Twisted Metal is celebrating its 30-year anniversary today, November 10, 2025. Below, we look back at the evolution of the entire series, from games to comic books to a wild TV spectacle.
The first time I played Twisted Metal was in 1995, the year it debuted. I was 11, and I played it on one of those in-store kiosks, where you selected one of eight games to “demo”–usually the first level of each game, or part of one. My parents and sister must have been somewhere else doing their shopping or errands that day, because I likely played the Twisted Metal demo more than 10 times.
I remember starting with Sweet Tooth, the default on the character select screen. I remember switching to and settling on Hammerhead, who let me run over my opponents. But more than anything, I remember how appropriately twisted and illicit this game felt–like we were seeing something illegal and underground that we weren’t supposed to.
I’d never experienced anything like it. And although numerous franchises would go on to become more popular and more successful than Twisted Metal, none of them were weirder or more brimming with cool personalities.
Here, to celebrate three decades of Sweet Tooth, is a chronological history of the Twisted Metal franchise, beginning with the first game and ending with the latest season of the Peacock TV series. Time to play.
In the Beginning… (1994)
Co-creator David Jaffe first conceived of Twisted Metal while stuck in Los Angeles traffic; he fantasized about having a missile launcher to clear the way. He later pitched the idea of a car-combat game to Sony, and the company gave him $750,000 and 11 months to create what would eventually become Twisted Metal.
During the development process, Jaffe and the rest of his team played a lot of Mario Kart battle mode, Doom, and Mortal Kombat, to nail the franchise’s signature tone: a blend of post-apocalyptic grit and cartoon silliness.
Twisted Metal (1995)
The first Twisted Metal game debuted in 1995. It was a surprise hit, establishing many franchise precedents we now take for granted. In addition to each vehicle’s Special weapon, there were missile and projectile pickups. Every car also had landmines and a freeze gun, enabling you to trap your opponents for the kill. More so than in the games that came afterward, crashing your car into your opponent’s car was a consistent, viable strategy–later games would emphasize firepower over ramming ability.
This game also established the franchise’s narrative framework: Calypso, who ran the Twisted Metal tournament, would grant the winner a wish. Most of the wishes, however, were fulfilled Greek tragedy-style; Calypso would deliberately misinterpret the wish’s literal meaning, leading to horrible, often-fatal consequences for the wisher.
There is the barest amount of narrative coherence between the Twisted Metal games. All of them roughly follow the same plot and premise, including the entries that are direct sequels to other games.
Twisted Metal 2 (1996)
One of the surprising factoids about the Twisted Metal franchise is that for the original game, implementing the multiplayer mode was an afterthought for the designers rather than the primary focus. But for the sequel, the developers developed the multiplayer mode to be on par with the single-player campaign. In addition to the 1-on-1 classic deathmatch, you could also play the story mode in co-op.
Twisted Metal 2 had a world-tour theme, taking you to Russia, China, Holland, the Amazon, and even Antarctica. The environments were fully destructible; you could topple the Eiffel Tower and bomb your way into the Louvre in Paris, for example.
Twisted Metal 2 brought back most of the old cars from the first game, but many of them were controlled by new drivers. This set a precedent that would continue in future games; you were playing as the driver in addition to playing as the vehicle, and one was not inextricable from the other. There were, however, some constants. Mr. Grimm was always on his motorcycle. Sweet Tooth was always in his ice cream truck. And Axel, who made his debut in this game, was inseparable from (and later, welded to) his two-wheeled monstrosity.
Comic Book (1996)
To coincide with the release of Twisted Metal 2, DC released a one-shot Twisted Metal comic book, which told the backstory of Calypso and his creation of the tournament. It’s a pretty macabre story involving the death of Calypso’s little sister (Calypso accidentally backs his parents’ car over her head) and a wager in hell that earns Satan’s admiration (yes, really). The original comic itself is a rare find.
Twisted Metal 3 (1998)
Twisted Metal 2 is widely considered the height of the franchise. And the next two entries in the series, Twisted Metal 3 and Twisted Metal 4, are often considered its low points. David Jaffe didn’t involve himself in either one, and both games suffered from a lack of originality and personality. Critics and players also singled out Twisted Metal 3 for its floaty vehicles, which were prone to flip over.
There was one notable positive, however. Twisted Metal 3 marked the first collaboration between the franchise and Rob Zombie, who composed the soundtrack. His music has since become inseparable from the larger franchise.
Twisted Metal 4 (1999)
The fourth game in the franchise improved upon the janky engine of the third game, and it took some big swings. It expanded the roster with mostly new characters and vehicles, and it advanced the storyline as well; Sweet Tooth, not Calypso, is head of the tournament. The game added new weapons to the mix and expanded the level design. Granted, several of the new weapons are ineffective and some of the maps are way too big, but this game did not lack ambition.
Most notably, Twisted Metal 4 also included Rob Zombie as a playable character. And of course, he drove the signature “Dragula” of Munsters fame.
Twisted Metal: Black (2001)
Jaffe and Twisted Metal producer Scott Campbell returned to develop Twisted Metal: Black, the franchise’s debut on the PlayStation 2. Rather than leaning into the cartoonish antics of the prior games, Black made a hard descent into darkness. The characters were rebooted and reinvented as murderers, malcontents, and serial killers. This was no longer T for Teen, it was M for Mature.
The entire game had a mean-spirited, anti-establishment ethos to it. The police officer (Outlaw) suffers from PTSD after killing a child in an operation gone wrong. The preacher (Brimstone), isn’t even a real one, but an evangelist who was rejected by the church. Anyone with a vengeful wish gets exactly what he or she wants. Anyone who wishes for something positive winds up dead.
Maybe the developers took it a little too far. The game environments looked uniformly depressing, like someone had sucked all the color out of the world. But the gameplay was next-level–people still play Twisted Metal: Black to this day. And of all the games, Twisted Metal: Black is the biggest inspiration for the Peacock series. More on that later.
Twisted Metal: Small Brawl (2001)
Twisted Metal: Black was exclusive to the PS2, but players who still had their PS1s played Twisted Metal: Small Brawl instead. Small Brawl featured Billy Calypso, son of the real Calypso, as a schoolyard bully. And the competitors were kid versions of their adult counterparts, who used remote controlled cars instead of demolition cars to do battle.
Oddly enough, this game was rated T for Teen–the same as Twisted Metals 1-4–even though it was ostensibly for a much younger audience. Not very many people played it either, and it was released less than a year after Black, which ensured its descent into irrelevance.
Twisted Metal: Head-On (2005)
Designed for the handheld PlayStation Portable, Twisted Metal: Head-On is a strong entry in the series, updating the classic elements from the first two games. Again helmed by Jaffe and Campbell, Head-On is considered by them and many fans to be the “true” Twisted Metal 3; canonically, it takes place after the events of Twisted Metal 2.
It had tight controls, it was well-balanced, and it had all the cartoon silliness that Black lacked. It seemed as if finally, the ship had righted itself,
And then, nothing. There were re-releases of the old games, and Head-On got an Extra Twisted Edition PS2 port in 2008. But seven years went by with no new Twisted Metal entries–just rumors of canceled projects.
Twisted Metal: Harbor City (Canceled)
There have been nearly as many cancelled Twisted Metal projects as there have been actual Twisted Metal projects. But the most high-profile cancellation was that of Twisted Metal: Harbor City, originally planned as the sequel for Twisted Metal: Black. Several portions of the game have leaked since 2005, including bizarre “Mission” sections, featuring Sweet Tooth running around on foot. The developers would officially release part of the unfinished game as Twisted Metal: Lost. It was included as a special feature on the disc for Twisted Metal: Head-On Extra Twisted Edition, which ported the PSP game onto the PS2.
Image credit: Tactical Bacon Productions on YouTube
Twisted Metal (2012 Reboot)
The next (and as of 2025, last) Twisted Metal game was a PS3 reboot. There was a lot to love about this game. It dialed back the darkness from Twisted Metal: Black. It included several different play modes and gimmicked deathmatches, including one with a timed forcefield cage and another with a perilous race, in which the winner triggered a bomb that destroyed the other competitors. Black Rock Stadium, a massive kill arena rigged with booby traps, was one of the franchise’s finest maps. And the controls were first-rate. Every car felt substantial, and the developers finally mapped the Freeze and Land Mines to single buttons instead of forcing the player to input button combos.
Unfortunately, there was also a whole lot wrong with the game. The boss fights were overlong and needlessly difficult. The developers made the disastrous creative decision to cut the roster to three drivers: Sweet Tooth, Mr. Grimm, and Dollface, even though they kept the variety of vehicles. So you would play the Axel vehicle while welded in as Sweet Tooth, or you would play the Outlaw car with Dollface at the wheel. Visually, it was odd and tonally dissonant.
Worst of all, the highly anticipated multiplayer mode was a buggy mess. Unfortunately, the game didn’t last long enough or garner enough praise to bother patching it. Today, it’s impossible to play this title on modern systems; the developers never ported it to the PS4 or PS5.
Twisted Metal – Peacock Series, Season 1 – (2023)
Over a decade passed. And then, Twisted Metal fans got something incredible–something we wouldn’t have hoped for, even in our wildest dreams: a Twisted Metal TV series, inspired by the games, debuted on Peacock. Developed by the same people behind Zombieland and the Deadpool films, the first season introduced us to its main characters, including John Doe, Sweet Tooth, and newcomer Quiet. The show was action-packed, with an apocalyptic narrative that placed the hellish world in its proper context. And it was unbelievably funny, with endless references to ’90s and ’00s American pop culture.
The casting department outdid itself with its casting of Sweet Tooth. Will Arnett performed the voice, while Samoa Joe performed the body and the movements. What a stroke of genius, recruiting a pro wrestler to play such a physical, violent character.
We did a roundup of all the major Easter eggs in Twisted Metal, Season 1. You can check it out here.
Twisted Metal – Peacock Series, Season 2 – (2025)
Season 1 was fantastic, thrilling, over-the-top television; it was everything we wanted it to be. Season 2 expands on the promise of the first and finally gives us Calypso’s car tournament. The absolute adrenaline rush, when all the vehicles leave the hangar and Rob Zombie’s “Dragula” blares on the stereo, is unrivaled. It scratches a nostalgic itch we didn’t even know we had.
Season 2 features the debut of fan-favorite Axel, who’s given an entire backstory to explain why he’s a half-human, half-car hybrid. And Anthony Carrigan steals the show as a giggling Calypso with a flair for the dramatic.
We wrote an Easter eggs breakdown for Season 2 as well. You can read it here.
We’re likely getting a Season 3–maybe even a Season 4–of the Peacock show. But more than this, more than anything really, the diehard fans want a new game.
It’s all in Sony’s hands. And hopefully, the positive response from the show will get the right gears turning.
