4PGP

Genre: Arcade Racing

Players: 1-4 Competitive (Local Split-Screen)

The Nintendo Switch 2 Difference

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Review:

4PGP, released in 2026 on PC, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, and Nintendo Switch 2, is an Arcade-style Racing game that’s a bit more realistic in is gameplay and physics than you’d expect from an Arcade-style entry in the genre, while still having a distinctly arcadey turbo mechanic that recharges with a timed button press on the shoulder to the side of the starting line, with this game presenting players with “legally-distinct” versions of Formula One cars and courses.

When it comes to the presentation, 4PGP is a combination of oddly amateurish and surprisingly skilled. On the one hand, the game’s menus and interface seem lazily slapped-together, and the game overall is fairly low-poly with unimpressive textures and some noticeable pop-in in the distance, bringing to mind Racing games from the early days of 3D like Virtua Racing (though not quite that low-poly). On the other hand, the detail in the course design is wonderful, and the lighting is exceptional, really building an atmosphere in each location that makes it feel real. Plus, the resolution and framerates remain crisp and smooth throughout, even while the game delivers a real sense of blistering speed. This game seems like it was cheaply-made, yet what little was spent here seems to have been put toward all the right places, resulting in an experience that is delightfully retro while still offering a presentation that works in the modern day.

The sound effects are also quite good here too, with engine sounds being a great indication when another car is closing in on your rear without even needing to look. It’s a shame I can’t say the same for the music, which briefly pops in every time you pass the start/finish line, delivers what seems like fairly generic Racing Game music for a shot bit, and then disappears until the next lap.

When it comes to the gameplay, 4PGP has some really excellent racing mechanics, even with simple gas/brake/turning controls. There’s no highlighted “drift” mechanic that pops up, yet tapping the brakes before gunning your way into a turn still feels like it gives just the right amount of extra cornering you’d hope for. There’s also a tire wear mechanic, with a percentage display in the corner. I can’t honestly say I noticed the effect of this, but then in my time playing this never got below 50% so perhaps it just hadn’t kicked in.

I feel like this game could definitely use some sort of brief control guide or tutorial of some kind, because there are some gameplay quirks here I wish I knew about when I started. First, this game defaults to using A and B for gas and brakes, but Racing Game fans can be rest assured that you can change it to more traditional ZL/ZR controls in the menus or prior to a race.

The game also oddly places the Turbo button on L, which players may not find if they don’t test out the buttons. It’s also unclear what that shoulder on the side of the road near the start/finish line does – since this is a Formula One-style game, it seems like it would be some sort of pit stop, perhaps to fix the tires. But in actuality, it acts more like F-Zero’s boost refill areas, restoring your used turbo boost.

Once you get this initial confusion out of the way, what you have is just an all-around solid Arcade Racing experience. The game has 19 cars and 14 tracks, which is fewer than I’d like but still plenty for this game’s $20 budget price. There’s also an assist mode for more novice players, as well as optional gyroscopic motion controls, which I can’t help but feel like is a terrible idea for a Racing game that’s this challenging and requires this level of precision, but it’s there if you want it.

Finally, my biggest complaint here is the lack of online play, a disappointing omission. Also, some more options in the settings menu would be nice.

However, while it has a few rough edges, overall 4PGP is a quality Arcade-style Racing game with some excellent gameplay and visuals that, while not technically impressive, still look great in the ways that are most important to Racing Games. If you’re looking for a budget Racing Game to add to your Nintendo Switch library, this is absolutely a game you should be considering.

tl;dr – 4PGP is an Arcade-style Racing game with gameplay that feels closer to Simulation-style games at times than you’d expect from a game with turbo boosts. This game also surprises with its low-poly visuals that nevertheless flourish thanks to great lighting, and an excellent framerate and resolution. I’m disappointed at the lack of online play, but otherwise this is an absolutely solid $20 Racing Game, and fans of the genre should definitely give this one a look.

Grade: B+

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The Nintendo Switch 2 Difference

4PGP – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition

Genre: Arcade Racing

Players: 1-4 Competitive (Local Split-Screen, Local Wireless, Online), GameShare Support

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Review:

4PGP launched with a $5 Nintendo Switch 2 Edition upgrade, which is kinda’ surprising since the Nintendo Switch game already has a pretty smooth framerate and resolution. What could the Nintendo Switch 2 version have to offer to justify that added expense? Let’s have a look.

Well, the big addition here isn’t even the graphics, it’s GameShare, which means not only is this game now able to support both local wireless and online play with friends, but you only need one copy of the game to do so. This is a great addition that almost justifies the price increase on its own.

The eShop page for the game also boasts an improvement to resolution and framerate in docked mode to either 4K/60FPS or 1080p/120FPS framerates, but while I did notice a slight improvement here, I didn’t feel like it was especially drastic, and I did not see any options settings in the menu to change between graphics modes.

Finally, let’s look at loading times. On Nintendo Switch, it took me 16 seconds to load the game to the title screen, and 6 seconds to load up a race – this is a pretty speedy game even on Nintendo’s underpowered platform. On Nintendo Switch 2, those times both improve, to 10 seconds and 4 seconds. Not much, but an improvement all the same.

Overall, I do think the Nintendo Switch 2 Edition upgrade is worth it, but primarily for the addition of GameShare. If that feature doesn’t appeal as much to you, you may want to decide whether you want to step on the brakes on upgrading. It’s definitely a “your mileage may vary” upgrade.

tl;dr – 4PGP is an Arcade-style Racing game with gameplay that feels closer to Simulation-style games at times than you’d expect from a game with turbo boosts. This game also surprises with its low-poly visuals that nevertheless flourish thanks to great lighting, and an excellent framerate and resolution. The Nintendo Switch 2 Edition costs $5 more, but adds GameShare. Whether or not that’s worth the extra expense really depends on whether you plan to play with friends, but if so, it’s a great addition.

Grade: B+

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