Top 10 Racing Games Redux

Top 10 Racing Games REDUX

Are you fast enough? Welcome to WatchMojo.com, and today we’ll be looking through the best of the best racing games. Before we begin, we publish new content every day, so be sure to subscribe.

For this list, we test drove everything from karts to high-speed futuristic vehicles to see what game could compete with the best of the best. We’ve addressed racing games in the past, but with the race to the top spot never ending, we felt it’d be best to update the list.

#10: “Race Driver: Grid” (2008)

The life of a racer is pretty glamorous, but sometimes it can be fun to share the spotlight. No stranger to more grounded racing games, Codemasters unveiled GRID -combining the high speeds of arcade games, with real cars and locations to offer a nice balance that anyone can enjoy. Featuring a plethora of modes, GRID gives a more laid-back feature to break away from the thrilling races in the form of racer team management. With so many great mechanics and concepts like the flashback feature, it’s a shame the GRID series hasn’t seen a good resurgence.

#9: “F-Zero GX” (2003)

Are the laws of physics getting in your way? Vehicles not fast enough? Well perhaps F-Zero GX is the game for you. Retaining the series’ extremely high speeds and quick reflexes, GX wasn’t just a welcome addition to the F-Zero series, it was one of the best. Thanks to the better control scheme of the GameCube controller, sharp controls were never better - and with a plethora of new game modes and content, F-Zero had reached its peak… too bad it missed the turn and fell off that peak. We can only hope our favorite captain will race again someday.

#8: “Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition” (2005)

Many know Rockstar Games for their Grand Theft Auto series, but not too many know they once joined the racing game scene. Applying their knowledge to open world games, the Midnight Club series carried this feature proud -combining a booming soundtrack with high-speed arcade racing in real-life locations to explore and race in. 3 was no different, with even more cars to customize and interesting locales, finding those back alley shortcuts had never been more fun. We’d love to run with the Midnight Club crews again, but it seems like Rockstar is too busy with their other games.

#7: “Wipeout 3” (1999)

As the title dictates, you’ll be crashing plenty of times in this game. While at first glance, the high-speed futuristic vehicles may look familiar, this PlayStation title series managed to gain its own following. Wipeout 3 pushed the graphics of the PS1 to limits not thought possible, and the gameplay has aged fairly well. Smooth controls will have you speeding along to a powerful electronic soundtrack -and with loads of powerups to make your enemies… well… wipeout of course! While the series hasn’t been very active, it has seen a resurgence in the past few years.

#6: “Project CARS” (2015)

With games like Gran Turismo and Forza dominating the “realistic” racing scene, it can be difficult to break into the medium. For an independently developed game, Project CARS is quite a feat -boasting over 100 tracks and 74 cars, it proved you didn’t need a massive budget to make a large racing sim. When compared to the juggernauts in the genre, many agree that Project CARS beats them in terms of realistic driving, even if the overall gameplay is lacking in content. Needless to say, it’s exciting to see an indie racing game get so much traction.

#5: “Burnout 3: Takedown” (2004)

While many remember Burnout for racing through a cityscape paradise, you’ll need to drive a little farther down memory lane to find this amazing gem. Burnout has always been a series where high speeds and aggressive behavior are praised, and Burnout 3 took the latter to a whole new level with its new takedown system. Where the previous entries in the series just gave the player an edge in position, Takedown rewards aggressive behavior with boosts, and points. Needless to say, gamers have loved the system since its inclusion, and has even affected another popular EA series…

#4: “Need for Speed: Underground” (2003)

The Need for Speed series is one of gaming’s biggest racing franchises of all time -with over 20 games under their belt, it’s NEEDless to say they won’t be losing speed anytime soon. While the police chases of Hot Pursuit are fantastic in their own right, it was the street racer life ofUnderground that really left an impression on us. Introducing for the first time customizable cars and an actual story, Underground managed to breathe new life into the series as a reboot, but perhaps NFS should’ve only stuck to one reboot…

#3: “Gran Turismo 4” (2005)

Another flagship series to the PlayStation platform, Gran Turismo 4 was one of the swan songs to the series’ life on the PS2. Grounded and realistic racing simulation at its best, GT4 brought in an unprecedented amount of cars that would make any enthusiast’s jaw hit the floor. With more cars and tracks than ever before, the game still pushed the limits of the PS2 with improved graphics, a crew-chief mode, new driving missions, and even more realistic physics. Subsequent entries in the series may have a larger selection of cars and better graphics, but they can’t top this monumental achievement in the racing sim genre.

#2: “Mario Kart 8 Deluxe” (2017)

Sometimes, you need to “Switch” it up when it comes to racing games, and what better way than with Mario and friends? With Mario Kart 8’s huge success, it didn’t seem right letting it die with the Wii U, so Nintendo dusted it off, applied a fresh coat of wax, and gave a few upgrades before setting the kart racer loose once more. Upgraded visuals, renewed battle mode, and an enormous amount of tracks and racers, this isn’t just the pinnacle of Mario Kart, it’s one of the best racing games out there, period.

Before we cross the finish line in first, here are a few honorable mentions.

“Crash Team Racing” (1999)

“Daytona USA” (1993)

“Ridge Racer” (1993)

#1: “Forza Horizon 3” (2016)

The world is large and vast, but that only makes speed demons all the more eager to cross it all. The Forza Horizon series sets its sights on a fictitious Australian setting this time around, offering a wide range of environments: from sandy beaches to lush jungles to sprawling cityscapes, there’s a little something for every racer. With the largest environment for the Horizon series to date, cross-platform play between PC and Xbox One users, and plenty of fun DLC, Horizon 3 not only has set a precedent for the Forza series, but for racing games in general.