The Simpsons Hit & Run Return Officially Teased

Published Oct 10, 2026, 10:30 AM EDT

Chris is a Gaming Editor at ScreenRant. He has been a professional writer since 2009, and has written for top TV, comics, movie, and video game outlets like Engadget, Polygon, Destructoid, and more. He brings with him an expertise in every game genre, no matter how niche or mainstream.

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Out of all The Simpsons video games, Hit & Run is easily the most beloved. Fans have been clamoring for it to return for over two decades, and the original has popped up on scores of modding sites. With its GTA-style framework, Hit & Run was widely popular, and it extends the exploration elements of games like Virtual Springfield to deliver a truly unique view of Springfield.That two-decade-plus wait might be over at some point in the future.Thanks to an official confirmation on X, it's clear that The Simpsons: Hit & Run could return sooner than we think. It's also clear that the fans are ready for it to happen.

Recently, The Simpsons creative team visited D23 to talk about all things Simpsons, including the upcoming second film. But of all things to confirm in a panel ostensibly about the current run of the TV show and the sequel film, one beloved Simpsons game got a small tease.

When asked at D23 earlier this year if The Simpsons: Hit & Run will return, The Simpsons creator Matt Groening explained: "I think the original game is coming back in some form." However, that excitement was short-lived, as The Simpsons' current showrunner, Matt Selman, snuck in an "or not."

Fans speculate that Groening slipped and announced a remaster/remake early, since he specifically called out "the original game" in his response. It felt like an off-the-cuff remark running off the excitement of the crowd that needed to be walked back because the game wasn't officially announced yet.

Image via MovieStillsDB

For reference, The Simpsons: Hit & Run was released in 2003 on PS2, Xbox, and GameCube, so it's available on a slate of retro systems. However, it's not widely available on modern systems, which has led to a ton of calls to arms from fans for a port.

Over the years, many stories have surfaced about potential canceled sequels, and fans have shared an array of fan games and remakes, including a total conversion mod that adds Futurama to the mix. It's such a popular game that it gets talked about yearly, even at non-gaming events involving Simpsons creative teams.

This has caught the eye of various Simpsons-adjacent folks, including the lead designer on Hit & Run, Joe McGinn. Pretty much everyone who could be involved (including Disney) knows that fans want this to happen. With GTA 6 launching soon, it seems like a no-brainer to deliver itsometime after that honeymoon is over.

Other than the arcade beat 'em up (which has its own availability issues), this is easily the most talked-about Simpsons game in the series' history. It's no wonder it keeps coming up, and fans will keep asking about it until it becomes a reality.

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