Ridge Racer Revolution adds two hidden cars, and two-player support via the PlayStation Link cable, and took roughly the same time to develop as the first.

[7] Ridge Racer Revolution supports Namco's NeGcon controller,[8] and adds a rear-view mirror when using the in-car view.

Ridge Racer Revolution adds a mode: Free Run, in which there are no other cars and the player practises driving.

[14] After the player wins the first three circuits, reversed versions are unlocked,[15] and Time Trial features an additional opponent driving a secret car.

Each member had worked on other console games, and they commented that the graphics detail showed the improvements in skill and technique.

The team wanted players to enjoy a more in-depth game than the original, so rather than develop a port of Ridge Racer 2, as many features as possible were added.

Soundtrack composition for Ridge Racer 2 involved Shinji Hosoe, Nobuyoshi Sano, Ayako Saso, and Takayuki Aihara,[23][24][25] although new tracks were composed by Hiroshi Okubo and Nobuhide Isayama.

[32] A reviewer from Absolute PlayStation concurred with this by praising its playability, its "greatly" improved artificial Intelligence, and the two-player link-up feature.

[15] Both of Electronic Gaming Monthly's sports reviewers thought that Ridge Racer Revolution is better than the original, due to the cleaner graphics and improved handling on the cars, which it was believed makes them easier to control.

[31] A reviewer for Next Generation contended that the original Ridge Racer was rushed in order to make it out for the PlayStation launch, and that whereas rival Sega had done an exceptional job of fixing their own launch day rush job with Virtua Fighter Remix, "Namco has simply released a disc with a new track, using the same flawed game engine".

He particularly felt that the price was much too high for what was essentially an expansion pack, and concluded that anyone who bought the game would be "a half-step away from being conned".

[34] Will Groves of the Official UK PlayStation Magazine described the game as "a poor sequel", but liked the range of options provided.