Top 10 Greatest Racing Games

Kicking off our list is the granddaddy of arcade racers, With Driving simple enough for anyone to master. Force feedback steering wheels, and linking cabinets allowing up to 8 players. It became an arcade mainstay for years. This was the game you always played with your friends when you had time to kill at the bowling alley or before seeing a movie.

The first collaboration between Sega and Nintendo following their bitter rivalry of the 1990’s. with a futuristic setting, up to 30 racers could compete at the same time, clocking speeds of up to 1600 kilometers per hour. It would be an even better thrill if we could experience this in HD in the near future … Hunt Hint Nudge Nudge?

Known as just “Grid” in North America, This racing game branded a heavy focus on career racing more than others. Starting off as a freelance racer you build up your cash, earn sponsorship deals, and manage a full racing crew to ensure you’ve got the best team behind you. Grid was notable for finding a nice balance between authentic and arcade.

Surprised? Well no one ever said you needed wheels to be a racing game. The SSX series is not only a prime example of this, but also Tricky set new standards for the genre. The Central Gameplay spin was that you Incorporating tricks to build up a boost meter. All set to the beat of Run DMC’s ... you guessed it: “Tricky”. Along with a rivalry system that determines the enemy AI’s attitude towards you. And Multiple routes down the mountains, all makes SSX Tricky makes it the perfect Environmentally friendly racer.

While the more recent Hot Pursuit game is also fantastic, we’re giving the nod to the game that made you feel like a true street racer. Released at the height of street racing popularity brought on by The Fast and Furious films, Underground 2 expanded on the original by letting player drive around in an open world city at their leisure. Of course this game’s biggest draw was its large variety of car customization. Meaning your cars really did fell like your cars.

For the authentic car lovers around the world this is a truly ideal choice, featuring over 500 real life cars across 26 different tracks. There’s plenty of things to do in this game from besting times on leaderboards, ogling at beautiful cars whilst listening to Top Gear’s Jeremy Clarkson. Or if Simulation isn't your thing: using your car as a bowling ball.

One of the biggest surprises of 2012 came with the appropriately subtitled “Transformed.” This game wasn’t just another Mario Kart clone. But instead, set new standards for the kart racing sub-genre. Notably the tracks dynamically change each lap so first lap your drifting around a bridge, and the next a Serpent blows up said bridge meaning you have to change to a plane and take the canyon on your final lap. Other racing games can definitely learn for this sort of dynamic gameplay.

Now here’s a game for those people who like to go to the NASCAR just to see the crashes. You know who you are. This open world speed demon is best enjoyed when just goofing around, building up enough speed on the public roads, and enjoying the pure thrill of the crash physics in motion. … Oh and there are races too where you can, of course cause others to crash

To not have Mario Kart on a racing list would be a crime against gaming, While the N64 version is legendary for its local multiplayer fun, we’re giving the nod to the more recent 3DS entry. As it allows 8 players locally and online, along with custom Grand Prix and Ghost data exchanges via StreetPass, and for having the best variety of tracks in the series. Though it could get better come Wii U.

Before we get to pole position, lets have a look at a few honorable mentions.

Taking the checkered flag is the Real Driving simulator favourite of the Sony family. Not only is the game noteworthy for it vast car collection of over 700 cars, but each game in the series is a technical achievement. For example GT4 was one of the few games on the Playstation 2 that was able to run in HD, In fact real world race car drivers found the handling and physics in GT4 to be so authentic that they couldn’t tell the difference.

There was a bit of debate in the WatchMojo office over Number 1, mainly between Gran Turismo and Mario Kart, to settle the argument we took to our suggestions page and found Gran Turismo ranked higher, thus earning the Number 1 spot. Do you think that we made the right choice?

Let us know what games made you feel the need for speed, and for more trilling lists published everyday. Be sure to subscribe to Watchmojo.com