A Left Field motocross outing that revives Excitebike with real ambition. Twenty outdoor tracks with aggressive elevation, careful physics, a course editor and changing conditions. A genuine technical surprise for a Nintendo licence, and it stays jubilantly accessible too.
Your verdict
Category
Sports1 player3+
Split screen
Description
3D motocross simulation reviving Nintendo's classic Excitebike franchise. Developed by Left Field Productions, published by Nintendo, released in 2000. Twenty motocross tracks with elevation changes, five game modes, a track editor, weather conditions, and up to 4-player multiplayer.
Excitebike 64 review
4/5
Art direction
★★★★★
"Striking"
3/5
Music
★★★★★
"Memorable"
1/5
Story
★★★★★
"Anecdotal"
Excitebike 64 aims for careful motocross realism: muddy dirt tracks, ramps and bumps, bikes and riders modeled with credibility and convincing dust effects. The art direction favors track readability and a grounded sports mood, far from cartoon. A naturalistic, technical art direction, a worthy heir to the Excitebike license on 64-bit.
European May 2000 pressing, which inherits the US Rev 1 code but proposes a PAL cover foregrounding the British Forest track, an unlockable bonus level. The PAL release is scarcer than US pressings on the secondhand market because of a tighter initial run. The multilingual manual details the circuits with cut coordinates for race optimization enthusiasts.
Is Excitebike 64 still worth playing in 2026?
Excitebike 64 revives the license with real ambition, handled by Left Field. Twenty outdoor tracks with aggressive elevation, careful physics, a track editor and changing conditions build a motocross of genuine technical heft. The handling rewards learning with precise grip and corners where the bike feels alive beneath you. The hill climb mode and side challenges add real longevity. For fans of nimble retro racing and arcade-sim feel, it remains a strongly recommended N64 detour today and a quietly impressive Nintendo licence revival.
