The original Rush, launching Midway's franchise at full tilt. San Francisco's steep streets lend themselves brilliantly to insane jumps and reckless shortcuts. Content is slim and the handling very forgiving, but the instant identity and urban presentation seduce from the first session.
Your verdict
Category
Racing1 player7+
Split screen
Description
Midway's iconic urban arcade racing game on San Francisco's steep streets with insane stunts. Published by Midway, released in 1997 in Europe and North America. Circuits through San Francisco with spectacular elevation changes, hidden shortcuts, acrobatic stunt mode, and 2-player multiplayer.
San Francisco Rush - Extreme Racing review
3/5
Art direction
★★★★★
"Polished"
4/5
Music
★★★★★
"Excellent"
1/5
Story
★★★★★
"Anecdotal"
San Francisco Rush's soundtrack electrifies arcade racing: nervy rock, tense electronic and rhythms that climb with the speed and outsized jumps across the city. The music clings to the sense of danger and vertigo, fueling every suicidal shortcut. A muscular, energetic accompaniment, built for the adrenaline of Midway racing.
The first San Francisco Rush, the launch of Midway's franchise on N64. This NTSC-USA edition is the most widespread and stays affordable loose, where steady demand survives thanks to the instant identity of its urban jumps and reckless shortcuts. Only the sealed copy lifts the price, the title having remained common; thin content makes it more an arcade machine ported home than a prestige collector's piece.
Is San Francisco Rush - Extreme Racing still worth playing in 2026?
An emblematic urban arcade racer from Midway, San Francisco Rush sends the player hurtling down the city's steep streets at full speed, multiplying spectacular jumps, hidden shortcuts and outsized stunts. The over the top driving, the track exploration and the multiplayer carry a pure, cathartic arcade pleasure. The production has aged and the physics stays fanciful. For a fan of retro arcade racing or someone nostalgic for Midway cabinets, the title keeps an immediate fun and a delightful sense of excess.
