The ten best racing games, PCWorld
The ten best racing games
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Fancy a race? Whether you’re looking to extract your inward petrolhead and tinker with mechanics, or just hop into a shiny gas guzzler and knock out a few laps, we’ve got you covered with the best racing games we’ve played in the last few years.
All comers are welcome, whether you’re on a PC, kicking back on the couch with a console, or on the bus with your phone.
Very first things very first: if you’re a faithful racing fan, chances are you’ve been a subscribing member of iRacing.com’s legendary online community for years, as it’s the undisputed champ in the PC racing space. But if you’re not ready to dive into a 40,000 strong virtual racing nation (and shell out for a monthly subscription), strap in, grab your racing wheel (or controller, or mobile device) and check out some of the best fresh racing practices around.
1. Forza Motorsport Four
Forza four is one of the best racing games around.
Forza four is getting a bit long in the tooth, but you’d be hard pressed to find a game that supplants this masterpiece. It has everything: over five hundred cars, from frumpy hatchbacks to legendary racing relics. It’s simulation-savvy will have you tinkering with gear ratios and drivetrains, but there are slew of optional driving assists for racing neophytes. Most of the twenty six gorgeous tracks are based on real raceways, and you can take the competition online, forming car clubs with your friends. If you’re a racing fan, this one is arguably worth picking up an Xbox three hundred sixty for—though the next game in the series is due to arrive with the Xbox One later this year.
Two. Trackmania two Stadium
Trackmania two Stadium is a game about pointing your car down the track and hitting the gas with a sneer and a prayer.
In Trackmania, speed is king. There are no powerups or drifting challenges, cars to modify or even choose from. Just you, the insane courses, and a record time to attempt to hammer. There technically aren’t even other players: competitors dart about the track when you play online, but you can’t collide with them and there are no “positions” in the traditional sense, just a record of top times and that burying feeling when StudMuffin47 trims a tenth of a 2nd off your best effort, and then drops a smiley face into server talk. The cad. Stadium hasn’t been released yet, but the open beta has been running for months, and is presently downright free.
Three. Grid Two
Blaze through major cities and challenge other drivers to competitive racing events in Grid Two.
The 2nd entry in the Grid series doesn’t drift too far afield of its predecessor. A disparate collection of motorsport events are cobbled together to form a single globetrotting competition, coupling traditional circuit races with point-to-point cruises through major cities and the occasional drifting challenge. It sits astride the line inbetween arcade and simulation: you won’t be tuning cars or upgrading them, and a rewind option lets you recover after a gruesome crash or botched turn—though you’ll only get a few chances to do so each race. It’s also rather lovely, and while it doesn’t build on its predecessor very much or stand out too noticeably from the crowd, it’s an entertaining romp for folks who are in the mood for a bit of joy.
Four. F1 2012
F1 2012: for the player who feels like all other racing games are trite and abate.
I uncommonly feel as out of my element as I do when strapping into a single-seat rocket on wheels and attempting to round a corner without plowing headfirst into the stands. Fortunately, my tires blew out long before I had the chance to botch the turn: the danger of mindlessly futzing with tire pressures after cheekily turning off all of the driver assists. Codemasters is at the peak of their simulation game here. You’ll be fine tuning mechanical details, accounting for weather conditions and road temperature, and generally attempting to keep these monsters upright as you rival at F1 circuits around the world. The uninitiated can always rely on suggestions from your pit squad and the Flashback feature, which lets you rewind the activity when disaster strikes.
The ten best racing games, PCWorld
The ten best racing games
Your message has been sent.
There was an error emailing this page.
Fancy a race? Whether you’re looking to let out your inward petrolhead and tinker with mechanics, or just hop into a shiny gas guzzler and knock out a few laps, we’ve got you covered with the best racing games we’ve played in the last few years.
All comers are welcome, whether you’re on a PC, kicking back on the couch with a console, or on the bus with your phone.
Very first things very first: if you’re a loyal racing fan, chances are you’ve been a subscribing member of iRacing.com’s legendary online community for years, as it’s the undisputed champ in the PC racing space. But if you’re not ready to dive into a 40,000 strong virtual racing nation (and shell out for a monthly subscription), strap in, grab your racing wheel (or controller, or mobile device) and check out some of the best fresh racing practices around.
1. Forza Motorsport Four
Forza four is one of the best racing games around.
Forza four is getting a bit long in the tooth, but you’d be hard pressed to find a game that supplants this masterpiece. It has everything: over five hundred cars, from frumpy hatchbacks to legendary racing relics. It’s simulation-savvy will have you tinkering with gear ratios and drivetrains, but there are slew of optional driving assists for racing neophytes. Most of the twenty six gorgeous tracks are based on real raceways, and you can take the competition online, forming car clubs with your friends. If you’re a racing fan, this one is arguably worth picking up an Xbox three hundred sixty for—though the next game in the series is due to arrive with the Xbox One later this year.
Two. Trackmania two Stadium
Trackmania two Stadium is a game about pointing your car down the track and hitting the gas with a smirk and a prayer.
In Trackmania, speed is king. There are no powerups or drifting challenges, cars to modify or even choose from. Just you, the insane courses, and a record time to attempt to strike. There technically aren’t even other players: competitors dart about the track when you play online, but you can’t collide with them and there are no “positions” in the traditional sense, just a record of top times and that drowning feeling when StudMuffin47 trims a tenth of a 2nd off your best effort, and then drops a smiley face into server talk. The cad. Stadium hasn’t been released yet, but the open beta has been running for months, and is presently entirely free.
Trio. Grid Two
Blaze through major cities and challenge other drivers to competitive racing events in Grid Two.
The 2nd entry in the Grid series doesn’t drift too far afield of its predecessor. A disparate collection of motorsport events are cobbled together to form a single globetrotting competition, coupling traditional circuit races with point-to-point cruises through major cities and the occasional drifting challenge. It sits astride the line inbetween arcade and simulation: you won’t be tuning cars or upgrading them, and a rewind option lets you recover after a gruesome crash or botched turn—though you’ll only get a few chances to do so each race. It’s also rather lovely, and while it doesn’t build on its predecessor very much or stand out too noticeably from the crowd, it’s an entertaining romp for folks who are in the mood for a bit of joy.
Four. F1 2012
F1 2012: for the player who feels like all other racing games are trite and abate.
I uncommonly feel as out of my element as I do when strapping into a single-seat rocket on wheels and attempting to round a corner without plowing headfirst into the stands. Fortunately, my tires blew out long before I had the chance to botch the turn: the danger of mindlessly futzing with tire pressures after cheekily turning off all of the driver assists. Codemasters is at the peak of their simulation game here. You’ll be fine tuning mechanical details, accounting for weather conditions and road temperature, and generally attempting to keep these monsters upright as you rival at F1 circuits around the world. The uninitiated can always rely on suggestions from your pit team and the Flashback feature, which lets you rewind the activity when disaster strikes.
