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A new 3D racing game has just launched for the Atari Jaguar, combining the open-world chaos and classic camera angles of Grand Theft Auto with the frantic, timer-based mayhem of Crazy Taxi.
Downtown Dash was developed in six months for the JagJam 2026 event and is proudly made "100% without AI" (a refreshing change of pace, considering the state of our news tips over recent months). It is the work of Dr Ludos and was described to us as being developed the "traditional way", with the creator relying on advice, tools, and assets from various members of the Atari Jaguar & retro homebrew communities in order to bring the project to life (as opposed to simply turning to generative AI).
On the project page, for instance, he shares his appreciation for the SJC's "outstanding" 3D game template," which was used to get the project off the ground, as well as LinkoVitch's U-235 sound engine, and null1024's music, Johan Peitz's 3D car models, and various sound effects from several other creators (Trader_one, GammaGool, Saduquecat, and Oganesson).
As Dr Ludos states on the project page, the game wouldn't have been possible without the work of these creators, and as a result, he has decided to pass on the favour by making his own contributions (including the fully commented source code of the game) open source under the MIT license, "hoping it may help others to make their own games."
As for what Downtown Dash is actually like to play, it's a pretty straightforward but fun arcade-style racing game that's a little rough around the edges, but could be truly great with some further improvements. At the start of the game, players are dropped off in the middle and given the opportunity to drive around freely, but there isn't really much to do, in terms of open-world activities, except bump into other vehicles and maybe practice your cornering. Instead, to access the "meat and potatoes" of the game, you'll need to follow a red arrow on screen to reach a marker, which will initiate a timer.
From here, you'll be given 29 seconds to reach as many markers on the map as possible, with each marker adding one point to your score and an additional 5 seconds to your overall time. To make sure you have the best chance possible at beating your highest score, you'll need to weave in between buildings, buses, police cars, and all types of oncoming traffic, with the slightest collision with another vehicle punting them into the stratosphere and inevitably slowing your own set of wheels to a crawl. As you drive, you can choose between two camera angles: one reminiscent of Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars and the other a simple top-down perspective like the classic pre-Grand Theft Auto III games.
While pretty basic right now, its arcade-style design makes it easy to lose track of time trying to get the best score possible. In fact, I didn't want to write this piece until I beat the developer's own high score of 31 (with my current best at the time of writing being 38). I'm not sure if Dr Ludos plans to develop this further, but if he does, some of the features that would be amazing to see would be an actual leaderboard, pedestrians, some more variety in the buildings, and smarter AI. For me, that would help elevate the game from a fun procrastination tool to something with a bit more longevity.
If you want to check it out for yourself, you can grab it here for free. Don't be shy if you trounce my score! Let us know in the comments!