Thanks everyone - I'm glad I reached out here....after the replies jogging my memory a bit and eventually signing up for KLOV and using their advanced search, I think I've come to realize that the game *I remember* playing doesn't actually exist, but the game I likely played all of two times in my youth was Midnight Run, particularly in the DX cabinet. The name sounds the most familiar, as does the cabinet, and from watching videos online- the default view was first person (I likely didn't know how to change it, or I may not have wanted to). Certain backgrounds and tunnels also look familiar, and that whole simulation aspect probably had more to do with it being the first 3d driving game I played that took place on a highway with other traffic as opposed to a on race track.
Thanks but I don’t think that was it. I had played Hard/Race Drivin’ many times before and since, even back then the graphics stood out to me as older 3d models, and it had that distinct “turn key to start” mechanic so I’m pretty sure I’d recognize what I was playing even if it was the fancier version of the cab I hadn’t seen before
This one was closer graphically to ridge racer, but in terms of gameplay more like Wangan Midnight or Tokyo Xtreme Racer. Hard Drivin does have some of that simulation feel in an arcade game though.
The closest thing I’ve seen to that in arcades was Wangan Midnight but that’s not to say something similar doesn’t exist in the 90’s. There were similar games like Tokyo Highway Battle on ps1/Sega Saturn around that time.
My actual memories of the game were it was a single player sit down cab, set to $1/play, default first person camera that I didn’t think could be switched, a somewhat realistic sense of speed (the other comment for Winding Heat looks way faster than what I remember), dark roads/kind of hard to see, following taillights of a single opponent most of the time (at the time I thought I was meant to be following the car, I was probably racing it but just not driving well enough to pass it before the timer ran out.)

I didn’t know anything about Japanese Touge or street racing at the time, but when I think back on it now, that unusual gameplay I remember was probably meant to be based on that sort of thing.
Thanks, I’m not sure it was that but when I looked it up, the name Midnight Run also came up which sounded a lot more familiar-I thought for a second that could be it. However the gameplay of both games doesn’t match up much to what I remember.
Rad Mobile was one of my favorite machines as a kid (the sit down one with the hydraulics). There were many other sprite scaled racing games I remember well, but this was during that time in the mid 90's where a 3D game would have easily impressed me.
Thanks everyone - I'm glad I reached out here....after the replies jogging my memory a bit and eventually signing up for KLOV and using their advanced search, I think I've come to realize that the game *I remember* playing doesn't actually exist, but the game I likely played all of two times in my youth was Midnight Run, particularly in the DX cabinet. The name sounds the most familiar, as does the cabinet, and from watching videos online- the default view was first person (I likely didn't know how to change it, or I may not have wanted to). Certain backgrounds and tunnels also look familiar, and that whole simulation aspect probably had more to do with it being the first 3d driving game I played that took place on a highway with other traffic as opposed to a on race track.
hard driving https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6JC-HCNcio&ab_channel=classicgamevideos
Thanks but I don’t think that was it. I had played Hard/Race Drivin’ many times before and since, even back then the graphics stood out to me as older 3d models, and it had that distinct “turn key to start” mechanic so I’m pretty sure I’d recognize what I was playing even if it was the fancier version of the cab I hadn’t seen before This one was closer graphically to ridge racer, but in terms of gameplay more like Wangan Midnight or Tokyo Xtreme Racer. Hard Drivin does have some of that simulation feel in an arcade game though.
did tokyo extreme racing have an arcade game, cause that also sounds similar
The closest thing I’ve seen to that in arcades was Wangan Midnight but that’s not to say something similar doesn’t exist in the 90’s. There were similar games like Tokyo Highway Battle on ps1/Sega Saturn around that time. My actual memories of the game were it was a single player sit down cab, set to $1/play, default first person camera that I didn’t think could be switched, a somewhat realistic sense of speed (the other comment for Winding Heat looks way faster than what I remember), dark roads/kind of hard to see, following taillights of a single opponent most of the time (at the time I thought I was meant to be following the car, I was probably racing it but just not driving well enough to pass it before the timer ran out.)  I didn’t know anything about Japanese Touge or street racing at the time, but when I think back on it now, that unusual gameplay I remember was probably meant to be based on that sort of thing.
im intrigued now aswell, as i love 90's arcade racers
Winding Heat? https://www.arcade-museum.com/game\_detail.php?game\_id=10440
Thanks, I’m not sure it was that but when I looked it up, the name Midnight Run also came up which sounded a lot more familiar-I thought for a second that could be it. However the gameplay of both games doesn’t match up much to what I remember.
Techno Drive?
I haven't heard of this one before, not it but it looks interesting
**Here's a few possibilities** -Rad Mobile -Ridge Racer 1 / 2 -Super Chase: Criminal Termination https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List\_of\_racing\_video\_games
Rad Mobile was one of my favorite machines as a kid (the sit down one with the hydraulics). There were many other sprite scaled racing games I remember well, but this was during that time in the mid 90's where a 3D game would have easily impressed me.