Micro Machines

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.

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Gallery and image credits