[3] The player moves the on-screen skier down a course, while avoiding collision with obstacles, such as trees and rocks, or falling off the edge of the slope.

In Race Mode, the player is pitted against five computer-controlled opponents to try and make it to the bottom of the course, the goal being to finish in first place.

[3] At the 1995 Amusement and Music Operators Association (AMOA) exposition in Illinois, Alpine Racer was given the "Best New Equipment" award in the "Coin-Operated Arcade/Redemption Game" category based on executive vote.

Play magazine called it a "superb" skiing simulator,[14] while Hobby Hi-Tech greatly appreciated its hardware and realism.

Next Generation also stated that the "atypical approach and its success in execution" made Alpine Racer one of Namco's best coin-op games of the era, adding that its premise could also help attract players of both genders into arcades.

They commended Alpine Racer for its bizarre yet unique game idea, saying it could help attract more women and children into arcades for its appealing and interesting premise.

Alpine Racer 2 was released in 1996 for arcades, featuring three selectable skiers, new courses to race on, and a multiplayer mode made possible through linking multiple cabinets together.

[23] Namco Networks produced an iOS remake of the original Alpine Racer in 2009,[24] which was subsequently ported to the Zeebo the same year.

[27] He determined that patients who played Alpine Racer before sleeping, including those who suffered from anterograde amnesia, dreamed of skiing.