In a recent list, we covered sports games, listing our absolute favorite PC sports titles of all time from a multitude of different arenas and outlets. However, you may have noticed there was a very big piece of that missing. “Where were the racing games?” you might have asked. There’s a reason for that. Racing games belong in a list all their own.
What drives anyone to race? Is it the pulse-pounding excitement? Is it the adrenaline rush of going from 1 km/h to 100 in a mere moment? Is it the desire to see physics defied as perfectly tuned machines or the ridiculous environment they’re positioned in bend the natural laws of everything we know? Whatever the case, there are tons of racing games out there and many of them cater to a particular brand of driver.
Whether you’re a beginner running the roads with all the help you can get, just looking for a good time with friends, or looking to trade paint on the most hardcore of simulations, we’ve scoured the libraries to bring the most interesting of all racers together in one place. These range from the ridiculously absurd to the most finely tuned in a list that runs the gamut of motorsports. These are the best racing games on PC.
TOCA Racer Driver 3
Somewhere between gearhead paradise and simple and available adrenaline rush, Racer Driver 3 is the kind of rare game that attempts to please everybody and actually does quite well at it. Between the list of over 70 drivable vehicles and a massive ways to take them to the pavement, Racer Driver 3 is a game capable of keeping racing fans busy for hours. You can choose between different motorsports, from go-karts and off-roaders all the way up to the big show of Indy and GT cars. Of course, you can ride any machine factory direct, but those with an eye for performance will enjoy the level of customizability you can put into every vehicle to meet your desires. Racer Driver 3 isn’t quite sim and isn’t quite arcade, but rather a wonderful marriage of both worlds.
For more info, check out our TOCA Racer Driver 3 review
Split/Second
Split/Second isn’t interested in realism. It’s not interested in finely-tuned machines or stats that can be measured down a thousandth of perfection. “Leave that to the other guys,” says Black Rock Studio. “We know why we’re here.” And they sure do. It’s to bring the most beautiful, fast-paced, arcade-style racing into players’ hands and then crank that knob to an outrageous eleven as you take control of the track to cause any number of destructive consequence. As boulders fall, skyscrapers collapse, and you manage to squeeze through just a sliver of a crack to get ahead of it all or risk getting caught in the mayhem, Split/Second will have your heart beating out of your chest as you outplay other races to make it to the finish line alive.
For more info, check out our Split/Second review
Want to play Split/Second? You can find it here
Project CARS
Project CARS’ unfortunate name aside, there’s nothing to scoff at here. Project CARS feels an enormous wealth of fun, modification, help, and obstacles to keep racers of every skill level engaged. There are numerous circuits and styles of motorsports to ride through here and everything from the garage to the actual races to the online components features a wealth of options to make everything easier or more difficult for the player. There are weather effects to the game that are not only effective in changing the way you race, but also visually impressive as well. All in all, the game is one of the most drop dead gorgeous racers out there with tons of toys and options for players to fiddle with for hours on end.
For more info, check out our Project CARS review
Want to play Project CARS? You can find it here
F1 2013
F1 2013 sits in an interesting place in video game history. As the industry was getting ready for a hefty shift in console hardware, F1 2013 sat on the cusp, releasing just before the turn of generations. That said, it features some of the best an F1 game has to offer, bringing a slew of modern drivers and machines and pairing them alongside classic F1 vehicles in an innovative classic mode. Getting a feel for how the power of the old vehicles handled is quite an experience and even more of one when you put it alongside the feeling of racing the newer ones. Even further, it gives you a ton of assistance to guide even neophytes into what would otherwise be a difficult simulation to learn, making F1 2013 one of the most complete and inviting F1 driving experiences around.
For more info, check out our F1 2013 review
Want to play F1 2013? You can find it here
Trackmania 2
When it comes to the simulations, it can take a keen eye to tell the difference between an F1 or a Forza from one edition to the immediate next. These games cater to the keen eye of the hardcore mechanic. Trackmania 2 does something altogether different, although comparative only to its previous entry. It launchs players into arcade madness punctuated by insane jumps and loop-the-loops through on tracks that traverse a multitude of beautiful terrain. Trackmania 2 came in three variations – Stadium, Canyon, and Valley – and each can be bought separate or collected in one phenomenal bundle. What gives this title even more longevity is its innovative track creator, putting a world of creativity in front of your steering wheel.
For more info, check out our Trackmania 2: Canyon review
Want to play Trackmania 2? You can find it here
Need for Speed: Shift
Need for Speed: Shift is far and away one of the most different Need for Speed games ever created. Where every title before it was a semi-realistic arcade racer punctuated by pulse-pounding cinematics and the occasional story to get you in gear for the chase, Shift was the first legitimate NFS take on an actual simulation. It flies much closer to Gran Turismo than the Need for Speed games we were used to at the time without sacrificing accessibility. You can modify cars and use professional tricks to your absolute heart’s content, but those who need the training wheels can feel comfort in the game’s many beginner and driver-assistance options. Shift was more than just a name, it was indicative of a turn in the series.
For more info, check out our Need for Speed: Shift review
Want to play Need for Speed: Shift? You can find it here
Burnout Paradise
When it comes to crashes, collisions, and metal bending, glass-shattering physics, has there ever been a more completely ridiculous, yet fun series as that of Burnout? We dare say not. However, Burnout Paradise also brought a slew of new systems to the game to make it a more intense and content packed arcade racer than ever. Every jump, every turn, and every fly down to the finish line was injected with 70 different vehicles (including motorbikes), a fantastic licensed soundtrack, and enjoyable features, including fantastically over the top challenge modes and day/night cycles during races. Burnout Paradise continued to set a standard for the series against which all other arcade racers would invariably be judged.
For more info, check out our Burnout Paradise review
Want to play Burnout Paradise? You can find it here
DiRT 3
There are no lack of games on this list that give players an unrequited sense of speed and adrenaline, but DiRT 3, it’s a little different. Not going to the over the top tracks of our arcade entries, nor the standardized realism of many of our sims, DiRT 3 is the most perfect way to throw racers around turns on realistic roads inspired by nature to kill them. The Colin McCrae Rally series has certainly had its share of ups and downs, but DiRT 3 captures a sense of speed and danger on the dirt roads like few others whether you’re racing against the clock or chasing the competition on the track.
For more info, check out our DiRT 3 review
Want to play DiRT 3? You can find it here
Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit (2010)
There are no lack of games that have tried to capitalize on the pulse pounding success of movies like The Fast and the Furious, but few have ever come close to the sense of danger and reward for undertaking it as Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit. Street racer against cop serves as this racer’s primary backdrop as racers jockey to outmaneuver, sabotage, and devastate the competition on some of the most cluttered and dangerous roads ever to come to a Need for Speed game. The best players in Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit are those that constantly flirt with destruction on the tracks, and it makes for some of the most wild and intense racing experiences out there.
For more info, check out our Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit review
Want to play Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit? You can find it here
Grid 2
Grid 2 doesn’t make any bones about where it wants you to place your attention. Every fiber of Grid 2’s being wants you in the race, learning the race, and loving the race. It takes a deceptively simple approach that any player can get the gist of after a couple tracks and masters will still push to the limit well after they cross their 100th finish line. Codemasters’ rewind system is the kind of thing that allows players to take hard and enormous risks as they fine tune their driving style and the game rewards a balance of aggression and smarts at every turn. All in all, Grid 2 is one of the more inviting racers out there with a bevy of style that offer the more seasoned driver plenty to play with.
For more info, check out our Grid 2 review
Want to play Grid 2? You can find it here
V-Rally: Championship Edition
V-Rally Championship in 1997 was so good that EA bought out the rights to it in order to not keep Need for Speed from having to compete with it. Whether you were playing the North American Need for Speed: V-Rally or the European V-Rally Championship, it’s easy to see why they were worried when you put up against a contemporary such as Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit in 1998. It featured 11 customizable vehicles and 13 tracks featured in the 1997 FIA World Championship and though this may seem paltry compared to the sheer amount of vehicles featured in many games today, V-Rally was astounding in its depth at the time, featured in many reviews as one of the grandest racing games to come out at the time.
Superbike 2001
The Superbike World Championship is one of the most intense racing events out there, where drivers put their bodies on the line and just one lean too far could be the difference between a pole position turn and grievous injury. EA’s Superbike series brought that feeling to players for only a few years, but in those years, and especially in its final year in Superbike 2001, it was considered the gold standard of motorcycle racing games. Between the dangerous twists and turns of 2000 Superbike World Championship tracks and the obstacles of other drivers, Superbike 2001 delivered a speed and thrill that many certainly find preferable to the four-wheel chase of other games.
NASCAR Racing 2003 Season
You want to know how good a racing simulator is? Listen to professionals that speak to its quality. NASCAR may feature relatively tame tracks compared to many street and arcade racers on this list, but it was built as such an in-depth simulation of the sport that NASCAR rookies and pros became fans and many used it to train up for races. Papyrus gained so much traction with this title that fans still play modded versions of the game today. It doesn’t help that this was the last Papyrus NASCAR title before EA bought the license, effectively killing the series.
Motorcross Madness
Where Superbike would bring players the intense competition of the international Superbike World Championship, aimed entirely at speed and devilish turns, Motorcross Madness brought players a different kind of joy. This one took players to the dirt arenas, sand dunes and quarries where it would allow players to engage in some of the most ridiculous airborne shenanigans seen at the time. It was praised heavily for its realism and chilling crashes that, while perhaps tame in the industry today, set a standard that few other motorcycle racers could compete with in terms of sheer style.
Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing: Transformed
There are no doubt many players that long to get away from all of the realism featured in many racing games and just have a fun time, sabotaging their friends in the vain of a Mario Kart racer. Unfortunately, since Mario Kart will probably never legitimately come to PC, you can always go after the next best thing. Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing: Transformed may be a complete copycat of the Mario Kart Style, but it’s also an extremely good one. Taking up anyone of the Sega characters that have run on their software through the years, players will rip, fly, and tear their way around some fantastically colorful and physics bending tracks. In all honesty, it’s probably one of the very few shockingly good Sonic games that have come out in the past years.
Want to play Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing: Transformed? You can find it here
Assetto Corsa
Assetto Corsa isn’t flashy with its menus. It doesn’t woo you with numerous modes and features like social media simulators and fan counters. It’s a racing sim, pure and simple and the dedication is evident. Assetto Corsa has long been a competitor to Project CARS and the comparisons have been made, but Assetto claims greater control, better physics, and more user generated content. Pissing contest though it may be, Assetto does bring a serious level of detail to its racing. Cars have a very real proper handling and feel to them and with VR support, Assetto is perhaps one of the most immersive racers on the market.
Want to play Assetto Corsa? You can find it here
iRacing
We’ve already talked about how Papyrus dropped the ball by losing NASCAR licensing to EA after 2003 Racing Season, but they didn’t let it go forever. Aiming to reclaim some of that much deserved spotlight, former Papyrus employees took the NASCAR 2003 Racing Season code and worked into a new simulator that would be even more immersive than their previous efforts. iRacing has an enormous slew of driving circuits for players to partake in and each circuit hosts some unparalleled realism, as should be expected of the Papyrus folks. Even NASCAR has gotten back into the game with iRacing and hosted a few events via the game, not to mention many professional drivers occasionally taking part in the races. The only catch? It’s a subscription-based service, which might turn off many players who can get a comparable experience for a single payment elsewhere.
Want to play iRacing? You can find it here
Obliteracers
Obliteracers has a little something that sets it apart from the likes of Mario Kart and Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing. First off, you don’t have to buy a system to get this as you would Mario Kart and you don’t have to listen to the sometimes insufferable characters of the Sega universe. However, more importantly, it features up to 16 players in an all-out fight to the finish line. Obliteracers embraces the frenetic and aggressive pace of both of the other more popular franchises with a big cast of rather adorable alien racers. For some cheap and enjoyable fun, it’s well worth the ride.
Want to play Obliteracers? You can find it here
And there you have it. Did you rekindle the fire of a past obsession? Or perhaps we led you to new and interesting tracks you hadn’t had the chance to try before? Whatever the case, we’d love to hear from you too! What are your favorite racers of all time? Let us know what you think in the comments below!
