The Crazy Taxi: World Tour Closed Network Test took place this weekend, and I was one of the lucky players given a chance to experience it. As a longtime fan of the series who got my start playing the original version in arcades, I was pretty excited to play it, to say the least. With a release date set for 2027, I thought it would be a much longer wait before I could get my hands on it in any capacity, but thankfully the opportunity came much sooner than I had ever imagined.
That being said, after spending quite a bit of time with the Closed Network Test, I'm left with mixed feelings, though I remain hopeful for the future. Ultimately, this was only a small taste of the full game, focusing on just two multiplayer modes with a very limited map selection. Although the description stated that both the West Coast and Germany maps would be playable, only one "race" section of West Coast was included, along with a circuit-style race section in Germany and one small open area in Germany used for the Cops 'N' Cabbies mode—the only game mode in the test that bore a true resemblance to the classic Crazy Taxi experience.
Despite this limited selection, the test provided deeper insight into how the core game plays, which is where some veteran fans might find it slightly lacking.
The General Feel and Changes from the Original:
Before even attempting to play the game "seriously," I created a custom match, locked out other players, and used my few minutes of playtime each round to explore the city. While doing so, I also attempted to get acclimated to the changes made to the overall controls and handling of the taxis, which—I'll admit—threw me for a loop. Unlike the originals, this title features vehicle customization, and the Closed Network Test allowed players to equip different passive abilities to alter performance stats. I personally focused on speed while selecting abilities that minimized off-road penalties, but players could also build for defense or offense—a build strategy that proves particularly useful in the Cops 'N' Cabbies mode. Even with these options, however, the core gameplay feels fundamentally different and will take time to master.
The biggest shift from original entries is that there is no longer a button to shift between Drive and Reverse. You simply hit the brake (Left Trigger), hit it again to start backing up, and press the accelerator to shift back into drive. This "small" change alters everything: Crazy Drift is now mapped to its own dedicated button, Crazy Dash requires a single button press, and Limiter Cut is executed by triggering a Crazy Dash with perfect timing. Gone is the need to shift into Reverse and back into Drive, or to shift into Reverse while hitting the brake to perform a Crazy Backdash or quick stop. Such techniques are now tied to the same button as your typical Crazy Dash, combined with the Left Trigger instead. While this streamlines the controls greatly, undoing nearly twenty-seven years of muscle memory is no easy task. I frequently found myself pressing the old "Reverse" button out of habit, which now triggers a Crazy Drift—sending me flying across the map instead of stopping at my intended destination.
Beyond control modifications, the addition of a nitrous boost alters the dynamics significantly, sending rival vehicles flying upon impact. The taxi itself feels lighter, handling more like a standard arcade racer, and a rubber-banding system is present to help players catch up after crashing (though this can be adjusted in the settings). While these design shifts don't make the game feel bad to play, they deviate from what longtime fans expect, and not everyone will embrace the new direction the franchise has taken. As for me, I still had fun and look forward to seeing what the full release delivers—especially once additional customization options become available.
The Race Mode:
Once you get past the controls, there are two main modes available, with the standard Race Mode serving as the default option.
Race Mode places six players on the West Coast map—the iconic "Arcade" location from the original Crazy Taxi—starting right in front of the baseball stadium. From there, players race to pick up a nearby customer, drop them off at their destination a bit further down the road, and proceed along the path to the next passenger. It functions essentially like a relay race where customers act as dual checkpoints—one for pickup and one for drop-off. The final customer leads racers to the finish line, which corresponds to the original starting area from the first game. The challenge comes not only from picking up and dropping off passengers quickly, but also from battling other drivers along the route, which can lead to some truly chaotic moments.
While getting to the destination first seems like the best strategy, opposing players can ram into your taxi as you attempt to brake, sending you flying across the map. You then have to turn around, drive back to the drop-off zone, reorient yourself once more, and try to regain lost ground. In the blink of an eye, a player in first place can drop to last, and even with the rubber-banding mechanic active, recovery isn't always guaranteed. Features like nitrous boosts and deployable spikes to slow competitors make the mode feel closer to a traditional SEGA arcade racer, albeit with a distinct Crazy Taxi twist. Either way, the experience is frantic and incredibly fun, with a precision stop option also available for players seeking an extra challenge.
Cops 'N' Cabbies:
The second mode available, as previously mentioned, is Cops 'N' Cabbies. This is the closest the Closed Network Test came to standard Crazy Taxi gameplay, though that primarily applies if you choose to play as a cabbie. In that role, the objective is to pick up as many customers as possible and deliver them to their requested destinations. Customers respawn continuously, so you will often return to the same locations, though multiple passengers are available throughout the map if you want to vary your routes.
Conversely, players who choose to play as cops are tasked with stopping the cabbies by driving aggressively themselves, aiming to reduce rival vehicle durability to zero and make an arrest. Other cabbies can free jailed teammates, so getting caught isn't the end of the round. The mode features a asymmetric 2-versus-4 format favoring the cabbies, making it challenging for the cops to keep everyone locked down. However, because cabbies must survive for a prolonged duration to secure a win, the dynamic feels well balanced.
This was easily the most enjoyable mode in the Closed Network Test, though having access to more than a single map to test it out in would have been ideal.
The Maps Themselves:
Finally, when it comes to the maps themselves, the selection in the Closed Network Test was extremely limited.
Each location featured sub-maps dedicated to specific modes, which amounted to just one race route for West Coast, one for Germany, and a single open Cops 'N' Cabbies map for Germany. The fact that these small sections have distinct names suggests there will be multiple routes and areas for each mode in the full release, but SEGA clearly wanted to keep most of it under wraps for now.
Fans of the series will find West Coast largely familiar, despite a few updates. The design is based on the original Crazy Taxi, and since the dedicated jump button is absent, the extra areas added in Crazy Taxi 3 appear to be gone as well. Aside from a few minor alterations, it remains the iconic location longtime fans know and love.
One noticeable change, however, is the replacement of Pizza Hut and Kentucky Fried Chicken—which had been renamed Pizza Parlor and Fried Chicken Shack in later ports of Crazy Taxi. Those original buildings have been torn down and replaced with Five Guys and Panda Express, mirroring real-world shifts. Businesses come and go over time, and both of those older chains have seen numerous locations close in recent years. Pizza Hut in particular has largely disappeared from many areas, so seeing it replaced in Crazy Taxi isn't too surprising.
Beyond those updates, West Coast remains packed with real-world brands, and hearing tracks by The Offspring and Bad Religion while tearing down the streets delivers instant nostalgia. That authentic licensed atmosphere was always a key part of the original game's charm, and it has been faithfully recaptured here. Unfortunately, the boundaries in Race Mode blocked off the second half of the city, so we will have to wait for the full release to see how the rest of the map has been refreshed.
As for the Germany map, there isn't as much to report, as the two available modes provided only a limited glimpse of the environment. Overall, it looks like an engaging location to explore and navigate, but the test area was too constrained to form a complete impression. That said, the underlying layout feels solid, and I look forward to seeing what lies beyond those initial boundaries.
Final Thoughts:
Although I initially struggled with the new controls and remain on the fence about the more arcade-like handling, the Closed Network Test left me hopeful for the full release. I am honestly not sure how much time I will spend with competitive multiplayer when the game launches—despite being a huge fan of racing games—but I'll see how I feel after spending more time with the core Crazy Taxi modes and digging into the new mission structure World Tour introduces. Hopefully, the final release includes a much wider selection of maps rather than a single fixed route per region, as limited course variety could cause those modes to quickly feel repetitive. Players rarely want to race the exact same "tracks" indefinitely, but SEGA is likely well aware of that expectation.
Ultimately, this test provided only a small preview of what the complete World Tour experience will offer, and I still look forward to seeing what the full game has in store.
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