Best Racing Games Ever

Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec

The game that proved PlayStation 2 could render car reflections you could almost taste, GT3 became a system-seller and the gold standard for console sim racing. Its polished handling and massive car list set the template every sim racer since has chased.

Release Year: 2001Original Platform: PlayStation 2Style: SimulationCritical Rating: 9/10

added by IJRin 2 rankingsGran Turismo 3: A-Spec

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

The best-selling racing game of all time, MK8D perfected anti-gravity tracks and battle modes while becoming the definitive party game for Switch owners. Its endless DLC support and Rainbow Road nostalgia keep it in permanent rotation.

Release Year: 2017Original Platform: Nintendo SwitchStyle: Arcade KartCritical Rating: 9.5/10

added by IJRin 7 rankingsMario Kart 8 Deluxe

Forza Horizon 5

Set in a gorgeous open-world Mexico, Horizon 5 blends arcade accessibility with jaw-dropping visuals and a relentless stream of live events. It's the modern benchmark for how fun and beautiful an open-world racer can be.

Release Year: 2021Original Platform: Xbox Series X/S, PCStyle: Open World ArcadeCritical Rating: 9.3/10

added by IJRin 6 rankingsForza Horizon 5

Gran Turismo 4

Often cited by purists as the peak of the classic GT formula, GT4 offered an almost absurd 700+ car roster and a genuine sense of automotive reverence. Its licensing tests became rites of passage for a generation of sim fans.

Release Year: 2004Original Platform: PlayStation 2Style: SimulationCritical Rating: 9.2/10

added by IJRGran Turismo 4

Need for Speed: Underground 2

NFSU2 defined mid-2000s car culture with its neon-soaked city, deep customization, and a soundtrack that still lives in people's heads rent-free. It made tuner culture cool for millions who'd never seen a Fast & Furious movie.

Release Year: 2004Original Platform: PlayStation 2, Xbox, PCStyle: Arcade Street RacingCritical Rating: 8.8/10

added by IJRNeed for Speed: Underground 2

Burnout 3: Takedown

The pinnacle of destruction-based arcade racing, Burnout 3 turned crashes into an art form with its iconic Crash Mode and aftertouch takedowns. Critics still call it one of the purest adrenaline rushes in gaming history.

Release Year: 2004Original Platform: PlayStation 2, XboxStyle: Arcade Crash RacingCritical Rating: 9.1/10

added by IJRBurnout 3: Takedown

Mario Kart 64

The game that introduced split-screen chaos to millions of living rooms, Mario Kart 64 cemented the series as a multiplayer institution. Rainbow Road and Banana Cup memories still spark arguments decades later.

Release Year: 1996Original Platform: Nintendo 64Style: Arcade KartCritical Rating: 8.7/10

added by IJRin 2 rankingsMario Kart 64

Gran Turismo 7

A love letter to car culture wrapped in modern GT Sofa aesthetics, GT7 combines a deep campaign with genuinely stunning photo-mode visuals. Its rocky live-service launch didn't stop it from becoming a sim-racing staple.

Release Year: 2022Original Platform: PlayStation 4/5Style: SimulationCritical Rating: 8.9/10

added by IJRin 2 rankingsGran Turismo 7

Forza Horizon 4

Dynamic seasons changed everything, transforming Britain's countryside into a constantly evolving playground. It struck the perfect balance between arcade fun and open-world ambition that Horizon 5 later built upon.

Release Year: 2018Original Platform: Xbox One, PCStyle: Open World ArcadeCritical Rating: 9.2/10

added by IJRin 2 rankingsForza Horizon 4

Ridge Racer Type 4

A stylish arcade drift masterpiece with a jazzy soundtrack and unmatched sense of speed, RR4 is still cited by developers as an aesthetic and mechanical touchstone. Its garage-team story mode gave arcade racing unexpected emotional weight.

Release Year: 1999Original Platform: PlayStationStyle: Arcade DriftCritical Rating: 9/10

added by IJR

Forza Motorsport 4

Widely considered the peak of the Forza Motorsport sim line, FM4 combined a deep car list with the Autovista feature that let players ogle engines in obsessive detail. It's the sim gearheads point to when arguing Forza belongs beside Gran Turismo.

Release Year: 2011Original Platform: Xbox 360Style: SimulationCritical Rating: 9/10

added by IJRin 2 rankingsForza Motorsport 4

iRacing

The subscription-based sim that turned esports racing into a legitimate career path, iRacing's laser-scanned tracks and strict rating system built the most serious online racing community in gaming. NASCAR and IndyCar drivers train on it for real.

Release Year: 2008Original Platform: PCStyle: Hardcore SimulationCritical Rating: 8.8/10

added by IJRiRacing

Gran Turismo Sport

GT Sport shifted the series toward esports, becoming an official FIA-certified competition platform. Its razor-sharp visuals and Daily Races kept the online sim racing scene alive between mainline entries.

Release Year: 2017Original Platform: PlayStation 4Style: SimulationCritical Rating: 8.3/10

added by IJRGran Turismo Sport

Need for Speed: Most Wanted

The Blacklist rival system and relentless cop chases made NFS Most Wanted the quintessential 2000s street racing power trip. Its BurnOut-esque escapes are still remembered as some of the most tense chases in the genre.

Release Year: 2005Original Platform: PlayStation 2, Xbox, PCStyle: Arcade Street RacingCritical Rating: 8.9/10

added by IJR

Trackmania

A stunt-track building and speedrunning phenomenon, Trackmania turned obsessive millisecond-shaving into a spectator sport of its own. Its endless user-generated tracks kept it culturally relevant for two decades.

Release Year: 2003Original Platform: PCStyle: Arcade Stunt RacingCritical Rating: 8.6/10

added by IJRin 2 rankings

F-Zero GX

Nintendo and Sega's collaboration produced a punishingly fast futuristic racer still praised for its speed and difficulty over 20 years later. Its editor mode and brutal AI made it a cult classic among skill-based racing fans.

Release Year: 2003Original Platform: Nintendo GameCubeStyle: Futuristic ArcadeCritical Rating: 9/10

added by IJRF-Zero GX

Wipeout 2097

A defining PlayStation-era antigravity racer, Wipeout 2097 fused chunky electronic music with a sleek sci-fi aesthetic that felt genuinely ahead of its time. It helped legitimize video games as a cool cultural product for adults in the '90s.

Release Year: 1996Original Platform: PlayStation, PCStyle: Futuristic ArcadeCritical Rating: 8.7/10

added by IJRWipeout 2097

Crazy Taxi

An anarchic arcade classic, Crazy Taxi turned reckless city driving and Offspring needle-drops into an unforgettable sensory experience. It became a defining Sega Dreamcast title and a symbol of pure arcade joy.

Release Year: 1999Original Platform: Arcade, DreamcastStyle: Arcade FreeformCritical Rating: 8.5/10

added by IJR

Rocket League

Technically soccer with cars, Rocket League reinvented what a racing-adjacent game could be and became an esports juggernaut almost overnight. Its physics-based skill ceiling still produces viral highlight clips years after launch.

Release Year: 2015Original Platform: PlayStation 4, PCStyle: Vehicular SportsCritical Rating: 8.9/10

added by IJRin 8 rankingsRocket League

Diddy Kong Racing

An underrated N64 gem that blended kart racing with an adventure-style world map and hovercraft/plane variety long before other games tried it. Its charm and creativity still earn it cult reverence among racing game historians.

Release Year: 1997Original Platform: Nintendo 64Style: Arcade KartCritical Rating: 8.4/10

added by IJRDiddy Kong Racing