Games Like Wave Race 64
Quick Answer
The closest games to Wave Race 64 are Wave Race: Blue Storm, Riptide GP: Renegade, Hydro Thunder Hurricane, Aqua Moto Racing Utopia and Sea of Thieves. Below are 9 picks with the reason for each — what carries over from Wave Race 64, and what does not.
What Made Wave Race 64 Work
Wave Race 64 is remembered for one thing: the water. The waves are simulated, so the same course races differently on every lap, and steering means reading the swell rather than the track. Nothing since has modelled water as the actual opponent, which is why the question keeps coming back.
Wave Race 64 is Nintendo EAD's 1996 Nintendo 64 jet-ski racing game. The water is physically simulated, so waves and swells change how the ski handles and how each lap plays out. There are championship races, time trials and a stunt mode. Fans usually want another water racer where the environment matters, or the same arcade feel from Nintendo's N64 sports games.
9 Games Like Wave Race 64
1.Wave Race: Blue Storm
The GameCube sequel, and the only real continuation.
Why it fits: Nintendo Software Technology's 2001 GameCube launch game continues the series with weather that affects the water.
What is different: Same series, but it is harder and moodier, and the weather changes the water between races.
Where to play it: GameCube.
More about this game →2.Riptide GP: Renegade
The closest modern game — jet skis, waves, trick system.
Why it fits: Vector Unit's 2016 jet-ski racer has water physics, tricks and a story mode.
What is different: Tricks, boost and a story mode about street racing; it is flashier and less about reading the water.
Where to play it: PC, PS4, Xbox One, Switch, iOS and Android.
More about this game →3.Hydro Thunder Hurricane
Arcade boat racing with big water and bigger jumps.
Why it fits: Vector Unit's 2010 Xbox 360 boat racer, a follow-up to Midway's 1999 arcade game Hydro Thunder, features large waves and big jumps.
What is different: Boats, not jet skis, with boost pads and big jumps; it is an arcade racer rather than a water-physics one.
Where to play it: Xbox 360.
More about this game →4.Aqua Moto Racing Utopia
Jet-ski racing with waves and stunts — a smaller take on the same idea.
Why it fits: Zordix's 2016 jet-ski racer mixes water simulation and stunts, with championship campaigns and four-player split-screen.
What is different: A smaller game with rougher handling and less polish, but it does have split-screen and stunts.
Where to play it: PC, PS4, Xbox One and Switch.
More about this game →5.Sea of Thieves
The best water simulation in any game, if you want to sail it instead.
Why it fits: Rare's 2018 pirate game is known for its water: waves and storms affect how your ship sails.
What is different: Not a racer at all; it is an online pirate game where the waves are the star, not the finish line.
Where to play it: Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC and PS5.
More about this game →6.Splash Cars
Arcade racing that keeps the light tone.
Why it fits: Paper Bunker's driving game, a mobile hit brought to consoles in 2021, has you restore colour to a grey isometric world by painting it as you drive — no rivals, just a light-hearted tone.
What is different: Cars on land, no rivals and no water physics; it only shares Wave Race's bright, easy-going mood.
More about this game →7.1080 Snowboarding
Nintendo's other physics-first arcade sports game of that era.
Why it fits: Nintendo EAD's 1998 Nintendo 64 game is another physics-first sports game from the same studio and era.
What is different: Snow instead of water and tricks count as much as speed; the physics-first feel is what carries over.
Where to play it: Nintendo 64.
More about this game →8.F-Zero
If the N64 arcade racing feel was the appeal.
Why it fits: Nintendo's futuristic racing series began on the Super Famicom in 1990; F-Zero X brought it to the N64 in 1998 with 30 racers on track.
What is different: Futuristic hover cars at huge speed, with no water and far less weight to the handling.
Where to play it: SNES and Nintendo 64 (F-Zero X), both on Switch through Nintendo Switch Online.
Games like this →9.Trackmania
For the same obsession with mastering one course.
Why it fits: Nadeo's racing series, which began in 2003, is built around mastering a track through repeated attempts.
What is different: Solo time trials rather than races against riders, on tracks built by players, and it is all tarmac.
Where to play it: PC; the 2020 Trackmania also on PlayStation and Xbox.
More about this game →
Where to Start
Wave Race: Blue Storm is the direct sequel on GameCube. If you want something modern, Riptide GP: Renegade is the closest. For another N64-era Nintendo sports game, try 1080 Snowboarding.
How We Picked These Games
The first test was water racing with physics that change how you drive. Few games pass it, so we added arcade racers that share Wave Race's feel and one sailing game for water simulation on its own.
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How These Picks Match Wave Race 64
Wave Race 64 is catalogued here as a racing game and sports game on the Nintendo 64. Eight of the nine picks share at least one of its genre tags — seven racing games, seven arcade games and three sports games among them. The other one — Sea of Thieves — is a different genre and is on the list for one specific thing Wave Race 64 did, so read the reason before ruling it out.
Going by the "where to play it" notes, four can be played on PC, four can be played on a PlayStation, five can be played on a Nintendo system and five can be played on an Xbox. Riptide GP: Renegade and Splash Cars are from small or self-published studios.
| Game | Genre | Shares with Wave Race 64 | Where to play |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wave Race: Blue Storm | Racing, Sports, Arcade | Racing, Sports, Arcade | GameCube. |
| Riptide GP: Renegade | Racing, Arcade, Indie | Racing, Arcade | PC, PS4, Xbox One, Switch, iOS and Android. |
| Hydro Thunder Hurricane | Racing, Arcade | Racing, Arcade | Xbox 360. |
| Aqua Moto Racing Utopia | Racing, Sports, Arcade | Racing, Sports, Arcade | PC, PS4, Xbox One and Switch. |
| Sea of Thieves | Adventure, Action, Simulation | Different genre — see the reason above | Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC and PS5. |
| Splash Cars | Racing, Casual, Indie | Racing | — |
| 1080 Snowboarding | Sports, Arcade | Sports, Arcade | Nintendo 64. |
| F-Zero | Racing, Arcade | Racing, Arcade | SNES and Nintendo 64 (F-Zero X), both on Switch through Nintendo Switch Online. |
| Trackmania | Racing, Arcade, Casual | Racing, Arcade | PC; the 2020 Trackmania also on PlayStation and Xbox. |
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