Micro Machines

Forgotten Games · 1991

Published

Micro Machines was a top-down racing game released by Codemasters in 1991. Miniature vehicles raced across oversized pool tables, desks, breakfast tables and other everyday settings instead of conventional motorsport circuits.

Why It Mattered

The game used scale and familiar objects to make racing feel inventive without relying on realism. Its fast shared-screen competition helped establish Micro Machines as a distinctive multiplayer experience across several home platforms.

Racing in Miniature

- Codemasters released Micro Machines in 1991. - Players viewed tiny vehicles from above while racing through oversized everyday environments. - Different vehicle types and hazardous household objects varied the handling and routes.

Everyday Objects as Tracks

- Desks, kitchens, gardens and games tables replaced traditional racing circuits. - The unusual scale made ordinary objects function as barriers, jumps and landmarks. - This visual idea distinguished the game from realistic racing titles of the period.

Multiplayer and Sequels

- Shared-screen competition became one of the series’ defining features. - Sequels and conversions carried the concept across multiple gaming platforms. - Museum catalogues preserve Codemasters releases from the series.

Associated With

Codemasters - developer or publisher

Defining Feature

Top-down miniature-vehicle racing across oversized household environments

Status

Discontinued - Original 1990s series ended; preserved through surviving releases and collections

Primary Records

- **Electronic Arts — A Tribute to Racing Games** - **Centre for Computing History — Codemasters Games Archive**

Image Sources

- Image 1 source not verified — editorial review required. - Image 2 source not verified — editorial review required. - Image 3 source not verified — editorial review required. - Image 4 source not verified — editorial review required. - Image 5 source not verified — editorial review required.

Rights Notice

Images are included for historical and archival reference. Rights holders may contact Forgotten Archive through the publishing account to request a credit correction or removal.

Gallery

Micro Machines video game screenshot showing four tiny race cars navigating a green billiards-table circuit.
Source
Credit

Micro Machines game artwork: Codemasters; gameplay capture shared in the supplied YouTube video

Licence

Historical Ephemera

Displayed for commentary and research. Fair dealing under the UK CDPA 1988 applies only where its conditions are met. No permission for reuse is granted.

Caption

The billiards-table circuit turned an everyday surface into a miniature racecourse, a defining joke of Micro Machines' domestic-scale racing.

Micro Machines Challenge race-selection screen for the Cue Ball Circuit with four character portraits.
Source
Credit

Micro Machines game artwork: Codemasters; gameplay capture shared in the supplied YouTube longplay

Licence

Historical Ephemera

Displayed for commentary and research. Fair dealing under the UK CDPA 1988 applies only where its conditions are met. No permission for reuse is granted.

Caption

The Cue Ball Circuit selection screen presents the game's racers as a cast of characters, giving its tiny vehicles a competitive personality.

Sega Mega Drive Micro Machines game box, cartridge, cover insert and instruction manual.
Credit

Micro Machines packaging and game artwork: Codemasters; product photographer not established

Licence

Historical Ephemera

Displayed for commentary and research. Fair dealing under the UK CDPA 1988 applies only where its conditions are met. No permission for reuse is granted.

Caption

The Mega Drive box, cartridge and manual preserve the physical retail package behind a game remembered for its small-scale, shared-screen races.