There’s no shortage of modern indie arcade racers chasing the ghosts of the genre’s ’90s golden era, each tapping into nostalgia in their own way. Few, however, commit to it as purely as 4PGP.
4PGP is unapologetically simple. It doesn’t reinvent the wheel or overwhelm with features — instead, it locks into a very specific vision and executes it cleanly. Even so, I feel it could’ve offered more.
A Time Capsule on Wheels
Stepping into 4PGP feels like uncovering a long-lost arcade cabinet from the early ’90s. Low-poly visuals, bold colours, and sharp contrast immediately evoke historic gems, like Namco‘s Ridge Racer or Sega’s Virtua Racing.
In fact, the comparison to Virtua Racing runs quite deep, as 4PGP’s soundtrack composed by Tomoyuki Kawamura, the original composer of Virtua Racing’s soundtrack (as well as Sega Rally, Indy 500, Tokyo Xtreme Racer — quite the CV). Punchy stings when you cross the finish line really sells the authenticity.
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The retro philosophy extends to the controls. You accelerate, steer, and brake (occasionally) — that’s the toolkit. That’s aside from a limited nitrous boost that adds a slight strategic later. In all, it isn’t far from what you’d experience if you took a time machine back to 1992.
Importantly though, it doesn’t feel stuck in the ‘90s. Where its predecessors were very binary with inputs, I was pleased to find a good amount of feel to the actual driving in 4PGP. It’s still firmly arcade, but I’m glad they’ve overlaid some modern sensibility.
Familiar Circuits, Suspicious Sponsors
Despite lacking official licenses, 4PGP, the tracks or car designs are unmistakably inspired by real-world Formula 1. The tracks are slightly compressed but instantly recognisable, and with enough detail to feel very authentic — I could basically pick out my real-life office building from Melbourne’s Albert Park circuit.
The slight tonal wrinkle is that while the presentation screams early 90s, the circuits reflect modern layouts, and there are some that didn’t exist at all back then. The mismatch is easy to forgive when modern tracks like Mexico are this enjoyable to drive.
The car liveries are immediately identifiable, too, such as Senna’s Marlboro-laden red and white McLaren — albeit with some, uh, legally distinct branding.
Simple Doesn’t Mean Soft
For all its simplicity, 4PGP can still challenge you. Crank up the difficulty and the AI becomes seriously quick — so expect to your practice on if you want to be competitive.
That said, this is still arcade racing at heart — no damage, very lenient track limits, and nothing stopping you from bulldozing a chicane if things go sideways.
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Running on Fumes
The biggest drawback of 4PGP is content — or lack thereof. There’s a Championship Mode that unlocks some additional cars and tracks, but it’s spread across just five championships of three races each. Even accounting for working through higher difficulties, I’d played everything within a couple of hours.
Perhaps 4PGP should be forgiven for this, as the title itself hints at its intended focus — 4P as in four player — but that promise doesn’t fully land on the Steam version, where local multiplayer isn’t exactly practical.
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As a result, the experience feels quite thin. A deeper progression system or more substantial championship would’ve gone a long way toward giving it more staying power.
Final Thoughts
I enjoyed my time with 4PGP, even if it was brief. Its retro aesthetic, good driving feel, and era-authentic soundtrack create a compelling throwback to arcade racing’s heyday. But while it nails the vibe, it doesn’t quite back it up with enough substance to keep you hooked for long.
If you’re chasing a clean, nostalgic arcade hit, 4PGP delivers. Just don’t expect it to last.
Quest Daily scores 4PGP:
7.5/10
4PGP is currently out on Nintendo Switch 2, and releases on PC via Steam on Jun 11th.
Early access to 4PGP was supplied to Quest Daily by the publisher.
