Top 10 Racing Games of All Time

Games are great, no doubt about it. We’ve already covered a couple of topic featuring either game genres, or some great horror games and more. The time has come to remind ourselves about the best old and newer racing games there are. Check out the list of 10 most enjoyed racing titles of all time.

10. Forza Motorsport 4

First, “five”, then “two”, “six”, “seven”, and “four”. Our memories and feelings about the Forza series probably do not coincide with the intentions of the creators who want to continue to develop their work, but it must be admitted that the content-free Forza 5 deserved a far-off place. The last part is a gradual, although quite small, improvement of what already exists and works – without a great revolution. A great model of driving, short, engaging races and addictive collecting more and more new cars to our garage – these are elements present in every installment.

The fourth part was saying goodbye to the Xbox 360 platform. Forza 4 also brought a partnership with the iconic and then-popular Top Gear program, which resulted in Jeremy Clarkson’s comments in AutoVista, as well as the presence of the familiar test track (received Gran Turismo series) and two cars “at a reasonable price”. The only disadvantage of Forza Motorsport 4 was the not very successful car control experiment using the Kinect controller, which resulted in more frustration than good.

9. Gran Turismo 4

The next and last Gran Turismo on our list. The fourth part said goodbye to PlayStation 2 in a beautiful style (and with beautiful graphics), being one of only four titles then operating in Full HD. More than 700 cars and 50 routes were enough to provide fun for a long time, in the game there was also a photo mode for snapping photos of your collection.

One of the most interesting stories about Gran Turismo 4 is Jeremy Clarkson’s famous test in the Top Gear program, which he tested on the Laguna Seca Honda NSX track before driving alone along a real route. The famous presenter did not hesitate to point out a few mistakes to the producers, such as the too weak brakes of the BMW M3 or the fast Punto in relation to the Peugeot 106. Overall, however, he was very impressed and said that the game could be more realistic only if after accidents, we actually experienced damage to the body.

8. Need for Speed Carbon

Need for Speed Carbon deserves 8th position, which confirms the huge popularity of car tuning in racing games. The tenth part, despite a completely different title, was the direct sequel to NFS: Most Wanted, showing the fate of the well-known heroes. The success of the game resulted in a kind of combination of two previous hits, Carbon in fact contained both police chases known from Most Wanted, as well as a lot of car tuning possibilities, taken from Need for Speed: Underground 2. The story that puts all this in a neat creation and for the first time caused the PEGI 12 age restriction to be imposed on the game. A novelty was running your own team and spectacular duels in the canyons.

Carbon also expanded the possibilities of tuning to an unprecedented scale. All thanks to the Autosculpt mode, giving the option to change the appearance of individual elements using sliders rather than pre-assembled ones, as before. The press adopted NFS Carbon moderately well, as not very revolutionary, not very great, but just a good racing position. Most of the actors’ wooden playing was stuck in film cutscenes and frustrating battles with bosses.

7. The Crew

The Crew quite unexpectedly found itself at such a high place, because most reviewers quite coldly adopted the new work of the makers of Test Drive Unlimited, reaching even for 4.5/10 notes. This, however, does not always have to translate into the opinion of the players, especially since in the last few cases The Crew remains unattainable until today. Its biggest advantage was the unusual map of the United States, recreating with the details of the environment characteristic for each region of the country. We could cross from one coast to the other or from the south to the north, passing along the way the rocky mountains in the north, deserts and the Grand Canyon in the Las Vegas area, marshy areas of the south or some of the largest cities in North America. The ride from one end of the map to the other with a fast car took up to 40 minutes, and on the way to the rake there were really interesting finds in the form of tourist attractions of the USA.

The racing itself was typically mysterious and sometimes too chaotic, and the available cars are not much compared to other games, which makes it really hard to break through the advantages associated with the game map. The Crew is supported by the creators all the time, but the offered accessories usually have a fairly high price at the start.

6. Need for Speed: Porsche 2000

Repeatedly, the fifth part of Need for Speed, focusing only on the Porsche brand, managed to reach the finish line in a strong 6th place, although it is a 2-point drop. NFS: Porsche, like no other edition of the cycle, probably appealed to the biggest motoring enthusiasts. Offering a small and rather monothematic selection of cars, from the place put us in the role of an eyewitness to the evolution of the Porsche brand, seating behind the wheel of more and more new models, starting from the 1950s. One could feel a great passion for the cars of the game’s creators, and going on another scenic routes, one did not feel the lack of Ferrari or other Mercedes. Need for Speed: Porsche was like a sensational show of one actor whose issues he absorbed without thinking.

The game on the one hand surprised with a more realistic physics of driving a car – the authors quite well established the proportions between the affordable for every ride and showing the capriciousness of the narrowest Porsche, which Jeremy Clarkson used to say that every corner is trying to kill the driver. Details, such as taking a hand off the steering wheel to change gear, or turning the head when reversing, only heightened the sense of realism. The iconic Porsche Unleashed is still so popular among its fans that new accessories are still being added to it, enabling them to play not only the latest models of the brand, but also many others. The real highlight of this edition was the special edition of the game in a metal box, along with the soundtrack to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Porsche 911. Unfortunately, the edition was available only in Germany.

5. Colin McRae Rally 2.0

Of all Colin in the ranking the second edition of the 2000 series ranked the highest! You can discuss whether it is really the best, but there is no doubt that in its time it actually was, without competition on the market. WRC world championships, authentic cars and great graphics. Colin 2.0 opened the world of racing in front of everyone and absorbed more and more with each special stage. There was no question of hardcore realism – every such route could be completed in a few minutes, but in combination with one of the best views from the cockpit everything made a really suggestive impression.

The game was much more difficult than the previous one, forcing with each change of the ground to change the style of driving, and some ease was an arcade mode in which it was more difficult to get damaged during adventures with elements of the environment. Challenge mode changed the rally into something like a race, in which 6 cars had to fight for a position on a very narrow route. Colin 2.0 required a really strong PC to run smoothly on the release date, and the multiplayer mode was poor. However, if we had the right computer, Colin 2.0 was a dream rallyer and a dot!

4. Test Drive Unlimited

This cycle does not count as many titles as Need for Speed, but the period during which it delivered new items should arouse respect. Test Drive: Unlimited on the fourth place is the ninth installment of this series, carrying us this time to green Hawaii. In relation to other car games, TDU offered quite mundane gameplay, like taking hitchhikers or helping models to buy new clothes, houses and, above all, carriages. The open world of the Hawaiian island encouraged free travel in any direction, and races organized everywhere, although they were present, nevertheless constituted a surreal option. The TDU created a world in which it just happened, occupying its own things like in an MMO, and the ruthless competition on the route was not as much accented as the social module. The reviewers emphasized that Test Drive Unlimited simulates the freedom of the real world, and the gameplay is basically endless.

3. Need for Speed: Underground 2

Listed usually in the forefront of all racing games Need for Speed: Underground 2 has advanced high to probably deserved position – reaching the third place podium. Underground 2 is still alive in our hearts and we still remember well the first Need for Speed with a large open world in the form of the city of Bayview. The story, which is a direct continuation of this one, has been stylized as a comic interludes, which was much better than the disagreeable 3D models. In addition, new game modes, new classes of cars, and above all tuning! We took the car to the real test bench, drifted, we raced for a quarter of a mile, we mounted the subwoofer in the trunk, the spinners – Underground 2 gave us a lot to do!

2. Forza Horizon 3

Forza Horizon 3 broke into a list full of unforgettable classics and the best games in the genre’s history. It can not be denied that in the next years her position will be strong, because Forza Horizon 3 is one of the most perfect racing games you can play. Every aspect of the previous parts has been perfected here almost to perfection. The beautiful openings of Australia encourage people to discover a changing and varied environment, the garage can fill several hundred perfectly presented cars, Horizon festival has become a little less infantile and more digestible, and everywhere there is a great deal of freedom.

We decide for ourselves what music will accompany us on the radio, we choose the type of races, opponents and cars we like to chase each time. In fact, nothing is imposed on us, and in addition we can take part in one of the most spectacular races, filled with eye-catching scripts. Forza Horizon 3 gives us the tools to create a satisfying game in the postcard world, without any inconvenience and without any effort!

1. Need for Speed: Most Wanted (2005)

Need for Speed: Most Wanted – is the most wanted racing game ever!

Need for Speed: Most Wanted – the first version of 2005 ends up as the best racing game of all times, according to a lot of players, but also based on the reviews of other critics. Everyone probably has their reasons for Most Wanted for special reasons. Certainly it was a complete game, which was almost perfect. A nice change was driving during the day, allowing you to admire a little more details of the world around us, such as rain falling from time to time or leaves on the road. Known and enjoyed mechanics of escaping from the police and tuning were as much fun here as in previous titles.

According to the opinions that have appeared on this game over the years – the first place, however, surprisingly comes to the plot! As if from a sensational movie, the script drew in and motivated to pass increasingly difficult races to beat drivers from the blacklist.

So, what do you think about this list? Do you have your own favorite racing titles?