Simpsons Hit & Run Return Teased By Matt Groening

2 hours ago 8

Published Aug 15, 2026, 8:40 AM EDT

Nicholas Becher is a gaming journalist with an MFA in Creative Writing from FAU. With extensive experience playing video games, he covers all forms of gaming content at Screen Rant, from breaking news to the latest fan theories. Most-played games range from Clair Obscur to Civ to Elden Ring to Halo 2 and beyond.

There's been a ton of discussion lately of a possible return of the beloved The Simpsons Hit & Run. Back in June, VCG's Jordan Middler teased a possible remake in a podcast episode discussion, which was followed by a wave of speculation among fans on social media.

The Simpsons' iconic Hit & Run game launched back in 2003 for the PlayStation 2 and was an absolute phenomenon, basically serving as a GTA-style Simpsons game, with fans praying for a follow-up entry ever since. While a Hit & Run sequel was famously in the works at Radical Entertainment given the original's popularity, it never panned out. The Simpsons rights holders offered publisher Vivendi a deal allowing it to make five more Simpsons games, but Vivendi declined, effectively ending what would have been a hugely popular franchise.

However, Simpsons Hit & Run has just shown signs of life after Simpsons creator Matt Groening just teased its official return (via X), sparking a fresh wave of hype and speculation.

In an interview with Empire Magazine at this year's D23 event, The Simpsons creator Matt Groening gave fans a glimmer of hope for the Hit & Run comeback, stating that, "I think the original game is coming back in some form…" and then quickly following that up with, "or not." While he's left a fair amount of ambiguity around the game's potential return, it seems unlikely he would mention it without there being some sort project in the works.

Beyond Matt Groening’s D23 tease and Jordan Middler’s podcast comments, several developments have convinced fans that The Simpsons: Hit & Run may finally be resurfacing. Most notably, developers from the original Radical Entertainment have re-emerged as New Radical Games, a studio that prominently showcases Hit & Run and offers remastering and porting services.

Simpsons showrunner Matt Selman also added fuel in March 2026, saying "never say never" about a revival and acknowledging that the team knows fans want one. Meanwhile, the game has been the subject of fan-created remasters, such as Donut Team’s continued support for Lucas’ Hit & Run Mod Launcher, while creators have produced unofficial "remastered" versions with upgraded textures, dialogue, controller support and graphics.

Reubs’ ambitious Unreal Engine remake also demonstrated how well The Simpsons Hit & Run could translate to modern hardware, and while none of these remasters are official, the game’s modding scene, renewed developer activity, and comments such as Groening's have made an official comeback seem increasingly likely. It might just be a matter of time before we hear something big from developers at New Radical Games.