About this game
Crazy Taxi (2000), developed by Hitmaker (formerly Sega AM3) and directed by Kenji Kanno, is an arcade racing game that began life as a 1999 NAOMI arcade title before its Dreamcast home port. The player drives a yellow taxi through a stylised San Francisco, picking up passengers and delivering them as quickly as possible — with a scoring system that rewards near-misses, shortcuts, and stylish driving. An original rock soundtrack featuring The Offspring and Bad Religion gave the game a specific cultural identity, and Crazy Taxi became the third best-selling Dreamcast game in the United States.
Key Features
Time-attack racing through an open, freely driveable version of a stylised San Francisco. Passenger pickup and delivery with escalating fare multipliers for fast, stylish delivery. "Crazy Dash," "Crazy Drift," and "Crazy Jump" special moves that reward experienced players. Scoring system that prizes near-misses, shortcuts, and passenger satisfaction. Four driveable characters (Axel, B.D. Joe, Gena, Slash), each with a different taxi. Rock soundtrack featuring The Offspring ("All I Want," "Way Down the Line") and Bad Religion ("New Dark Ages," "Ten in 2010").
The Story Behind
Crazy Taxi arrived on the Dreamcast in January 2000, capitalising on the NAOMI arcade architecture to deliver a near-perfect home port of the game that had been filling arcade cabinets in Japan and North America since 1999. Its combination of simple controls, immediate fun, and a rock soundtrack that matched its energy made it one of the definitive Dreamcast titles for players discovering the platform. The game sold over one million copies in the United States alone, demonstrating that the Dreamcast's library could produce mainstream hits as well as creative outliers. The game's soundtrack — sourced from The Offspring and Bad Religion — was an unusual licensing choice that contributed significantly to its cultural identity in Western markets.
Tricks & Tales
Director Kenji Kanno described wanting to create a racing game that prioritised freedom of movement, fluidity, and speed over realistic simulation — a direct response to the dominance of Gran Turismo-style racing games. The Crazy Dash technique — shifting between drive and reverse rapidly to generate a burst of speed — was discovered by players and became a meta-game staple. The original arcade version's soundtrack rights have prevented the original music from appearing in subsequent ports and re-releases; Crazy Taxi on modern platforms uses replacement music. This makes the Dreamcast version the only console home version to contain the original licensed soundtrack.
Collector's Guide
Region & Compatibility
Released in Japan (January 24, 2000), North America (February 22, 2000), and Europe (June 9, 2000). The original licensed soundtrack — The Offspring and Bad Religion — is present only in the original Dreamcast version; subsequent ports use replacement music. The Japanese Dreamcast version requires a Japanese console or region-free modification.
Maintenance Tips
Crazy Taxi is a single GD-ROM disc — standard GD-ROM disc care applies. The game makes heavy use of the analogue triggers for acceleration and braking; Dreamcast trigger potentiometers can wear over time with heavy play. The Crazy Dash technique (rapid drive/reverse cycling) puts additional stress on the trigger mechanisms — inspect for uneven resistance or dead zones if the technique stops working reliably. Controller lead cables can develop stress fractures at the connector joint with heavy use; inspect before play.
Available in our shop
Hand-cleaned and tested units shipped worldwide from Toyohashi, Japan. HP direct purchase exclusive: we include a printed shop owner's note card with every order.
Direct purchase supports this museum directly. eBay Top Rated Seller · 1,750+ reviews · 100% positive feedback.
Memories from around the world
Be the first to share a memory of this game. When memories are approved, they will appear here — with reactions from players around the world.
This is where memories shared by players from around the world will appear. Coming in Phase 2.