every track is designed to test a player’s ability to control long, fluid drifts that both maintain speed and charge a boost meter. This mechanic becomes the core rhythm of the game—enter a turn, initiate a controlled slide, fill the boost, and unleash it on the next straightaway. It’s a system that rewards precision and timing rather than pure aggression, and when executed properly, it feels exhilarating. The physics lean toward the heavier side compared to other arcade racers, requiring deliberate steering and patience to master. The sensation of grip and slide gives the cars a distinct weight, which can be rewarding once understood but frustrating for newcomers expecting a looser, more forgiving handling style. Early on, the learning curve can feel steep, as the cars respond sharply to input and penalize oversteering, but persistence pays off with a smoother and more intuitive sense of control.
Xenon Racer offers a range of modes including a career campaign, single races, time trials, and both local and online multiplayer. The career mode serves as the main progression path, allowing players to unlock new vehicles, upgrades, and tracks as they advance through increasingly difficult events. Each car can be customized with performance tweaks and visual modifications, offering some freedom to tailor the racing experience. While the customization system adds replay value, the overall structure of the campaign is straightforward, and the number of unique tracks is limited. Many environments are reused with mirrored layouts or minor variations, which can make the game feel repetitive over time. The AI, while competent, occasionally veers into erratic territory, alternating between overly passive and punishingly aggressive behavior, making some races feel unpredictable in ways that don’t always favor the player.
The sense of speed in Xenon Racer is one of its greatest strengths. Once a player grows comfortable with the mechanics, chaining drifts and boosts together produces thrilling bursts of momentum that capture the rush of classic arcade racing. However, the game’s polish doesn’t extend evenly across all platforms or situations. On high-end PCs and consoles, performance remains stable, but on weaker systems, frame rate dips and texture pop-in can undermine immersion. The Nintendo Switch version, for example, struggles with consistent frame rates, which is particularly problematic in a genre where precision and timing are essential. These technical issues, combined with a somewhat rigid handling model, can make the game feel less fluid than its competitors. While the presentation and concept are strong, the underlying execution occasionally feels rough around the edges.
Despite these shortcomings, Xenon Racer has moments of genuine enjoyment, especially for players who appreciate the structure and pacing of old-school arcade racers. There’s satisfaction in perfecting a track, learning its corners, and hitting every drift with precision. The cars feel powerful and grounded, and when the systems align, the experience evokes the excitement of the genre’s heyday. It’s clear that 3DClouds intended Xenon Racer to be a tribute to a specific era of racing games—one where the focus was on tight control, sharp design, and mechanical mastery rather than open-world exploration or realism. This nostalgic focus is both its greatest strength and its limitation; players seeking depth, variety, or a modern twist may find the game too straightforward to hold their attention long-term.
In the end, Xenon Racer stands as a passionate but uneven homage to the arcade racing genre. Its visual design, atmosphere, and concept are undeniably appealing, offering moments of pure, high-octane joy when everything clicks. However, inconsistent handling, repetitive track design, and performance issues prevent it from reaching the heights of the classics it seeks to emulate. For fans of drift-heavy arcade racers, there’s enough here to enjoy—especially at a lower price or in short bursts—but it lacks the refinement and addictive flow that define the genre’s best examples. Xenon Racer succeeds in spirit, if not always in execution, serving as a reminder of why fast, flashy, and focused racing games continue to hold a special place in the hearts of those who love speed.
Rating: 6/10

I genuinely think Xenon Racer only died because the market really wasn't wanting another arcade racer like this at the time.

Performance issues on last-gen hardware aside, it succeeds at being an indie Ridge Racer successor.
But as an indie dev, you're often at the mercy of your environment.

If your game--
A. Runs poorly on the hardware used by the majority of people who would be buying it.
B. Releases at a time where it's genre is neglected or considered dead.
or C. BOTH of the above.

It will fail most of the time, unfortunately...

How is a game I've never heard of that I bought on sale for $1.50 this polished?
I do wish it had wheel support but that's super rare for arcade racers anyway. For a buck fifty I'm keeping it in my collection of racing games to play via XOutput.