"Wave Race 64" was first released in Japan in September 1996 on an 8-MB cartridge. In the United States, "Wave Race 64" was released as the third Nintendo 64 game in November 1996, featuring voice changes and renamed levels. It was the first racing game developed for the Nintendo 64 and the first to use the Nintendo 64's hardware capabilities to "create a believable and engaging water environment unmatched by previous games", "IGN" noted. In the United Kingdom, the game was released in April 1997, shortly after the launch of the Nintendo 64. Like "Super Mario 64", "Wave Race 64" was re-issued in Japan in July 1997 as . This version takes advantage of the Nintendo 64 Rumble Pak and adds ghost functions to the game's time trial mode. Some music and sound effects were altered as well.