2026 might go down as one of the best years for the racing game genre in a long time. You might think I'm arguing that because Forza Horizon 6 is fantastic, Mario Kart World is finally getting some new Knockout Tour tracks, and Star Wars: Galactic Racer is shaping to be the next Burnout. No, I'm proclaiming that because Armadillo Racing just got re-released.

"What is Armadillo Racing?" you may ask. Well, it's all right there in the title: It's a racing game where the primary mode of transport is rolling around as an armadillo. Who needs Forza Horizon 6's beautiful rendition of Japan when you have armadillos? It's a silly, cult-classic arcade game from Namco, and is now available on consoles for the first time as part of Hamster Corporation's Arcade Archives initiative.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDMD4OwRuzE

Armadillo Racing first rolled into arcades in 1997. It had a huge arcade cabinet, and the only way to control the game was with a giant trackball. If Marvel's Spider-Man really makes you feel like Spider-Man, then Armadillo Racing really makes you feel like an armadillo when you're playing on original arcade hardware.

I first stumbled upon Armadillo Racing while at the Galloping Ghost Arcade in Chicago with a friend several years ago. I remember it being our favorite game of the day and being absolutely shocked I'd never heard of such a hilarious and fun arcade oddity. I'm glad that more people will be able to experience it now, even if I'm not quite sure how it'll feel to play on a controller.

The trackball setup is likely why Bandai Namco never re-released the game itself, but Hamster Corporation heard the call of the armadillo and finally brought it to modern platforms. The Original Mode preserves the refined Armadillo Racing experience as is, while the Time Attack Mode, Hi-Score Mode, and Caravan Mode allow you to interact with this novelty in different ways. It will support trackball peripherals too, if you own one.

Arcade Archives Armadillo Racing will be released on Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, PS4, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S on July 23.