This was the most ground breaking arcade game at the time. Force feedback steering, instant replay, and polygon 3D graphics were all introduced in this sitdown arcade machine. It was for a time also the most expensive at $17,000 US in 1989. I'm 48, and I grew up with this game. Thank you for posting and for the great memories.

I still swear to this day that i learned to drive with this game at the mall arcade.

Always liked the choice of cars on the road. "Hey, a dump truck just came through the loop. Seems normal."

This was my favorite arcade game as a child around 1990-1992. The graphics were amazing for the time and it was the most realistic driving simulation. I swear I remember it having force feedback steering, a manual shifter (if you chose manual transmission) with a clutch pedal. Amazing stuff to my 8yr old mind. I had a few PC games from the same era that were similar. Stunts, Stunt Driver and Car and Driver. So much fun back then!

Best driving game ever. I liked turning at the top of the loop so the car would fly off and crash. Makes for a great instant replay.

the fact that this game was around in '88 with this polygon count was nothing short of amazing. never heard of this game before

This game was the hardest driving game ever made lol

This game blew my mind when it first appeared in UK arcades during my teenage years. So much so, that I ended up buying a Hard Drivin' cockpit of my own about 10 years ago.

The only driving game I've ever seen with an actual clutch pedal.

Oh man, I used to loooove this arcade game. This was literally my all-time favorite to play at the arcades. It literally taught me how to drive a car. A manual none the less. I remember you had to push in the clutch, and turn the key in order to start it.

One of my favorite arcade games of all time. Closest I could get to being able to drive as a kid :)

The best part of this game was making the cow moo.

i held the high score at my local arcade for a while on this game, used to do a 40 minute round trip just to play the game ONCE, thats how good it was back in the day

I remember wandering off when I was around 7 or 8 and finding this game in an arcade. I always remembered it and I've now found it again at the age of 34

It's so hard to believe this arcade was back in 1989, before the SNES Super FX or Genesis SVP chips. The 3D graphics is very impressive, not to mention the instant replay, controls and hit detection. That game, though very tricky, must be very expensive during its release, for the kind of revolutionary technology it had at the time.

I used to play this all the time in the local pool hall. I remember being amazed by the graphics. I think it had a sequel.

Man, the steering on this game was unforgiving !

In the arcade machine itself, you were in a Ferrari Testarossa, the wheel and stick shift in your hand, the key start, 3D graphics, mind blown as a kid, lost mucho pocket money to this thing and could hardly get past the roll over track, happy days right there.

I never saw past thst first loop. You have solved my seemingly eternal quest to see what was beyond. Thank you.

Crazy to know in less than 7 years we went from Hard Drivin' to Daytona USA that was a leap we'll never see again in graphics.

I was a the record holder for this game at aladins castle in Gainesville Florida at oaks mall.

I was addicted to this in 1991 in my first year of Uni. Brilliant game that really takes me back.

I worked as an arcade attendant 1986-1992, and this was the only game we stayed overnight and played when we got it in. That is the highest compliment a game can get.

This was always one of my favorites at the arcade!

I remember that when my family visited some relatives in Virginia in the early 90s, we went to a Cracker Barrel for breakfast before heading home, and this arcade cabinet was in the entrance. I played it briefly, and I remember after completing a lap, the map changed to driving on the right side of a train track that perpetually curved on a soft left, with banditos on the roof throwing sticks of dynamite down that you had to slalom through while taking the left curve. I almost completed the lap on that before a stick hit the car and ended my run.

This game was way ahead of it's time, I used to love this game.

The sit down arcade version of this game was amazing. Fully adjustable seat, A real clutch and manual transmission option, force feedback steering. I would go to my local arcade as a kid and spend all my $$ playing it. Only in manual mode of course. I got good enough to have spectators when I played. Pretty big thrill for a 13-14 year old boy.

This brings back some memories, I would waste a lot of quarters on this game in particular whenever I had the chance.

Wow, how is it that I remember this so damn clearly! The sound effects and everything. A truly awesome game for its time.

Used to play this at the local roller rink. 50 cents unless you knew the trick of putting one quarter in and punching the machine. I loved the stunt track and being able to use a real clutch/shifter. God damn the memories are too good.

My buddy and I played this game so much that we learned that there was a cheat available in the Championship lap. Even though it says "Stunt Track" only, you could crash through the barriers and use the speed track. You'd win every time if the "ghost car" took the stunt track. The "ghost car" was the game using the fastest driver's run exactly. However the #1 driver ran the course, that's how the ghost car would do it from then on too.

IMHO the sit-down arcade version of this game is still one of the best racing games ever made.

Loved playing this in the arcade as a kid. The realism in the game always intimidated me, especially with the way the steering wheel felt as you turned and lost control, the fact that it wouldnt let you even start the car unless you pressed the clutch down just shows how realistic this was for its time.

i played this in 1990/91 . it costed 20 nkr or 2 dollars to play. used more money playing this than fuel to my car. :) i was 18 years old first time i played this. and it still brings great memories. thanks for sharing

Holy smoke, I remember playing this in arcades in the 90's. Been trying to figure out the name of it. Thanks.

Flying off the loop was, at the time, the funniest thing I had ever seen.

This is the rare driving simulator that shows just how difficult it is to drive a car at speed. It would slide off the road at the slightest mistake... and once you lost the car, it was gone!

One of my all-time favorite video arcade games! Thanks for sharing this.

It use to be hilarious to me as a kid that they made the replay music so damn dramatic 😅

Great game. I remember one fella at the arcade who mastered it and would gain seconds each lap. He would play it for as long as he wanted then just walk away. Saw him play for an hour sometimes before he would get sick of it or have to go.

12 years old and this appeared in an amusement arcade near where I was staying on holiday; I hopped in, selected manual, and then whined as I realised I totally couldn't drive. After that I used to to make up excuses to go back to the arcade just to sit in it on demo mode, and fiddle about with the key and the gearstick.

I love the cheesy music during the crash replay, as if the game was mocking you. "hahaha check out the dweeb who took our jump too fast!"

I spent so much money on this damn game! Awesome post!

the physics of the car and the steering feedback was so effing good. also the actual clutch and stick shifter in the really deluxe version where you would stall off the starting line if you messed up taught me to drive stick. the car in this game had really bad handling but it was sure realistic af.

I remember this game from the arcades. I played it only a few times since I never seemed to even get the car started without crashing or the engine dying (it's been more than 20 years, folks, please forgive factual errors due to the damn long time since I've seen this in an arcade cabinet). But one thing that I positively loved about it was the fact that it reminded me of stunts, a driving game for the PC that allowed you to build your own custom race tracks with all the stunt stuff in it! :D

Way ahead of its time. These physics and these graphics are amazing for the time.

I've probably logged close to one hundred hours on Hard Drivin' as an arcade attendant back in the late 80's. About 10 yrs ago a friend bought two of the Hard Racin' games, which have the old Hard Drivin' and new tracks. He linked them together so you can race each other. Perfect game for gear heads that likes video games.

I absolutely credit this game with teaching me how to drive. The force feedback you got from the steering wheel taught you that driving too fast makes the car unstable and impossible to get around certain turns without slowing down...add the use of a manual gearshift and a clutch, and you have a bonafide driving simulator. Amazing game for it's time.

This is unbelievably nostalgic!!! I loved this arcade back in the day.

A rather faithful revival to this: BeamNG - The Nostalgia ( Hard Drivin ) Map

I remember playing this on my genesis when I was a kid. The arcade version is so much smoother.

We take so much for granted in modern games, but I feel so lucky to have grown up through the evolution of games, especially in the 90's where the hardware transitions were most evident. these old games have a charm of their own that no modern game will ever be able to touch. It all seems so easy and standardized now. Its just lost something. Still, nice to have the memories. I feel sorry for modern gamers in that regard. If you don't know what it was like to be a gamer in the 80's and 90's IMO you missed out on a very special period in time.

I remember seeing this in the arcade when I was a kid back in 91 and being blown away by the graphics and the fact it had a loop but I always crashed either before or on the loop

I loved that game. Spent a lot of quarters.

This is my all time favourite arcade game. It was so advanced for its day. Its title was very apt as its realism dictated you couldn't just floor it and steer wildly as in other driving games such as "Outrun", this was a proper simulation and it rocked. Unfortunately the surviving arcade machines all seemed to have faults last time I tried to play, (no clutch, dodgy steering etc), I'd love to own one now to play with and for my kids.

I don't know if it's nostalgia or what, but this dreamlike-polygonal style graphics is pure relaxing art for me

man i used to love this game, nobody at the arcade cared about it because it was old and cheap and everyone was all over streetfighter 2 like crack, but i gave this game some love

I've played a lot with this game, in my country, Italy. And with Race Driving too. Was amazing to see the steering wheel moving alone during the demo when no one was playing!!! That was the future for us. Ciao from Bologna, Italy.

This was one of my favorite games. The interface was the best part. It had a key to turn and if you sucked with the clutch it would stall and you'd have to start it with the key again (and remember to push the clutch in!). The force feedback on the wheel was strong, but felt very good. You could tell when you were at the edge of traction on the car. And all the sounds were good considering the technology of the time. I still love the sound of running over a sign post.

Ive just been watching GTA5 in 4K and thought of this game. Yea, we've come a long way

This game was solid !!! Amazing to look back tho 😛

An old movie theater I used to go to had this game, it was quite the experience back in '95.

I played this maybe twice, I think at Gatwick Airport South Terminal. As soon as you took that right and the barn (and the cow!) came into view it all came flooding back!

Probably where the cybertruck ideas came from

This is what inspired Kaz to make Gran Turismo.

Used to have this in the pub, back in '89. First memories of drink driving

So glad you hit the cow at the end. I was waiting for it every lap!

Nothing beats the arcade feel for this arcade game, this is Gran Turismo V0.1a...

I played this as a kid in the arcade at the mall, and I remember saying something like, "We still have a long way to go before this type of game is satisfying." I think I said it less eloquently, though, since I was about 12.

This game was so cool, despite is running, obviously, on an emulator (You can't record a video with this resolution from the arcade) it brings me AWESOME memories from the arcade. The car shaped cabinet, the steer wheel, the transmission, clutch pedal. Man, this was just awesome! I spent a fortune in this one and AFTER BURNER back in the day xD The FPS rate on this game was so cool, it looks so smooth and fluid. THANX 4 UPLOADING MAN!!!

Getting some real Tesla Cybertruck vibes from those car models.

I can not agree with you more! I've played this game for hundreds upon hundreds of hours and loved every single second of it!

My friends and I pumped endless quartes into this game! . This came out about 4 years before I got my license. I couldn’t drive it manual . I always wanted to revisit the game after I leaned to drive stick with my first truck…by 1994 it was long gone from our arcade…

Played this game when I was young. It was sitting in the back of an arcade. No one else but me liked to play it, because of the graphics. But I loved it. Because the force-feed back and the controls was so realistic. It was like you could feel that big heavy stock-car.

back in the day, this was great. I went to an arcade that had this game right next to Pole Position, bubble hockey and an ice cream freezer.

I used to play this at the mall arcade in the early-mid 1990's, great childhood memories.

I played the crap out of the arcade and the Sega genesis port. Always played the stunt track just to see how and what I could crash into. One of the favorites was hitting the cow at the barn just to hear it moo. Did that every time i went by it. Purposefully made crashes just to watch them on the instant replay. Played so much that I knew that if I hit certain things at a certain angle and speed, the physics along with the "invisible walls/force fields" would cause the car to glitch and spaz out, making for extremely funny and glitchy instant replays. Like the loop where you hit the brakes just right and slightly go off road, falling ass end first back to the ground, or at the point where the car stops at the mid point of the loop, falling roof first on the road, or running full speed and immediately turning off road when you first start the loop, getting awesome air time through the sky. Doing it just right would cause the car to go crazy in the air if you hit the invisible wall just right, causing your car to glitch and sometimes warp on the map and explode. Anyone that was watching would laugh their ass off on the replay. The same for the dip. Hit it at the right angle at slow speed would make the car bounce sideways or vertically until you go boom in humorous fashion. At high speeds at a shallow deflection would rocket you out of there to the funky curve thing, then exploding by hitting it way too fast. On the speed track, go under the jump bridge. Slow and drive up to the angled part on the bridge under the roadway for the stunt track. You will bounce backwards when you hit the invisible wall under it, but just at the right spot and speed, your car will glitch and go bonkers, the combination of the invisible wall and the sharp angle of the bridge thing would make your car fly through the air doing various aerobatics, before exploding in a glorious fireball. But you had to achieve that and the explosion in the 10 second off road time limit so you can have the awesome replay. The best thing about the Sega version was the hidden menu that you could turn off the timer so you could play for hours without running out of track time. Sadly there was no way to disable the off road timer. I dont know if the same thing was possible in the arcade version where you could disable the track timer. There was a hidden track where if you turned around at the start line and then turned left on a side road, it took you to this dead end circle thing that was fun to crash into. That road had a bunch of wrong way signs in it before you got to it. Looked like a tall stick thing with a very tight circle road around it. The sega genesis port of it was pretty poor graphic and frame rate wise, but still fun. The SNES version was a giant steaming pile of crap

I loved this game as a kid in the early 90s. I enjoyed watching.

I had this game in PC but I had never seen the arcade version, and I see it's WAY WAY BETTER!

The most impressive game I had ever seen.

The first and only place I'd ever played this game was at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia of all places. I'm pretty sure it was even the 80's still but even as a kid, I wasn't sure why a video game was in a science museum. It seems silly by today's standards but now I can appreciate how groundbreaking this was at the time. Today, I refer to it once in awhile to lament the direction many games have taken these days. Too much focus on realism, not enough on making it be just a game. It's a shame that modern racing games don't have silly things like stunt tracks.

I had this game for the Sega Genesis as a kid, played it so much was almost obsessed with it 👀👀👀

omg the memories at the arcade of this game and those damn replays driving test assignment here LOL

And this was released in 1989? Wow this was way ahead of its time.

I remember playing this game a lot in the arcade. Was way ahead of it's time.

The only arcade game I've ever seen with an actual clutch.

The arcade version was fun, but it translated very poorly onto most systems.

Because of Hard Drivin' and Race Drivin', I knew how to drive a stick shift before I ever got my permit.

The instant replay music is etched into my mind forever...the first time I saw the instant replay, I thought it was the coolest feature to ever be added to a video game...I used to crash on purpose just to see how wild I could make the IRs

I actually learned how to drive a manual transmission on this game! Took me an entire Saturday and $50, but I figured it out!!!!!!

Man, I remember playing this ages ago. Thanx 4 the upload. 100/100 Atari's best 80's polygon driving sim.

The instant replay for crashes and its accompanying music cue made this game--in a way, it kinda rubbed what you did wrong in your face. XD

This game was the nuts, used to play it all the time in the arcade.

I LOVED this arcade game. Since it was one of the first games with realistic physics and force feedback I used it to get an idea of how a car would handle before I was ever old enough to get my driver's licence. It was also where I learned the basics of using a manual transmission. When it came time to drive the real thing, everything seemed easy.

the arcade unit had a 4 speed gear stick and clutch pedal if i remember right!! i loved this game it was my favorite for ages!!

Everyone is talking about the graphics and I’ll admit there pretty damn good... but what about the stick shift option? It’s so freaking realistic! The first time I played it I was driving a stick for a year and I’m still blown away on how awesome it was! Seriously this is the first racing game I’ve EVER seen where you can stall!

I remember this shit in the arcades back in 1991. I also had it one the Amiga back in 91. It was fun to play! Has it really been 30 years?!?!?!?!???????? Now I feel old and depressed. (Yes, I know it's release date was 1989, but I'm talking about 1991)

I played this game in early 90s at a upper-middle-class family relation and Hard Drivin' was the highlight of the different games installed.

This and Race Drivin' are still the best driving simulator games ever made. These KZfaq videos don't do the games justice. You have to sit down and play the actual coin op arcade game with force feedback in order to understand. The number of comments to these KZfaq videos says enough about these two games.

I loved you SO MUCH, Hard Drivin'; why did you go away and leave us?