" Crazy Taxi: World Tour," the first all-new entry in the series in about 25 years, was announced at the Xbox Games Showcase 2026 held in June 2026.
Ahead of its release, this title—which underwent a closed network test—was showcased as a playable demo at the “Tokyo Game Show 2026 (TGS2026)!”
Here’s our report from the early hands-on demo!
First, here are my impressions!
It was sooo awesome!! It was the best!!
If you fall into any of the following categories, be sure to check it out when it’s released!
- Anyone who just wants to experience that exhilarating feeling
- People who want to give in to their urge to destroy
- People who love Western music or punk rock
What exactly is Crazy Taxi anyway!?
The rules of this game are very simple.
Pick up passengers and race your car to their destinations!
You play as a taxi driver.
The goal is to deliver passengers to their destinations and earn as much fare (score) as possible.
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Passengers are waiting for taxis all over the map, so pull over nearby and pick them up.
The timer starts the moment you do.
The destination will appear on the map, so try to get there as quickly as possible.
If you entertain your passengers with drifts and other impressive maneuvers on the way to your destination, you’ll earn tips that are added to your fare.
Since you’re here, why not show off your driving skills?
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When you finally pull up at your destination, you’ll be paid the fare as a thank-you.
Keep repeating this until time runs out to earn as much money as possible.
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Occasionally, you’ll be assigned special missions, such as transporting luggage, but the basic premise of traveling to your destination remains the same.
See? The rules are simple, right?
What I Liked
All in all, it’s incredibly exhilarating!
The official website even states that this is a “feature you won’t find in other driving games”—and that’s no exaggeration.
First up is one of the basic actions: Crazy Dash.
Just using this makes the taxi suddenly accelerate.
Furthermore, if you chain together Crazy Dashes at a steady pace, you’ll hit the rev limiter.
The taxi’s speed will skyrocket right before your eyes.
When this happens, you’ll feel just like a race car driver.
...Even though you’re driving on public roads.
And that sense of speed feels absolutely amazing!
Since you’re going so fast, you’ll probably crash into walls at first because you can’t make the turns.
But once you learn to handle the taxi with ease, you’ll experience a one-of-a-kind thrill.
If you’re the type of person who just wants to enjoy a game without overthinking things, this is a sensation you definitely have to experience at least once.
Ignoring traffic rules is encouraged! A wild, out-there world!
And in this game, you don’t have to follow any traffic laws at all.
For example, even if you drive the wrong way and plow into oncoming traffic, you won’t face any penalties.
It’s absolutely fine to drive in places that clearly aren’t meant for cars.
It’s a truly outrageous game that actually encourages reckless driving.
By the way, even when a speeding car comes barreling toward them, pedestrians will neatly dodge out of the way.
So go ahead and rev that engine with confidence.
Punk rock BGM that really gets your adrenaline pumping!
Yay-yay-yay-yay-yay!
Hey everyone, haven’t you heard this song somewhere before?
This song is “All I Want” by The Offspring.
One of Crazy Taxi’s signature tracks—which has been featured in past installments—has been included in this game as well.
This track, along with others like Bad Religion’s“Ten in 2010,” features fast-paced, upbeat music that further enhances the game’s sense of speed.
It’s also great to be able to hear songs again that were removed from some ported versions due to licensing issues.
A few things that caught my attention
Prone to motion sickness
Since this is a game where the scenery constantly flies by at high speed, people who are prone to motion sickness should be careful.
I’m not a monster—I wouldn’t even recommend this to someone who gets sick every time they ride a bus.
The controls have a bit of a learning curve
In most well-known racing and car action games, you move forward simply by holding down the accelerator button.
That’s no different in this game, but since it’s essentially a game where you use “Crazy Dash” to speed around, getting used to this control scheme is absolutely essential.
“Crazy Dash” involves pressing the accelerator immediately after pressing the action trigger.
In the default settings of the PS5 version I tested, you press the R1 button right after pressing the ○ button.
It takes a little practice to get the hang of it.
It might be easier to imagine if you think of the process in a real car: shifting into gear and then pressing the accelerator.
This game truly shines when you use Crazy Dash to build up speed.
It might be confusing at first, but once you get the timing right, you’ll enjoy exhilarating acceleration.
On the other hand, some players might just never get used to this control scheme.
Your fingers can get sore easily
Due to the mechanics of the Crazy Dash and limiter cut mentioned earlier, the accelerator button gets used heavily throughout the entire play session.
As a result, even though this trial play session lasted only about 15 minutes, my right index finger was sore the next day.
Overall Impressions of the Demo!
I’ve talked about a lot of things, but to sum it up, this is “the ultimate stress-relief game ”!
I’ll say it again and again: the thrill of driving a taxi at full throttle was truly one-of-a-kind.
Because the action is so intense, I think it might not be for everyone.
However, it’s a simple game—a rarity these days—so if you’re interested, be sure to add it to your wish list now!
That wraps up our early hands-on report on “Crazy Taxi: World Tour”!
Hey, hey! Come on over and have some fun with Crazy Taxi!
▼Written by Taisho Uchiyama
X: https://x.com/Uchiyama_Taisho
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Uchiyama_Taisho