

1996 · Namco · Shooter · Arcade
Tokyo Wars
An arcade action game putting players in a tank-based deathmatch scenario around the streets of Tokyo.
- Released
- 1 September 1996
- Platforms
- Arcade
- Genres
- ShooterArcade
- Developers
- Namco
- Publishers
- Namco
- Modes
- Multiplayer
- Perspective
- First person
- Themes
- ActionWarfare
About
Tokyo Wars is a 1996 vehicular combat video game developed and published by Namco for arcades. Hamster Corporation released the game as part of their Arcade Archives series for the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4, as well as their Arcade Archives 2 series for the Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S in November 2025.
Keywords
- modern warfare
- tank
- death match
- modern military
- polygonal 3d
- namco system 22
Media
The articlegameplay, story, development, reception
Gameplay
Tokyo Wars allows one to eight players to control separate tanks, either as teammates or as opponents. Players can play either in the heart of downtown Tokyo or at the city's bayside dock. However, the players have twenty seconds to make all the decisions before the game automatically locks them in.
The deluxe cabinets features a pneumatic haptic control that simulates the recoil effect from the tank's main gun. Since the regular cabinets do not offer an air-powered recoil, the deluxe edition delivers slightly more realism than the normal cabinet. Arrows on top the screen help determine teammate from opponent because twenty tanks are rushing down the battlefield looking for an easy kill. While cars can always be demolished by crushing them over, some of the passageways in the game would crumble under the weight of the massive tanks.
Reception
Tokyo Wars was a popular title in arcades during the late-1990s; the Japanese arcade game publication Game Machine reported that it was the most popular arcade game of January 1997. A reviewer for Next Generation said the game "is essentially a mondo, testosterone cannonfest with semi-fast tanks (faster than real tanks, but not as fast as you want them to be)", praising the large arenas with strategically useful cover and destructible scenery. He noted that the game was geared heavily towards two-on-two play, to the point where the cabinet is only sold in a four-player configuration, though single-player play is possible.
In 2010, Ron Alpert of Gamasutra believed that Tokyo Wars was one of Namco's most-impressive arcade games at the time, writing that it "dragged the genre kicking and screaming into the new generation with a much more arresting presentation." He compared its gameplay to Atari's Battlezone and shared his admiration for its arcade cabinet. Kotaku Australia writer Chris Jager ranked it among the best tank-themed video games of all time in 2014, believing that it and similar games gave arcades an edge over platforms such as the Nintendo 64. Jager found the graphics to still be impressive today, and also enjoyed its control style and force feedback.
Legacy
In 2009, Namco Bandai Games produced a spiritual successor to Tokyo Wars, titled Tank! Tank! Tank!. Originally released for arcades, it was later ported to the Wii U in 2012 as a system launch title.
Tank! Tank! Tank! features many of the same mechanics and concepts established in Tokyo Wars, focusing primarily on the co-operative play and destroying larger boss enemies.
Releases by platformdates and regions as published
Editions and related releases
- Ported as
- Arcade Archives 2: Tokyo WarsArcade Archives: Tokyo Wars
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Collections1 collection
Publishers
- Namco gamesArcade-based games › Namco proprietary arcade systems
Description adapted from its source, CC BY-SA 4.0.
