10 Best Racing Games for Players Tired of Open World Bloat

2 weeks ago 6

Daniel has been playing games for entirely too many years, with his Steam library currently numbering nearly 750 games and counting. When he's not working or watching anime, he's either playing or thinking about games, constantly on the lookout for fascinating new gameplay styles and stories to experience. Daniel has previously written lists for TheGamer, as well as guides for GamerJournalist, and he currently covers tech topics on SlashGear.

Racing games have often felt to me like one of those genres that can’t really cross over much with others. A race is a race; you start at a starting line, go around a few times, then cross the same line again (or a different line at the end). In spite of that, there’s been a small, yet noticeable trend of racing games crossing into new territory in the last few years, specifically into that of open world games.

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You're bored of following the racing line too, huh?

Now, this isn’t a bad thing; we’ve technically been dabbling with open-world racing stuff since Diddy Kong Racing on the N64, and games like Forza Horizon 5 and Mario Kart World have taken some interesting new strides in the concept. All the same, if you would prefer that races stay a strictly linear, closed-off affair, there are still plenty of excellent racing games that haven’t veered off the road yet, or at least not to any noteworthy capacity. Whether you prefer kart racers or real racers, there’s a straight-shot race for you out there.

10 FlatOut 2

Hope You Have Good Insurance

The mid-2000s were the peak popularity years for destruction derby racing games. This was back when ragdoll physics were really nailed down to a science, and everyone wanted every possible excuse to send pieces of their cars flying in all possible directions, along with their racers. A game from that era that’s aged surprisingly well is FlatOut 2.

At a glance, FlatOut 2 is an off-road racing game, where you take junker cars and race them through backwoods dirt tracks, drainage channels, and other spots cars probably shouldn’t be racing on. During all this, ramming into your opponents is not just permitted, it’s outright encouraged. Rear-ending and sideswiping other cars sends numerous little chunks of metal and plastic flying in every direction, with sufficiently-strong impacts sending the driver flying through the windshield.

In addition to the main races, there are various mini-games to enjoy, most of which involve driving as fast as you can in a straight line to launch your driver as far and fast as possible. It’s like playing with one of those pump rocket toys, except it screams.

9 WipEout HD

Where We’re Going, We Don’t Need Wheels

Part of the fun of the racing genre is coming up with other kinds of vehicles you can race besides cars, even ones that don’t necessarily exist. For example, zero-gravity racing definitely isn’t a thing yet, but if it ever does become a thing, hopefully it’ll look at least half as cool as it does in WipEout HD.

WipEout HD, originally released in 2008 and currently available through the WipEout Omega Collection, is part of PlayStation’s long-running franchise of zero-gravity racers dating all the way back to 1995. You pick a machine with your preferred stats and hit that high-speed track running, not just racing to the finish, but also whittling down your opponents’ shields with your onboard weaponry. There’s no extra lives in this race; if your shields break down, your vehicle will blow up, and you’ll be eliminated.

The version of WipEout HD present in the Omega Collection also includes the game’s Fury expansion, which adds extra vehicles, tracks, and game modes. Besides regular tournament races, there’s a mission mode, time trials, and Zone Mode, wherein you need to last as long as possible while your vehicle continuously accelerates.

8 iRacing

Straightforward Motorsports

Racing games aren’t all about kart zero-gravity and destruction derby. Sometimes, you want something a little more true-to-life, a proper circuit with race-spec vehicles, perhaps even with an authentic racing wheel peripheral. If you want a full digital racing career, try iRacing.

iRacing is a live-service sim racing game, a fully simulated league of competitive motorsports and Grands Prix. The game is sponsored and supported by various real-life racing organizations and automotive brands like NASCAR and Ford, with cars and tracks pulled from their extensive back catalog of historic racing events.

The experience is supposed to be a full recreation of professional racing circuits, including authentically-controlled vehicles and dynamic track conditions. Every part of a race is simulated, even pit crew work. You can get a whole team of buddies together to handle upkeep tasks in the middle of a race, then speed off when they’re finished. While you can play with a controller, the game also has native support for most race wheel peripherals, so you can get really sweaty with your setup if you’re so inclined.

7 Horizon Chase 2

Speedy and Colorful

One of the appeals of racing games, besides going fast, is in the aesthetics. You want tracks and backgrounds that don’t just look cool, but look cool in motion as you zoom on by. Going fast and looking cool are, arguably, the defining design ethos behind Horizon Chase 2.

Horizon Chase 2 is an arcade-style racing, not unlike the classic Cruis’n series. You pick a car, you pick a track, and you’re off. It’s not a realistic racing game, and it’s not meant to be; acceleration and control are nice and simple, and you pop a nitro at a moment’s notice for a burst of speed. It’s all about being fun and looking pretty, and you’ll definitely have plenty to look at as you cruise all over the U.S. and beyond, from the mountains of Vermont to the sunny shores of Olinda.

There’s single and multiplayer content in equal measure. You can take on the World Tour to hit up the game’s tracks at your own pace, or visit the Playground for rotating multiplayer races and unique challenges.

6 Assetto Corsa

Now That’s Italian

I know basically nothing about real-life professional racing, but I do know some of the biggest racing events in the world are over in Europe, specifically around Italy. Those folks know how to tear up a track over there, and if you want a taste of that action, you’ll get it in Assetto Corsa. That’s Italian for “race setup,” if you were wondering.

Assetto Corsa is a sim racing game designed to be as faithful to the authentic racing experience as possible, from the performance of the cars to the condition of the track. In fact, numerous real-life tracks from all over the world have been faithfully recreated in-game, such as the Nürburgring in Germany and the Trento-Bondone Hill Climb in Italy. The same care has gone into recreating cars from brands like Lamborghini, McLaren, and Mercedes.

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Speaking of the cars, prior to a race, you can fine-tune just about any aspect of your vehicle’s handling, from gear ratios to tire pressure. This can be put to work on traditional circuits, drag races, drifting challenges, and a variety of other single and multiplayer gameplay modes.

5 Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds

Fast on his Feet, Fast Behind the Wheel

Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds

Mario might be considered the banner-holder when it comes to mascot kart racing games, but he’s not the only motorhead in town. Over the past decade-and-change, Sonic has been quietly refining his own driving skills with surprisingly good games like Sonic and Sega All-Stars Racing. Recently, the hedgehog and his buddies have actually managed to stage an impressive karting counteroffensive against the plumbers in the form of Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds.

Broadly, CrossWorlds is your typical mascot kart racer; everyone hops in a car, drives around a track, and lobs wacky items like missiles and magic at each other. There are several twists, however. First, rather than three laps on one track, every track shifts dimensions midway through, mixing one track’s circuit with another before bringing things back home. Second, in addition to karts, characters can also ride on Extreme Gear, the hoverboards that were introduced back in Sonic Riders. Both vehicle types can transform to move on the ground, in water, and in the air.

Besides being a generally fun kart racer with a lot of wacky gimmicks and competitive elements to enjoy, it’s also just bursting with love for its licenses. Sonic and company are fully voiced and banter with one another, and there’s crossover characters from a bunch of other gaming IPs. You can even play as Hatsune Miku, whose presence automatically makes everything better.

4 Fast Fusion

Like Welding Two Cars Together

Here’s some life advice for you: if someone tries to sell you a car that has a hood or paneling with an obviously different color from the rest, it’s been composited together from two or more vehicles, and is probably not safe. I certainly wouldn’t want to ride something like that on a racetrack, but in Fast Fusion, I guess it’s less of a concern.

Fast Fusion is a zero-gravity racing game, in a similar vein to WipEout. You race through a bunch of futuristic tracks in varied locales, from fall-colored canyons to asteroid belts in the dead of space. Fast Fusion was something of a secret launch title for the Switch 2, and visually, it’s pretty swanky.

The game’s titular mechanic is Fusion, in which you take two vehicles and fuse them together to create something new and, hopefully, better. The fused vehicle will inherit the broad stat layout of the two source vehicles, though it can also obtain small boosts to particular stats if the vehicles are sufficiently compatible. It’ll also look like a brand-new, sleek machine, rather than two vehicles hastily welded together in a grimy chop-shop, though that might’ve been more amusing.

3 Kirby Air Riders

A Deciding Factor in My Switch 2 Purchase

As a kid, one of my most beloved games on the GameCube was Kirby Air Ride, and like many others, I had been clamoring for years for a port, a remake, a sequel, anything. You can imagine, then, when Kirby Air Riders was announced for the Switch 2, that effectively cemented my decision to purchase the console, and I do not regret that.

Kirby Air Riders is a chaotic destruction derby racing game starring everyone’s favorite pink cosmic horror. It’s a full evolution of the original game’s mechanics, bringing back its three game modes, Air Ride, City Trial, and Top Ride in all their splendor. You can race on traditional lapped tracks, try a different style of race from a top-down perspective, or get up to everyone’s favorite city-spanning destruction derby. The unusual two-button controls do take some getting used to, but once you do, as well as unlock all the machines and racers, it’s a surprisingly deep game.

Air Riders also introduced the dedicated Road Trip mode, in which you tackle a series of missions and challenges to accrue power on your way to a final destination. It’s both a good way to learn the mechanics and quite fun in its own right, plus it has a story that, in typical Kirby fashion, is existentially terrifying.

2 Tokyo Xtreme Racer

Worth the Traffic Ticket

Around the 1980s, illegal street racing became exceptionally popular on a certain stretch of highway in Tokyo, Japan. You don’t see much of that these days thanks to street cameras, but the spirit of underground street racing lives on, particularly through games like Tokyo Xtreme Racer.

Tokyo Xtreme Racer is a street racing game where you cruise a faithfully-recreated slice of the infamous Shuto Expressway, largely sealed off from civilian traffic. All you need to do is flash your lights at another driver, and just like that, the two of you are locked in a battle for speed superiority. It’s not just about who crosses the finish line first; the game’s Spirit Point system measures your will to win, which decreases as you’re left in the dust or outmaneuvered.

Part of this game’s style is in its racers. If you’re playing offline, you’ll encounter a variety of different racers with different personalities and driving styles in a very anime-esque fashion, including a couple of DLC racers based on popular streamers. You can also just race online with normal people if you prefer, though.

1 Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

The Kart Racing Gold Standard

I’ve quite enjoyed playing Mario Kart World on my Switch 2. It’s just as fun as any other Mario Kart game with lots of colorful tracks and characters, and I like the new mechanics. That said, as far as pure kart racing experiences go, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t still prefer Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. There’s a reason so many people are still playing it despite World’s release.

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is the definitive version of Mario Kart 8, which was originally released on the Wii U. It’s got all the karts, characters, and tracks that were added over the course of the original game’s lifespan, plus additional content added post-launch via its large DLC catalog, including tracks from just about every other Mario Kart game.

While the gameplay is largely the same as World, barring some little tweaks here and there, I think what gives 8 Deluxe its staying power is its tracks. Where World’s tracks suffered a bit due to the mildly divisive track transition system, 8 Deluxe keeping its tracks isolated helps them to both become more iconic in general and is a little better for the competitive scene. It’s just more exciting to have three laps around one track, learning the layout as you go for a climactic steal at the last leg.