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Crazy Taxi: World Tour is heading to Japan, but SEGA now wants you to almost get out of the cab
Crazy Taxi once had an extremely clean rule: a passenger gets in, an arrow appears, and every traffic law immediately becomes somebody else's concern. World Tour keeps that urgency while adding a strange new idea for the series — giving players reasons to notice a city when they are not crossing it at absurd speed.
By Kader Crazy Taxi: World Tour 
SEGA confirmed Japan as one of the five destinations in Crazy Taxi: World Tour during the Xbox Tokyo Game Show Broadcast on September 17.
The game remains scheduled for 2027 on PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch 2.
The presentation does not provide a more precise date, but it reveals another part of the global trip first announced in June.
Japan is intended to be more than scenery between passengers
SEGA describes the location as a mix of historic neighborhoods, traditions and the much faster energy of a modern city.
Players will be able to explore freely, get to know local characters and collect souvenirs.
That last detail reinforces something increasingly clear from earlier demonstrations: World Tour's cities are not designed purely as open racetracks where the only useful question is how quickly two points can be connected.
SEGA is also filling them with people, activities and reasons to slow down — metaphorically, at least, because a Crazy Taxi sitting completely still remains a questionable design goal.
World Tour now has a reason for Axel to cross five countries
The campaign follows returning driver Axel.
His beloved taxi is stolen by a mysterious group of masked international car thieves, sending him across five cities in five countries to recover it.
SEGA is therefore no longer treating every city as a disconnected selection on an Arcade menu.
The locations belong to one story with their own characters, primary missions, odd jobs and regional encounters.
Germany already demonstrated how geography can change the driving
At Gamescom in August, SEGA made its Germany map playable with winding streets, tight corners, fields and terrain built to test the expanded driving system.
Crazy Dash and Crazy Stop return.
World Tour also introduces Crazy Drift and a Nitro Boost for an additional burst of speed.
The goal appears to be making five countries mechanically different rather than simply producing five new backgrounds. Terrain itself should affect routes and the risks players take to save several seconds.
Dropping off passengers remains fundamental, but it is no longer the only job
The classic loop survives: collect a passenger and reach the destination as quickly as possible to earn money.
World Tour adds side missions and much stranger activities around it.
SEGA has already demonstrated a job involving an enormous stack of pizzas that needs to reach its destination without being scattered across the street.
Another activity uses the taxi to help a fisherman cast a line an absurd distance before reversing to haul in the catch.
Those tasks diversify the driving while giving the people living in each city more personality.
Arcade Mode remains for anyone who wants no story at all
SEGA is not abandoning the traditional structure.
A revamped Arcade Mode preserves the old race against the clock: collect passengers, deliver them quickly and earn as much cash as possible before time expires.
The story campaign and city exploration therefore do not replace the original score-attack design.
They sit beside it.
Multiplayer has already received its first proper network test
SEGA ran a Closed Network Test from September 12 through September 14 on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox on PC, PS5 and Steam.
Two online modes were included.
Pickup Race allowed up to six drivers to compete for the highest number of passenger drop-offs and the most Crazy Money within a time limit.
Cops 'N' Cabbies instead divided participants into two opposing teams of taxis and police.
The test also contained two maps, six vehicles, four playable drivers and several vehicle customization options.
The final game supports cross-platform multiplayer
The Steam listing confirms cross-platform multiplayer.
World Tour will contain multiple online modes alongside its single-player campaign.
SEGA is finally implementing an idea the development team had wanted to explore as far back as Crazy Taxi 2 and 3, when technical limitations made the concept impractical.
More than two decades later, several taxis can finally fight over the same passengers at once.
Vehicle customization turns the cab into progression too
Completing fares and activities contributes to progression and unlocks additional vehicles and customization options.
SEGA has also discussed a leveling system tied to fares and tasks.
The complete rules governing performance parts, statistics and the limits of vehicle modification have not yet been published.
It would therefore be premature to describe World Tour as a full tuning simulation based on the customization promise alone.
Two destinations are still waiting to be fully identified
World Tour contains five international cities.
Germany and Japan have now received dedicated public showcases, while other footage has already retained the coastal and urban identity traditionally associated with Crazy Taxi.
SEGA has not yet fully detailed all five maps or given the game an exact 2027 launch date.
Japan does make the overall direction clearer. Crazy Taxi no longer wants to know only how much money Axel can earn before the timer reaches zero.
World Tour also wants players to remember where he earned it.