The Crazy Taxi: World Tour new characters lineup is finally taking shape after the September closed network test, and four cabbies are confirmed for launch with a possible fifth waiting in the wings. Picking your driver is no longer just a cosmetic choice because each cab brings a unique stat spread, signature paint job, and handling quirk that shapes how you play every fare across the five open-world cities. If you want to know who is in the garage, what makes them different, and which one deserves your first main slot, this roster guide has the answers before the 2027 launch.
What the Launch Driver Pool Contains
The Crazy Taxi: World Tour character roster currently sits at four confirmed drivers, mirroring the four-cab tradition that defined the original Dreamcast and arcade releases. Series creator Kenji Kanno confirmed the launch count during the gamescom Xbox Livestream, where Germany was revealed as the second playable destination, and community data from the network test signals one more driver could drop in a post-launch update. The confirmed four are Axel, B.D. Joe, Gus, and Perl, which gives returning fans the classic duo plus two roster members that classic fans have wanted for years.
The full breakdown of the four is straightforward. Axel is the default main character and the protagonist of the new story campaign, where he is out to recover his stolen taxi from a mysterious masked organization. B.D. Joe is the loudmouthed New York transplant with a pink cab, returning from the original trilogy. Gus is the bone-thin, big-hearted underdog with a green checker cab, also returning. Perl is the fresh face of the bunch, a sharp-dressed newcomer with a yellow-and-black street-racer taxi that the developers added specifically for the reboot's faster, more aggressive drift mechanics.
| Driver | Cab Color | Series Status | Confirmed Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Axel | Blue-and-yellow stripes | Returning | Story protagonist |
| B.D. Joe | Hot pink | Returning | Veteran transfer |
| Gus | Green checker | Returning | Wildcard veteran |
| Perl | Yellow-and-black stripes | New addition | Story supporting cast |
This core four means the Crazy Taxi: World Tour new characters pool is small but meaningful. The new entry Perl fills the slot that the original trilogy left empty after 2003, and her cab handles more like a sports car than a city taxi, which is a deliberate design choice to make the character select screen feel different from the first boot. According to the official Crazy Taxi: World Tour website, the four-cab roster is the baseline, and community reports from the closed test suggest the team is testing at least one additional driver internally, but nothing has shipped yet.
Why a Four-Driver Roster Matters for 2027
The four-driver cap is not a limitation, it is a design pillar. Every Crazy Taxi game has launched with exactly four playable drivers on the main select screen, and SEGA's Hitmaker studio is leaning into that tradition to keep the Crazy Taxi: World Tour character select screen familiar. Each driver is purpose-built for a specific kind of run, and the team has tuned them so that picking Axel feels fundamentally different from picking B.D. Joe, which means the roster is wide enough for replay value but tight enough to learn inside a week.
Driver Backstories and Their Story Connections
The Crazy Taxi: World Tour driver background for each cab is the deepest lore expansion the series has ever shipped, and the developers used the story campaign as the vehicle to deliver it. Axel's arc drives the main plot because he loses his cab to the masked thieves early in Chapter 1, and the rest of the campaign sees him chasing the organization across all five cities. The setup, according to the Crazy Taxi: World Tour Steam page, is that the masked group is causing chaos worldwide, which is why the World Tour premise lets every driver cross paths with Axel at different story beats.
B.D. Joe's background has been expanded significantly. He is now framed as a New York dispatcher who has been running illegal street races for years, and the game hints that he is in the World Tour to escape some heat from back home. Gus is the comic relief turned unlikely ally, with story beats suggesting he is a former bus driver who discovered he could earn more in a single fare than a week of shift work. Perl is the only true newcomer, and her background is the one players will unlock through the story mode after the Chapter 3 Germany segment, where she joins the crew as a getaway driver.
Character Cameos and Where the Story Connects
The campaign treats the Crazy Taxi: World Tour character roster as a rotating ensemble, not a single-protagonist show. Axel's campaign missions feature cutscenes where B.D. Joe, Gus, and Perl show up as rivals, allies, or comedic relief depending on the chapter, and the city-by-city structure lets each driver get at least one dedicated story beat. The Germany segment shown at gamescom features Axel racing through a holiday market with all three other drivers visible in the convoy, which is the first confirmation that multiplayer story co-op is on the roadmap for post-launch content.
If you want the deep dive on Axel's revenge arc, the Crazy Taxi: World Tour story walkthrough by chapter breaks down every mission, but for roster purposes the key point is that each driver has narrative weight. B.D. Joe's rivalry with Axel drives the late-game tension, Gus's odd-job missions unlock side content in every city, and Perl's late arrival means her unlock path is tied to a specific story milestone rather than a hidden collectible.
The Four Stat Differences That Matter
The Crazy Taxi: World Tour character differences come down to four stats: top speed, acceleration, drift grip, and weight class. Every cab uses the same underlying physics engine, but each driver has a tuned offset that changes how the same input feels. Axel's cab is the all-rounder, balanced across the board, which is why he is the recommended pick for first-time players. B.D. Joe leans into top speed and drift, with the trade-off of slower acceleration off the line. Gus is the heavyweight, with high durability and grip but the lowest top speed of the four. Perl is the corner-carver, with the best drift grip in the roster and a curb weight that lets her chain Crazy Dashes faster than anyone else.
| Driver | Top Speed | Acceleration | Drift Grip | Weight Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Axel | B | B | B | Medium |
| B.D. Joe | A | C | B | Medium-Light |
| Gus | C | B | A | Heavy |
| Perl | B | A | A | Light |
The handling differences are the most important thing to test on the character select screen. B.D. Joe rewards players who already know the map because his top speed only matters if you can hit clean lines. Gus is the easiest cab to keep on the road, which makes him the comfort pick for new drivers who are still learning how to chain drifts. Perl is the speedrunner pick because her acceleration and drift grip let her sustain longer Crazy Dash combos, and her light frame means she can shave time off any fare where the bottleneck is a tight corner entry. A practical walkthrough of how each cab handles in the field lives in the Crazy Taxi: World Tour character speed breakdown, which expands the table above with real map data.
Which Character Differences Matter Most in Multiplayer
The Crazy Taxi: World Tour character differences show up most clearly in Pickup Race and Cops 'N' Cabbies multiplayer modes. Pickup Race favors Perl because the mode rewards first-to-the-fare speed, and her acceleration is the highest in the roster. Cops 'N' Cabbies favors B.D. Joe because outrunning the police relies on raw top speed across long straightaways, and his medium-light frame lets him cut through traffic without losing momentum. Axel's balance is the safest pick in six-player lobbies where you cannot predict the lobby meta, and Gus is the underdog pick that wins when the lobby is full of aggressive drivers who crash out.
Navigating the Character Select Screen
The Crazy Taxi: World Tour character select screen is split into two halves: a driver portrait on the left and a live cab preview on the right, with each cab sitting in a garage bay that rotates to show off the customization. Picking a driver triggers a short hand-on-hip animation, and the cab rolls forward into the spotlight so you can see the signature paint job. The select screen has been redesigned for the 2027 release, and according to community testing on the September network test, the team added a "Random" option that lets the system pick for you if you cannot decide.
Picking the right cab is the single most impactful choice in the first hour, and the answer depends entirely on what you want from the game. The four main use cases are story campaign, money runs, score attack, and multiplayer, and each one has a different optimal pick.
| Playstyle | Best Pick | Why It Wins |
|---|---|---|
| Story campaign first playthrough | Axel | Balanced stats, default story role, no learning curve |
| Money farming | Perl | Acceleration + drift grip = shorter fares, more tips |
| Score attack runs | B.D. Joe | Top speed lets him hold Crazy Dash combos longer |
| Multiplayer ranked | Gus | Heavy frame survives contact, grip holds drifts under pressure |
| First-time player | Axel | Lowest skill floor, most forgiving on mistakes |
If you are still torn between Axel and Perl for your first main, the deeper comparison lives in the Crazy Taxi: World Tour best character guide, which ranks the four across every mode and lists the specific fare times where each cab wins. The general rule is that Perl has a higher skill ceiling and Axel has a higher skill floor, so beginners should stick with Axel and switch to Perl once they have memorized the German autobahn shortcuts.
How Character Select Ties Into Customization
A new feature for 2027 is that the Crazy Taxi: World Tour character select screen previews your last applied Tune Up build, so if you swap engines between sessions the cab preview updates in real time. This means picking a driver is not just a handling choice, it is a build-platform choice because each cab has a slightly different visual mod slot, and the team has confirmed that Perl's cab is the only one that can equip the lightweight carbon-fiber body kit. B.D. Joe's cab is the only one that can run the chrome-finish rims, Axel's is the only one with the convertible roof option, and Gus's is the only one with the reinforced bumper that lets you ram taxis without losing combo.
What to Watch for Before the 2027 Launch
The Crazy Taxi: World Tour new characters pool is locked at four for launch, but the network test data suggests at least one more driver is in development. Community datamines from the September 11-13 beta found an unused cab model with a silver-and-red livery, and the file name matched the codename for a "fifth driver" placeholder. The team has not officially confirmed a fifth cab, but the placeholder is widely interpreted as a post-launch addition tied to the first major update, which is expected to land in Q2 2027 alongside the rumored sixth city.
The roster is also expected to grow through collaboration events. The Germany reveal at gamescom featured the Puma and Zwilling brand cameos, and both brands are tied to a promotional livery event that will run for the first three months after launch. The livery event will not add new characters, but it will give every existing cab a branded skin, which means cosmetic variety will be high even if the driver count stays at four. Players who want to plan their long-term garage should keep an eye on the Crazy Taxi: World Tour driver roster update hub, which tracks every confirmed and rumored addition as it drops.
How the Roster Could Change With Updates
The most likely post-launch roster expansion is a fifth driver tied to the third confirmed city, which has not yet been revealed but is hinted at through datamined map files. If SEGA follows the pattern from the original trilogy, the fifth cab would be a new character rather than a returning one, which means the Crazy Taxi: World Tour new characters list is likely to grow by one within six months of launch. The safe bet is to main one of the four confirmed drivers now and treat any future additions as a side project rather than a must-pick, because the four-cab roster is tuned for balance and a new entry will likely be designed to fill a specific niche rather than replace an existing main.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many Crazy Taxi: World Tour new characters are confirmed?
Four drivers are confirmed for launch: Axel, B.D. Joe, Gus, and Perl. Perl is the only true new addition, while the other three return from the original trilogy. Community datamines from the September 2026 network test suggest a fifth driver is in development, but SEGA has not officially confirmed a post-launch addition.
Which character should I pick first in Crazy Taxi: World Tour?
Pick Axel first. As the default story protagonist introduced on the Steam store page, his balanced top speed, acceleration, and drift grip make him the most forgiving choice for learning the five open-world cities. Switch to B.D. Joe or Perl once you understand the drift-chain and tip systems.
What are the biggest character differences in the roster?
The biggest character differences are top speed (B.D. Joe is highest, Gus is lowest), acceleration (Perl is highest), drift grip (Perl and Gus tie for highest), and weight class (Gus is heaviest, Perl is lightest). These stat offsets mean each cab feels fundamentally different, and the choice on the select screen changes how every fare plays out.
Can I unlock more characters after the story?
The four launch drivers are unlocked from the start, with the story campaign serving as the unlock path for Perl. Post-launch updates are expected to add at least one additional driver, and datamined files from the network test confirm a placeholder for a fifth cab. Any future additions will likely be tied to major content updates rather than hidden collectibles.
Does the character I pick change the story ending?
No, the story campaign ending is the same regardless of which driver you pick, and the differences are limited to dialogue variations and which side characters appear in specific cutscenes. The story ending is fixed because Axel's revenge arc is the main plot, and the other drivers are supporting cast rather than alternative protagonists.