Top 10 Trickiest Race Tracks In Video Games

Many racing games and their tracks have given us a run for our money. Through their sharp turns and difficult obstacles, we’ve had a tough time crossing the finish line. Welcome to WatchMojo.com and today we’re counting down our picks for the Top 10 Hardest Race Tracks in Video Games.

For this list, we are looking at the hardest racetracks in video games. Courses that are tricky and hard to master. Racetracks that have made us smash our keys in frustration as we struggle to come in first place.

If crazy sharp turns weren’t enough, a player must master braking, accelerating, cornering, and weight control in order to efficiently finish this racetrack. Fujimi Kaido is set in the Japanese city Negano Prefecture, the fictional town of Fujimi. It has an immense amount of crazy turns that are difficult to do without smashing into a guardrail or lamppost. Mountainous roads in Japan inspired the design of this racetrack and the scenery is quite breathtaking. Take a spin on this track if you want to have a challenging drifting session or sweat inducing tough race!

We join our favourite speedy hedgehog in an intense race through a futuristic city. A “Race of Ages” visual aesthetic is captivating, through its neon colours to the different holograms that float alongside the road. It is a challenging track that has very narrow roads; intensely sharp turns and no barriers to safe guard you from falling. This track was designed as a way to show appreciation for Sega characters that were not featured in the game. On this course you are sometimes granted the ability to drive a jet ski or jet, which can alter your outcome in the race! Whether you race through the skies or through a flooded city, this track will definitely keep you on your toes.

You’ll immediately notice that this track is crowded – so we hope you weren’t looking forward to an leasurely cruise. But at least the visuals are nice: it’s set in a mountainous area at sunrise so the environment becomes brighter as the race progresses. This being a “Hot Persuit” game, having the cops to deal on top of all the twists and turns makes for quite a challenge indeed. The difficulty level of this track is rightfully ranked as expert since it is so tricky to stay on the road without hitting anything. If you’re looking for a race that will test your agility and coordination, then this is the track for you!

This is one of the bonus tracks in Hydro Thunder and is the only non-circuit course in the game. It is filled with sharp twists and turns, as well as narrow passageways, which make it difficult not to crash into walls. The course contains constant speed boosts, which are necessary to keep up, but also make it even more difficult to control your boat. If that wasn’t enough, the track is so distracting as there are falling statues, booby-trapped doorways, and even a giant Cyclops monster. If that sounds like a challenge you’re down for, then pack your pleasure craft license and get ready for an adventure.

Galaxy 5000 welcomes you to racing in the 51st century; a cutthroat future where Pluto is a planet. After beating each planet in the solar system you are declared the greatest racer of your species and taken beyond to Planet X. Nice going human! This track has its racers jump from platform to platform and risk falling into the depths of space. Planet X is riddled with foreign obstacles, alien monsters, stationary turrets, and, not to mention, your aggressively competitive fellow racers. All together these elements make Planet X a difficult and satisfying finish to this space racer. Manage to conquer Planet X and you are the true champion of all Humankind. We here at WatchMojo salute you.

It’s fairly agreeable that the highlight of Star Wars: Episode 1 is the pod racing, so really it was only natural to make a racer based on the film. Abyss is a winding track placed high in the sky where the player can pod race at neck breaking speeds. There are several areas where your pod can fly off thetrack, so for this course, you’ll want to choose a pod with great traction and turning stats. Boosting is important, but you have to be careful not to overheat your engine as it can burst into flames! Be mindful of every decision and use the force to get to first place. Luckily, your midi-chlorians are off the scale.

This track takes place completely in the sky and has moments where it is very easy for a player to fall due to its gaps and sharp turns. Throughout this course a player must have incredible coordination and reaction time due to the fact that there are two large jumps. Unfortunately, not making the jumps would be detrimental to the outcome of the race. What’s more, there are several shortcuts on this track that the player can discover that might make it a little more bearable. However, they still require incredible agility and speed to excellently execute them. With this track, you can race with the speed of a Bandicoot, just be careful not to crash.

Set in the Italian city of Assisi, this track has incredibly narrow roads that make it very difficult for the player not to constantly be running into walls. This means that in order to master this track, you must be able to quickly perform sharp turns while maintaining your speed. If this wasn’t hard enough, controlling your vehicle is also difficult to master due to the fact that under steering or over steering can both royally mess you up. A player has to be quick when braking and pressing on the gas, to ensure that they receive no penalties and to avoid falling behind. When starting this race, get ready to pay close attention to your surroundings and to make every move count.

Whether you’re racing as lightweight Toad or heavy Bowser, this track is sure to show you a challenging time. It is the SNES version of Rainbow Road and it has become an infamous track for Nintendo lovers that it’s since returned in Mario Kart 7 & 8. What makes it so hard is its crazy 90-degree turns and lack of guardrails, which cause the racers to fall off the track. Due to this a player must master their agility and swiftness when racing to first place. What’s more, there are dropping Thwomps scattered all throughout the course, which can be difficult to dodge as they can crush you. There have been multiple Rainbow Roadtracks throughout the years, yet the original is still the toughest.

Before we reveal our top pick, let’s take a look at our honorable mentions.

Redwood Forest
"Cruis’n USA" (1994)
Babylon Garden/Sky Road
"Sonic Riders" (2006)

Get ready for chaos. While the entire F-Zero has no shortage of challenging courses, it is GX that pushed the experience even farther. Although it was tough to pick just one track in this notoriously difficult game, we went with the first course in GX’s Diamond Cup. As you race you are constantly forced to quickly decide between three narrow tracks that have no guard rails, making it nearly impossible not to fall. You constantly feel like you’re spiraling out of control and definitely have to play it several times to really get a grasp on what’s going on. There are also insane jumps that the player must make, which require masterful coordination and agility. Just watching someone race this track can be a very stressful experience and due to this Cosmo Terminal takes the number one spot on our list.

Do you agree with our list? In your opinion, what’s the most difficult racetrack featured in video games? For more intriguing Top 10’s published everyday be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com