The game received mostly mediocre reviews. Josh Smith of "GameSpot" described it as an interesting and innovative title, citing the track design and use of weaponry in addition to driving, though he criticized the upgrade system as being illogical at points and an overt determining factor in the player's combat performance. However, most critics asserted the opposite, characterizing "Red Asphalt" as a generic and derivative title which makes no meaningful change from earlier futuristic shoot-em-up racers such as "Wipeout" and "Crash 'n Burn". Kelly Rickards wrote in "Electronic Gaming Monthly": "I've seen this game a million times before and so have you. Keep in mind, I'm not saying "Red Asphalt" is a bad game, but it is spectacularly average". "Next Generation" similarly commented: "Is "Red Asphalt" a bad game? Definitely not. It's just that for a game like this, "Wipeout XL" is the definite 'must-play' example. Fact is, if you happened to miss out on playing "Red Asphalt", you probably wouldn't care”.