Each level has its own special feature, for example the amusement park in "Big Forest", or the "Bay Bridge" itself, or the tight hairpin of "Acropolis".

Virtua Racing was among the highest-grossing arcade games of 1992 in Japan and North America, 1993 in Europe, Australia and worldwide, and it successfully received the award for Most Innovative New Technology from the Amusement & Music Operators Association (AMOA).

DX cabinet type, which is also a single-player machine and has a 16:9 aspect-ratio Hantarex monitor (the first use of a widescreen aspect ratio monitor in an arcade game), and 6 airbags (3 on each side) built into the seat that will inflate and "nudge" the player when cornering, and one more airbag on the player's back that inflates under braking.

Most of these units were converted into Sega's second-generation Indy car simulator, Indy 500, and are commonly found at larger Sega Gameworks locations in the U.S. All versions of Virtua Racing are linkable up to 8-players; meaning 4 twin units or 8 DX, UR, or Virtua Formula cabinets can be linked together using fiber-optic cables.

The console was a major leap forward for home video game systems, allowing them to come closer to arcade quality.

[10][11] In 1991, Petit stated that, "next year, you will see a new trend of technology that will be instrumental in providing new vitality for our industry" and that it could "have as much impact on the business as" Hang-On "did to influence our last growth market" back in 1985.

The Sega 32X version, also known as Virtua Racing Deluxe, was released as launch title for North America in 1994, and then a year later in PAL regions.

It performed a bit more closely to the original arcade version and included two extra cars ("Stock" and "Prototype") as well as two new tracks ("Highland" and "Sand Park").

[15] Unlike other versions, it features Grand Prix mode, where players drive a series of cars and the tracks to earn points.

It was released in Japan in 2004 and in North America and Europe in 2005 as part of the Sega Classics Collection titled simply Virtua Racing.

As part of the Sega Ages series, a port of Virtua Racing for the Nintendo Switch was released digitally in Japan on April 24, 2019, and elsewhere on June 27.

The game also features online leaderboards with downloadable replays for the top 50 players on each track, an additional easier steering option and a Grand Prix mode that increases the number of laps to 20.

[16] The arcade game was a major worldwide commercial success upon release, surpassing Sega's expectations and with high demand exceeding production output.

[45] It remained at the top for the rest of 1992,[46][47] and much of the following year from February 1993[48][49][50] to July 1993,[51][52][53] until it was dethroned by Sega AM1's Stadium Cross (with Virtua Racing at number two) in August 1993.

They concluded that, while its graphics are not as "drop-dead stunning" as the more recent Ridge Racer, Virtua Racing still has a greater "heart-pumping sense of speed".

[62] At Japan's 1992 Gamest Awards [ja], it was nominated for Best Action, Best Direction, and Best Graphics, but lost to Street Fighter II′: Champion Edition, Art of Fighting, and Xexex, respectively.

[20] Famitsu magazine scored the Mega Drive version of the game 33 out of 40, calling it a "groundbreaking" port;[22] later in September 1994, their Reader Cross Review gave it an 8 out of 10.

[23] Diehard GameFan stated that "the speed, graphic intensity and addictive gameplay that made the arcade game a major hit are all included in this awe inspiring release".

They also praised the improved graphics, details, and controls, and the retention of on-the-fly view switching even in two-player split-screen mode.

[66] A reviewer for Next Generation felt that Virtua Racing was antiquated by this time, particularly with the imminent release of Sega Rally Championship on the Saturn.

However, he acknowledged that the game had enough historical impact to draw its share of loyalists, and said the Saturn version "is not only arcade-perfect, it also contains crucial features not present in the original".

[29] Rich Leadbetter of Sega Saturn Magazine praised the additional tracks and cars as giving the game more depth than an arcade racer, but countered that what most gamers wanted was a straight conversion of the coin-op Virtua Racing, not a home-oriented remake.

[34] Maximum made the same comments but were more vehement in their criticism of the fact that the Saturn version is not a straight conversion of the arcade game.

[5] Though its use of 3D polygon graphics was predated by arcade rivals Namco (Winning Run in 1988) and Atari Games (Hard Drivin' in 1989), Virtua Racing had vastly improved visuals in terms of polygon count, frame rate, and overall scene complexity, and displayed multiple camera angles and 3D human non-player characters, which all contributed to a greater sense of immersion.

[71][72] In 2015, it appeared at 3rd place on IGN's list of The Top 10 Most Influential Racing Games Ever, behind Pole Position and Gran Turismo.

[8] In 1992, Sega applied for a Japanese patent involving an innovative feature they developed for Virtua Racing: changing the 3D camera viewpoint with the press of a button.

In the late 1990s, Nintendo and Sony Computer Entertainment decided to work together to challenge Sega's patent in Japanese courts.