Screenshots & trailers
Review sentiment over time
Weekly positive-review rate (green) and review volume (bars). Dashed lines mark significant patches; the amber line is the start of the current scoring window. Hover the dots to see what drove a dip or a jump.
How this score was computed
The VGC Score is a weighted blend on a press-comparable 0-100 quality scale. Steam approval rates are first calibrated (95% positive on Steam ≈ 89.5 quality, since Steam approval skews high). Press and tracked creator reviews each count ~2x a player review and share one cap against player evidence (creator buy/skip calls pool into an approval rate, calibrated like Steam approval); all-time sentiment is capped and halved (it's context, not verdict); reviews of the current build carry the most weight when a fresh patch anchors the window; and a 'typical game' prior keeps small samples from pegging the scale. Because press reviews and Metacritic user aggregates describe the launch build, their weight decays as the game ages (3-year half-life after a 1-year grace). That's how a game that launched rough can outgrow its old reception once updates win players over. Reviews under 2h playtime (the refund window), non-Steam activations, and free copies are downweighted.
| Component | Positive | Quality (0-100) | Weight (pseudo-reviews) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Press reviews (OpenCritic) | – | 73 | 10 |
| Creator reviews (1 tracked) | – | 97 | 0 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 90% | 84 | 217 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | – | 0 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 100% | 97 | 1 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: last 30 days (no significant patch detected) · 4 reviews sampled · 4 total reviews in window · weighted 2.4 up / 0 down · computed 3h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (33)
Individual verdicts from outlets we track: scored reviews first, most trusted outlets first among them. The small badge is each outlet's trust score: how well its scoring history aligns with players.
- 70
“Riptide GP: Renegade boasts many of the qualities that you would hope for from a racing game; a rewarding career mode, a solid racing experience, and, delightfully, a rather different element in the way that the waves throw you around a little. There are some little niggles and difficulty spikes that keep it from sitting alongside the best of the genre, and there isn't quite enough fun in the racing alone for multiplayer to be particularly exciting, but if you're after a slightly different racing game to dip in and out of on the fly, this wouldn't be a bad choice, especially for the asking price.”
read full review ↗ - 85
“Overall I’m really impressed with Renegade from top to bottom, especially since (as I’ve noted) this is a game with mobile roots and is being released at a very reasonable price. Not in any way a lazy or lacking port this feels like a game that was meant to be on the Switch from the get-go and does an excellent job of scratching that water racing itch. I look forward to the next incarnation and can only hope that they spend some time pondering over Wave Race and moving things a little further in that direction. They’ve released an excellent speed-based racing game, now I’d just like one that demands a little more technique. Easy to recommend for racing fans of all persuasions.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Riptide GP: Renegade on Switch turns to be a faithful port of other home console versions of the same game, complete with the same qualities but also a slightly regrettable lack of two features that could have been possible: gyro/touchscreen controls, as well as support for local wireless or LAN multiplayer. It does add, however, an excellent implementation of single Joy-Con support, ensuring wonderful two-player sessions on the go in split-screen or simply allowing a player with few available controllers to invite friends to participate in the fun when playing in the comfort of their home.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“Is Riptide GP: Renegade perfect? Hell no, but it has been a long time since I had so much fun with an arcade racing game. Gameplay and fun is the main reason why the game has such a high rating, the visual richness, high customization options and many multiplayer options are others reasons why Renegade is insanely good. Vector Unit has made me forget Hydro Thunder Hurricane and that alone was an extraordinary task.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“The XP and BP upgrade system provides a great amount of replayability, while the online and local split screen multiplayer means you can always play with other people whenever and wherever. Be warned though - the choppy frame rate in handheld mode can be a damper on the overall fluid dynamic, so you may want to plan on playing this docked. Otherwise, if you're a fan of Wave Race or racing games in general Riptide GP Renegade would be a great addition to your Switch library.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Riptide GP Renegade is a solid follow-up. I really wish they would tweak the difficulty though, as it stands it gets far too difficult, far too quickly in career mode. This stunts progression, and makes continuing on a real grind. However, if you are like me and simply love the wave racing genre, this is yet another solid entry in a category we get far too few games in.”
read full review ↗ - 55
“Despite its faults Riptide has some good things going for it: the animations are pretty good, the vehicle models look very attractive, and so indeed is the entire game. Heck, the game even manages to keep your attention for about an hour before mundane sets in. It's a good looking racer; I just wish it were nearly as good technically.”
read full review ↗ - 76
“Riptide GP: Renegade is really an enjoyable aquatic racer that packs a pile of content.”
read full review ↗ - 60
“It's nice to see jet ski racing making a return, but chances are you've probably played this already on literally any other format including mobile. The Switch version offers very little that is new to make you want to pick it up again if you have already sampled its watery delights (oo er), But considering the absurd value for money this game is (just £9.99), or if you haven't played it before then this is a fun solid racer, that's definitely worth picking up.”
read full review ↗ - 60
“Riptide GP: Renegade is a decent racer where the vehicles handle really well. The majority of the tracks look good and are fun to race in. However some of the elements put in to make the game harder for players stick out really obviously, like being the sole target of police vehicles. The campaign becomes a grindfest and the online is quiet at launch. There is only one event option which may get stale quickly due to the limited amount of tracks. If you’re looking for an arcade racer then Riptide GP: Renegade is a decent enough choice.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“If you want to take your racing game with splashes of great waves, you may want to check this out.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Riptide GP: Renegade is a major improvement from Vector Units last game and shows the developer is learning and trying to build a better game. The game has plenty of content with a good length career mode, local multiplayer, online multiplayer, and lots of things to unlock. If they can improve some of the things like animations and get rid of the annoying things from the career mode they could have something truly special. If you’ve been wanting a fun new wave racing game you need to check out Riptide GP: Renegade.”
read full review ↗
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ThisGenGaming…and 21 more tracked reviews.
Patch history
- Update: Multiplayer RefinedOct 7, 2016
- Update: Multiplayer RefinedOct 7, 2016
- New Update! Difficulty, keyboard, and bug fixesAug 29, 2016significant · resets scoring window
- New Update! Difficulty, keyboard, and bug fixesAug 29, 2016