Cruis'n USA was a part of the 3D renaissance in 90s arcades, when more powerful arcade hardware was still able to outperform the growing console and PC market, and featured relatively realistic 3D graphics along with a sit-down driving experience. Developed initially outside of Midway by Eugene Jarvis's team before moving inside the company, the game was part of an ill-fated deal with Nintendo that had the game claiming to run on Nintendo hardware, but the subsequent Nintendo 64 port failed to capture the arcade thrills. As recounted in the 2020 documentary Insert Coin, the game was seen as a more casual (and thus derided) experience, but it became popular with women gamers and outperformed competitor Sega racer Daytona USA in sales.