Nearly 30 Years Later, Namco’s Tank Shooter Tokyo Wars Finally Lands on Consoles

A vintage Namco arcade arrives on modern consoles

One of Namco’s more unusual polygonal arcade games is getting its first official home release. Tokyo Wars — a tank-battle arcade title that debuted in 1996 on Namco’s Super System 22 hardware — has been reissued by Hamster Corporation under its Arcade Archives and Arcade Archives 2 banners, arriving on Nintendo Switch, Switch 2, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S in early November 2025.

The revival brings a faithful software recreation of the original coin-op to current platforms, but with a split in feature sets between the two Arcade Archives lines: the base Arcade Archives release on Switch and PS4 is single-player only, while the newer Arcade Archives 2 ports for Switch 2, PS5 and Xbox Series consoles add split-screen multiplayer and other enhancements.

What players get — and what they don’t

Hamster’s ports aim to reproduce the arcade experience and include several play modes familiar to retro fans:

• Original Mode: the arcade game as it played in the cabinet.
• Hi Score Mode: finish with the highest-scoring run possible on a single credit.
• Caravan Mode: a 10-minute score attack format.
• Online leaderboards for competing on scores.

Arcade Archives 2 builds on that with features aimed at next-gen hardware: four-player split-screen multiplayer, a Time Attack mode for speed-focused runs, and VRR (variable refresh rate) support intended to keep the game running as accurately as possible on modern displays.

What won’t be replicated, however, is the arcade cabinet’s tactile hardware. Tokyo Wars was known for its deluxe sit-down cabinet that used pneumatic haptics to simulate tank recoil — a signature part of the original experience that the ports cannot reproduce.

Platforms, availability and price

Release window: coverage from outlets notes the ports appearing around November 5–6, 2025 (regional storefront timing and platform rollouts account for the slight date differences reported).Platforms:
• Arcade Archives (single-player): Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4
• Arcade Archives 2 (split-screen + extras): Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S

Price: reporting indicates the game is being sold in the Arcade Archives line for roughly $15–$17 depending on the version.

For more on Hamster’s Arcade Archives lineup and listings, see the publisher’s site: Hamster Corporation - Arcade Archives.

A short history: why Tokyo Wars matters

Tokyo Wars stood out in the mid-1990s arcade landscape for its unusual premise: players climbed into tank cockpits and battled through downtown Tokyo and harbor environments, crushing cars and collapsing tunnels while engaging other tanks. The arcade supported linked play across multiple cabinets (accounts vary — original materials and reporting reference configurations from four-machine links up to claims of larger setups in some arcades), allowing cooperative or competitive play.

Its visuals and hardware placed it alongside Namco polygonal efforts such as Ridge Racer and Air Combat 22 on the Super System 22 board. The title later inspired spiritual successors, most notably Bandai Namco’s Tank! Tank! Tank! (2009), and traces of its influence can be seen in other multiplayer vehicle shooters.

Context: Hamster’s retro revival and the limits of emulation

Hamster’s Arcade Archives series has become a steady source of arcade preservation, bringing classics — from Ridge Racer to Galaga — back to modern audiences. In June 2025 the company expanded the program with Arcade Archives 2, targeting more polygonal, hardware-specific coin-ops that benefit from next-gen capabilities like VRR and improved split-screen handling.

That work is widely welcomed by preservationists and retro players, though ports inevitably raise trade-offs: faithful software emulation can reproduce visuals and gameplay, but physical cabinet features (motion rigs, pneumatic feedback) and the social atmosphere of arcades are impossible to fully emulate on a console.

Who should buy it — and who should temper expectations

If you’re a fan of Namco’s arcade era, enjoy niche polygonal retro games, or collect Hamster’s Arcade Archives releases, Tokyo Wars is likely worth a look — especially on Arcade Archives 2 platforms where local multiplayer returns. The inclusion of time-attack and online leaderboards adds replay value beyond mere nostalgia.

If you’re after the full cabinet spectacle — the sit-down rig and haptic recoil that made the original stand out in arcades — remember those sensations won’t translate to a home console.

Hamster’s release keeps the game available for historical play and competitive high scores, and gives a new generation access to a cult Namco experiment previously trapped behind arcade marquees. For players and preservationists alike, that accessibility is the main gain: Tokyo Wars can now be experienced without a trip to a 1990s arcade or a rare collector’s cabinet.