🏎️ The Best Racing Games

Arcade, sim and kart racing picks, plus the retro racers still worth a cartridge.

Racing splits cleanly into three moods: arcade games that reward crashing, simulators that reward patience, and kart racers that reward betrayal.

Pick the mood first and the game almost chooses itself.

Arcade racing

  1. Forza Horizon 5

    2021 · PC, Xbox

    An open Mexico full of events you drift into by accident. The most generous racing game ever made for people who are not very good at racing games.

  2. Burnout 3: Takedown

    2004 · PS2, Xbox

    Crashing as a scoring system. Twenty years on, nothing else has the same weight of impact.

  3. Need for Speed: Most Wanted (2005)

    2005 · PS2, Xbox, PC

    Police chases with escalating heat levels and a grey-blue filter over everything. The definitive street-racing fantasy.

  4. Hot Wheels Unleashed 2

    2023 · PC, PS5, Xbox, Switch

    Orange track loops through real rooms. Easy to pick up and great with a kid on the second pad.

Simulation and track racing

  1. Gran Turismo 7

    2022 · PS5

    Careful, slow-building career racing with a museum's respect for cars. Best with a wheel but fine on a pad.

  2. Assetto Corsa Competizione

    2019 · PC, PS5, Xbox

    GT3 racing modelled seriously enough that lap-time gains come from technique, not upgrades.

  3. F1 24

    2024 · PC, PS5, Xbox

    The licensed season with an approachable difficulty ladder and a career mode that runs for months.

  4. Dirt Rally 2.0

    2019 · PC, PS5, Xbox

    Rally stages with no rewind and a co-driver you learn to trust. Punishing and quietly brilliant.

Kart and couch racing

  1. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

    2017 · Switch

    Four-player split screen that works for eight-year-olds and adults in the same race. The default party racer.

  2. Mario Kart 64

    1996 · N64, Switch (NSO Expansion)

    Battle mode on Block Fort is the reason a lot of people still own an N64.

  3. Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled

    2019 · PS4, Xbox, Switch

    A faithful remake of the PS1 kart racer with a much higher skill ceiling than Mario Kart.

  4. Diddy Kong Racing

    1997 · N64

    Karts, hovercraft and planes with an adventure mode attached. Still the most structured kart racer ever released.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best racing game for beginners?

Forza Horizon 5 — rewind, adjustable assists and open-world events mean you never get stuck on one race.

What is the best split-screen racing game?

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe for four players on Switch, Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled for a higher skill ceiling, and Mario Kart 64 if you want the original.

Do I need a racing wheel?

Only for simulators. Gran Turismo 7, Assetto Corsa Competizione and Dirt Rally 2.0 all improve noticeably with a wheel; arcade and kart racers are designed around a pad.

What are the best PS2 racing games?

Burnout 3: Takedown, Need for Speed: Most Wanted, Midnight Club 3 and Gran Turismo 4 — all cheap on original hardware.

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