Fast & Furious: Arcade Edition brings Raw Thrills home—fun first, fidelity later

Arcade Fast & Furious is coming home-and it might actually be fun

GameMill just dropped a strange double bill: a cozy Snoopy detective game and, on the other end of the spectrum, Fast & Furious: Arcade Edition. Both are handled by Cradle Games, but this Fast & Furious is a straight-up port of Raw Thrills’ arcade racer-the same arcade pedigree behind Cruis’n Blast. It’s out October 24, 2023 on PS5, Xbox Series, and Switch, with no PC version mentioned. This caught my attention because the last big Fast & Furious console outing was a disaster, and an honest arcade port could be the clean break the license needs: fast races, dumb fun, no pretense.

• It’s an arcade port from Raw Thrills-a good sign for pure, over-the-top racing.
• Trailer suggests dated visuals and limited upgrades; expectations should be modest.
• Two-player split-screen is confirmed; online play remains unclear.
• PS5, Xbox Series, Switch on Oct 24; oddly, no PC announcement.

Breaking down the announcement

Here’s the pitch without the marketing fluff: Cradle Games is porting Raw Thrills’ Fast & Furious arcade cabinet to consoles. The trailer shows big nitrous bursts, wide tracks built for side-by-side chaos, and that flashy arcade presentation that lives for instant gratification. Local two-player split-screen is in, which is exactly where these games shine. There’s no mention of online features, career depth, or customization—and I’d be shocked if this isn’t a lean, arcade-first package.

Platforms are PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and Switch on October 24. The lack of a PC listing stands out; arcade racers typically do fine on PC, so the omission is either a licensing limitation or a “maybe later” scenario. In any case, this feels designed for couch play and quick sessions more than a live-service roadmap.

Arcade DNA: think Cruis’n Blast, not Forza

If you played the Switch port of Cruis’n Blast, you know the drill: short tracks, outrageous set pieces, rubber-banding AI, and a constant dopamine drip of unlocks. Raw Thrills excels at high-energy spectacle over simulation, and that’s probably what we’ll get here—a breezy 60-second racer that’s perfect for passing the pad and yelling “hit the nitrous!” on repeat. That’s not a dig; arcade rushes are one of the few racing flavors modern consoles don’t serve enough.

That also means temper your expectations. Don’t look for granular tuning, photo modes, or deep career structures. Expect a tight loop built around replaying tracks for medals, unlocking rides, and chasing split-screen bragging rights. If Fast & Furious: Arcade Edition sticks to that identity, it could wash out the bad taste of the franchise’s last console misfire by focusing on what the movies used to be about before the space magnets: big stunts and louder engines.

What gives me pause

The trailer doesn’t flatter the tech. We’re talking flat lighting, simple geometry, and “arcade cabinet” textures that look a generation behind. If you’re expecting a next-gen showcase on PS5 or Series X, this isn’t it. On Switch, that visual simplicity may land better—Cruis’n Blast thrived there because the performance held up and the spectacle carried the day. But on stronger hardware, dated art can be harder to forgive.

There’s also the bandwidth question. Cradle Games is shipping this and a Snoopy detective game within a couple of weeks of each other. That’s… ambitious. Ports can be straightforward, sure, but QA and platform-specific polish still take time, especially across three consoles. Add GameMill’s uneven track record—fun budget hits alongside infamous misses—and skepticism is healthy. If they keep the price sensible and the performance solid (60 fps should be the goal on PS5/Series X and ideally on Switch), this could land. If not, it risks feeling like a quick cash-in with a famous logo.

What gamers should watch for at launch

• Price point: Arcade racers live or die on value. Sub-$40 makes sense; full price would be a tough sell.
• Performance: 60 fps target on PS5/Series and a stable experience on Switch. Any frame dips will kill the vibe.
• Content depth: Number of tracks, cars, and unlocks. Arcade simple is fine—barebones is not.
• Modes: Split-screen is confirmed. Look for online races or ghost leaderboards; if absent, couch play has to carry it.
• Feel: Snappy boosts, readable drift, and forgiving handling. If the inputs feel mushy, the whole arcade fantasy collapses.

The gamer’s perspective

I’m cautiously optimistic. Raw Thrills knows how to make a rollercoaster racer, and the formula works on consoles when developers don’t pretend it’s something it’s not. Fast & Furious: Arcade Edition doesn’t need prestige visuals or a 30-hour career; it needs punchy races, quick restarts, and the kind of tracks that make you laugh when a tanker truck flips at the perfect moment. If it clears that low but specific bar, it could be the most enjoyable Fast & Furious game in years—because it aims for fun, not fidelity.

TL;DR

Fast & Furious: Arcade Edition is a console port of Raw Thrills’ cabinet racer, launching Oct 24 on PS5, Xbox Series, and Switch. Trailer looks dated, but split-screen chaos and arcade pacing could deliver where the franchise’s last console outing didn’t. Keep an eye on price, performance, and how much content you’re actually getting.