Hot Rod
Hot Rod is a top-down racing video game developed by Sega. It was released as an arcade video game in 1988 in Japan and worldwide in 1989. The game was available in a four-player cocktail-style arcade cabinet and a three-player upright cabinet.
Hot Rod
- Date
- 1988
- Genre
- racing video game
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Documentary summary
Hot Rod is a top-down racing video game developed by Sega. It was released as an arcade video game in 1988 in Japan and worldwide in 1989. The game was available in a four-player cocktail-style arcade cabinet and a three-player upright cabinet.
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Documentary evidence
Documentary basis
Authority files
wikidata · Q5910297
In this article
The object
The object
Ports were published by Activision in 1990 for the Amiga, ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, and Atari ST.
Key facts
Key facts
• Title — Hot Rod • Developer — Sega • Publisher — Sega Activision (ports) • Composer — Arcade Hiroshi Kawaguchi N.Y Commodore 64 Jeroen Tel • Released — JP December 1988 (arcade) WW April 1989 (arcade) 1990 (ports) • Genre — Racing • Modes — Multiplayer • Arcade System — Sega System 24 • Platforms — Arcade, Atari ST, Commodore 64, Amiga, ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC
Gameplay
Gameplay
The main goal of the game is to race against up to 4 players on a variety of tracks. Whenever a player falls off screen, gas is subtracted from their gas meter. When a player's gas meter reaches zero, their game is over. A player can pick up flashing targets symbolized with letter "G" to add 10 units of gas to the player's gas meter. If a player successfully crosses the finish line, they are rewarded additional units of gas. After every race, players go to the Parts Shop to purchase upgrades for their car. These include: three front or rear engines, three types of bumpers, three types of spoilers, and two types of tires. There are additional types of tires including radial tires, speed tires, spike tires, and snow tires. The player may equip either a front or rear engine, but not both at once. Players may not equip a spoiler and a rear engine simultaneously. There are 30 different races across 10 environments including: busy highways, dirt roads, a beach side, a mountain, farmlands, a snowy terrain, a desert, a construction zone, a shipyard, and city streets. There are 3 races per environment, with every third race taking the players to a stadium for a victory ceremony. Afterwards, the players find themselves in a new environment.
History of the object
Dated record
History of the object
The full dated record · 2 entries
1988
Hot Rod published.
1988
Hot Rod is recorded as published in 1988.
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
- Japan
Named but not plotted · 1
Hot Rod is associated with Japan.
Country
Reception
In Japan, Game Machine listed Hot Rod on their June 1, 1988 issue as being the fourth most-successful upright/cockpit arcade unit of the month.
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
reference work
Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 18 August 2026.
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