Namco’s Cult Classic Tokyo Wars Finally Comes Home With Modern Upgrades

Tokyo Wars, Namco’s 1996 tank-battling arcade sensation, is crashing onto home consoles today with a host of new features and its first-ever home release. Hamster Corporation, known for its meticulous retro game conversions, is responsible for bringing this rarely-seen coin-op legend to Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and Switch 2, ensuring fans can finally play the original outside the arcade.

It’s more than just another retro drop. This release is a direct answer to vintage gaming fans who’ve waited nearly 30 years to see Tokyo Wars escape its hulking arcade cabinet and endless quarters. And now, there’s even split-screen multiplayer, something the original hardcore fans and newcomers alike can get behind.

The 1996 Arcade Classic Returns, Now With Multiplayer at Home

If you missed it the first time: Tokyo Wars is a fast-paced, polygon-powered tank shooter. You’re cast as part of either the Green or White forces, slugging it out in the city streets of Tokyo or around its docks. Originally built on Namco’s powerful Super System 22 arcade hardware (the same tech that powered Ridge Racer, Air Combat 22, and Aqua Jet), the real arcade draw was its enormous cabinet. That rig didn’t just look impressive; it featured pneumatic haptic feedback, simulating the thunderous recoil of a tank gun every time you fired. Fans considered it a must-try, a game that mixed big action with visceral hardware you couldn’t get at home—until now.

This week’s Arcade Archives port swaps cabinet rumble for accessibility. The new console versions don’t emulate the original’s pneumatic recoil, but you’re getting an authentic, faithful recreation of the arcade’s gameplay and visuals.

In arcades, up to four cabinets linked together allowed both competitive and co-op play, while solo runs against AI opponents were always an option. The base Arcade Archives version launches today for Switch and PS4. It supports single-player only but comes packed with multiple ways to play: Original Mode (the classic campaign), Hi Score Mode (get the highest points possible on one credit), and Caravan Mode (10-minute high-score runs), with global online rankings for each.

Arcade Archives 2: Split-Screen Multiplayer and Enhanced Features Arrive

The Arcade Archives 2 series steps things up further, exclusively available on Switch 2, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S. Here’s what you’ll find:

• Split-screen multiplayer for couch battles that the original arcade experience couldn’t offer at home, so it’s not just solo tanking anymore.
• Time Attack Mode if you want to blaze through missions as fast as possible, with success measured by speed instead of score.
• VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) support ensures the action is as smooth and arcade-accurate as possible on modern displays.

This is the kind of careful update that Hamster Corporation excels at. They launched the Arcade Archives series a decade ago and have steadily delivered one classic after another. Just this past June, they debuted Arcade Archives 2 alongside the first home release of the original Ridge Racer, with Air Combat 22 and Aqua Jet rapidly joining the lineup. Now, Tokyo Wars is the latest polygonal gem to escape the arcade.

If you’re counting, there are now 384 games included in the Arcade Archives library, with another 108 titles available in Hamster’s ACA Neo Geo line. That’s a staggering 492 titles brought to modern platforms, a testament to Hamster’s commitment to classic game preservation and replayability.

Some fans already consider Bandai Namco’s Wii U title Tank! Tank! Tank! is a spiritual successor to Tokyo Wars, but the chance to revisit the real thing, with high-res graphics and new multiplayer features, makes this the release Tokyo Wars diehards dreamed of.