When I first sat down with Screamer, I realised something immediately: I haven’t played a proper arcade racer in years. Well, that all changed a few days ago when I got the chance to test out this 1996 reboot, which is neither a serious sim racer nor is it a kart game. Screamer is a straight-up, loud, fast, slightly chaotic arcade racer.
So, going into Milestone’s 2026 creation, I didn’t really have a modern comparison point. However, I think that might’ve helped, as it let me judge Screamer on its own terms, and more importantly, see whether this revival could hook me enough to make me want to spend more time with the genre.
After about 90 minutes with the game, I came away intrigued, slightly overwhelmed, but with a sense of wanting to play more.
What is Screamer (In Short)?
As mentioned, Screamer is a reimagining of the 1996 game of the same name, rather than a straight remake.
It keeps that arcade DNA front and centre, but the 2026 iteration leans hard into a futuristic anime aesthetic, features a twin-stick control scheme, and builds its identity around a central combat mechanic called the Echo system.
It’s launching on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC, and, as touched on already, has been developed by Milestone — the team behind Hot Wheels Unleashed, RIDE, and the long-running MotoGP series.
Hands-on Time and Game Modes
My session was split into two halves:
- First 30 minutes in the Screamer Tournament (story/career mode)
- Then standard races and team races
The Tournament mode acts as both a narrative introduction and a disguised tutorial, slowly feeding you mechanics through dialogue, events, and character interactions.
The first six or so chapters I got to play were a little slower than I expected, but it does a good job of easing you into what is a surprisingly complex driving system for an arcade racer.
Story, Style, and Characters
Presentation is very anime-inspired, with the Tournament mode setting up big personalities and dramatic stakes.
Visually, the surrounding environments looked great, and the cars themselves are sharp and stylish, though not ultra-realisitc like you'd find from an Assetto Corsa game. My only minor gripe was that the tracks sometimes felt a bit samey in layout and texture, even if the settings differed. That said, street circuits versus open desert tracks definitely felt different to drive, with the former being harder to tackle than the latter (more on this later).
The Echo system is introduced through Gage, and his dog Fermi (which is already a sentence I didn’t expect to write in a racing game preview), and the story revolves around entering the Screamer Tournament, with revenge and redemption tied to a character named Quinn.
From what I played, the main team — the Banshees, operating undercover as the “Green Reapers” — has a fun dynamic:
- Róisín Garrity steals the show. Loud, foul-mouthed, and genuinely funny. She’s got the biggest personality by far.
- Hiroshi Jackson, the team leader, though I thought they felt more reserved and unsure of themselves than a leader should.
- Frederic Barthelemy is meant to be the hothead, though he didn’t feel quite as fiery as Róisín during my time.
The early stages were surprisingly character-driven for an arcade racer, with lots of storylines and backstory to get your head around. It did mean the early cutscenes and “press A to advance every speech bubble” sections dragged a little longer than I’d have liked, but things did pick up the further into the story I delved.
Controls, Driving Feel, and Learning Curve
This is where things get interesting, as Screamer uses a twin-stick control scheme:
- Left stick: steering
- Right stick: drifting
On top of that, you’re juggling throttle, braking, shifting, boosts, and abilities. So, while it looks arcade-simple, it definitely doesn’t play that way, considering the typical two-button controls most arcade racers are born with.
At first, it felt overwhelming as you’re constantly multitasking. It took a while for my brain to remember everything I needed to do, but once it started to click, I could see this game has more legs and depth, perhaps, than arcade racers before it.
What I liked is that Screamer clearly offers the kind of system and driving that gets better the more time you put into it. As a result, don't expect to be winning the majority of your early races as soon as you pick it up.
That being said, the difficulty of the game varied by track:
- Street circuits – tight, technical, punishing
- Outdoor, open tracks – wider, more forgiving
I performed way better on the open desert tracks like Sky Road than on the cramped Neo Ray city streets. Simply put, there is less space to maneuver in the streets, which makes driving them a challenge.
The Echo System and Combat
The Echo system is Screamer's way of delivering power-ups/abilities that an arcade racer is known for.
Added to every vehicle in the Screamer Tournament, the Echo system charges up while you race both passively and when you complete actions such as perfectly timed shifts. The abilities that come from a charged Echo system include:
- Boost – a simple increase in speed that you have to time to perfection
- Strike – a short burst that smashes through rivals
- Shield – defensive protection from the opponent's strikes
- Overdrive – a longer, stronger boost that also acts as a form of Strike attack
There are two sides to the Echo system, though: the left controls shifts and boost, while the right builds your shield and strike abilities.
Because of this Echo setup, races turn into aggressive, tactical battles that are more complex than just racing. The trouble is, managing it all isn't immediately straightforward. Figuring out when to boost, when to strike, and so on, all while still trying to drive cleanly, is a lot to process. I sometimes forgot abilities existed mid-race because I was too focused on simply staying on the track. But, as I've already said, it's a complex system that I'm sure becomes second nature once you spend more than 90 minutes with it.
Each character also has its own specific skills, but I found these weren't always clearly communicated mid-race (only in the menus beforehand). Hiroshi’s double boost stood out because it had a clear visual prompt on-screen, but others seemed more passive or subtle, which made them harder to remember or even know what they were doing, if they were more background abilities, in the heat of the moment.
Still, when everything lined up and I was able to get the hang of the drifting, Screamer definitely grew to become very satisfying to play.
Overall Impressions
After 90 minutes, I can't say Screamer fully 'clicked' for me, but I don’t think it’s meant to. There was a lot for me to learn, and I'm sure that is something that will only come with the more I play it.
That's the thing with Screamer: it isn't a mindless arcade racer. It demands time to learn, and is mechanically deeper than it first appears. Therefore, I feel there's a lot of potential here, especially with extras like four-player split screen and team modes.
I’m slightly unsure about the RRP of £49.99 ($59.99) right now, but if the full game delivers enough content and polish, it could justify it. More than anything, I walked away wanting to play more, and that’s probably the best compliment I can give.
So, while Screamer might not be the easiest arcade racer to pick up, it might be one of the most interesting ones to master.
Stay tuned to RacingGames.gg for future Screamer coverage!