Summary
Racing has always been a part of life for hobbyists and enthusiasts near and far, fromFormula 1toNASCARand everything in between. It will come as no surprise to these same enthusiasts, then, that there have been plenty of experiences in the world of gaming to satisfy the racing itch when it washes over them.
Not every single racing game is a true race-winning experience. Some won’t even finish the race. But the ones that do hit everything a racing fan desires will be remembered as one of the best in the genre. These racing games have made their mark on the genre in some form or another.
10Wreckfest
Crashing Is The Name Of The Game
Most times, crashing into your opponent is discouraged.Wreckfest, on the other hand, is the game where that is exactly what you must do to win. Made by the same developers who once upon a time made the first two titles in the FlatOut series, Wreckfest offers only one goal: to survive the chaos every single demolition derby race will inevitably provide.
Wreckfest can also be moddedto your heart’s content. No two mods would ever be the same, and you can destroy virtually any vehicle you want, from a school bus to even the famous Mystery Machine.
9iRacing
Something For Every Racing Fan
iRacing is a unique game in the genre, yet it is also one of the ones that’s made its mark in many ways. Several racing drivers have admitted they’ve used this game to test for upcoming races on real-world tracks that have been accurately brought into iRacing. iRacing was also once the game used tohost races between NASCAR starswhile the COVID-19 Pandemic kept them at home. iRacing also paved the way forthe revival of the North Wilkesboro Speedway.
On its own merits, iRacing may not exactly be the most approachable game for some racing fanatics. This takes into account the subscription model and heavy emphasis on replicating real-world racing. The offline modes still also leave something to be desired. But, if you’re willing to take the plunge, iRacing may just become your new favorite in the genre.
8NASCAR Racing 2003 Season
NASCAR Gaming’s Sandbox
The NASCAR series, outside of iRacing, has lost its way in recent years. Multiple developers have tried and failed to match the gaming peak that many NASCAR fans argue was felt in the middle of the 2000s. Papyrus and Sierra’s final game together is, just like iRacing, a game NASCAR fans always flock back to. And, much like iRacing, real-world drivers have used the game to practice for upcoming races at tracks.
The game starts with the 2003 roster of teams and drivers, but that is not what you are drawn to when you can secure an (exceptionally rare) copy of the game. For the past two decades, communities of modders have returned to this title, time and time again, to make new cars and tracks to keep the game fresh. There’s truly an infinite number of ways for which you can customize the experience to your own benefit with NASCAR Racing 2003.
7NASCAR 2005 Chase For The Cup
NASCAR Gaming’s True Peak?
Launched the year after Papyrus’s entry, NASCAR 2005 remains in just as much of a revered state among NASCAR fans. Featuring all 43 cars and 36 races that the top series of NASCAR raced at in 2004, Chase for the Cup on its own would be a great blast to the past for NASCAR fans wanting to reminisce about the sport’s much-lauded mid-2000s era.
Chase for the Cup shines the best, however, in its career mode. You’re thrown right into the deep end after creating your own team and must build up starting from the 2004 season, from the lowest levels of NASCAR. Go from the Modified Series, all the way up to the then-Nextel Cup series to claim the Nextel Cup championship.
6F1 2013
The Classics Are On Full Display
F1’s 2013 season saw the launch of this game, a game still hailed by many Formula 1 fans as the best the series has to offer. Take on the 11 teams on the 2013 grid as you traverse the varied circuits from Australia’s Albert Park to Brazil’s Interlagos, as either one of the 22 drivers or hopping aboard the career mode to begin your journey into Formula 1.
The F1 Classics mode deserves a special mention. The late Murray Walker guides you through the mode, with five cars and ten drivers from the 1980s decade (an additional six cars and 12 from the 1990s if you were to buy the Classic Edition), with appropriate background filters and broadcast packages being applied to the races as well. F1 2013’s Classics Mode also introduced classic tracks, a part of the broader feature that’s yet to return to the series.
5Driver: San Francisco
Driving Under The Coma
This 2011 launch of the Driver series has one of the strangest plots seen in gaming, let alone a racing game. As you step into the role of Detective John Tanner, he falls into a coma while in pursuit of an escaped convict following the events of the previous game. Despite this, Tanner proceeds on his quest to catch this convict while entirely in a dream version of the city of San Francisco.
The gameplay of Driver’s California-based entry offers a Shift feature, allowing Tanner to go from car to car without ending the current mission in failure while he continues to piece together just where Charles Jericho, the convict who got him into this mess, is and what he is planning. Over 140 real cars are also on hand for you to drive, with a physics system that will challenge you until you get into the groove.
4Daytona USA
DAYTONAAAA!
If you have seen an arcade cabinet, odds are you’ll have seen Daytona USA in that cabinet. The now three-decade-old arcade title from Sega has seen multiple remakes and re-releases over the years. It should be noted, however, that no such re-release has occurred since 2011’s port for the Xbox 360.
Climb aboard the Hornet and take on three tracks before your time limit runs out, or run fast laps that will keep you racing to the top step of the podium. Link up with up to seven other players, be it by seven other arcade cabinets or with online play for the more modern ports of this all-time racing classic, to take on the three tracks and claim victory.
3Mario Kart Wii
Mario’s First Kart Racing Foray Into The Wii Family
No racing games list would ever be complete without at least one mention of theMario Kartseries, and Mario Kart Wii has remained a fan-favorite to this day.
The game’s list of characters was the deepest the series had put on offer until Mario Kart 8 came along, with 25 in total, many carrying unique unlock methods. The 32 standard tracks also include one of the series' best renditions ofRainbow Road. While the Nintendo Wi-Fi connection has long since been disconnected, the modding scene for this game has remained alive and well.
2Forza Horizon 5
Open World Racing Has Never Been This Good
TheForza Motorsportsseries has excelled in taking racing out to the open world. The Forza Horizon sub-series has continued to only achieve new heights when it comes to both the racing experience and the pure driving mechanics.Forza Horizon 5is set in the backdrop of a world that closely resembles Mexico (but, of course, with some liberties taken), and that’s only just the start.
Take in the power of the Xbox Series X|S' ability to truly make this game feel like it’s alive as you drive around this new world and discover all it has to offer. Just doing this would make you feel lost in the world for dozens of hours without ever taking on a single race. But if you do want to race, the game’s five different types of races will always be there for you to engage in.
1Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Mario’s Biggest Racing Adventure
Mario Kart 8 Deluxestarted life as the Switch Port of the already-successful Mario Kart 8, and over time has become arguably its own experience. With a steady stream of content to this day, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe has expanded from the base 32 tracks (plus the 16 DLC tracks the original game already provided) to an astounding 96.
Online play, along with the standard offline modes, will always leave you coming back for more. The ever-expanding character roster now stands at 42 in all. This, along with the dozens of karts and bikes, also leaves customization entirely in your hands.
